The Good, the Bad, and the UGLY!! Where does your bookmark fall? An alignment chart is a great way to get an idea of where you sit among the many options, but everyone’s opinions vary. So I made one that I believe is relatable to the average reader, with some outliers as we readers are not all made the same.
Disclaimer: This is all good fun and made from my own opinion. This is not intended to hurt anyone’s feelings or judge anyone. Embrace your alignment!
The Alignment of Good!
Lawful Good
Book Ribbon, Special bookmarks(Sentence pointer, corners)
Neutral Good
Magnet Bookmarks
Chaotic Good
Thick bookmarks: Resin, Leather, Wood
This category falls into book-intended items outside of the standard paper bookmark. This also includes practicality and/or aesthetically pleasing items that are meant to be used as a bookmark. Book ribbons, and special bookmarks are a great way to match books or the vibe of the reader. It can be easy to color match with outfits, drinks, makeup, or even social media intended photos.
These are the “models” of the bookmark standards. We strive to be those readers to be aesthetic. Specialty bookmarks can be often customized and more expensive than a standard bookmark.
It is hard to go wrong with a magnetic bookmark and are often cheaper than specialty bookmarks. They are easily accessible but are very customizable. Depending on the brand, I have found they can leave imprints, dark spots, or tears but not very often,
I put thick bookmarks like wood or leather under chaotic because they are often not flat. They are often very thick and can cause damage to the book without realizing
The Average (Neutral alignments).
Lawful Neutral
Standard Bookmark, E-reader
True Neutral
Anything in reach: Receipt, envelope, etc
Chaotic Neutral
Flat, possibly damaging items: Leaf, pen, pencil, etc
Welcome mostly everyone, you likely fall here. You are a bookmark user but don’t pick options that will likely damage your book, but are likely not as aesthetically pleasing as the specialty bookmarks but are very practical.
E-readers are a great way to track reading, cut back on paper printing, and saving your spot with the touch of a button. Standard bookmarks, these are likely free ones you picked up from stores, or customized, cute, flat bookmarks. They can have tassels on them but they are not in the book most likely. You are a standard reader where practical mixes with cute.
Receipts, envelopes, mail, torn paper, etc is the grab-and-go method. It is likely free, easy, flat, and does not damage the book. It is likely not aesthetically pleasing, but gets the job done. You are the true average person.
I don’t often see people use leafs, but I did include it here, pens, pencils, not flat items to use as a bookmark. Maybe an annotator using a pen to be a bookmark, a pencil is nearby, or a leaf. These items can damage the book but not by much. This is not aesthetically pleasing, but it gets the job done in a pinch.
What is Wrong with You?
Lawful Evil
Memorizing page number/writing down page number, putting book face down
Neutral Evil
Dog Earing, page folding, dust cover
Chaotic Evil
Ripping out page, another book, soda can, peanut butter/jelly
Oh boy. Here we are. This is the spot for not intentionally damaging your book, but not practical to keep your page. Memorizing numbers or writing it down…why? It seems more practical to use a bookmark unless you are one of those people who have photographic memory. I would never trust myself to do this, but kudos to you. Writing it down seems harder to manage than just using a sticky note. Putting the book face down leaves risk for bumping the book and losing your page, or damaging the spine by the weight of the book.
I think Dog-earing is a very controversial topic. We are now purposefully damaging the book but we are still practical. This is the most free, practical way of marking your page: folding the paper or using the dust jacket. This does intentionally harm the book in some kind of way but very minimally in comparison to other options.
And those other options are just unhinged. I remember seeing someone saying “Rip your book in half to save space in your backpack” and I was just appalled. This is where this person will likely fall. Ripping out pages, using another book, or, maybe, peanut butter or jelly (maybe any kind of food item at this point). You are intentionally damaging your book, not practical at all, or might make your book useless in the future. You are a strange, strange person but…it’s your book.
Should I do more alignment charts? Comment if I should and follow my reading journey on goodreads
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