I keep several books on my nightstand. I read them at different times and for various reasons but I never read any of them in their entirety in one sitting. I suppose I could just keep an eReader on my nightstand and jump around from digital book to digital book. But I appreciate the printed page, the sight, smell, feel and heft of a traditional book in my hands. Because of my fondness for printed books, with covers and spines and pages I can turn, I have a collection of bookmarks to keep my place in each edition.

Bookmarks should be as carefully chosen as the books themselves. No dog-eared corners, paper clips or indiscriminate inserts for my books. My bookmarks are made of cloth or paper or leather or metal. Their designs may be geometrical or symbolic or illustrative. Some have messages, poems or quotes. Some have fringes or attached ribbons. Some of my bookmarks were given to me as gifts, which add to the pleasure of their use, remembering the person and circumstance of each gift. I’ve also found great pleasure in choosing bookmarks that evoke some pleasant emotion or introspective thought every time I see them.

A bookmark is the familiar welcome to whatever new world the reader is about to enter. Treat yourself to one every now and then. Treat someone you care about to one. Places that sell bookmarks include bookstores, stationery stores, museums and online. Or make your own. Whether your bookmark is traditional or whimsical, let it express who you are as a reader.