Monday, March 02, 2009

The Linking Queen

Yup, gots another good link for y'all today.

Agent Colleen Lindsay twittered (or is it tweeted?) about this website today: Forgotten Bookmarks. It's just amazing the stuff people left behind in books as placeholders. Who would have thought there was a website in this? But there totally is. There's also a book in this, be it non-fiction or the catalyst for a novel. Writer's Craft teachers take note, send your students here, seriously.

One thought, I'm glad though that I never really got into bookmarks and preferred destroying my books by folding the top corner down. Some of the stuff that they've retrieved seems awfully personal. I don't mind being a voyeur, but I'm glad it isn't the other way around.

5 comments:

Criss L. Cox said...

I'm going to pretend I didn't read that part about folding down the corners of the pages... because that makes me hurt in my soul.

I loved buying bookmarks as a kid (as an adult I realize I never use them, not the store-bought ones, so instead I spend my money on the books). Now, I usually use the Borders receipt for the book as a bookmark. Or the library receipt. Or that envelope from the credit card offers... whatever's there. I think the most "personal" thing I've used as a bookmark would be a movie ticket stub (I love saving those).

I agree that there could definitely be a book or two in this... *ideas swirling in a misty fog about her head*

Michael Popek said...

thanks for the review! and yes, there is a book on the way...

unmoderated/ForgottenBookmarks

Anonymous said...

I once found a mysterious post-it in a Kinky Friedman book that said "Sorry I killed Alfie, he was an awesome dog." It was a Friedman book, so it might've been a lark from a likeminded reader, but now I wish I still had it. I could've sent it in.

J m mcdermott said...

That's very cool. I know I'm always hunting for used books with lots of marginalia.

I used to scribble ALL OVER books, as if they were my own, personal notepad. Then, I started noticing marginalia in the used books I was buying.

Anonymous said...

I've found some amazing personal ephemera in second hand books I've picked up along my travels.

I've even managed to track down the descendants of some of these people and return those personal memories to them.

I felt like a character in one of the books!