The Smallest Tool That Changed How I Read
Every so often, I make a change in how I approach my reading. I began with penciled annotations. Then came highlighting. And then came the use of sticky note tabs.
Enter book darts. The brand I purchase defines book darts as “a bookmark for exactly where you stopped… a line marker for discoveries you want to find easily.”
Book darts are slim dart-shaped pieces of metal that you insert along a page and point at areas of interest. They are meant to replace your standard paper and ribbon bookmarks. But, the book darts used in my library have a more specialized utility.
Depending on where they are placed on the page, my book darts have a different meaning. My book dart system lets me know where I should direct my focus next, which varies based on the purpose of my reading. This system works for both fiction and nonfiction books. I’ve also found it helpful for my personal and academic research.
Book darts on the side of the page are used for what they are advertised: acting as place markers for where you left off. I usually opt to use the darts for this purpose when I have no other bookmarks on hand. I find them particularly useful when I read a book and then proceed to shelve it. This way I’m not holding one of my standard bookmarks captive in a book I may (or may not) come back to. Book darts are also discrete. They don’t stick out like standard paper or plastic bookmarks do. This makes for a cleaner appearance on your bookshelf.
What is also nice about having book darts is that they’re more specific. They can be placed at the exact line where you stopped reading and plan to read next. Standard bookmarks do an effective job at marking what page you have to read next. But, if you’re in the middle of a page, you have to find way to remember what paragraph or section that you last read.
With normal bookmarks, I do this by aligning the top of the bookmark with the start of the paragraph where I left off. This takes more time and care to mark your place. It’s also easy to lose your place, if you’re not mindful of how you open the book. Book darts clasp to the page making haphazard movement near impossible.
But what if you skip over a section of a book with the intent to read it later? Maybe you’re reading a collection of poems or essays. Or maybe you’re jumping across a book as different parts interest you. That brings me to my most common placement position, the bottom of the page.
I use bottom-placed book darts to mark sections of a book that I skipped over and intend to come back to later. These are placed at the first pages of chapters, essays, poems or similar divisions in a book. I do this with books that you don’t have to read in chronological order. Often the authors of these books encourage you to jump around. Examples of this would be Tools of Titans by Tim Ferriss, or The Art of Brevity by Grant Faulkner.
But maybe you’ve read something that’s really valuable that you may want to go back to later. Unlike the last scenario, you’ve read the contents of the page or section of interest. This opposite approach calls for an opposite placement on the page.
The top of the page is where I denote pages of interest for future review. These include reading lists, exercises, or notable charts, maps, or graphics. This is a practice I’ve adopted for novels, as well as nonfiction books.
Fantasy novelists sometimes like to include maps of their fictional worlds. They may also add sections that explain the details of the worldbuilding. Science fiction/fantasy author, Brandon Sanderson provides appendices for his magic systems. I leave book darts on these pages so that I can reach for them if I need clarification on something while I’m reading. It’s also useful when I take breaks from a novel. Placing book darts here helps me remember key information that I might’ve forgotten.
Book darts have proven to be invaluable tools in my reader’s toolkit over the past year. They help me not only while I read but also provide aid during my review process as well.
If you want to pick up some book darts for yourself, here are the darts that I currently use. The ones I buy come in small tins of 125 darts and are available in a copper, silver, or brass finish. If you purchase your darts via this link, you’ll be able to support my writing at no additional cost to you.
Let me know what you end up using your book darts for in the comments below. Also, let me know what color you like the most. (I’m a trumpet player, so, in my bias, I lean towards brass.)
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