. I recently wrote about the bittersweet joy I experience whenever I transition from using the front flap of a hardcover dust jacket as a bookmark to using the back flap. Surely this is a universal feeling, I mused.

Apparently not. You’d think I’d confessed to cleaning the grout in my shower with the Bayeaux Tapestry. A dust jacket, wrote Patrick Halperin of Alexandria, Va., is often a hardback’s most valuable part for resale purposes. “I normally remove the dust cover before doing anything like read the book,” he wrote.

As for reading habits, Marcy Troy is always looking for books with a character who shares her last name. So far she’s at five: Sgt. Frank Troy (“Far From the Madding Crowd”), Gavin Troy (the “Midsomer Murder” books), Dr. Troy (family doctor in “Angela’s Ashes”), Agatha Troy (“Inspector Alleyn” mysteries) and Inspector Frederick Troy (John Lawton’s WWII spy series).

Personally, I never use dust-jacket flaps as bookmarks, though I will use just about anything that's lying around. It's interesting to think that what you use as a bookmark could impact your reading experience.

What are your dust-jacket/bookmark habits, Hubski?