Bookus Interruptus

As I may have mentioned, I read pretty much anywhere.  Sitting on the couch, lying in bed, in the backseat of the car on long trips.  The beach, the pool, standing up in the kitchen waiting for the timer to go off for whatever's for dinner.  Occasionally, I must admit, even in the bathroom.

I have a bad habit of leaving a book open, face-down on a handy surface.  I know, some of you are gasping in shock right now.  It's a terrible way to treat a book.  And I am trying...

As a prolific reader, I have bookmarks everywhere.  I get them as gifts, or they come free with magazine subscriptions.  Some even come in the mail with requests for charitable donations.  I don't lack for bookmarks.  But I never seem to have one handy when I need it.

So, for your enjoyment, and in no particular order, a list of things I have used as bookmarks:
Coupons - generally expired ones
The twist tie from a loaf of bread
Drawings by one of my nieces
Kleenex  (not used!)
Requests for charitable donations (the kind that don't include bookmarks)
The business reply cards that fall out of magazines
The wrapper from whatever yarn I happen to be knitting with that day
My thumb
A paperclip
A napkin
The tear off edges of an old paycheck stub
A library receipt...handy if you don't want to forget when the book is due.
An old photo
A grocery receipt
The jacket of hardcover books - mainly the flap tucked into the page, but I have on occasion taken the jacket off and used the whole thing.

Basically, if it is handy, and won't cause damage, I will stick it in my book to hold my place.  The only thing I can say for sure that I've never used as a bookmark is cash.  My husband, when we were first dating, stuck $200 into a copy of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.  It stayed there, forgotten for years, until the book was being packed for one of our many moves.

There is a book called Forgotten Bookmarks, by Michael Popek, which provides a collection of things that have been left behind in books.  Photos, letters, an interesting array of items.  I am always intrigued when I discover a library receipt in a book I've taken out.  I want to know what else the other person is reading.  Why that particular combination of books?  If I haven't already read it, I will sometimes add their book to my "to read" list.

How do you mark your place when you don't have a bookmark handy?