It Makes No Sense… Until It Does

Ok, here’s how we will proceed I’m rifling through this book lover’s raffle basket — half expecting just a fancy mug and possibly a paperback I already own — and boom. There it is. This curious little object of wood, a thumb book holder. Kinda looked like a fox. Or a bat. In fairness, for a second I thought it was some sort of kind of rustic knuckle duster (not the vibe I was expecting from a book-themed basket, but hey).

But then I saw… it was a thumb book holder. And I don’t know why, but that just knocked me into the nostalgia.

You Ever Use One of These?

If you haven’t, let me explain. A thumb book holder is this little, typically wooden, device that has a hole in the middle. You insert your thumb through it and bam—you hold your book with one hand. No more struggling with recalcitrant paperback spines, or begging a stiff breeze not to turn your page just as you’re getting into a plot twist.

I had one in college. Discovered it in some indie bookstore doubling as a soy candle-and-bizarre-bumper-sticker purveyor. It lived in my backpack beside a mechanical pencil I used to never use and way too many gum wrappers. But that little thing? It worked in a pinch during tight subway rides or late nights when I was balled up in bed with one hand under the covers and one hand clutching a book.

It’s All in the Little Things, Right?

Rediscovering this thumb book holder reminded me how tactile I once was reading. Like, back when screens didn’t dominate our lives and everything wasn’t digital. I love my Kindle, don’t get me wrong — it’s light, it holds a billion books and it lights up in the dark (which is perfect for reading under the covers, don’t judge me).

But there’s something about possessing a real book. The weight of it. The feel (yes, I’m that person who smells books). And then there are those moments after the late morning coffee rush, when you’re trying to read one-handed because the other one is busy cradling the cat or a sandwich as if it were a baby… say hello to the thumb book holder. MVP.

Why Did These Ever Fall Out of Fashion?

Who decided we didn’t need these anymore, I don’t know. Perhaps the rise of e-readers made them seem like antiquities. Or perhaps people simply forgot they were there. But honestly? They’re having a quiet little resurgence. They are available on Etsy or Amazon now (in all sorts of styles — wood, resin, even some shaped like animals (like the one I found).

Some even come with sassy little engravings, such as “Just One More Chapter” or “Go Away, I’m Reading,” that I swear I might buy just to have on display on my bookshelf.

Reading With One-Hand Just Hits Different

I got mine out again — perching on the porch with a paperback I hadn’t opened in years. Thumb book holder on one hand, coffee in the other, dog snoring by my feet. And man, it felt… right. Good in an unexpectedly deep way for a piece of wood no bigger than a spatula.

It’s akin to those items you sort of put out of your mind until you come across them again — a cassette tape, a rotary phone, a lava lamp — and all of a sudden you’re 15 years old again, with too much eye makeup and burned mix CDs for your crush.

Okay maybe that’s just me. But you get the idea.

Bring Back the Thumb Book Holder

I’m not promising it will change your life. But it will help make your reading experience a little bit happier. Particularly if you, like me, tend to curl up in the most obscure and least ergonomic of ways while inhaling a good book.

So yeah, I’m team thumb book holder now. Again.

Go grab one and throw it in your bag. The next time you read on the bus, or stand in line, or just pretend to pay attention in a Zoom meeting (hey, no judgment), slip it on and bask in that old-school reading magic.