Bookish Red Flags: Reader Habits That Should Be Crimes

Every community has rules. Dog people hate cat people, cat people hate everyone, and readers… well, we silently judge each other’s book habits. Some crimes are forgivable (yes, you can read romance on the beach without shame), and some are straight-up felonies. Like dog-earing a signed first edition, blurting out spoilers before anyone else has finished, or — the ultimate sin — using a library copy as a coffee coaster. Here are the biggest Bookish Red Flags — and how to fix them before someone calls the literary police.

1. Dog-Earing Pages

You don’t “mark your place.” You mutilate innocent books. Dog-earing is basically origami gone rogue.

• Fix it: Use a bookmark like a civilized human. Or ten, because you’ll lose them anyway.
  Affiliate link: fancy magnetic bookmarks, leather bookmarks, or a cat bookmark

2. Spoiler Droppers

We get it; you read fast. That does not give you the right to announce the shocking twist as if it’s breaking news. Nobody asked for your unsolicited TED Talk on “the ending that will blow your mind.”

• Fix it: If you’re dying to share, grab a book journal or annotation kit and rant to your future self instead of ruining lives in the group chat.
  Affiliate link: book journals, annotation kits

3. Reading the Last Page First

You monsters. Do you also tell children Santa isn’t real?

• Fix it: If you can’t handle the suspense, at least distract yourself in a way that doesn’t ruin the ending. Try colorful sticky tabs to mark your favorite parts or an annotation kit so you can doodle your theories instead of peeking.
  Affiliate link: annotation tabs, journaling pens

4. Food Crimes

Greasy fingerprints on paperbacks, coffee rings on hardcovers… What is this, a crime scene?

• Fix it: Protect your book like the national treasure it is. Use book sleeves or, if you’re fancy, a Kindle with a waterproof cover.
  Affiliate link: padded book sleeves, waterproof Kindle covers, coasters

5. Hoarding Without Reading

That TBR pile? It’s not a “to be read.” It’s a to be resented. Books stacked like Jenga blocks of shame.

• Fix it: Organize them with style. Or at least look like you tried.
  Affiliate link: cute rolling carts, bookends, or stylish shelves

So… how many of these red flags are you guilty of? Don’t panic… we’ve all committed at least one (yes, even me and my shameful TBR mountain). The good news is every “crime” has an easy fix, and I’ve rounded up a few favorites that keep my bookish record squeaky clean.

And just a heads-up: some links above are affiliate links, which means if you grab one of these bookish lifesavers, I may earn a tiny commission — at no extra cost to you. Think of it as helping fund my out-of-control bookmark collection.