Sometimes, everyone could use a gentle reminder of just how satisfying a quiet afternoon with a good book can be.  Mother nature on the other hand has cast all subtlety aside delivering a full week of frigid, arctic weather with outside temperatures in the single digits.  Next week's forecast is more of the same.

Besides woodworking, reading is one of my true pleasures. Fortunately, it is a great activity for these long winter nights and it offers little chance of frostbite if done properly. My father used to say, “The world’s knowledge is contained in books,” and a good percentage of what I know today has come from that resource. The only downside is finding a convenient way to mark your place should you be pulled away for something important like a snack or a nap.

I recently had an opportunity to address this challenge with what I believe is an elegant solution for all bibliophiles.  Made from a laminated strip of North American hardwoods, the bookmark feels warm and natural in your hand and looks great having complementary brown tones of Walnut, Butternut, and Maple.  You can find a drawing with dimensions I used in my bookmark here.  Have a look for yourself to see how it was made:

Both my wife and I have seized this recent cold snap as an opportunity to catch up on our winter reading list.  Even when it's too cold to make sawdust, it's always warm enough for a flight of fancy of your imagination and a good book.