I like gadgets, clever little gadgets. Usually this yen expresses itself through the medium of pocketknives, moleskine notebooks and my undying love for my iPod. But now I think I’ll add book darts to the list, nifty little metal arrows that can slide like a paper clip over a page to mark a spot in a book, without doing any damage.

I purchased a tin while browsing one day at the Museum of Useful Things, without any real idea of how I’d actually put them to use. I have a large selection of bookmarks* that I use to hold in my place in whatever book I’m reading and I didn’t anticipate changing this habit. What I’ve found is that book darts are ideal for marking pages in cook books and noting recipes that you want to cook, or return to, or simply mull over.

* Hi. Yes I actually typed - and you actually read - the phrase “a large selection of bookmarks.” I do realize how strange that makes me look, but trust me, it can’t be helped.