Hello SHC! Most of you are familiar with our monthly book recommendations, but this month we decided to change it up a bit. This month, we are diving into the many homes for the ever-fabulous readers’ must-have: the bookshelf. All readers have one, whether that shelf is more unstructured, as in stacks around a room, or carefully sorted by the Dewey decimal system on floor-to-ceiling shelves. A bookshelf can say a lot about you as a reader. What, however, do these shelves say about you?
First, we have those fabulously aesthetic “clean girl” bookshelves that have taken Pinterest by storm. These bookshelves are characterized by a sleek shelf full of classics, topped with books that are all slightly color coordinated and of course, alphabetized, with perfectly placed decorations in between; so they’re quick and easy for you and others, and it’s simple to slip another title in and make you look like a professional. What we enjoy about these bookshelves is the little in-betweens, the knick-knacks, the statues, mini plants, snow globes, or picture frames, that bring them to life and transform a basic bookshelf into your own little reading shrine.
One of our favorites is the color-coded bookshelf. With blues on one shelf and reds on the other, it creates an ombre across shelves, combining into a fun rainbow that will both brighten and tighten up any room. This shelf is definitely for the reader who likes to wear bright pinks and greens, “just for a pop of color”, or who matches their book to their outfit (a very fashionable move), and who can never really remember a book’s title or author, but will remember the color of its spine and the matching “vibe”. For this reader, a series with matching spines is like treasured gold because what’s worse than a series of mismatching colors that must be separated?
Lastly, we mustn’t forget to acknowledge our lovely chaos reader, one without a bookshelf who makes do with chairs, desks, in the closet, or on the floor. “Method to the madness” can always be achieved with this look. Full disclosure, these readers truly love their books more than anything; they use them enough to render shelving them futile, which even we can admit to. To us, these readers give off “serious academic” and “free-spirited intellectual,” people who drink their coffee black, take annotations seriously, or have already overflowing shelves (a problem threatening readers everywhere). Still, we beg those living on the literary edge to ensure the safety of their books and that they’re not being trampled.
All types of readers deserve the same love and respect as the books they cherish. Perhaps you’re lucky enough to have room for that random cup you thrifted last week on your shelf, or you can’t wait to add another book to your growing floor stack; regardless, finding homes for your books is a delightful activity. Whenever you need a pick-me-up or a calming pause, turn on some soft indie, or whatever floats your musical boat, grab some tea, and reintroduce yourself to your books–you’d be surprised by the memories that come flying back simply at the perusal of a much-loved novel. Happy shelving!
Lily x Simone
