For years, I’ve been an avid reader. Ever since I was little, my mother would read me storybooks. By kindergarten, I was reading chapter books that were far too experienced for my age. This led to my love of books. I began buying and collecting books, and my room looked like one of those overcrowded corner bookstores that are worlds in themselves.
There were books on precarious surfaces that I’d have to dance around in order to avoid a book avalanche. Additionally, there were books at my feet and books stacked in high piles. Until I got a bookshelf, I was practically living on top of books, and if it weren’t for bookshelves, I still would be. Therefore, I want to dedicate an article to all the reasons why I’m thankful for bookshelves and why we take them for granted.
They’re Useful
As I mentioned above, they’re incredibly useful. Without a bookshelf, my room would look like a book bomb went off inside it. I wouldn’t have space to do anything. I’m already an incredibly messy person—they say all the best creatives are—so I definitely don’t need the added hassle of having books everywhere.
On top of being useful just to keep books off of other living and productive areas that are needed, they keep all your books in one place. Without a bookshelf, I’d probably be looking for certain books for ages. If I was feeling a need to reread my favorite smut scenes (I hear you, readers. We writers are just like you!), I’d be searching for hours just to find the one specific book with that one specific scene. Not only would I not be able to find anything because books would be everywhere, I wouldn’t even be able to find the books I wanted. If you’re messy and anything like me, you’re probably thankful for the usefulness of bookshelves, too.
You Can Customize Them
Part of the fun about bookshelves is that you can customize them and add your own flair to them. No two bookshelves look the same, simply because of the different books we put on them, and I think there’s something beautiful about that sentiment. Not only are they customizable by the books we put on them, but they allow us to organize our books in certain ways.
Some people organize by color, some by genre, and some by author, among various other organizational standards. I have my bookshelf organized by series. All books of the same series are with one another, and if that author has multiple series that I own, all of their books are organized together.
That’s not even my favorite part of adding flair to bookshelves, though. My favorite part is adding little trinkets to my bookshelf that make it entirely my own. I have several Funko Pops stacked on my bookshelf (including this one of Jung Kook of BTS) that solidify my nerdiness and add my own flair. Additionally, I like to add Christmas lights around my bookshelf for the holidays. You can decorate your bookshelves and organize them however you want, and I think that’s part of what makes them so great.
They’re Versatile
Not only can they act as bookshelves, but you can put other items on them. You could even probably stick your TV on top of a bookshelf. You can stick potted plants on the shelves next to your books, and the bookshelves can act as another piece of furniture in your room or space. They don’t have to exclusively be for books. Even with other items on them, bookshelves add a sleek element to your interior. They can make your space look more open and organized, as well as trendy.
These are just some reasons why I’m so thankful for bookshelves. Do you happen to agree and love bookshelves as much as I do?
For another one of our articles on being thankful, click here.
