I spy with my little eye something shiny on the Bookstr team’s bookshelves… Follow along as we take you through a shelfie tour of our book collections, and focus less on the books and more on the collectables. We’ve got everything from bookmarks to fan merch to contact lens solution? Read on to find out!
A Portrait of Loving Grandparents
I keep all kinds of things on my bookshelf! I have movies, video games, pictures of my family, special souvenirs, cool rocks, and, of course, lots and lots of books. I have so many that I definitely need to get another bookcase here soon. I have the common addiction of buying more books before I’ve read the ones I’ve already bought. I also have the bad habit of just setting things down on my shelf.
My favorite bookshelf accessory is a framed picture of my grandma and grandpa, who, unfortunately, passed away. My grandpa worked hard in his construction job while my grandma worked diligently to create a happy home. My whole family has done so much to support my sisters and me in our education, and it motivates me when I see this picture to keep reading and learning new things!
Paige Ritson, Editorial
Harry Potter Wedding Guest Book
One of my bookshelves is dedicated to all things Harry Potter! There’s a Gringots bank, a Hogwarts Rubix cube, and a Hermione Funko Pop (among other magic-themed trinkets). However, my favorite non-book item on this shelf is a replica of the Monster Book of Monsters. I had one custom-made for my wedding last October for our guestbook! It’s soft, has bright green eyes, and even fangs. Flipping through the monster book and finding all the love notes and drawings from friends and family is something my niece and I do at least monthly. (I also have family pictures, but Harry Potter is always a good time).
Arianna Fuhrman, Editorial
Vintage Disney Merch
I keep a bunch of things on my bookshelf: index cards, jewelry, perfume, figurines. I even have a vintage Tinker Bell clock I got from an antique store. I have a lot of Disney merch all over because I’ve been a Disney fan since I was a kid. Like, I have a bunch of stuffed animals that act as cute bookends: a Winnie the Pooh, a Zero from The Nightmare Before Christmas, and a Captain America Build-A-Bear.
My favorite thing on my bookshelf, though, are probably my Winnie the Pooh bookends; one is Pooh, and the other is Tigger. They were originally my grandmother’s; she kept them around for the grandkids, but I kind of stole them when I moved in with her.
Abby Caswell, Editorial
Makeshift Otaku Bookmarks
While I don’t actually have a bookcase to display anything on, I do have a pair of pretty boxes where I store my book collection along with different reading accessories. These include a clip-on book light and a pink heart-shaped thumb ring I bought from Etsy. Most of what I keep, though, are bookmarks. My main one is this metal marker an aunt gifted me, with a quote that reads, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars,” but I also have art prints that I’ve kept as potential markers. The prints are really thank you cards I’ve received with purchases from my favorite animanga apparel shop.
Plus, I’ve kept a tag from a Cardcaptor Sakura graphic tee; it was part of a UNIQLO CLAMP collection, and it has info about the mangaka group, so I thought it was a waste to throw away. I recently turned it into a full-on bookmark by adding a Spy x Family charm a friend got me for my birthday.
Another makeshift marker worth mentioning is this Tinker Bell Disney pass my mom brought me back from a business trip. She and her colleagues went to Magic Kingdom, and one of them gave my mom her pass when she heard I was a big Tinker Bell fan. I tend to hoard random things I receive from people, so I try to repurpose them when I can. Apparently, the motto these days is When in doubt, make it a bookmark!
Gabriela Collazo, Editorial
Dark and Enchanting Miscellanea
What else do I have on my bookshelf besides books? Oh, where do I even start?
Let’s kick things off with the very top shelf, home to my Devil’s Night masks. I got totally obsessed with the series the first time I read it, and lets just say I’m very fond of masks thanks to these books. So, I had to paint my own.
Scattered around my bookshelf, you’ll find pretty dried flowers. Naturally, I had to place a dried rose right in front of my Haunting Adeline books. I mean, come on, it’s like Zade himself left it there.
No bookshelf of mine would be complete without a crown adorning my ACOTAR section. It just had to be there! And let’s not forget my Beauty and the Beast Funko Pops. That movie features the library of my dreams! I also have a few other charming items that just make my bookshelf look pretty and oh-so-me.
Trish G, Editorial
A Thrifted Vase in a Color-Coded Space
As you can see, these shelves are not filled to the brim. Unfortunately, the majority of my books, including those I recently purchased, are stowed away in boxes at college, waiting for my return from summer break. While I was able to bring some books with me, flying thousands of miles with limited luggage space is not ideal. Plus, books are heavy! I made sure to bring the ones I was currently reading, like Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline, and writing guides to help me with my own writing.
The rest of my books, from middle and high school, are packed on shelves throughout the house, along with those belonging to my sisters. I attempted to color-code my books, but the heights of certain ones didn’t match perfectly, so it’s color-coded to the best of my abilities. I left my notebook and my current read, Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, laid flat on the bottom shelf so I could easily grab them. I also thrifted the white vase, which I use as both a bookend and a scrunchie holder, and it fits perfectly!
Dunia Matta, Editorial
Pretty Notebooks and DVDs
I had so many books in middle school and high school. Unfortunately, they were all damaged from a water leak and now I have to regrow my collection. Currently, I’m using my TV stand as a placeholder until I snag one of those cool rotating bookshelves. I have a mixture of fancy notebooks where I like to handwrite the early stages of my stories; notebooks with pretty covers that I’m too intimidated to write on at all (my TBW [to-be-written] collection, if you will lol); DVDs (just in case streaming or wifi takes a dump; plus, nostalgia); and the few books I bought recently to rebuild (the full ACOTAR series, The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh, and The North Wind by Alexandra Warwick).
I currently have my books arranged by genre, but I do like how Abbie Emmons (a YouTuber-author I follow for writing tips) has her bookshelf arranged by color, like my closet. When I get my dream bookshelf, I just might do that.
Talia Wall, Graphics
Irreplaceable Nerd Trophies
Finally, a reason to organize my bookshelf! My Berserk collection is on top because it’s my favorite story, and I want to own every volume. The middle shelves separate my read books from my to-be-read: the top shelf is the read, and the lower is the TBR. The last shelf has my nerd things that I love deeply. This includes my World of Warcraft boxes, which are old and still have the original CD inside. I’ve also scattered about some knick-knacks and trinkets that are important to me. For example, the R2-D2 used to hang on the mirror of my first car. My favorite props, though, have got to be the four dice on the bottom shelf. Two of them are normal, but the other two are loaded, meaning they will always land on a five or a two. Of course, despite my efforts, I have yet to actually trick someone with them.
Brandon Smith, Editorial
Bookmarks Galore
I have magazine holders mostly filled with Horse Illustrated; I swear the Cosmopolitan is only there for astrology, horoscopes, beauty recs, and maybe a little smut. There’s a basket filled with essentials like contact lens solution, a hairbrush, body spray/perfume, and lotion. I also have a framed affirmation because I like the quote and because I have shiny object syndrome. Giggles.
I have a bookmark holder that contains all the bookmarks I’ve gotten over the years. Some were handmade by me when I was younger. Others are ones that I thought were funny, like my Grumpy Cat bookmark and my The Scream by Edvard Munch bookmark — that one makes me laugh when I’m having a tough day or feel like screaming but can’t. Then there are those I’ve collected as souvenirs from places I’ve been, like The Tetons and Arches National Park. Plus, a handmade one from Guatemala! The jumping horse one came with a book of the same cover from the gift shop at Old Friends Horse Farm.
My two favorites, however, are one that says, “A well-read woman is a dangerous creature” (which is currently residing inside my copy of Becoming Bulletproof: Life Lessons from a Secret Service Agent by Evy Poumpouras) and another that is a carved horse head with a blown glass bead. I love that the head is perfectly curved to fit around the top of pages.
Christina H, Graphics
Mugs, Candles, and a Crown
My shelves honestly double as a storage space. I would say that I mostly have mugs and candles on it, which I’ve gotten from various boxes over the years, mainly OwlCrate, Spearcraft Book Box, Beacon Book Box, and PR boxes from publishers. I also keep the flowers I use in my photos in the middle shelf so my mom knows not to trash them. Plus, I keep a lone crown, usually on top of The Selection series, or within that general area.
Ashley Lewis, Social & Editorial
Knick-knacks, Doorables, and Fan Art
My shelves are completely filled with books, but in front of them are a mishmash of trinkets I love to display. Drawings by my kids, Disney doorables, gifts I’ve been given, and so much more! There are flowers from my wedding bouquet and from my bridesmaids bouquet from my brother’s wedding. I also love rubber ducks, so I have some pretty cute ones on there.
Fan art and memorabilia is something I collect, too, especially from some of my favorite Etsy shops. I’ve got everything from drawings and printings to bookmarks (because where else would I use them?) to Harry Potter wands, and pretty little tiaras. My shelves are a display case for my personality and a love letter to my favorite people.
Kristi Eskew, Editorial
Artisanal Pottery
There is a piece of pottery art (a painted bear) that comes from a small shop on the Cherokee reservation in North Carolina. This hefty baby can hold up any row of books I throw at it. There are a lot of artisans and blacksmiths there that people should check out if they are even cruising the Smoky Mountains — you know, instead of buying from Walmart!
Erin Dzielski, Editorial
You learn a lot about a person from the books they collect, but even more so from the things they guard their books with. Consider this an open diary from us to all of you dear readers. For more bookish content, make sure to follow Bookstr on our socials IG, FB, X, and TikTok.
Ever wonder what’s on authors’ shelves? Click here for a book collection tour of Witches of Olderea writer, Ireen Chau.
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