In the interest of Mental Health Awareness Month, I took a break from blogging during the month of May, but I am Sans Serif once again with some discussion about a book-lover essential.

Walking around Capitol Hill, window shopping at the quaint shops (some older, some newer, and sadly, some closed since the pandemic), I paused before a few bookstores sprinkled along the way. There’s something about tomes lined up, stacked, or grouped in any attractive fashion; it stirs a warm happiness inside.

The bookstore scene is experiencing a resurgence (Solid State Books on H Street and Mahogany Books at National Harbor are examples). With bookshelves on the brain, once home, I searched the web for unique bookshelves. Something going beyond the vertical wooden rectangle with horizontal shelves of equal length. So many bookshelves with a flair going beyond the ordinary! Viewing such creative pieces, it was clear many of the designers were book lovers.

These few from Architecture Art Designs (architectureartdesigns.com) stood out:

Shapely challenges and Moody spots

What could be more appropriate? It would be fun to read all the books and not put them back—to fill the letters with new reads or rereads. Something about how the curves of the letters ‘R’ and ‘D’ hold the books sparks the “sciencey” part of my brain with a tiny marvel over the law of physics at work. I’d start my reading journey in the middle, with the books filling the ‘A,’ and then end it with those filling the ‘R’ (because of the combined curves and angles holding the books).

The randomness of this design draws my attention and appeals to my wild side. I would have fun with the cubbies for arbitrary book sorting, such as similar cover colors or common title words. I’d select nothing but works in the humor genre to fill the wacky shelving arrangement. Or perhaps, because of the quirky and “wild” design, I’d fill the shelves with unusual works and controversial works upsetting the status quo throughout the ages.

This dark, quiet space screams, “Grab a tome and escape.” The setting evokes creepiness, so maybe nothing but works in the horror genre should line the shelves. I’d change the seating to something more comfy-cozy and turn the chair to face the volumes, but otherwise, a cup of tea in this space, and I’m set. For hours. Do Not Disturb understood.

Nature’s Basics

Books from paper, paper from trees: this design makes thematic sense. This bookshelf looks like a tree from one of Tim Burton’s movies. This design necessitates numerous similar bookshelves along the walls within one room to create a “forest” of volumes. If only one tree, I’d organize by sorting the books on the branches by genre. Each tree would feature a single genre if my library were the forest version.

This shelf speaks a truth for book lovers: it all “circles” back to a love of the written word. Circles have no beginning and no end. For book lovers, there is no end to the desire to turn the page, lose oneself in the world of fiction, or absorb worlds of information from non-fiction to get to “The End” and start over again by reaching for a new read. In a vast space, a well-placed foot and a bit of balance would make this a “traveling” bookshelf, giving “reading-on-the-go” a whole new meaning.

That’s my take this go-round. As mentioned, I came across several unique bookshelves worthy of note. I’ll touch on those in a future blog. Stay tuned.

Have shelves with spaces for new books? The Dr. Naomi Alexander series, set in metropolitan DC, offers tension-filled fiction with recurring characters.

Sample the series here.