Five Fav Shelfies

by Joanne Rock

My actual shelves

I’ve been on the road and away from my bookshelves lately. I miss them! As a book lover, I find it fun and inspiring to work while surrounded by stories I love. Plus, when I want to promote my own books or run a contest, it’s tricky to manage when I’m not within arm’s reach of my personal archives to take photos and post online.

I asked one of my sons back home to take some photos of my books for me, and in describing to him what I wanted, I got thinking about my five favorite shelfies—bookshelf shots that are art for art’s sake. I follow lots of them with the bookstagram hashtag on Instagram or shelfie tag on Tumblr. I know… some people follow cute animal pics. I like following books.

Anyhow, here are some of my favorite kinds of book pics:

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Rainbow- I think I love this motif because I’d never copy it in real life. Who could possibly USE a bookshelf organized by color, after all? I tend to group books by theme on my shelves. Medieval history in one place. Decorating in another. Romance goes together. Literary fiction has a place. But if you start grouping by color? I’d never find what I needed! However, it’s so pretty to look at and makes you focus on the physical joy of a book as opposed to the content. And sometimes, that’s really fun.

Teacups and Flowers- Less a shelfie than a book montage, the photograph of a beloved cover with coordinating teacup or flowers has timeless appeal! A colorful Harry Potter cover next to an equally jazzy bouquet or a quirky mug. A classic Jane Austen novel beside a teacup on white linen. It makes me want to run to the library and start reading.

White – Like the rainbow, I could never go for a color theme, but I’ve seen shelves where people wrap their books in protective papers so they all match. All white paper wraps are insanely pretty! I like the clean look of lovely white rooms that feel like a breath of fresh air. And to give the white some texture and depth with one book spine after another is so beautiful.

Vintage... so pretty!

Vintage- The history lover in me could stare at vintage book bindings for days. Gold leaf. Worn leather. A hint of must. It makes me wonder who else has held the same books as me, and how many other minds have wrestled with the ideas in those tombs. There’s a beautiful sense of connection to share a book, or maybe to find an insightful marginal note scratched eons ago in a margin. It’s what makes estate sale shopping so rewarding.

Fairy lights- My fanciful romantic assures me every bookshelf in the world is just a little bit better with fairy lights. I would fret that too much heat would hurt my precious titles, so LEDs are a must with a little bit of distance from the books themselves. But I think seeing the tiny twinkling lights around a bookshelf reminds me of the transporting magic of a story. One of my favorite quotes is from the storyteller Clarissa Pinkola Estes who talks about the power of story this way, “Whenever a tale is told, it becomes night. No matter where the dwelling, no matter the time, no matter the season, the telling of tales causes a starry sky and a white moon to creep from the eaves.” Fairy lights help give that feeling, like the stars are coming out as night falls and a story is about to begin...

Win my April release!

What about you? Have you ever followed the art of book photos? How do you like to see a shelf arranged? Share with me this week on the blog and I’ll give one random commenter a copy of a red-spine book for your red themed book shelf—an advance copy my upcoming Harlequin Desire, The Magnate’s Mail-Order Bride. In the meantime, please be on the lookout for the next book in my Harlequin Superromance series, "Heartache, TN," Wishes at First Light, available March 1.