Bookshelf Tour 2020!

This is gonna be a short one today, guys, because believe it or not, it’s pretty hard to do a bookshelf tour that isn’t visual.

Oh, speaking of visual, here’s the actual tour!!!

But I wanted to talk at least briefly about some of the things I mentioned in the video, namely, the fact that my bookshelf is TINY. And highlight a few favorite books, too.

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So what have I read on my shelves (and liked)?

Despite my shelves being so small, in the video I did not go through every single thing on them–I didn’t think that would be particularly interesting nor did I have the time.

But the one thing I didn’t talk very much about were the things I’d actually read and liked. Well, one would hope that would be most things, but you know how that goes…

So I’ll just highlight a few, because why not?

Storyteller by Edward Meyers

Even though rereading Storyteller earlier this year led me to make more critical observations than I expected, I still thoroughly enjoy this book and it holds a special place in my heart as one of my oldest favorites.

More than anything, I think I have a soft spot for fairytale-esque retellings, especially ones that play around with conventions like Storyteller does. It’s pretty meta, but not obnoxiously so.

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

I’ve probably mentioned this series half a dozen times already and will continue to mention it because it has always been right in my wheelhouse. It’s a deeper, slightly darker retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses that builds an interesting world and complex characters.

And the male lead (the male leads in all three of the books, actually) is an actual fictional crush of mine, which I don’t often admit to having. He knits, guys! HE KNITS.

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales

Now, since it’s been so long since I’ve read this one, all I remember is that I really liked it in high school–so I hope that it holds up on a reread. This novel is about a socially awkward girl who becomes an underground indie DJ. It’s a great coming-of-age story (from what I remember) and it has an indie playlist in the back of the book!

As a teen who developed her musical taste around the indie music genre (and who was a little socially awkward) this book definitely resonated with me back in the day.

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

I already did a video on this one oh so long ago, back when I was so very young and naive… just kidding, I just didn’t know how to make a YouTube video yet.

The Tale of Despereaux isn’t just a good children’s book–it’s a good book, period, for all ages. Keeping with the fairytale-esque retelling theme, this one is just plain masterfully done. It’s so much fun to read while still giving you quite a bit to think about. 10/10 Beccas recommend.

All My Love, Alec Brock

People are gonna start thinking I’m sponsored by this series or something (Amazon doesn’t count I don’t think, lolz) but I swear to you, I mention these of my own volition.

Yes, as an ARC reviewer I’ve been more or less involved since the beginning of the launch, but the only thing I was required to do was give an honest review–the rest I just can’t help because I thoroughly enjoy this series and it’s been such a fun ride watching its fan base grow.

Screw it, I’m just gonna list all the links related to this:

So, why are my shelves so smol?

My rationale behind making a bookshelf tour video even though I barely have anything to tour is two-fold: 1. I’m curious to come back to this video in a year or more and see what’s changed and 2. I want to show that you don’t have to have a huge library to do booktube or to be a reader.

And like I say in the video, I’m not against large bookshelves. In fact, I’m pro-large bookshelves. I’d love to have some of my own one day to serve as the backdrop for my videos. (And hold all my future booksssss.)

Not because I want to be like everybody else–because yes, it is very common to see on booktube–but because I think it’s visually appealing. Plus (and more importantly) I’m just a giant book nerd like the rest of you and I wanna fill up some shelves.

But I do want it to be intentional. I don’t like owning things that I don’t use–that’s half the reason why I started Lessons From My Bookshelf. Because if I hadn’t read the books I owned, if I didn’t know if I liked them, then what the heck were they doing taking up space in my already-small apartment?

There’s nothing wrong with owning books for the aesthetic appeal, either–but my ideal library is a healthy mix of both aesthetic and practicality. Meaning I’ve read at least 75% of what’s up there, I’d say.

So here’s to shelves of all sizes, because it’s not the size of the shelves that matters… it’s the contents of the books! *cue dramatic fanfare*

What do your bookshelves look like? Tell me in the comments!

Image by Lubos Houska from Pixabay

Words and Other Malarky