I was about to post about a couple of things I quite liked over Bookshelf, but then decided I should just give the whole blog a bit of a plug.

The blog Bookshelf as you might expect, features mainly bookshelves along with other assorted book related pieces. While some of them don’t appeal to me, I find many of them beautiful, clever, odd, or otherwise attention-grabbing.

The two that really caught my eye this week were the book clocks and the Pisa bookshelf. The Pisa bookshelf is one I was tempted to copy and make for myself but after consultation with Mrs BookBoy we decided it probably wouldn’t fit so well in our size house.

So pop over and have a look, of course I’ll keep posting the occasional link to the things that really grab me.

Post from: reading hacks

More great stuff over at Bookshelf

These have to be some of the most beautiful and original bookends I have ever seen. 

Post from: reading hacks

Beautiful bookends

Another DIY bookmark from instructables, an origami one this time.

Post from: reading hacks

Make your own origami bookmark

Instructables.com user knarx has posted a simple bookmark that uses an elastic loop to easily attach it to your book. It won’t fall out when you drop, throw, or otherwise mistreat your book.

OK, so it’s not going to change the world, but I thought its simplicity made it a good idea.

Post from: reading hacks

Fall-on-the-floor-proof bookmark

Do you feel like wearing your love of banned books on your sleeve? Or perhaps just near the end of your sleeve? Here in Australia, I am not conscious of as many efforts to ban books or have them removed from schools and public libraries as I read about in the States. But if you want to show your dedication to everybody’s freedom to read, then Reader’s Niche have some cute little bracelets made up of miniature covers from various books that have been banned somewhere & sometime. There is an adult and teen version.

Post from: reading hacks

Banned book bracelets

I am currently wide awake in the middle of the night. In order to see some benefit from this, I’ll share a few things that have been open in my browser for the last few days:

• The Globe and Mail has an article about why reading fiction is good for us. Just in case me telling you so wasn’t enough.
• BestCollegesOnline.com have posted a list of what they consider to be the 25 most modern libraries in the world. Apparently, “Libraries aren’t just musty places to store books with librarians shushing anyone who makes a peep.”
• ReaderGear.com has come across a little rack that lets you read in the bath. Of course none of you would dream of risking this with a library book would you?
• Bookhuddle.com is a new entrant in the LibraryThing/Shelfari/etc genre of websites to list your books and interact with other readers. I’ve only had a very brief look and don’t think that it will take me away from LibraryThing at the moment. One thing I notice is a very strong Amazon connection. Amazon reviews, ratings, and descriptions appear in the book details pages and there are links to buy the books. It also automatically sets up a few “lists” for you, like “books I have read”, “books I own”, “books I want to read” etc. You can make more lists of course.

Post from: reading hacks

Insomniac linkage

Some people laugh at me when I tell them I have a librarian action figure on my desk at work. She has a push button “shushing” action too. They usually stop laughing when I tell them I also have the deluxe librarian action figure. For the record, the action figure is based on real life librarian Nancy Pearl.




If you have an urge to own your own literary action figure but librarians aren’t your thing, you can choose from Charles Dickens, Jane Austen, Oscar Wilde, William Shakespeare, or Edgar Allan Poe. See them all here. If you want a non-book related action figure, you can also grab Marie Antoinette, Houdini, Sigmund Freud, and plenty more.

Post from: reading hacks

Literary action figures