I have an issue with books: I love them. I love buying them. I love holding them. I love smelling them. If I had my way, I would surround myself in a room full of books and just sit for a couple of days and look at them. I have books that I haven’t read, but intend to; I have books that I’ve read a dozen times. I. Love. Books.

And I know that although millions of other people on this planet are with me in this bibliophilia (are you one of my kind? hello!), not everyone shares this particular…preoccupation. But I was taken aback when I realized that some people were seeking out help to decorate their bookshelves. Because they had all of these empty built-ins in their new apartment or house, and they didn’t know what to do with them. Kwhat?

Empty built-ins waiting to be filled is kind of my heaven. But apparently, it is a lot of people’s opportunity to display  Home Goods vases and vintage desk fans. And I hate snobs; I don‘t want to be a snob. But I just cannot understand not having boxes and boxes of books that would find lovely, cozy homes on your empty shelves. And I get that a lot of people–most people–won’t understand that about me. It’s okay.

But my love of books and wanting to get our books into the open air is the reason I was so happy when Trevor discovered BrickBox modular shelves and ordered us enough to fill up a wall of our living room. We’ve been in our lake house for just about a year, and we’d unpacked and nested and painted and made our house a home. But we still had dozens of boxes of books that sat, lonely and sad, in our front room, because we didn’t have enough book shelves.

But then, our BrickBoxes arrived and the fun started.

 

They’re so…empty–just waiting for books!

And let me tell you how much fun it was to fill these bad boys up with all of my friends. It took me two full days. First, I had to figure out how to start: fiction, non-fiction, first editions and rare books? Should I incorporate the first editions with their true genres, or should I keep them separate, as I had when we lived in the loft? Should I use the top right away, or wait to see if I need the extra space? (spoiler: I needed the extra space.)

I opened my boxes and just sort of stared at the books for a while.

 

I started to shelve some books, then stopped, then started again. I texted Trevor, who was fifty miles away, at work, with questions to get some input. I even asked Roo to take a look and tell me what she thought.

 

Eventually I started. I took book after book from its box to put it on a smooth, white, empty shelf. As I worked, I emptied the boxes and broke them down, and the shelves filled up.

 

 

And when I was finished, I sat down and started at the shelves, at the books. I sat there for an hour, and only really got up because Trevor got home from work.

We still have boxes of children’s and YA books, and a few boxes of miscellaneous books that hadn’t been officially shelved when we moved. But we’re almost there, and that makes me so happy.

And if you have any empty shelves that you’re considering filling up with wicker baskets and tchochkes, please, send them my way.