Category: Bookshelves

Unique and clever ways to display your book collection

4/6/2015

I've found that there are few places I feel more comfortable than being surrounded books (topped only by being surrounded by – in no particular order – loved ones, Nature and live music). And while one of my favorite restoration projects I've done so far was refurbishing some old bookshelves, there are a lot of other unique ways to store and display your precious paperbacks at home. After all, nothing furnishes a room quite like books!

Here are a few of some of my favorite unique book displays that you could use in your own home. If you click any of the pictures below, you'll be redirected to websites where you can learn how to make or even buy these cool bookshelves. I'm all about up-cycling and repurposing old things you might have laying around the house, so I'm particularly fond of the old refrigerator and the baby grand. Looking for more inspiration? You can also find a lot of unique bookshelves ideas on Pinterest.

Have a creative bookshelf idea you'd like to share with me? Please tweet me @TessaFoxReads!

Available on Etsy.

Reclaim an old piano!

Click the picture to learn how to repurpose a fridge!

Repurpose old scaffolding - available on Etsy.

Click the picture to learn how to make a reading bench!

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Tessa Fox Reads launches new Tumblr account

12/8/2014

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Since launching this website more than two months ago, I've run into a bit of a problem. I've been seeing so many great book-related images that I want to share with the internet, but these images didn't necessarily warrant a blog post. That's where Tumblr comes in.

I first started using Tumblr at the end of high school, but never really got serious about it until 2012 when I became the Wisconsin representative of The Washington Post project, The 12. The 12 used Tumblr as an online platform to share and discuss local and national elections in 2012, using 12 college representatives from swing states across the country.

After the election ended, I let Tumblr sort of fall off my online activity radar – that is, until now.

I've recently made a Tessa Fox Reads Tumblr account which will allow me to curate and share endless images of bookshelves and libraries, inspirational quotes from authors and much more. If you have a Tumblr account, be sure to follow my blog. Not a Tumblr user? Don't worry. My posts will show up in my Twitter feed.

Thanks for checking it out! Happy Tumbling!

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Reasons to read actual books (not that I think you needed any)

10/9/2014

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If you're like me, you read simply because you want to – because you want to learn something, because you want to escape, because you want to go to sleep but you're just not tired yet.

I don't read because I know that reading for just six minutes can reduce stress by 68%. I certainly don't read because my love for reading could make me 2.5 times less likely to develop Alzheimer's that other oldies once I'm a senior.

But if you need a reason, maybe I can help persuade you to read – non-digitally.

Reading has all sorts of benefits, and it turns out that reading actual books is even more advantageous than their digital counterparts (sorry, eReader fanatics).

As this great article on Mic.com points out, reading in print helps comprehension. A 2014 study found Kindle readers were significantly worse at remembering the order of events in a mystery compared to those who read the paperback version of the story. Science explains that this is because the inability to physically control the pages of an eReader limits its reader's sensory experience, thus affecting recall.

Not only that, but reading things like short, 140-character tweets could actually cause people to lose some of their literacy skills.

This photo was taken during my semester abroad in Paris where I chose to reread Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, this time in French.

According to the Mic.com article, "Reading long, literary sentences sans links and distractions is actually a serious skill that you lose if you don't use it. Before the Internet, the brain read in a linear fashion, taking advantage of sensory details to remember where key information was in the book by layout. As we increasingly read on screens, our reading habits have adapted to skim text rather than really absorb the meaning." (You're skimming this blog post, aren't you?)

Here are a few more reasons. Reading a good old-fashioned novel at a relaxed pace for at least 30 minutes a day is a great way to distract from modern technology. Studies show reading can also increase empathy, and can even improve the quality of your sleep. And he best reason to read books? IT'S FUN!

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Old becomes new: DIY bookshelf makeover

10/3/2014

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A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I moved into an apartment together. This meant spending lots of money buying stuff we needed for our new place. It also meant buying something I really needed that we wouldn't have by our move-in date: bookshelves!

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm all about the thrift, so instead of spending a few hundred dollars on a new shelf or two, I went hunting to find some new (read: used) bookshelves at antique stores and farm sales. I ended up finding a matching set of two bookshelves totaling me a whopping $60. The only catch – they were in major need of some TLC. Here's a look at the transformation process:

The condition of the bookshelves at the time of purchase. Time to sand them down!

After sanding, I used a flat, white spray paint to prime the shelves.

Next came the fun part: picking out a paint swatch! I planned to put these shelves in my home office at the new apartment, which at the time consisted of only white walls and beige carpeting. Sounds like the room could use some color, don't you think?

The shelves after their first coat of paint.

The freshly painted shelves at their new home.

This wasn't my first time refurbishing furniture, and it definitely won't be my last. But it's definitely something that takes practice, patience and time to do, but it's all the more rewarding in the end. All that's left to do now is fill these bad boys up with my personal (and constantly growing) book collection!

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Unique and clever ways to display your book collection

Tessa Fox Reads launches new Tumblr account

Reasons to read actual books (not that I think you needed any)

Old becomes new: DIY bookshelf makeover

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