Building a Library

Collecting books only became a hobby of mine recently, even though I’ve been interested in reading for most of my adult life, I had only picked up a few novels here and there, and frequently offloaded them to goodwill or friends. However, something suddenly switched in my mind, and I started gravitating towards graphic novels. Some stories I had watched the anime for and wanted to spend more time with the characters and world, and other aspects became more social. I would check out Youtube and see what Manga collectors were recommending and I wanted to see these books for myself. I would snoop around the isles of Barnes and Noble and think, “Oh yeah, Manga Sloth said his wife really enjoyed this series, maybe we have a similar taste.” A few weeks of this and I was able to sort of carve out my own interests, and then, as collecting goes, strategize my shopping behavior to find the best prices, retailers, box sets, and series. I will admit I enjoy collecting manga as much as I enjoy reading it, so there are plenty of books in my pile that I haven’t even read yet, but less on that and more on the ‘pile’ situation. While on my manga self-discovery journey, I accumulated more books than my flimsy little shelves could handle, and properly display.

My old shelving set up focused more on displaying treasures and had very little utility for book storage.

While a lot of the collectors I follow on social recommend various Ikea shelving units, I was drawn more towards track shelving that would be mounted to the wall and could be moved around, or shelves added. The inspiration came from midcentury modern shelving units (that I could probably never source authentically or afford) and the displays at the Manga Hotel in Tokyo. (https://mangaarthotel.com/)

Image from The Manga Hotel in Tokyo that was used as inspiration. (https://twitter.com/mangaarthotel)

My partner, carpenter, Car-Partner?? Originally told me he didn’t like track shelving and it looked cheap, but after describing some of the ideas I had, he changed his mind, and, for my Christmas present, made me these beautiful Birch shelves. He found the birch from a local lumber yard and routed the edges with a MLCS routing bit that he picked up from H Valley Tools. I left them unstained/untreated to really showcase the beauty of the natural wood. Plus I believe the lightness of the birch plays well with honey tones in the flooring. The tracks and brackets were simple ones that are usually used to closet units, measured to size (Track/ Bracket)*

Birch shelves with white tracks and brackets.

As someone who enjoys going into the book store without a plan, blind buying any book that appeals to me, I wanted to be able to capture that allure in my own library, without hindering any of the visual cues graphic novels use to appeal to potential readers. I thought I would borrow that strategy from book stores and try to display books facing outwards, towards the viewer, and without impeding on any of the artwork. So I mulled over book ends online, and couldn’t find anything that would match the aesthetic I was looking for. Of course I came across some Snoopy bookends on clearance that took all my strength to turn down, but the core element of graphic novels are to be seen! And plus, if this was going to work as a library for friends and family to participate in, I wanted to be able to appeal to them directly! This is when I started looking into acrylic stands for books. I have a few acrylic stands displaying my retro gaming hand-helds, and love the way they disappear, leaving your Game Boy to appear like it’s just standing up straight on it’s own. I said, “I need Chainsaw man to do that.” First I checked locally, and while I’m grateful to have a ‘Local Acrylic Guy,’ getting a custom order was really out of scope and budget of what I needed. However, if I ever expand into a bigger library, I might reconsider this option. So after taking some measurements, I just browsed Amazon for book stands, and book ends. I will link the ones I used, since there are a lot to weed through and i’m very happy with the ones I picked. Link* to clear bookends: https://amzn.to/3P8Dfd4
Link* to clear book stands: https://amzn.to/3QYQfn3

Game Boy Advance displayed on clear acrylic stand. (stand by Rose Colored Gaming)*

Clear book ends allow for the spine and cover to display this clever art from Shuzo Oshimi’s Flowers Of Evil.*

Chainsaw Man displayed on clear acrylic stand.

After that I was just putting the books on the shelves! I organized my books completely by how they made me feel, with some loose categorizing of Shonen and Shojo themes, but alphabetical by title or author was sort of thrown completely out of the window. While my intent was to appeal to others, I felt that by organizing them by how I felt about each story, I found I could be represented as the collector, and tell my own subtle story through my display. Manga I put within reach, since it’s more quickly read, and my fiction I put on the top shelf, as it’s a more weighted decision to pick a novel, and, you know, grab a step stool in order to reach one. I made vignettes of popular titles, and my favorite series at eye level to make a statement. Like starting a painting without a plan, I just let the books speak to me, and placed them where they felt best, and I’m happy with how everything turned out.

Adding some plants and décor to break up the books and create deliberate sections.

ambient lighting helps create a cozy and inviting atmosphere.

While it might not be much of an actual library (I believe the definition of a proper home library is a thousand books? And a slidey ladder?) This is a space that has brought me so much practicality and also visual pleasure. Being able to pick from my curated selection of books, as well as continue to collect with much more clarity and purpose has really refocused my goals as a manger reader and collector. With an established library, I find myself rereading favorites, weeding out ‘eh’ titles, lending to friends, and finally converting my partner into a manga reader. (AAAA!!!!)
Thank you for reading about my bookshelf journey! Follow me on social for more juicy manga pictures, and drop me a book recommendation!

*affiliate links