book lovers | Bookshelf Fantasies

If you’re looking for the absolutely perfect gift for a very special booklover, I’m here to tell you:

THIS IS THE ONE.

Bibliophile is just so, so wonderful. Anyone who’s crazy about books (and let’s face it, if you’re reading a book blog right now, you fit the category) will adore this book.

In this gorgeous hardcover, artist Jane Mount creates a reference guide/ode to great books/piece of artwork that is a pleasure to page through. I’ve had it sitting out on my nightstand for a few weeks now, ever since I treated myself to my very own copy, and I can personally attest that the few minutes I spend each day opening Bibliophile at random and soaking in a few pages at a time are utter bliss. And who doesn’t need that at the end of the day?

In my happy place

Okay, so now that I’ve raved on for a bit, here’s a little more about what’s actually inside.

Bibliophile is a smorgasbord of book-related subjects and illustrations, focusing on everything from favorite bookstores to bookstore cats, striking libraries to writers’ pets, iconic covers to books made into great movies.

The book is a gorgeous balance of illustrations and words, with full-color spreads to amaze and delight, such as the ones featured in this review on Read It Forward:

https://www.readitforward.com/excerpt/bibliophile-jane-mount/

Jane Mount is a talented artist who specializes in books. You can check out her amazing work at Ideal Bookshelf, where you can find prints, notecards, totes and more — or if you really want to splurge you can even order a custom painting of your own favorite bookshelf.

Just a little taste of what’s available at https://www.idealbookshelf.com/collections/everything

By the way, you’ll probably want to check out her previous book, My Ideal Bookshelf, which features a round-up of cultural celebrities — writers, chefs, and more — describing the books they love the most, with Mount’s beautiful illustrations for each shelf.

And look at that! A post full of gift ideas for your favorite booklovers — or even little treats for yourself, because you deserve it.

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The details:

Title: Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany
Author: Jane Mount
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Publication date: September 11, 2018
Length: 224 pages
Genre: Non-fiction/art/reference
Source: Purchased

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Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is about characters who are book nerds, book worms, book lovers… you know, people like us!

My top 10, with links for the ones I’ve reviewed here at Bookshelf Fantasies:

1) Catherine Morland, Northanger Abbey: Sure, her tendency to get swept up in gothic novels leads to trouble (like suspecting her crush’s dad of dastardly deeds)… Still, she’s responsible for one of Jane Austen’s most quoted booklover lines:

2) Tyrion Lannister, A Song of Ice and Fire: Tyrion credits at least a portion of his survival to wits gained through reading. “Sleep is good. And books are better.”

3) Jo March (and her sisters), Little Women: Is there anything better than the March sisters acting out the stories they read, or Jo’s own writing efforts? (Until Amy burns her stories. Curse you, Amy!)

4) Leisel Meminger, The Book Thief: Does this even need explanation?

5) Mori Phelps, Among Others: A girl whose life revolves around interlibrary loans, and who has read pretty much every work of science fiction, ever. I love the fact that this book has its very own book list (put together by fans, I believe) of every book mentioned in the course of the story. See an assortment of bibliography links here on Jo Walton’s website.

And some love for the bookstore owners (and workers):

6) A. J. Fikry, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry: A man whose entire life can be explained by the books he loves — and whose bookstore is everything I would want in my own bookstore. (review)

7) Chloe Sinclair, The Book of Secrets: Bookstore owner, with a secret past in which book-related clues hold the key to everything. (review)

8) June Andersen, Goodnight June: Owner of a children’s bookstore with a secret connection to Margaret Wise Brown. (review)

9) Maggie Duprès, The Moment of Everything: More bookstores! Gotta love a character who turns from a high-tech job to running a dusty used book store. (review)

10) Jane True, the Jane True series: Jane works in a bookstore with the fabulous name Read It and Weep, and when she’s not learning about her supernatural gifts, she’s busy selling books to the peculiar characters in her small Maine town.

What books about booklovers are on your list this week?

Share your link, and I’ll come check out your top 10!

If you enjoyed this post, please consider following Bookshelf Fantasies! And don’t forget to check out my regular weekly feature, Thursday Quotables. Happy reading!

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Do you host a book blog meme? Do you participate in a meme that you really, really love? I’m building a Book Blog Meme Directory, and need your help! If you know of a great meme to include — or if you host one yourself — please drop me a note on my Contact page and I’ll be sure to add your info!