Let’s Get Bookish: Favorite Trends in the Literature Realm

Nestled in the corner of my childhood bedroom is an antique wardrobe filled with handmade medieval dresses and sketches of Narnia (*cough* nerd). If the “geekdom” stopped there, I’d be able to hide it from visitors, but only someone with X-Men-equivalent superpowers could make my stocked bookcase, Narnia-themed jewelry, journals filled with stories, and the life-sized drawing of my first main character disappear. (He is six-foot-three and has twenty abs. Long story short, I was lonely one summer day and decided to draw myself a friend.)

If you haven’t been scared off by my self-disclosure, you probably relate to me on some level or are a tad bookish.

My personal definition of BOOKISH . . .

Bookish: To showcase one’s love for literature in daily life.

As an author, I spend most of my days writing and exploring the bookish realm. I’ve noticed readers, particularly those obsessed with young adult fiction, love literature-themed products.

Here are some of my favorite bookish trends:

- Book Boxes

Instagram is home to literature-obsessed book bloggers and readers who ache to be bookish. Because of the ache, lit-junkies started book box subscription services. Each month, subscribers receive a package filled with books and related items such as bookmarks, novelties, fan art, and scents based off the characters.

If you want to subscribe to a monthly book box, search the hashtag #BookBox on social media to find a package that fits your preferences. Some of my personal favorite boxes include: The Bookish Box, Book Box Club and Lit Joy Crate.

- “Lit” Candles

Etsy shops such as @koolandco and @liber_destella create illuminating candles with scents based off books and their characters. Both creatives imagined scents for my latest book, “The Vestige.”

https://liberdestella.com/product/the-vestige-inspired-candle/

- Fan Art

Young adult readers are head-over-heels in love with fan art. The craze has lasted decades and doesn’t show signs of losing momentum. When “The Vestige” released, dozens of readers sent me their fan art. Example:

- Literature Layouts

Social media has popularized book aesthetic. Bloggers arrange books and their favorite items to make picture-worthy displays.

Takeaway of my bookish rant: Experience matters. The written word offers individualistic experiences. A group of people may all read the same book but each will receive different insights. Their personal backgrounds dictate how they percieve fictional people and places. From a writer’s standpoint, it is important to recognize the bookish ache in readers and accommodate their needs.

So be bookish, Creatives.

Don’t hide your love for literature in a wardrobe.

Set it free.

Because the experience matters.