I have a reading nook!

Since the pandemic started (and even a lot before then), I’ve mostly stayed at home. This is how my new reading obsession started. Well, how it recently started. Trust me, I’ve been a reader since I was a kid. I remember going to the library with my mom, and my library card limited me to only four books, so she would have to check some out for me. Her card allowed her to check out ten books. I loved going to the library. I’ve started reading a lot on my Kindle, and I still utilize the local library’s ability to check out ebooks quite often.

Maybe I need a reading nook…

Since I started to follow along with #bookstagram more, I’ve seen these great bookshelves and places like a reading nook that people have. I have bookshelves, but they are for stuff in my office. We have a guest bedroom that, with the pandemic, no one is using. Our last visitor was in November, and the bed in the guest bedroom kind of broke while they were here. There’s a metal piece under the bed that bent. Since then, the room has just become a space for storage. The bed wasn’t made, and a bunch of stuff was piled on it. There are also unpacked boxes still in there. (I tend to be hesitant to even try to unpack all of our boxes anymore, since we moved three times in the last eight years!) So why not do something with this space? I’d love a place to be able to go and read besides the couch or bed. Especially since the weather hasn’t been great for sitting outside lately. It’s been hot, and we’ve had some wildfires, so now it’s smoky as well.

So here’s what I decided. This all happened randomly about a week ago on Sunday, I think. I decided I would try and turn this space that no one is using into a place that would be nice for reading. My own reading nook. There was also a caveat. I wanted to not spend any money on it. So I couldn’t buy anything new, but had to use stuff I already had. Challenge accepted!

Before

Here’s a look at what the room looked like before. To be fair, this was last October when we evacuated from wildfires. But honestly, little changed since then.

Before

So what I finally decided to do, after stepping into the room a few times and changing my mind, was to take the bed apart. It was kind of broken anyway, and no one is currently using it, so why not? I took the bed apart and moved the bed frame to the side. Then I pushed the mattress into a corner. I added some pillows. I moved the nightstand and lamp. And I went into our garage and got out some twinkle lights that we’d used on our Christmas tree. (We didn’t even put up a Christmas tree last year. We’re kinda lazy about stuff like that.) It was starting to take shape!

Getting There

So now what? Well, I wanted books, of course! I have a ton of books that are still sitting in boxes. I try to condense and get rid of some every time we move, but there are also some that I just can’t get rid of! So I dug into the boxes. And I pulled some pillows off the couch. We have a lot of Paris-themed stuff because my husband loves Paris. People continuously give us Eiffel Towers and other stuff that is Paris-themed. So the pillows from the couch are Paris-themed, as is the blanket I happened to find and throw on there. 

Finished Product (For Now)

So here you go…

Finished Product

Here is what I ended up with. I kind of love it! I pulled out a bunch of books that are meaningful to me. Several of them (I think I counted fourteen) are signed by the author. Some are books I’d like to read or really enjoyed reading. All of them are books I just like having handy. I used bookends to set them up on the pieces of the bed frame so I have my own little floor bookshelf. And I arranged them by color, something I’ve seen other people do and loved. And I just love the way it looks! I’ve had friends I showed it to that compared it to a work of art or a little book fireplace or something. And it makes a perfect backdrop for Instagram photos, of course!

Bookshelf

One other thing I added… I have a Google Home Mini that I got for free from Spotify that I rarely use. It was plugged in in my office, but since I have other bluetooth speakers in there, it rarely gets used. But it comes in handy in the reading nook, since I can use it for both background reading music or for sound if I watch movies on my iPad or laptop in there. 

So what do you think? I honestly really love it. I love having a place to go and read or watch movies or TV shows. Even my husband has been hanging out in there with me. We sit and read together. It’s just such a cozy spot, especially when it’s not comfortable being outside. I think it just might be my new favorite room in the house.