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Rainbow Bookshelves For Pride (Or Anytime)

Looking for the perfect design inspo or just a little bit of shelfie love? Glory in the colorful goodness that are these rainbow bookshelves!

Rachel Brittain

Contributing Editor

Rachel is a writer from Arkansas, most at home surrounded by forests and animals much like a Disney Princess. She spends most of her time writing stories and playing around in imaginary worlds. You can follow her writing at rachelbrittain.com. Twitter and Instagram: @rachelsbrittain

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It’s a tried and true debate among bookworms everywhere: how to sort your bookshelves. Alphabetical? By genre? A mess of stacks and piles because you simply don’t have any room left? Or maybe the most visually stunning—and controversial—of all: rainbow bookshelves. Sorting books by color isn’t new, but Bookstagram accounts showing off their brightly colored shelves left and right certainly hasn’t hurt the trend. It may make books a bit harder to find, but you have to admit it’s really something to look at. And whether you want to brighten up your own home  or just enjoy looking at gorgeous bookshelf designs, these rainbow bookshelves are sure to fill all your colorfully sorted shelf needs! Perfect for Pride—or anytime!

QOTD: Classic or modern literature?⠀ After studying literature for 6+ years academically, I can tell you that without a doubt, I prefer contemporary literature 95% of the time. ⠀ ⠀ #aimeegoescolorful #bookstagram #red #books #rainbowbooks #reading #qotd #rainbowshelves

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✨Q: Do you like thought provoking reads? If yes, do you have any recommendations for me? . 🌾 I love love love books that really make you think, and ones about how science and technology could change the human race are some of my favourites (look, everyone knows I’m living for the day they create Rosie from The Jetson’s in real life. Oh no, please tell me you know who The Jetson’s are and don’t leave me here feeling SUPER OLD. 🙊😄) so I am so excited to read the short stories in Exhalation by Ted Chiang! Thankyou so much to @macmillanaus for sending this one my way! Synopsis below 💚 . . 📖 “This much-anticipated second collection of stories is signature Ted Chiang, full of revelatory ideas and deeply sympathetic characters. In "The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate," a portal through time forces a fabric seller in ancient Baghdad to grapple with past mistakes and the temptation of second chances. In the epistolary "Exhalation," an alien scientist makes a shocking discovery with ramifications not just for his own people, but for all of reality. And in "The Lifecycle of Software Objects," a woman cares for an artificial intelligence over twenty years, elevating a faddish digital pet into what might be a true living being. Also included are two brand-new stories: "Omphalos" and "Anxiety Is the Dizziness of Freedom." . In this fantastical and elegant collection, Ted Chiang wrestles with the oldest questions on earth—What is the nature of the universe? What does it mean to be human?—and ones that no one else has even imagined. And, each in its own way, the stories prove that complex and thoughtful science fiction can rise to new heights of beauty, meaning, and compassion. “ . . . #bookstagram #exhaltation #tedchiang #scifi #cosy #bookish #rainbowshelves #homedecor #readersofinstagram #booksofinstagram #homelibrary #bookshelf #myhomevibe #booknookstagram #bibliophile #bookworm #bookaesthetic #igreads #booklove #readingnook

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Hi Friday! 🌼 . I reorganized my shelves yesterday. I was going to go for genres and alphabetical. But then of course, me being me, I couldn’t say goodbye to my rainbow shelves, could I? . But there’s some sense of organization! If you look closely, on the left shelf, bottom row my series have been placed. No more separation in series, are you guys proud of me? And on the right shelf, the two bottom shelfs are classics, short story collections and non-fiction. And the rest of the rainbow is m Dutch and English literature, all combined. . I’m super satisfied with how they turned out! And I’m very much going to be enjoying my new view with my two current reads; an essay-collection called Wolf, a thriller ‘I’m Traveling Alone’ (I’m enjoying a thriller, whaaaat?!) and a children’s book. . . Hope you’ll have a great Friday and weekend! . . Q: What are you currently reading? . 📒📒📒 . Hoi vrijdag! 🌼 . Ik heb gisterenavond m’n boekenkast opnieuw ingericht. En hoewel het plan was om voor alfabetisch en genre te gaan, kon ik natuurljk geen afscheid nemen van mijn rainbow-shelves! . Maar er is zeker wat veranderd! Als je goed kijkt, zie je in de linker-boekenkast op de onderste rij m’n series verzameld. En aan de rechterkant zijn mijn twee onderste planken gereserveerd voor klassiekers, korte verhalen bundels en non-fictie. De rest van de kast is voor mijn literatuur, alle soorten, in het Nederlands en Engels. Die staan dan wel lekker door elkaar. 😌 . Het was even wat werk (4 uur!) maar ik ben erg blij met hoe ze er nu uit zien! En Ik ga heerlijk van mijn nieuwe uitzicht genieten met mijn huidige boeken; Wolf (essay-collectie), de thriller ‘Ik Reis Alleen’ en kinderboek Lepel snijder. . . Fijne vrijdag en alvast een weekend allemaal! . Q: Wat zijn jullie nu aan het lezen?

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Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi 2.5⭐ 🙈🙈🙈 #sorry #dontgetthehype ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ••• ⠀ A novel of breathtaking sweep and emotional power that traces three hundred years in Ghana and along the way also becomes a truly great American novel. Extraordinary for its exquisite language, its implacable sorrow, its soaring beauty, and for its monumental portrait of the forces that shape families and nations, Homegoing heralds the arrival of a major new voice in contemporary fiction. Two half-sisters, Effia and Esi, are born into different villages in eighteenth-century Ghana. Effia is married off to an Englishman and lives in comfort in the palatial rooms of Cape Coast Castle. Unbeknownst to Effia, her sister, Esi, is imprisoned beneath her in the castle's dungeons, sold with thousands of others into the Gold Coast's booming slave trade, and shipped off to America, where her children and grandchildren will be raised in slavery. One thread of Homegoing follows Effia's descendants through centuries of warfare in Ghana, as the Fante and Asante nations wrestle with the slave trade and British colonization. The other thread follows Esi and her children into America. From the plantations of the South to the Civil War and the Great Migration, from the coal mines of Pratt City, Alabama, to the jazz clubs and dope houses of twentieth-century Harlem, right up through the present day, Homegoing makes history visceral, and captures, with singular and stunning immediacy, how the memory of captivity came to be inscribed in the soul of a nation.

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Shelves up! I had a(nother) cold last week 😔 couldn’t sing and was going out of my mind writing out song texts, so we took the evening away from working and put these shelves up at last! I just plonked some bits on top so it’s not styled properly there yet, but one thing I have always dreamed of is a colour coded bookshelf, so I finally did it! I don’t know if we’ll keep it like that as I’m not sure it fits the overall style (too obviously colourful 😁), but for now I am so happy to finally have one that sometimes you can just find me staring at it smiling 😂 Talk about weird life goals! 🌈 . P.S. Just imagine that photo with the finger parquet that we’re going to lay in the summer.. 😍 can’t wait! . . #interior123 #styleithappy #shelfie #bookshelf #rainbowshelfie #rainbowshelf #rainbowshelves #bookshelves #myhousebeautiful #howihome #dream_interiors #interiordecorating #homeadore #interior_design #thisismyhouse #myinteriordetails #realhomes #pocketofmyhome #interiorsnapshot #spotlightonmyhome #myhouseandhome #inspiremehomedecor #interiormilk #interiorobsessed #myhometrend #howyouhome #mystylishspace #sorealhomes

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Sharing another #rainbowshelfie for #pride month. You can never have enough rainbows.⁣ ⁣ Part of me would love to have all my shelves arranged by colour, but honestly I don't think I'd ever find anything! ⁣ ⁣ How do you arrange your bookshelves, and would you change it? ⁣ ⁣ I finished 'History Is All You Left Me' the other day, and wow Adam Silvera sure knows how to play with your emotions. I'll write a proper review soon.⁣ ⁣ '𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵'.⁣ ⁣ #rainbowbooks #shelfie #catsandbooks

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Einen wunderschönen Sonntag ihr Lieben ♥️♥️✨ . Nachdem ich gestern auf der Zugfahrt „die Farbe von Milch“ komplett gelesen habe, bin ich wieder total im Lesefiber und hoffe ich kann heute ein weiteres Buch beenden 😱 Nebenbei muss ich schauen was mir meine To-Do Liste sonst noch an Aufgaben zu wirft, aber auf jeden Fall werden neue Videos geschnitten 😍 Außerdem muss mein Zimmer wieder in Ordnung gebracht werden damit auch @sophiebichonautorin das Rainbow Shelfie genießen kann wenn Sie MITTWOCH SCHON KOMMT 😍 Habt ihr die Letzten Videos auf meinem YouTube Kanal schon gesehen? ♥️♥️✨ . Ich wünsche euch jedenfalls einen wundervollen Sonntag ✨ . . . . #shelfie #shelfiesunday #readingcorner #shelfies #sundayshelfie #bookstofinsta #bookspines #booknook #bookhoarder #shelfiegoals #bookstagramfeatures #bookshelf #rainbowshelfie #bücherregal #lesenswert #Bücherliebe #germanbookstagram #büchersüchtig #bücherwelt #Bücher #leseratte #bücherwurm #buchblogger

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The bookcase that you never see 😂 This is the overflow bookcase in M’s room that is now full. I shared in my stories the other day a new trick I’ve been using with the books we check out from the library and it has been working! . Our library books weren’t getting read, so I started setting them up standing up on top of the bookcase. M can get out of her bed and read whichever ones she wants before and after nap and when she wakes up in the morning. I typically find at least a dozen or more books scattered all over her floor. 😅 So, if you’re looking for a way to create interest in books, give this a shot and let me know how it goes! . . . . . . . #nerdywedslane #nerdywedsbookshelf #usbornebooks #usbornebooksandmore #empowersocial #theelitesuite #suitesassypants #socialitesuite #toddleractivities #usborne #preschoolathome #earlylearning #sassysuite #childhoodunplugged #activitybooks #kidlit #kidsbooks #activitybook #childrensbooks #childrensbook #kidbookstagram #shelfie #bookworm #booknookstagram #bookshelfie #bookshelf #rainbowbooks #rainbowshelfie #rainbowbookshelf

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I am a genuine @delilahandtilly fangirl, and you can see why when you just have a quick scroll through her feed. ❤️ I had followed her for some time before I heard that joyful cha ching in my etsy shop and found that she'd bought two of my prints. One of them is this custom "Books Rule" print displayed so beautifully on this rainbow filled book shelf. 🧡 Quite honestly never got this feeling in any other job I've ever been in, where I get to see people displaying my designs in their homes, and be a little part of their everyday lives. 💛 A huge thank you to all my customers who continue to support my little business. So much love to you all 😁🙌💞 💚 Print available in my Etsy shop, link in bio 💙 💜 ❤️ #wahm #fangirling #rainbows #shelfie #etsyseller #rainbowshelfie #ihavethisthingwithrainbows #ihavethisthingwithcolour #rainbowlifehappylife #wahmmade #giveupyourdayjob #illustration #nurseryprint #nurserydecor #playroomdecor #booksrule #read #iloverainbows

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Good evening lovely people. It’s all about colour blocking at Colour File HQ tonight. Since arranging the pastels shelfie that you all seemed to love so much, it’s remained intact on my mint green String Pocket unit, like an altar to unsaturated gloriousness. Tonight, i got a major shelfie bee in my bonnet (why, i don’t know: i’m so whacked i can barely see straight) and decided it was time to mix it up with some brights, like the red spiderman that SIC won on Brighton Pier by feeding the 2p machine (that figure cost us a king’s ransom). I’m enjoying how the books and coloured pencils are constantly drawing my eye upwards. Are you a fan of colour-blocking? 🎈 🍊 🌼 🌿 🦋 👾 👚 Martha, The Colour File x #thecolourfile #marthascolourfile #shelfie #shelfiebook #shelfiestyling #iloveshelfies #tropicalfish #ihavethisthingwithcolor #anglianstyledbyme #ihavethisthingwithcolour #bookstagram #rainbowshelfie #rainbowshelf @anglianhome @sophierobinsoninteriors

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Hello from Colour File HQ. Don’t you just LOVE candles?! I have something of a candle addiction, as you can see from these shelves. One of my constant car-booting quests is the pursuit of vintage candlesticks, and I have to say I find them very hard to come by. What’s the story? Were they easily dropped or knocked off mantelpieces, way back when, so haven’t made it to 2019? Or do people love them so much they rarely throw them out? Even modern ones are a relatively rare beast: tealight holders have, I think, bumped candlesticks unceremoniously back into yesteryear. Having said that, I love these stacking beauties (fourth, fifth and sixth from the left) from @ikeauk Do you love candles? Do you share my frustration at the paucity of candlestick choices? Or have you found a secret and abundant Aladdin’s cave of the things that you’d like to share with me, you cheeky sneaksters?……. 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥 Martha, The Colour File x #thecolourfile #marthascolourfile #shelfie #shelfiebook #shelfiestyling #iloveshelfies #tropicalfish #ihavethisthingwithcolor #anglianstyledbyme #ihavethisthingwithcolour #bookstagram @anglianhome @sophierobinsoninteriors

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Morning! Our friends arrived yesterday from sunny south France and we had such a lovely evening eating together. I’ve sent them off to do important London things today such as changing of the guard, London Eye (never been on it 🙈) and Hamleys (you’re welcome kids, sorry parents). I didn’t understand everything yesterday (as obviously the conversation was mainly in French) but I did understand when their little son told me he liked the colours of my books. ☺️☺️☺️ This made me happy inside! Curry night tonight (obvs) was then lots of fun (if rainy) plans for the weekend. Happy Friday mes amies 😘😘 . . . . . . . #spotlightonmyhome #periodfeatures #rainbowbookshelf #bookstagram #myperiodhomestyle #walltowallstyle #rainbowbooks #colourmyhome #victorianhouse #sorealhomes #interiorstyling #apartmenttherapy #myhometrend #sassyhomestyle #myhomevibe #interiormilk #cornerofmyhome #styleithappy #myhousebeautiful #mygorgeousgaff #dailydecordetail #myinteriorstyletoday #designsponge #sodomino #myseasonalrevamp #howihome #howyouhome #rockininteriors #mycreativeinterior #duluxpebbleshore

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They’re finished! My rainbow bookshelves!🤩🌈 I wanted a solution for our entire home library. Between being a book lover and homeschooling we have a lot of books that we need to have easy access to.✅ I was inspired by some others here on Instagram and decided to try my hand at arranging books by color. @abeautifulmess & @thenester I wasn’t sure I’d love the end result. But this space is so cheerful now!🥰🌈 . LINK TO THESE SCONCES IN MY PROFILE⬆️. . . . . #modernfarmhouse #rainbowbookshelf #customhomes #dreamhome #mybhg #newhome #rainbowbookstack #farmhousestyle #interiordecorating #farmhousedecor #ighome #interiordetails #interiorforinspo #interior2you #interiordesire #inspire_me_home_decor #housebeautiful #roomforinspo #interiorstyling #interiorstyle #interiorlovers #myhousebeautiful #betterhomesandgardens #passion4interior #dream_interiors #farmhouse #sodomino #interiorwarrior #wildandfreechildren

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☕️Ahhhh happy #ShelfieSunday literary lovers! I’m trying to switch up my shelfie angles so you don’t get fed up of the same thing 😂. I’ve got a couple of bits and bobs today, but nothing that can’t be done in pyjamas 💁🏻‍♀️. I’m then planning on reading on the sofa as much as possible, and shall finish off my hard day with a long soak in a candlelit bath. I’m off tomorrow too. Bliss!⠀ —⠀ I hope you have lovely plans too 💕 #selfcare ⠀ —⠀ .⠀ .⠀ .⠀ #book #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #shelfiesunday #shelfie #rainbowshelfie #rainbowshelves #bookishrainbow #bookaddict #amreading #bookporn #booknerd #booklover #instabooks #igreads #bookcommunity #booknerdigans #bookspines #bookworm #bookish #instabooks #reader #bibliophile #library #homelibrary #throneofglass #adsom #harrypotter

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My boyfriend facetiming his mom “…and theres all these plants in here.. and shes got this one stuck up on the wall.. and that big one in the corner there.. and then this whole wall in our bedroom.. and theres even one to look at while youre on the toilet” 🤷🏻‍♀️🌱 • • • #satinpothos #alltheplants #hangingplants #plantsmakepeoplehappy #plantaddict #readingnook #rainbowbookshelf #urbanjunglebloggers #propagationstation #girlswithplants #plantyaf #rentersclub #booksandplants #smallspacesquad #plantsofyyc #plantbythepeople #bedroomplants #plantfilledhome #plantenabler #houseplantclub #myplantaesthetic #orangekittyclub #brightboldhome #whatsmystyleagain #plantparenthood #plantladyisthenewcatlady #plantlifeisthebestlife #flauntyourleaves #plantsaremyspiritanimal #pileapeperomioides

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Since you’re into cool bookshelves, you might also want to check out these home library bookshelves, bookcase lighting ideas, bookshelf decorating tips, and this guide to organizing your bookshelves.