The Goods

Mood Brightener: Rainbows For Book Lovers

This content contains affiliate links. When you buy through these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Jamie Canaves

Contributing Editor

Jamie Canavés is the Tailored Book Recommendations coordinator and Unusual Suspects mystery newsletter writer–in case you’re wondering what you do with a Liberal Arts degree. She’s never met a beach she didn’t like, always says yes to dessert, loves ‘80s nostalgia, all forms of entertainment, and can hold a conversation using only gifs. You can definitely talk books with her on Litsy and Goodreads. Depending on social media’s stability maybe also Twitter and Bluesky.

Mother Nature is a show off with her talents for creating beauty and things poets, artists, and scientists have spent entire lives trying to express, explain, and understand. Rainbows, “a multicolored arc made by light striking water droplets,” are one of those things that delight us from the youngest of children to the oldest of adults. It is always a beautiful surprise to look up and see one in the sky, and of all places we could say that our beloved pets go after their time on earth, we’ve collectively decided it’s the rainbow bridge. It’s also a symbol of pride for the LGBTQ+ community since the Pride Flag’s creation in 1978 by artist and gay rights activist Gilbert Baker.

Rainbows in pop culture are countless. From “Over the Rainbow,” written for the Wizard of Oz film in 1939 by Yip Harburg and Harold Arlen and originally sung by Judy Garland, to popular children’s entertainment like Rainbow Brite, Care Bears, and Reading Rainbow. We just universally love rainbows.

So I went looking for bookish items that either had a rainbow or used rainbow colors because why not have more bookish things and also some joy and beautiful colors to brighten your life!

a tshirt with a graphic of Jane Austen wearing rainbow sunglasses and text saying More Pride Less Prejucide

More Pride Less Prejudice LGBTQ+ Jane Austen T-shirt ($18): 1. This is now officially the best Jane Austen portrait. 2. I now want rainbow sunglasses. 3. This T-shirt is perfect.

a black bookmark with clouds, moons, and suns in rainbow and gold foil

Rainbow Foil and Gold Bookmark ($9): Here’s a fancy-looking bookmark that also does good in the world as “100% of the profits donated to the ACLU”.

sticker sheet with rainbow colored books and a person reading a book

Rainbow Books sticker sheet ($3): Here’s a nice sticker sheet if you love collecting stickers or need a sheet to decorate a reading journal. Also great for flower lovers.

enamel pin of a book with rainbow colored pages that says "you are safe with me"

You are safe with me enamel pin ($11): Sadly, an increasingly important enamel pin for people to wear that signifies to people of the LGBTQ+ community that you are a safe person for them.

thin notebook with graphic colorful illustration that says read more books with stacks of books

Read More Books Lined Thin Notebook ($9): If your motto is “you can’t have enough notebooks,” here’s a fun one that’s only 32 pages if you want one you can easily carry around.

colorful wire bookmarks personalized to spell a name or word

Rainbow Book Mark ($13): Here’s a fun, colorful bookmark perfect for readers and as a gift that you can personalize with any name or word.

a garden sign with a rainbow and book illustration that says Read Banned Books

Read Banned Books Rainbow Stack Garden Flag ($20): Here’s a gorgeous flag I wish we didn’t need! (If you want to help in the fight against book banning, here’s a how to fight tool kit, and be sure to keep up with censorship news.)

illustrated rainbow book stack earrings

Handpainted Cartoon Rainbow Book Stack Statement Earrings ($14): A rainbow book stack to dangle from your ears!

illustrated colorful book stack that says in rainbow colors read books and be kind

Read Books And Be Kind Sticker ($5): It actually takes much less effort than being human garbage and it’s fun.

illustrated tshirt with a rainbow and book that says read

Rainbow Book Lover Shirt ($13): A fun illustration with every bookworm’s motto.

black mug with illustration of book and rainbow that says take a look it's in a book

Take A Look, Its In A Book Mug ($18): Have some nostalgia with your favorite warm drink.

magnetic bookmark of an illustrated bookworm in rainbow colors

Rainbow Worm Magnetic Bookmark ($5): Look at this wittle rainbow bookworm here to hold your reading place.

Hope this has brightened your day some! And if you want a rainbow bookshelf here’s some ways a reader organized their rainbow bookshelves.