Books by and for independent women

Five Gorgeous Blogs We Love

As much as I love book reviews, essays and articles, sometimes you just want to switch off. The internet is a fine place for procrastination, but if your tastes are a tad more highbrow than LOLcats or pics tagged “FAIL” then you’ll bore easily. And that’s where my guilty pleasure blogs come in. These are the websites that allow me to completely indulge in my geekish tendencies. Best of all, they require zero concentration –  just look at the pretty pictures and enjoy!

1. Book Shelf Porn

Ever find yourself rearranging your books so that the colours don’t clash and the spines are in order of height? If so then make yourself comfortable over on Book Shelf Porn. Feast your eyes on the finest examples of bookshelvery in the world, from the legendary Shakespeare & Company in Paris to post-modern masterpieces. Just try not to sob when you remember your IKEA bookcase.

2. Hot Guys Reading Books

Don’t expect any highbrow literary discussion on this (frankly genius) photo blog; Hot Guys Reading Books is about the eye candy, pure and simple. With snaps of lovely-looking men reading French classics or brushing up on The People’s History of Vietnam, it’s sure to send the hearts of lit-loving girls a flutter. And if you’re lucky enough to have your very own hot guy reading books, you can submit his picture to the blog for consideration by the Hotness Experts.

3. Book Cover Design

If you’ve ever chosen a book purely for it’s cover then you’ll be in good company at Book Cover Design. It’s a simple concept, but browsing page after page of stunning and quirky book cover designs is curiously addictive. There’s a short synopsis of each book, but it’s the oh-so-lovely pictures that are the main draw (this matchbook spine, pictured above, being a personal favourite).

4. Fuck Yeah, Books!

As you may have guessed from the title, these guys like books. They like books on the beach, books inside cigarette packets and books that are just a bit odd.

5. Pretty Books

This blog is run by a bona-fide bibliophile, so expect to find  incredibly nerdy photos, quotes and trivia that are a book-lover’s wet dream. Like most tumblr blogs, this is picture heavy but when they are this beautifully shot it’s nothing but a pleasure.

Have we missed out a gorgeous books blog? Let us know in the comments!

Post by Alex Sheppard