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Bookshelves, Reading Life · June 20, 2022

Best Bookshelves for Home Libraries

On the hunt for the best bookshelves for home libraries? We’ve got you covered!

Best Bookshelves for Home Libraries

Setting up a home library is exciting! Getting this room right is just as important as displaying your book collection. Aside from a reading chair and a reading light, a functional bookshelf is a vital piece that ties a home library together. 

When you’re creating a home library or updating one, you have to consider a few things.

  • Your floor space
  • Its height and depth — an ideal bookshelf should be 72 – 78 inches high
  • Your budget
  • Its functionality and appearance — your bookshelf should blend in with the rest of your space.

📚 Disclaimer in the books: Just so you know, Reading Middle Grade uses affiliate links. This means that when you shop via the links in our posts, we may earn a cent or two at no extra cost to you. Thanks for adding to our book buying fund.


15 Stunning Home Library Bookshelves 

This assortment of bookshelves for home libraries will offer much-needed storage for your family’s books.

IRONCK Industrial Bookshelf

IRONCK Industrial Bookshelf - Best Bookshelves for Home Libraries
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Whether you’re looking for a wide bookshelf, sleek industrial design bookshelf, or delight in crafting gorgeous industrial-style spaces, consider this IRONCK Industrial Bookshelf.

Made of a steel metal frame and P2 grade MDF board, this bookshelf is sturdy enough to accommodate a lot of books. It has a crossbar that prevents books from falling, 6-floor protective footpads, and anti-tip metal brackets for you and your family’s safety.

Each of its 12 open shelves is spacious (11.5 inches) and can carry 160 lbs. What makes it even better is its reachable height and short assembly time.


Ladder Bookshelf

Ladder Bookshelf
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This 6-feet high ladder bookcase by Casual Home is lightweight and sturdy. Its wooden frame accommodates 5 retracting shelves — 16 inches deep — to fit standard-sized books.

The shelf is 72 inches high and 24.75 inches wide. If you’re looking for a bookshelf to display your growing number of books but lack the square footage, this bookshelf is an ideal pick.


Narrow Bookshelf

Narrow Bookshelf - Best Bookshelves for Home Libraries
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Dream of owning a home library but lack the square footage? Borrow a leaf (or two) from creative designers who make the best of small spaces using narrow bookshelves.

This wooden Furinno Luder Bookcase boasts of 5 tiers and weighs 22 pounds. It’s simple, stylish, sturdy, and easy to assemble.

Dimensions: 9.4″D x 15.78″W x 52″H


Cottage Bookshelf with Doors

Cottage Bookshelf with Doors
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Consider this cottage bookshelf with doors for a welcoming vibe that stands the test of time.

The overall dimension of the Sauder Cottage Bookshelf is 29 1/4 wide x 14 deep x 71 1/2 high. Its three adjustable shelves — each 13 1/4 deep and 26 1/2 wide — which you can move around to create flexible storage options. Behind its doors are hidden storage compartments that you can use to store more books. 


Geometric Bookshelf

Geometric Bookshelf - Best Bookshelves for Home Libraries
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Artistic designs aren’t off the menu when shopping for a bookshelf that blends in with the rest of your home. This VASAGLE 5-tier bookshelf is made of particle board with melamine veneer. It measures 27.6″ L x 9.4″ W x 62.6″ H.

Each shelf has a high-quality clipboard panel that can carry 33 lb. It comes with 2 anchoring devices that keep it safely in place.


Wooden Bookshelf

Wooden Bookshelf
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Product dimensions: 11.75″D x 63″W x 29.5″H

This sturdy bookshelf is made of 100% natural wood. It has 5 shelves with a height difference of 15 inches between the shelves. The weight limit per shelf is 35 lbs. It is light and takes approximately 30 minutes to assemble.


Solid Wood and Metal Bookcase

Solid Wood and Metal Bookcase - Best Bookshelves for Home Libraries
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Minimalists will love this industrial-feel bookcase. It makes use of pinewood and metal for an intelligent, prominent style.

This bookcase measures 85″ (W) * 79″ (H) * 13″ (D) and has a 13-inch height difference between each of its shelves to accommodate large books. It is sturdy, durable, and easy to install. You can enhance the aesthetic look of your bookshelf by adding some cute bookends.


DIY Adjustable Bookcase

DIY Adjustable Bookcase - Best Bookshelves for Home Libraries
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Let your creativity run free with this stylish DIY adjustable bookshelf. This bookshelf is constructed using high-quality plastic panels and a steel wireframe. It houses 9 storage cubes each measuring 15 x 12 x 11” (L x H x W). It can hold up to 10 lbs per cube. Its modular shape gives you room to assemble it any way you see fit.


Montessori Bookshelf

Montessori Bookshelf
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Accommodate your little one’s reading habits with this double-sided kid-friendly bookshelf. The bookshelf is constructed from birch plywood and finished with natural wood lacquer. It has 10 wide and reachable slots. It is forward-facing, so your kids can see the cover of each book. 

Dimensions: Bookcase measures 36″ L x 19″ W x 30″ H, 38 lbs; shelf dimensions are 34.5″ L x 1.5″ W x 8.5″.


Rustic Freestanding Bookshelf

Rustic Freestanding Bookshelf - Best Bookshelves for Home Libraries
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This rustic freestanding bookshelf is perfect if you’re crafting a natural and organic home library. The gritty reclaimed pine wood used to make this bookshelf adds to its charm. It measures 175*165cm and has symmetrically arranged shelves 22 cm deep (ideal for large books such as picture books).

The unit comes in dark oak, but if this is not the color you prefer, you can always repaint it.  


Open Wall Mounted Bookshelf

Open Wall Mounted Bookshelf
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Open wall-mounted bookshelves are a great way to use small spaces while adding dimension and design to any room. The Nathan James wall mount ladder shelf comprises a durable metal frame and oak-laminated reclaimed wood and mounts to the wall using screws. It weighs 40lbs and measures 12 x 24 x 72 inches.

Each of its 5 shelves can comfortably accommodate books weighing 50lbs. Amazon reviewers confirm that this bookshelf is sturdy and easy to assemble.


 Floor to Ceiling Shelving Unit

 Floor to Ceiling Shelving Unit - Best Bookshelves for Home Libraries
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This bookshelf can turn your home library into a calming retreat for family and friends from their everyday lives. It measures approximately 36″L x 7.5″ D x 72″H, with roughly 10″ space between each shelf. Each piece is custom-made.


Desk with Bookshelves

Desk with Bookshelves
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Simple but sleek! This retro-style pipe bookcase has a wooden table shelf and two extra shelves for your books and ornaments. Its lower board measures 38×14 inches, while the two upper boards measure 38×10 inches. It is 82 inches high and weighs 33.2 pounds. If you don’t have a ton of books or are just looking for a supplemental shelf to hold spillovers, this is a great choice.


Free Standing Cube Bookshelf

Free Standing Cube Bookshelf - Best Bookshelves for Home Libraries
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Shake things up with this gorgeous bookshelf by LEYAOYAO. This sturdy bookcase has three tiers with open cube shelves weighing 35 lbs. It has thick, plastic canted legs with four metal screws and a complete unit back piece that prevents it from wobbling or separating apart.

Product size: 31.5″L x 9.45″ W x 43.31″ H


Corner Bookshelf

Corner Bookshelf - Best Bookshelves for Home Libraries
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Turn that neglected corner in your house into a stunning reading nook. This stylish corner shelving unit has five fan-shaped tiers. At 15.74 inches deep, 15.74 inches wide, and 60.23 inches high, this bookshelf has a metal frame that complements its high-quality E1-graded MDF boards for support. It also comes with four adjustable feet that ensure it is stable on an uneven floor. It takes a short time to assemble and holds a maximum of 22 pounds.

Bookshelves are as much about the decor as is functionality. Design your dream home library decor with these stylish home library bookshelves. 


There they are: 15 of the best bookshelves for home libraries! Which one of these do you like?

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About the Author

Afoma Umesi is the founder and blogger at Reading Middle Grade. She's a writer and editor with a deep love for children's literature. Her favorite genre is contemporary realistic fiction, but she'll never say no to a graphic novel. Read More…

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🕵️‍♀️ a new mystery for spelling bee fa 🕵️‍♀️ a new mystery for spelling bee fans

If you’ve been looking for more high-stakes mysteries for tweens, let me introduce you to THE WINTERTON DECEPTION! Meet 13-year-old twins Hope and Gordon. They’ve just found out that their dad was Brandon Winterton (of the wealthy dictionary magnate family). Unfortunately, Hope can’t stand rich people, especially since the twins and their mom are barely making ends meet and living in a motel. But their fortune is about to change.

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This is a fast-paced mystery with plenty to gnaw on between the twin relationship, family drama, character development, and flashbacks that help readers learn more about the Winterton family.

So happy that more and more mysteries are coming out for readers in the 6th-8th grades. This one does touch a bit on addiction and there’s a scene where the kids’ lives are in danger but all ends well!

It’s out at the end of October! 🤩

#mysteriesforkids #middlegradebooks #bookstagram
👯‍♀️ TWINS in middle grade literature 💕 

I love seeing more twins in middle grade books. For a long time, the only twins I knew in middle grade lit were the Sweet Valley High girlies. Then, I got a glimpse of twin life with Issa and Jessie in @karinaisreadingandwriting’s THE VANDERBEEKERS. 

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Which middle grade twin stories have you read and loved? 😍 

#middlegrade #twinbooks #mglit #bookstagram #booksbooksbooks
📰 a beautiful graphic novel about speaking the 📰 a beautiful graphic novel about speaking the truth 

This stunning graphic novel follows Cinzia, Avvisi writer’s apprentice living in sunny Sianerra. Cinzia and her mestra write news stories/pamphlets to the city, but not everyone likes when they tell the truth. 

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#graphicnovels #mglit #booksforkids
🩰throwback Thursday - meet one of my favorites 🩰throwback Thursday - meet one of my favorites

Looking for an upper middle grade book about ballet, friendships, and body image? Meet TURNING POINT. 

This book focuses on Monique (Mo) and Rasheeda (Sheeda)’s friendship and how it changes over a summer when both girls are drawn into different pursuits. Mo is off at a ballet intensive with Mila, while Sheeda is stuck at church (with her church “friends”) feeling like she has no life.

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I’d say her books are great for kids ages 12+
Have you read any books by this author? Which ones are your favorites?

#booksbooksbooks #mglit #bookstagram
🇲🇽Twins on opposite sides I’d seen this b 🇲🇽Twins on opposite sides

I’d seen this book floating around for ages but was never drawn to it (the cover maybe?) until I saw a review somewhere I can’t remember 🤪 I was pleasantly surprised!

Twins Luisa and Fernando find their paths diverging as they’re entering sixth grade. Luisa will be attending middle school in the US just across the border from Fernando’s school in Mexico. There, they come to face to face with different, but equally pressing challenges that threaten to tear them apart.

I really enjoyed this book. The side by side depictions of both kids parallel lives, the way the illustrations celebrate Mexican culture, living, and traditions, and the heartwarming way the twins find their way back to each other. 

I’d recommend this one to 6th graders and up (heads up for content warning: text mentions and depicts illicit drug use by a minor, although portrayed in a negative light) as a fascinating look into Mexican culture, life as a twin, and finding your own identity.

#kidlit #graphicnovels #mglit #booksforkids
♠️ on spades and what it means to be a man An ♠️ on spades and what it means to be a man

Ant isn’t your average 10 year old. He loves a good game of spades and he and his best friend are planning to revamp their reputation after losing badly at the last spades tournament. But things are changing in Ant’s life. His dad is acting weird, asking him to hide things from his mom. There’s a new girl in class who Ant maybe likes and who plays spades better than many boys he knows. 

When his best friend is grounded, Ant teams up with Shirley, hoping to impress his father and finally be tough like Joplin men should be. But instead, he learns what it really means to be a man—and it’s not about never crying.

There’s SO MUCH going on in this story, but the author does a stunning job of keeping all the threads in place. I was very surprised by all the protagonist has to manage at his age and the fact that it all remains believable. The story is told by Ant’s ancestor, lending a touch of magic realism. There are also many details about playing a game of spades and I loved, loved the audiobook narrator.

If you’re looking for a meatier middle grade book perfect for kids ages 9-12 (and older, really—love the cover!) looking for books that balance levity and relatability with real issues like toxic masculinity, parental addiction, friendship issues, and crushes.

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❤️ a protagonist for the times Willow (Lolo) ❤️ a protagonist for the times

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🎸 believe the hype I was very nervous about re 🎸 believe the hype

I was very nervous about reading a book about a kid with cancer, but there’s no better author than Rob Harrell to do this. 

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If you’re in the WINK fan club, you just got a new member 😉

#mglit #books #bookstagram
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