Let’s Get Lit-erary: Bookish accessories you didn’t know you needed

As someone obsessed with reading, it may come as a surprise that books aren’t the only way to my heart. Anything and everything related to reading is fair game, and my room is cluttered with elements from various fandoms. I can’t resist the allure of a cute trinket to add to my collection. Here are some things you may want to add to yours:  

Enamel pins are the perfect way to show your allegiance to a fandom. They can be put on anything from backpacks to jean jackets. When I visited Universal Studios, I was able to pick up a Headgirl and Dumbledore’s Army pin, but plenty of small businesses offer them too. Some are more general book lover pins, while others are more specific to a series. As of late, I’ve been tempted to buy an “Arthur” —inspired library card pin I found on Etsy, because having fun really isn’t hard when you’ve got a library card.  

I’ve already splurged on Wizarding World Funko Pops, but there are actually a lot of people out there who make custom Funko Pops. You can get a one of a kind, hand-painted Funko Pop made to resemble any character you’d like! These tend to be priced upwards of $40, but it would be a phenomenal gift for any book lover. 

Another accessory you can add to your shelves is a bookish candle. BriarWick, a very popular company among bookstagrammers, is known for their handmade soy candles that take inspiration from literary characters and their worlds. They recently released a candle that is thought to smell like Poppy, a character in “From Blood & Ash” by Jennifer L. Armentrout, complete with notes of red currant, cranberry and woods. After having read the novel, that scent sounds to be quite accurate to me. They also have scented candles for iconic locations like Velaris from “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” Elfhame from “The Folk of Air” and the Burrow from “Harry Potter.” If none of the fandom candles appeal to you, BriarWick offers general candles like “Reading & Rain” or “Pen to Paper.” What could be cozier than lighting a candle, sipping on some tea and enjoying a good book? 

I don’t know about you, but I’m a sucker for fun mugs; I can never have enough, though my crowded cabinets tell me otherwise. While scouring the web, I found one that said, “May the odds be ever in your flavor” and a couple of heat-reactive mugs. When filled with hot liquid, one mug reveals the titles of several previously banned books.  

Of course, if you give a reader a bookish mug, they’ll want some coffee to go with it. Fable Grounds Coffee is a small business founded in 2019, with the vision of creating freshly roasted coffee that gives off bookish vibes. Similar to Briarwick, Fable Grounds Coffee takes inspiration from specific stories, along with offering general items like their “Writer’s Blend.” They have a chocolate raspberry blend inspired by Amortentia and a black caramel truffle blend inspired by Hades, just to name a few of their specialties. If coffee isn’t up your alley, Etsy is home to several shops that make bookish tea instead.  

Speaking of Etsy, I was browsing the site when I stumbled upon a cool concept: a blind date with a book. The idea is that being set up with a book in the genre of your choosing is a great way to get out of a reading slump or fall in love with a story you may have never encountered otherwise. After you choose a genre and add any comments to your order, shop owners will hunt for the perfect book for you. They often will send secondhand novels to cut costs and will ship it over in nondescript wrapping, so as to not spoil the surprise. This isn’t exactly a bookish accessory, but it’s a full-blown experience — some companies even include a bookmark and a sweet treat to accompany the book. 

If you are obsessed with the idea of curating a home library, a handy tool to have is a personalized stamp or embosser. Many Etsy shops sell embossers you can personalize and use on the first few pages of your books. They can add raised impressions of things like mountains or flowers, along with a name or monogram to indicate the book is yours. It would definitely come in handy if you are someone who frequently loans out books from your shelves.