Behind the Bookshelf with Kat

I want to do something a little different. We're still going to talk about books, but we're going to have a pretty cool showcase. So let me welcome to the show, Kat. Kat, how are you? I'm so good. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to have you. So I found your video on TikTok. I was just scrolling and I just saw you on the ladder just like rolling around and I was like, okay, hold on. Like this is a dream. Like I would never leave that room. I was like, I need to have her on the show. So Kat, tell us a little bit about who you are and what really sparked your interest into becoming, as you can see behind you, such an avid reader. Yes. So as a kid, I feel like we all are the same. We all were like super obsessed with books as kids. And then, you know, high school happens and college happens and you're forced to read. And so I kind of fell out of love with reading because it was more of like a mandatory thing. And then the dreaded COVID hit. And I was like, okay, what am I going to do? I can't leave my house. So like, let me escape into books. And so I just started reading like crazy. And I I'm a little bit insane to the point where I can't stop now. You know? I just, it's gotten me through a lot. And so this point, it's like part, I feel like it's just part of me. I, especially during COVID, struggled a lot with like mental health issues. I have an anxiety disorder. And so for me, it was a lot of feeling like I was represented in books. I was very cut off from the world. It was hard for me to make like friends and stuff because I was so in my head about it. But then I would read books and the main characters would have the same issues. And I was like, oh, so like I'm not alone. And so that really sparked it. I started reading like ACOTAR and things like that. And they struggle with mental health. And I'm like, OK, so I'm not alone. And then it just spiraled from there. And now I'm like, OK, if I'm not reading a book, what am I doing? Say it's like your number one go to reading genre. It's it's going to be crazy. I I want to read reader. I am a mood reader, so it's hard, but like, if I'm in a slump, I'm going straight to historical fiction. Okay. So a little bit different, a little bit different. I used to be like fantasy only. And then I found historical fiction and I was like, Oh, this is nice. Like so. And so how, what was the, okay, enough of all books. We're still talking about books, but I want to get to behind you with your magnificent bookshelf. Yes. What was the, like, creative process, like, curating this entire, just, like, wall design? How high does it go? Like, give us the deets. Yes. So in our, we used to live in Missouri. And in our old house, I had, like, a small little book room, but it was, again, very minimal. And I was like, all right, I got to talk about my game. And so when we moved out here to Colorado, we were actually, we built this house ourselves. And I was like, okay, I'm not settling. We're doing tall ceilings because I'm like Rapunzel in this. Okay. And so the second I could, like, we were just getting the building plans done. And in my head, I'm already like, okay, so what's my library going to look like? And so luckily my husband is always on board. Like, I'm like, here's my idea. And he's like the, he's like the strong man. So I'm like, okay, we'll let you do it, but I'll create it. And so I had been looking around and like, obviously the Ikea Billy bookshelves are like super popular, especially now that people are reading a lot. And I was like, they look structurally sound enough to stack on top of each other, right? Yeah, no. So We actually, the ceiling is 20 feet tall. So this bookshelf goes up like 17 and a half feet and they are really bookshelves stacked, but we had to like build like a spine for them, like a metal and they're like in the studs. So like they're never coming down, but that was kind of where I went. I was like, I really would love to wrap it around at some point, but. I'm like, I only put books on the shelf once I've read them. And so I'm like, right now they're not, it's not full, but I'm like one day, one day when I fill it up, I'll wrap around the whole room and then yeah, I'll never leave again. Oh my God. Now, how many books would you say you estimated have right now on the shelves? Right now I have about 600. Oh my God. You have your own Barnes and Noble. I know. I'm like my own little library. Come on over, borrow a book anytime. Oh my God, that's awesome. Now, do you ever like color code your bookshelf or how do you usually go about like the setup and decoration of it? Yes. So I'm always wanting to change it because I'm just like that person. Like I was like the kid who was always moving their room around as a kid. And so I'm like, can I change everything around? But right now I'm keeping it how it is. And it is, it's coded by genre and then author last name. So like each individual shelving unit has its own two genres. So I have like historical fiction and literary fiction and then the authors. And then down here is just like God So these are all my favorites. So it's easier to grasp. You don't have to like- Yes! I'm like, let me look at these and cry over them again. Do you have a physical book, girly, or do you occasionally dibble and dabble into like the e-book and audio books? So I have always been a physical book girly. It is my, it's my favorite way to do it. I just like love being able to turn the page and like scramble the books and you know it girl. And, but I have, I at one point was like, okay, I need to calm down with buying books. And so I do have a Kindle. Okay. And last year when we were building this house, we were living in like a tiny little cabin. And so I couldn't buy books. I was like, I would be drowning in them. And so I made like a system where I was like, if I read it on Kindle and it's more than like four stars or like four to five stars, then I'll buy it. Other than that, I just write it on Kindle and then, like, return it to the library, that kind of stuff. But I always prefer physical books. There's just something about it. I know, and if you like the smell of it, you might already know this, but, what is it? Bath & Body Works has a book line out. Yes! I love theirs. They're so good. Yeah, I got the candle, the hand sanitizer, the rose spray. I just went in there and just went, like, the bazaar. The only thing I didn't get was the body gel. Because I'm like, I don't want to walk around smelling like books. But it's just, like, everything. It's just the smell. It's nostalgic. It's just, it calms your nerves. It's just, oh. Yeah, it's so nice. And, like, I, when I first started reading on the Kindle, I didn't realize that, like, a lot of times. There's stuff at the end of the book, and so, like, it'll say, like, you're 90, you're 80% done, and then you flip it, and you're at the end, and I'm like, oh, I wasn't ready, like, the physical book, you know when you're ending it, because there's, like, three more pages left, but with the Kindle, I was like, oh, like, I need to go back and read that and pretend, like, it's the end, because I wasn't ready. Now, back to your library. Yes. If you're into, like, bookmark, there's a company called Bookmark, Book, the Bookmark Babes. Oh. And it's really cool. It's a female-owned company. the bookmarks are all kind of designed to cater to different types of women so for instance there's one that's bald in case you know somebody with alopecia there's one that's like riding a horse there's one walking a dog and they're all metal like they're like metal and narrow so if you want something cute to like kind of hang on the shelf just put in your book I recommend going there that's amazing I'm going straight to it like as soon as we're done I'm gonna google it Do you have any tips for anybody that might be thinking about kind of creating their own library? I don't know if it'll be as big as yours, but just, you know, when it comes to organizing the bookshelves and like that kind of ordeal. I think at its core, just have fun with it. I feel like a lot of, especially on social media now, there's a lot of hate towards just any genre. And a lot of like, we're like telling people not to read romance because it's not actual literature. And I think if you're going to build a library, it should be books that you love. And so I think just have fun with it. Find the books you love. And I, and like a library can be anything. It can be three books. It's just whatever feels good to you. Yeah. And if you like Kindles, like what I do is if I read it on Kindle and I like it, I'll buy the physical. And then I'm like, okay, because the thing is like, what if you don't like it? And then you got to go through the whole return process, that kind of thing. It's like, if it's free on Kindle, read it. And then if you like it, put it as a trophy on your bookshelf. So the trophy, I'm like, it's worth a little reward at the end. You're like, I read a book and now I get to buy it and look at it for the rest of my life. Right. And then you can go back and have the physical whenever you want to read it. You know, exactly. But yeah, just, just have fun with it. It's not, it doesn't need to be that serious. It's just to be fun. So, yeah. Well, Kat, thank you so much for giving us a sneak peek as to your wonderful library. I love your videos and I can't wait to have you back soon so we can chat some more. Yes, thank you so much. I hope you have a wonderful day.