A book nook or a bookshelf insert is a miniature

diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional model either full-sized or miniature. Sometimes dioramas are enclosed in a glass showcase at a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies like mili ...

designed to fit between books on a shelf. They often depict a form of a street or similar setting in a

theme Theme or themes may refer to: * Theme (Byzantine district), an administrative district in the Byzantine Empire governed by a Strategos * Theme (computing), a custom graphical appearance for certain software. * Theme (linguistics), topic * Theme ( ...

from famous books. Book nook can also make a form of a

3D model In 3D computer graphics, 3D modeling is the process of developing a mathematical coordinate-based representation of a surface of an object (inanimate or living) in three dimensions via specialized software by manipulating edges, vertices, and ...

. They are similar to

bookend A bookend is an object tall, sturdy, and heavy enough that is placed at either end of a row of upright books to support or buttress them. Heavy bookends—made of wood, bronze, marble, and even large geodes—have been used in libraries, sto ...

s but are placed in the middle of the books rather than on the ends. The idea seems to have originated in 2018 from a Japanese artist called Monde. The concept became popular on

Reddit Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...

, with the r/booknooks subreddit going from zero to 7,900 members in just two days. The model is usually inspired by a theme from a famous book, e.g. ''

Harry Potter ''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven Fantasy literature, fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young Magician (fantasy), wizard, Harry Potter (character), Harry Potter, and his friends ...

'' (like popular

Diagon Alley Diagon Alley is a fictional shopping district in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' franchise. The location first appeared in the 1997 novel ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone''. It is featured in multiple video games, as well a 2001 board ga ...

). People can buy book nooks fully assembled, or create them on their own. There are book nook kits that enthusiasts can use as a starting point.

References

{{Reflist Dioramas Books