“We’re Going to Need a Bigger Bookcase”: Signs You’re a Book Hoarder

The TBR Is Not a Pile. It’s a Lifestyle (and Possibly a Structural Hazard).

by Amber Casperi, Librarian of Emotional Turmoil and Unread Paperbacks

There are two kinds of readers in this world:

1. People who finish one book before starting the next.
2. And us — the chosen chaos gremlins who build To-Be-Read fortresses that could crush a mid-sized raccoon if toppled.

If your TBR pile has quietly evolved into a TBR skyline, congratulations:
You are officially bookish, unrepentant, and one bookshelf away from violating local infrastructure guidelines.

We salute you.

📚 Wait—What Does TBR Actually Mean?

TBR = To Be Read
But everyone who lives here knows it really means:

• Books purchased during a moment of romantic delusion,
• Stories your future self will absolutely devour “when life calms down,”
• Emotional support paper objects you carry from room to room without opening.

The TBR is not procrastination.
It is hope with a binding.

It says:
“I believe in future me — the rested, hydrated version with free Saturdays and emotional stability.”

We have never met her.
But we believe in her.

🧠 The Highly Scientific Book Hoarder Diagnostic

Check all that apply:

• You have a “To Be Read” stack, a “Currently Reading” stack, and a “I Swear I’ll Get to These” annex.
• You have purchased the same book twice because the cover was different and your heart said yes.
• Your books are stacked horizontally, vertically, diagonally, and in structural Jenga formations.
• You have decoy book piles to disguise the real book piles.
• You have whispered, “you’re coming home with me,” to a paperback.

If you checked 3 or more, do not panic:

You do not need an intervention.
You do not need to read faster.
You just need to stop pretending your bookshelf is fine.

It is not fine.
It is bearing weight it was never spiritually prepared for.

☕ The Gift for Book Hoarders That Is Not Another Book

Because let’s be honest:

They already own the book you’re thinking of buying.
And the sequel.
And the special edition with sprayed edges.
And the annotated hardcover they pretend they’re “saving for autumn.”

So instead of gifting a new problem…

Gift something that acknowledges the condition.

Introducing:

“We’re Going to Need a Bigger Bookcase.”

A mug designed specifically for:

• The reader currently in denial
• The reader who has reached “load-bearing paperback” territory
• The reader who says “no more books” and then blackouts in a bookstore

It is self-awareness, but dishwasher-safe.

👉 Shop the perfect gift for a person with too many books

🎁 Why This Mug Works (Psychologically Speaking)

Gifts work when they say:
I see who you are. Fully. And I am not trying to fix you.

This mug says:

• I know your reading habit is part self-care, part personality, part identity portal.
• I know your books are not clutter — they are architecture.
• I know you will keep acquiring more.
• And I support your journey.

No judgment.
No minimalism evangelism.
No well-intentioned bookshelf “decluttering advice.”

Just:
I love your chaos. Pour yourself some tea.

✍️ Final Thought

You are not a book hoarder.

You are a curator of worlds.
A collector of sentences that saved you.
A time traveler with a library card.

Your TBR is not overwhelming.
It is evidence of future joy.

Never apologize for that.

About the Author

Amber Casperi is Head of Gifting Neuroscience at Buy the Mug, where she studies the emotional architecture of reading, identity signaling, and objects that say “I understand your entire personality.” She owns 47 books she has not yet read and is deeply at peace with that.