11 Times Bookish Nail Art Gave Us Life

When I finish a book that I love, I email my mom to tell her about it, or post a photo on Instagram if I’m feeling particularly ambitious. I recently discovered an incredible species of book lovers who, upon finishing a cherished tome, painstakingly spend hours painting their nails in an unique design that gorgeously encapsulates the book’s cover. Since most of my attempts at self-manicures end in four-letter words and polish smeared all over my hands (and I bet yours do too), enjoy these 11 ridiculously amazing examples of nail art inspired by some of your favorite books and bookish things.

1. These stunningly beautiful nails inspired by The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound)

We love the “shattered pretty thing” motif used for the covers of Liane Moriarty’s domestic suspense novels (see also What Alice Forgot and Big Little Lies)–and it translates perfectly to nail art.

Book covers are such great inspiration for nail art! ?? @yvonnenailsart is so talented. ??? I just started this book today for my next book club meeting. ? ? #itsthelittlethings #bookandnails #bookishnails #BooksAndManis #novelsandnails #BellemaniNailSalon #sandiegonailart #floralnailart #thehusbandssecret #lianemoriarty #bookclub #bookstagram #beautifulcover #SanDiegoBookDivas #kelly2015nailart

A post shared by Kelly C (@kellyrenee1979) on Jul 8, 2015 at 3:24pm PDT

2. These quirky nails inspired by the iconic Penguin logo

It would have been overkill to have ten little penguins tromping around your nail beds, so this mainly minimalist manicure with a ring finger penguin hits just the right note.

Penguin logo! So I have been wanting to do these forever, and alas I finally did! #inspired by @penguinusa – – #nails #nailart #nails2inspire #nailedit #nailsofig #nailsofinstagram #booknails #literarynails #mybookmypolish #mynailsmybag #literarymani #handpainted #diy #polish #polishchange #penguinhotline #penguin #booknerd #chinaglaze #books #awesomeness – – I used: @chinaglazeofficial "Snow" and "Liquid Leather" and @covergirl "ElectroGlow"

A post shared by Valerie Jones (@baseball_val) on Jan 29, 2015 at 7:46am PST

3. These sinister nails inspired by The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound)

Lisbeth Salandar might not approve (we suspect she’s more of a chipped-black mani kind of gal), but tattoo-inspired tips are at the top of our list we’ll be bringing to our nail artist.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo inspired nails! #bookandnails #booknerd #bookworm #bookish #thegirlwiththedragontattoo #nails #instanails #nailstagram #nailart #nailstamping

A post shared by Bibliophile Extraordinaire (@bookworm_365) on Apr 16, 2015 at 8:13am PDT

4. These frosty tips inspired by Unravel Me by Tahereh Mafi (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound)

Kami Garcia (coauthor of the Beautiful Creatures series) called Unravel Me is “dangerous, sexy, romantic, and intense”–we say the same adjectives apply to this nail art inspired by the jacket!

Polished my nails today ? ?#unravelme#shatterme#taherehmafi #book#books#yabook#yabooks#bookstagram #bookphotography#bookandnails#booksandnails #bookpolish#nails #bookishnails ?

A post shared by Chloë (@someone_who_loves_yabooks) on Feb 23, 2015 at 2:12pm PST

5. These light and romantic nails inspired by Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound)

Text this one to your girls before you head out to see the movie version of Jojo Moyes’s novel Me Before You.

Me before you / Ein ganzes halbes Jahr by Jojo Moyes As wished from my BFF @dailymaeleon, here one of her favorite books by @jojomoyes made into a cute and easy design. And it was perfect to wear for last weekends Valentine's Day 😉 #Nailart #instanails #bookcovernails #books #bookandnail #bookpolish #bookandpolish #bookart #booknails #bookstagram #notd #nailartbookart #nailsofinstagram #MeBeforeYou #EinGanzesHalbesJahr #JojoMoyes #VDay #ValentinesDay #VDayNails

A post shared by Demet (@books_polished) on Feb 16, 2015 at 3:13pm PST

6. These delightful New York + London nails inspired by The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound)

Perfect for after you read this novel of new love on a transatlantic flight, or just if you’re planning your next trip to the visit the Big Apple or Big Ben.

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by @jenniferesmith You all probably know by now, that I usually do german or British/American Covers. When @mooncat_pereira first asked me to do a cover by @jenniferesmith, I thought: why go the usual way? And so I did the ITALIAN one 😉 And I kind of love it! It turned out as such a cute and simple Mani with lots of possible variations!

A post shared by Demet (@books_polished) on Nov 11, 2014 at 4:03pm PST

7. These glittery nails nails inspired by Confess by Colleen Hoover (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound)

This shimmering manicure perfectly echoes the mesmerizing cover of Colleen Hoover’s novel, winner of the 2015 Goodreads Choice Award for Romance.

I really need to do some catch up with my tags! I wrote them all the other day and I have more than 200 to do! So because for once my nails aren't that bad, I'm doing the #bookpolish, the #bookishnails, and the #bookandnails! Thanks to @thehopelessbibliophile, to @enjoyandlovebooks, and to @jessbooklover9! (:{#bookstagram #booknerdigans #goodreads #instabook #booknerd #books #bookporn #bookworm #yalit #book #booktag #Confess #ColleenHoober #nails}

A post shared by Yantl Lepage (@yantllepage) on Jun 17, 2015 at 10:02am PDT

8. These simple but quirky nails inspired by Some Extremely Boring Drives by Marguerite Pigeon (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound)

Inspired by the short story collection from critically acclaimed Canadian writer Marguerite Pigeon, this striped, dotted, and winking manicure is anything but boring.

It's #literarynotd redux today on the All Lit Up blog – check our site at 11 to see all of our literary manicures (we'll be posting them here, too). Here's @barbopolous with Some Extremely Boring Drives by Marguerite Pigeon (NeWest Press). #notd #booknails

A post shared by AllLitUp.ca (@alllitupcanada) on May 6, 2015 at 7:15am PDT

9. These whimsical nails inspired by Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound)

The incredible level of detail in these Alice in Wonderland nails is only second to the richness of Lewis Carroll’s classic tale of what happens when you decide to go down the rabbit hole.

Reposting this design I did last year. It's a combination of the two things I love to design, book arts and black and white. ?????. #alexwonderlandnails

A post shared by Alexis ??? (@just_alexiz) on May 22, 2015 at 4:43pm PDT

10. These straight-up booktastic nails

Not so much inspired by a single book, but by the candy-colored library OF YOUR DREAMS.

#nails #naildesigns #nailart #nailsby #nailsby #nailsbytilly #gelpolish #squarenails #naturalnails #bookworm #booknails #books #school #bookdesigns #schoolnails

A post shared by Nails By Tilly (@tillydoforu) on Jul 13, 2015 at 10:03am PDT

11. These gorgeous nails inspired by The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, IndieBound)

We’re obsessed with this magical manicure that reimagines Tolkien’s classic novel of Bilbo Baggin’s epic quest.

"Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?" ~ Gandalf ??

A post shared by Alison Shearer (@ashearer3) on Apr 26, 2015 at 3:01am PDT