I’m Alicia, a private book curator.
I design and assemble reading collections for individuals, gifts, and spaces, each one developed slowly, sourced by hand, and shaped with care.
This work began with a simple observation:
Most people want to read more, or read better, but are overwhelmed by choice, distracted by trends, or unsure where to even begin. I’ve been there.
For a long time, I read voraciously and amassed books by the dozens. I reached a point where I was surrounded by books, but not guided by them.
I bought what I saw recommended on websites, videos, magazines, and papers. I saved lists. I followed what seemed like the “right” things to read.
And yet, most of the books didn’t stay with me. Some I never finished. Some I forgot almost immediately. And many felt like they belonged to someone else’s life, not mine.
It wasn’t that the books were bad. They just weren’t chosen well. At least, not in relation to me, my life, where I was, or what I needed at the time.
At some point, I stopped asking, “What should I read next?” and started asking something else:
“What kind of reading experiences do I need right now?”
That question changed everything.
I began to notice that the books that stayed with me (the ones I returned to, the ones that shifted something) were rarely ever random. And, I started to see patterns. They had a kind of relationship with one another.
A novel would open something. An essay would give it language. A piece of non-fiction would deepen it.
It was about how the books worked together.
That’s when I began curating my own reading more deliberately.
Not in a rigid way, and not in a way that removed the joy, but in a way that brought coherence. I started building small collections around a feeling, a question, a strong desire I had, or a particular moment in my life.
And over time, those collections became a kind of personal archive.
That process of paying attention, selecting carefully, and allowing books to sit in relation to one another is what shaped the work I do now.
When I curate for a client, I’m not trying to find the ‘best’ books in a general sense. I’m trying to understand:
*where they are
*what they’re drawn to
*what might deepen, challenge, or ground them.
I then build a collection around that.
My Approach
Whether building personal libraries for individuals or spaces (such as boutique hotels or Airbnbs), I do not work from fixed lists or pre-built collections.
Each project begins with attention to the person, environment, and the purpose the books are meant to serve.
For individuals, this means understanding your taste, your reading life, and the moment you’re in.
For spaces, it means considering the atmosphere, the rhythm of the space, and the people who move through it.
From there, I build collections that have shape.
Not just a selection of books, but something cohesive. Something designed to deepen, anchor, or quietly transform the experience of reading or being in a space.
Often, the most important part of this service is not the individual titles, but how they sit together.
If this way of working resonates, you are in the right place.
-Alicia-Joy