"J T" wrote in message

I always make the top shelf open at the top, for the oversize
books. Works out fine. Alternately, you could just lay them flat, and
stack them. And, I don't put figurines or other stuff on a bookshelf -
otherwise it'd be a "stuff" shelf.

I guess. Unless the shelving is designed solely for books, then it's likely
going to have all sorts of stuff put on it. It's convenient to be able to
accommodate the preferences of the individual user.