I couldn't help but post this. A couple of years ago we did a portrait session for a high school senior, and we try to find inventive ways of incorporating the student's interests. Whether it be football & student counsel, or in this case, dancing & reading.
First, we took her photos with a specifically measured distance between her and the camera - this was to be used as a reference for adding other components to the image later. For example, the small stack next to her feet was actually shot in the grass of my own backyard in front of a green screen on a different day after we came up with the idea for the final composite image.
Each of the floating books in the photo were actual books I own which we threw up in the air, one after the other, to capture for composite layering purposes. I'm sure we looked crazy to the client! But then, once we were finally able to complete the composite, run it through our coloring and editing actions, and then do some fine-tune editing, I think they agreed that it was worth every bit of it.
To me, her pose combined with the look of confidence in her expression almost make her appear to have total control of the books floating around her. As if to convey that she is in control of her surroundings, and she's ready to take on the world.