So you want a bookshelf view showing the front cover of the book instead of the spine? This would take even more space than the current cover grid view to be able to draw the shelves. Not to mention, how many people store their physical books in a bookshelf with the front covers on view?
We might also want to consider the limitations on the number of books visible in cover grid view. On my system with 3 shelves visible, I get 78-86 books on screen. With the default view, I get 30 books visible with a lot more information visible. With cover grid, I get 21 cover fully visible plus 7 that are about 50% visible.
So my vote on your suggestion:
