Hi besties 💜 we’re coming up on the end of November at this point (what) and I’m sure that like me, many of you are thinking about the holiday season and the gifts that you’re going to get people (and let’s be real, the gifts you’re hoping to get as well).
Since I’m always on the lookout for bookish things, I thought I’d do a post on some bookish gift ideas for the bookworms in your life/some things that you can add to your own wishlists! If you’re in need of some gift ideas, keep reading!
For the Always On the Go Reader
We all seem to have that friend (or maybe we are that friend) that is on the go all the time. Whether it be because of work or traveling, they’ll need some things to help them achieve their reading goals while on the go.
One of my must have items for traveling are book sleeves. They’re the perfect way to protect your paperbacks, hardbacks, ereaders and even book journals. Whenever I travel (and sometimes when I’m headed into the office) I use book sleeves. Some of my favorites are from Needle Stitch Co, and while I don’t need more book sleeves, I am very tempted to buy some more. You’ll find hundreds of amazing patterns and designs if you look up book sleeves on Etsy — in fact, I’m scrolling through them now and may have to add some to my Christmas wish list!
If you’re someone on the go a lot, one thing you probably have a lot of (or something you need a lot of) are tote bags. Personally, I love a good tote bag (do I buy one at almost every single musical I see? Do I have multiple bags of tote bags in my closet? yes), and I love a good bookish tote bag. They’re perfect for bookstore runs, library runs, using them as a purse…tote bags are always a good choice. There are hundreds of great choices across Etsy and Redbubble, Out of Print has a bunch of really great options (I want that Nancy Drew one so badly), I love these ones from The Ripped Bodice, and I always find really awesome tote bags at my local bookstores. I have multiple Bookishly tote bags and I love using them when I go to the library or book shopping — and I desperately want their Capulet and Montague tote bags. If your friend is constantly on the go, you can’t go wrong with a tote bag!
Other little things that are great for people who are on the go a lot but want to show off their love of books are things like keyfobs, keychains, book lights, etc. Anything that is easy for them to grab on the go is perfect!
For the Adventurous Reader
I always love watching TBR Game videos on BookTube and love how creative people can be when it comes to how they pick their TBR. If you know someone who loves games and is looking for some fun ways to pick their next read, I’m obsessed with these TBR Games (1, 2, 3) I’ve found! Truthfully, I’m kind of tempted to buy some for myself! I also really love these TBR Jars (1, 2) that you can fill with Mini Versions of Your TBR if they’re a very visual reader, or they can simply write down the books on their tbr, or tbr prompts on pieces of paper to pull whenever they’re trying to pick their next read. I’ve done that before and it is SO much fun.
Another thing that I think makes a great gift is a Blind Date with a Book. I’ve gotten one blind date with a book before and let me tell you, the excitement of opening it and seeing what book I got gave me such a fun rush! There are so many different kinds that you can get; I love these ones that also include a highlighter and tabs (1, 2), you can get ones that are inspired by their favorite artist (Taylor Swift 1, Taylor Swift 2, Sabrina Carpenter), tons of local bookshops have started selling blind date with a book options, or you can put together your own theme for them based on their reading tastes!
For the Cozy Reader
I feel like most of us would consider ourselves “cozy” readers. One of my favorite things to do, especially when it’s cold outside, is curl up in my bed with a good book. So, if you’ve got a friend who loves all things cozy, here are some suggestions!
You can’t go wrong with a mug and tea! I’m a big beverage person, and my favorite thing to drink (aside from water) is tea — both iced and hot. I also cannot resist a cute bookish mug! Seriously, the collection is getting a little out of hand, but I can’t help it! If you’ve got a friend that you know loves to curl up and drink tea or coffee or hot chocolate, a mug is the perfect gift for them. There are so many different kinds of mugs you can get too. You can go from some generally bookish mugs like these ones from Out of Print, or you can search Etsy (are you sensing a theme here?) for their favorite book, character or author and find a gorgeous mug there. Bookishly has so many varieties of mugs — I have a Little Women one from here, and I really want to to get the Book Lovers Favorite Things mug. You can even find bookish themed tea (and sometimes coffee) on Etsy, and I have some from The Ripped Bodice that I absolutely love!
Candles are also a great gift for cozy readers. I love lighting a candle while reading — it definitely creates a vibe! Though with candles people can be pretty picky, so make sure that you know what their favorite scents are before picking one up, but if you do know there are tons of options at pretty much any store you’ll go into, or you can pick up a character/book specific one on Etsy!
I figure most cozy readers also love to decorate their reading space, so book vases and bookshelf signs are also great options! I personally have quite a few book vases, and one of them I use to store my bookmarks (I also use mugs to store my bookmarks), and I love them! You can also put flowers in them, real or fake, but if you put real flowers in them make sure to not store them next to your books as the water can have an effect on the books even though it’s in the vase. Some of my favorite book vases I got from LitJoy Crate (they’re out of stock now, but LitJoy Crate has some great gifts!) and I’ve started to see more bookish vases in stores and on Amazon.
LitJoy Crate has this super cute bookish clock that would look great in anyone’s home library and their booksta photos (I’m actually adding this to my wishlist). I got my best friend this personalized bookshelf sign from Etsy for her birthday, and I’m planning on getting myself one once I buy new bookshelves.
Some other things that I would recommend for cozy readers are little throw blankets, pillows, squishmallows, anything that they can curl up with while reading!
For the Adventurous Reader
I always love watching TBR Game videos on BookTube and love how creative people can be when it comes to how they pick their TBR. If you know someone who loves games and is looking for some fun ways to pick their next read, I’m obsessed with these TBR Games (1, 2, 3) I’ve found! Truthfully, I’m kind of tempted to buy some for myself! I also really love these TBR Jars (1, 2) that you can fill with Mini Versions of Your TBR if they’re a very visual reader, or they can simply write down the books on their tbr, or tbr prompts on pieces of paper to pull whenever they’re trying to pick their next read. I’ve done that before and it is SO much fun.
Another thing that I think makes a great gift is a Blind Date with a Book. I’ve gotten one blind date with a book before and let me tell you, the excitement of opening it and seeing what book I got gave me such a fun rush! There are so many different kinds that you can get; I love these ones that also include a highlighter and tabs (1, 2), you can get ones that are inspired by their favorite artist (Taylor Swift 1, Taylor Swift 2, Sabrina Carpenter), tons of local bookshops have started selling blind date with a book options, or you can put together your own theme for them based on their reading tastes!
For the Proud Fangirl Reader
If you’ve got friends that are readers, then we’ve all got a book or books that we associate with a certain person. For instance, I hope that in my friends’ minds I am the If We Were Villains and Shakespeare girlie. If they’re a fangirl and proud of it, then you can’t go wrong with something specific to their favorite book, author, or even just reading in general!
When it comes to fandom gifts, the first thing I think of are shirts and sweatshirts. I have so many bookish shirts. Some are general book related things, and some are fandom specific (yes, I have a lot of Little Women shirts), so if you know that your friend loves wearing their fandom proudly, then shirts are a great option. If I’m looking for mostly general book related shirts, one of my favorites to buy from is Bookshelf Tees! I have some of their Halloween and Western themed shirts and I wear them all the time — I wear them out and I wear them to bed. They’re perfect. I also love Book Babe Designs — the Halloween themed ones are so cute and comfy. I can’t remember either of these stores highly enough! You can also get great bookish shirts from Out of Print, The Strand, and many other bookstores. I’ve also gotten so many great shirts on Etsy and Redbubble and really love them. Shirts and sweatshirts really are the ultimate fangirl reader gift.
Other great gifts for the fangirl reader are posters and art prints. Lithographs has so many really cool book related posters, and they’re created from the text of the book. I have some book page prints from Bookishly that I love; if you’re looking for prints from classics, you definitely want to check out Bookishly.
These Book Mini Displays are so cute! I got my best friend one and I’m dying to get one for myself. I think that Book Ornaments (1, 2) are such a lovely idea as a gift; especially during the holiday season! It would be a really fun idea to do a bulb style ornament that’s filled with mini versions of your friend’s favorite books or the books that they read and loved this year, or a single ornament of their favorite book. I think these Book Frame Shadow Boxes are a stunning gift and there are so many ways you can customize them.
I think if you’re looking for a fandom related gift or something very specific to you/your friend’s taste, I definitely recommend just scrolling Etsy for a bit. You’re guaranteed to find some amazing things for every fandom!
For the Artistic Reader
I feel like very creative people and readers kind of go hand in hand, so odds are you have a very artistic friend who loves to read, and if so, I’ve got some gift ideas for you!
There are many different ways that one can combine their creative skills and their reading hobby, and for me, the first that comes to mind is by annotating. If you’ve got a friend who loves to annotate or is looking into annotating, then some annotation supplies are a great gift! What I love about annotating is that it gives me a chance to dive deeper into the world of whatever story I’m reading, and it gives me a way to look back on my thoughts and feelings about a book whenever I want. And whether this is for a friend that’s just starting to annotate or has been annotating for a long time, you can’t go wrong with an annotation kit! You can either create one yourself or you can buy some premade ones (1, 2, 3), and I promise that your annotation obsessed friend will absolutely love it!
Coloring books are a great way to be creative while relaxing, and I love turning on an audiobook while I color. If you have a friend who especially loves audiobooks and likes to have an activity to do while listening, then a coloring set would be a great idea. If you’re looking for reading themed ones you could get them bound books like these (1, 2), or you could create your own kit by getting individual sheets/sets that you can digitally download, that way they can have as many copies as they’d like (1, 2, Free Coloring Pages from Book Babe Designs) and I love this Blind Date with a Coloring Book idea! One of these options and a set of pens or coloring pencils sounds like the perfect cozy and artistic gift!
If you have an artistic reading friend, it’s pretty likely that they have a reading journal where they track their reads, but I think that these TBR/Reading List Bookmarks (1, 2, 3) are such a fun idea.
There are so many options for book themed gifts, but I hope that this pot gave you some ideas and maybe even some that you’ve never thought of before!
I’d love to know if you’ve got any bookish items on your wish lists this year or if you’re planning on getting some book themed gifts for your family/friends.
Until next time! 💜
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