It’s that time of year again. That time when you try to decipher your relatives’ brains and figure out what they’d actually want for a holiday gift. This exercise can be downright exhausting. That’s why it’s a big sigh of relief when I get to buy for someone who is a fellow bookworm. Those are my people. I understand those people. In actuality, besides my mom, I have very few book-loving family members in my life. And my mom is a minimalist booklover. Since I bought her a Kindle years ago, she doesn’t need much else besides that and her library card. So I save my bookish gifts for my friends. And well…
Okay, let’s be real, y’all know I end up buying most of these for myself, too. I justify these purchases because for some reason, NO ONE buys me bookish gifts. Besides bookstore gift cards, I can’t remember receiving a bookish gift since childhood. I guess people assume I already have that area covered. And I do because clearly no one else is going to get them for me, lol.
So, in the spirit of buying for the booklovers in your life along with full permission to treat yourself, I’ve pulled together my list of favorite finds for booklovers. Obviously, books are a great gift for a booklover, but in case you’re looking for something in addition to that or some stocking stuffers, these may fit the bill this holiday season.
Roni’s 2018 Gift List for Booklovers
Book darts
When reading an ebook, you can highlight and save quotes. But what about for the print lover who doesn’t want to mark up their books with highlighters? Enter the book dart. This are tiny, light metal bookmarks that attach to a single page and point to the line or passage you want to go back and reference. I use these all the time. They are so lightweight that they won’t weigh down your book even if you mark a bunch of pages. Then, you can remove them easily when you go back and pull the quotes or reread passages. Or you can leave them in there permanently. You get a lot in a tin, so I have some references books that I keep the book darts in even after I’m done because I know I’ll need to flip through again.
A Book Beau
This is a new one for me this year, and I’m in love with it. I read a lot of print books and have a big purse for just that reason. But books (and e-readers) can get beat up in a purse or backpack. Enter the book beau. This is a cushioned pocket that keeps your book safe and is super cute to boot. They come in many different sizes, e-reader size up to fat hardback size. And besides the functionality of it, it’s a conversation starter when you pull your book out of such an adorable pouch.
Book-themed T-shirts
Broadcast your book love for the world to see. My favorite bookish t-shirts lately are from Out of Print. I have the Book Nerd one pictured here and the library card stamp one. You can also get a number of the designs on non-T-shirt things.
A Fancy Bookish Pen
This is one that I definitely bought for myself. I couldn’t resist a pen with the label Literary AF. (There are a few more sayings if that one’s not your style.) Easy, Tiger has fun gifts that aren’t just book-related, so I encourage you to poke around the site. This pen is not cheap but it’s refillable and well-made. It also comes in a super cute giftable box. I also love their bookmarks.
Library Kit
Tired of people not returning your books when you lend them out? Here’s a kit to lay the guilt on them in the future. ;)
A Proper Journal to Record What They Read
Y’all know I’m a devotee of the reading journal. If you want tips on how to create one, see my post on how I organized mine. My pick for favorite journal, the one I use, is the Leuchtterm medium dot grid hardcover journal. I’ve managed to fit 3 years of reading in one journal (taking up about half a page per book read—and I read a lot.) It’s worth the investment. (And if you want those pens, here’s the link for those.)
As a side note, if you want a reading journal you can print out and that is already organized for you, sign up for my newsletter and get the download in your inbox.
Book Box Subscriptions
Confession: I love getting packages in the mail. If that package is full of books, I’m pretty much at peak Roni happiness. So what better to give to a booklover than a gift that gives books all year long. Not sure which kind to get? Here are some options:
Book of the Month Club
I’ve been a subscriber to Book of the Month club for 2 years now, and I have been really pleased with the service. Each month, they select five books for you to choose from. You pick one and get a beautiful hardback for significantly cheaper than the list price. Plus, you often get books ahead of their wide release, so you can be the first to read it. The selections usually include at least one thriller, one literary pick, sometimes a non-fiction, and often a quirky pick. To my great delight, this year they fixed my one complaint I had about the service—no romance. I was thrilled to see selections like The Kiss Quotient, The Proposal, and One Day in December this year. Yay, romance! So if you want to check it out for yourself or give as a gift, use my link and I think you get your first book free.
Fresh Fiction Box Not To Miss
Just want a big box of romance with maybe a general fiction thrown in every now and then? Then you might want to check out the Fresh Fiction Box Not To Miss. Each month you get a box of physical books and codes for a few ebooks. This is a romance focused box and is often filled with new releases. What I love about this box is that you can sign up for a monthly subscription or you can buy a single box when you’re jonesing for a surprise box of books. I don’t subscribe but I get the one-time box two or three times a year. It’s always fun opening the box and not knowing what I’m going to get.
The Bookworm Box
This box is the brainchild of author Colleen Hoover. Each box comes with a signed book and author swag. The best part? It’s for charity. So you can feel extra great about getting this box. I recently donated over 100 signed books to The Bookworm Box, so even if you don’t want to subscribe to the box but want a signed book from me, proceeds going to charity, grab one here.
Books About Books
What is it about book about books? There’s just something comforting about knowing other booklovers are out there and have things to say. Here are a few options for a few different types of booklovers:
I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel
This little essay collection by Anne Bogel (of the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog) is a perfect gift for a reader regardless of their genre preferences. Each essay covers a different topic in the reading life, and my guess is every booklover will find things to relate to. For an extra treat, try this one in audio.
Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak In the Stacks - A Librarian’s Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books in Her Life by Annie Spence
I own this one but haven’t read it yet. I love the concept though—a librarian writing love letters or break up notes to books that have meant something to her. This is another one that fits readers regardless of genre.
Paperback Crush by Gabrielle Moss
Are you or a loved one part of The Babysitter’s Club generation? Then this may be the perfect book for you. I read this recently and had such a good time going through it. Beyond being a trip down memory lane to all those books that formed me as a reader, it was interesting to learn about the progression of teen fiction from the seventies through the nineties. And if you get this one, go for the paperback not the ebook because all the photos of book covers are so colorful and enhance the experience. (Also, be warned, you’re going to want to run out to a used bookstores afterward and rummage for some of these old books.)
Paperbacks from Hell by Grady Hendrix
Have a horror lover in your life? From the same publisher as Paperback Crush and following a similar format, this book goes through the history of horror fiction in the 70s and 80s. I own this one but haven’t read it yet. I’ve flipped through, though, and am really looking forward to it. Like above, go with the paperback to get the full effect of this book. Also, I’ve read a few of Grady Hendrix’s horror novels so I have no doubt the essays will be worth reading.
Shameless Self-Promotion
You know what makes a great gift? These. :)
That’s my list for this year. Coming soon, I’ll do a post on my 5-Star reads from this year if you would prefer actual books as gifts.
So what bookish gift are you hoping to receive this year? Do you get and/or give a lot of books and bookish gifts for the holidays?