A Literary Gift Guide

Christmas is getting closer and closer. In a blink of an eye, the upcoming weeks will have passed, and with them, the time to get your loved ones the perfect presents. Since I am a bookworm myself I thought it would be fun and helpful to collect some ideas for you if you don’t know what you can get your book-loving friends and family as a unique and special gift. Bonus: This list will even help you  if you don’t know what they have and haven’t read, or what genres or authors they are into. I hope there’s something on it for everybody!

A Classic

Everybody has heard of Jane Eyre, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Pride and Prejudice, Hamlet or The Picture of Dorian Gray, but who has actually read the original stories? Apart from English majors, probably not many people. But even for people who have majored in English Literature a classic might be a good gift idea. Why? Well, you tend to get the cheaper editions of the books or the ones that are annotated or come with introductions, but there are so many beautiful editions of classics out there. Golden sprayed edges, gorgeous covers, there’s surely something out there for every taste (and wallet).

Special Editions

Which brings me to my second point – a special edition. There are some people who think getting a second copy of book you already own just because it looks slightly different is a waste of money and shelf space, but really, who would not love a special edition with a gold foil or leather bound cover that makes your home nicer just by standing there? (Could you say no to the special collectors’ edition of A Court of Thorns and Roses here?) Also, another win is that you don’t have to worry about the person already owning the book!

Book Sleeves

For us readers, books are like our babies, and we want to protect them from all the harm of the world (and the dirt, and all the stuff that is rolling around on the bottom of your bag). There are some amazing and beautiful book sleeves out there, and every reader will love them. The other reason you could really use a book sleeve is for when you try to hide the cover of the book you’re reading, and not just for when you’re reading Fifty Shades of Grey, but also because it’s really annoying when you’re on a bus or train journey and try to mind your own business, and the person sitting opposite from you is desperately trying to catch a glimpse of your book cover. 

Bookmarks

This is a very obvious but also a very important one, because many of us book lovers don’t even have that many pretty bookmarks, which might sound contradictory – but we often just tend to use a receipt or scrap of gum paper or even nothing as a bookmark! Shocking, right? Yup, it’s the truth! So, any special and pretty bookmark we receive as a gift is something we will be over the moon about! There’s a ton of different kinds of bookmarks out there – feathers, beaded ones, ribbons, you can check out Etsy for some unique ones – or you could even get a bit artsy and make one yourself! (let me know if you’d like me to do a tutorial on this!)

Cute and Fun Post-Its

Another somewhat obvious idea but also maybe something you don’t consider as a gift are post-its. They are very important for every reader and you can’t really have enough of them! You need some on your bed-side table, in every bag, on your desk, in the living room – and there are a ton of really pretty and unusual ones out there, so you can never go wrong with this. Every reader likes to mark a page or certain quote, and these come in very handy (and might double as bookmarks too)!

Pretty Notebooks

You might think – wait, I’m looking for gifts for a reader, not a writer – right? Well, in every reader there is at least a tiny proportion of a writer, at least to a degree. And then, many readers are also bloggers and need to take notes for their reviews. But really, who doesn’t need a nice new notebook?

Ebook Reader

This is a slightly more expensive gift idea, but if you’re looking to spoil someone properly, an ebook reader might be a good choice. Even for those who – like myself – say that they prefer the sight, smell and feel of holding a real book in their hands, ebook readers with a ton of books on them come in very handy in many situations. 

Voucher

If you are looking for a last minute present for a booklover, a voucher might be something for you! But there’s not just the “regular” bookshop or Amazon voucher, no! You can also get an Audible credit to spice things up a bit!

Annotated Edition

Like with your favourite films, knowing some trivia about your favourite books or authors can be so much fun, so annotated editions of books are a great gift not only to academics and scholars. Check out the editions that come with never before published material, too!

A Movie or Book Adaptation

If someone is a real die-hard fan of a book, they will love to get their hands on everything that even just slightly looks like their favourite book. This might be the movie adaptation, yes, but there’s also many books that are based on other, already existing stories, which gives you a wide range of things to choose from.

Signed Copy

I have to admit I don’t really get the hype, but I know that many readers go absolutely crazy and to great lengths to get a book signed by the author. So if you happen to have a signing near you where you’d like to invite the person you’re searching gift ideas for, or you come across a signed copy of a book, many readers will be over the moon. Also, chances are the book might become the next Harry Potter and will be worth a million or two in a few years! 

Bookish Merchandise

A mug, tshirt, bag or socks with a quote from a book; a candle, umbrella, figurine or blanket, there is a whole lot of merchandise for readers out there, and nobody can deny it: this stuff is awesome!

Book Box Subscription

 Owlcrate and FairyLoot are probably names you have heard before, but there are also a ton of other book subscription boxes, and many of them are sold out very quickly each month! Beside a new book, they often also include a wide range of bookish merch, which makes it all the more fun to get one of these! Check out some reviews and pictures of the content online before you get one though, so you can estimate if the person you buy for will like it (even if that person happens to be yourself, ahem.. cough, cough). 

A Christmas Carol

This is something I recommend to everybody – reading Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol is an experience nobody should miss. It has ghosts, an old, bitter man who is learning the true meaning of Christmas the hard way, it portrays the importance of kindness, family and friends – and much, much more. Nobody who receives this as a gift will be a Scrooge this Christmas!

 

And this was it – my bookish gift guide! I hope you enjoyed this and maybe it gave you an idea of what you can get your book-loving friends and family for Christmas this year!

Thanks for reading!

xoxo
Noly