Hello, bookish friends! The holiday season is quickly approaching, and sometimes, we all need a little help figuring out what to give to the most important people in our lives. One of my favorite things about the holidays is being able to spoil the people I love with things (both purchased and handmade!) that I know they will enjoy for years to come. As an avid reader, I can only imagine how difficult it can be for people who don’t read as much to come up with meaningful gift ideas for the book lovers in their lives. I sometimes even struggle with this and I’m supposed to be the biggest book nerd on earth! To lend a helping hand to book lovers and non-readers alike, I have created this gift guide to assist you with all your bookish holiday shopping needs. Who knows? You may even find a little something you’d like to add to your own letter to Santa. Let’s jump right in, shall we?
1) A Bookish Bouquet
If you are looking for a thoughtful keepsake that your reader will love and cherish forever, a bouquet of flowers made from the pages of one of their favorite reads might just be the perfect gift. The arrangment shown above was made by Blooming Books and I am completely obsessed with it. I love Gloria, this small business’s owner, because she is always willing to work with clients to create the most perfect, custom book-related centerpieces/wreaths/ornaments and the quality of her work is truly impeccable.
2) Personalized Book Embosser/Stamp
Boss
Okay, so here’s the deal: I don’t actually have one of these myself. I know, right? How could I possibly be an avid reader, reviewer, blogger AND bookstagrammer and not have one of these bad boys to claim my books with? The reason why I don’t have one of these beauties in my posession is that I am completely head over heels in love with so many of the options out there that I haven’t figured out which one I want to purchase yet, so trust me when I say it’s a WHEN, not an IF kind of situation! I love these because you have the ability to make them completely your own. You can choose different fonts, what the stamp actually says on it, and whether you prefer an ink stamp or an embosser that presses your chosen design into a book’s page. The images above are just a few of the many styles you can choose from, but really the options are limitless!
3) Reader’s Journals
If you’re looking for a gift that was literally made for reviewers and bloggers to use when compiling their thoughts on the books they read, look no further than reader’s journals! The one pictured above is actually the first one I’ve ever come across and I immediately fell in love. The beauty of this little notebook and those like it is that as you read, you can jot down any important notes that you’d like to include in a review and/or those you will need to remember for the next book in a series. I would venture to say that this might just be a reader’s most trusty companion!
4) Framed Book Page Prints
The perfect addition to any in-home library or office space occupied by a book lover would be a framed book page print. The beauty of these is that they are completely customizable, so if you know your bookish friend’s favorite book quote (and bonus: the page number the quote is on in their respective book!) you can give them a really sophisticated wall hanging that proves to them that you have indeed been paying attention to their bookish ramblings! This gift is even more sweet in the sense that if you’re a crafter like me, you could even put one of these together yourself fairly economically. Handmade gifts do hit differently!
5) Bookish Pins + Display
I know this gift may seem a bit obvious since basically every reader I know has at least one bookish pin, but what’s funny is that once these beautiful pieces are acquired, book lovers rarely know what to do with them. Well… at least I don’t anyway, and I am boldly assuming there are more people like me out there! Some pins have such elaborate detailing while others may feature the reader in your life’s favorite quote, so why not purchase them a simple display like the one pictured for them to hang on a wall in their home to admire? This practical gift solves the problem of readers not getting to enjoy the tiniest pieces of bookish merchandise they have collected over the years, and they will likely be shocked you even thought of such a nifty gifty!
6) Ideal Bookshelf Print
Do you have a reader in your life who just moved into a dorm room or new apartment that is too small to store all of their beloved books from their family home in? Gifting them an ideal shelf print is an excellent gift for folks like these, as they can hang a customized collage of their favorite books on their wall and think of them fondly until they can be reunited once they return home again for a visit (or until they can finally move somewhere with enough space to store their books!). Though this item is on the pricey side, the enjoyment and comfort it will bring your reader will be priceless!
7) My Life In Chapters Journal
If your book lover is like me, they have probably told you a million times that while they love to read what other people write, they can’t imagine ever trying to write something themselves because they don’t feel as though they have a story to tell. Purchasing them a My Life in Chapters journal might just be the push they need to start thinking about all the amazing things that have happened to them in their life. Once a year for ten years, the reader will take the time to reflect on various experiences they had that year by answering a set relatively short questions. At the end of the ten years, I’m fairly confident that if your reader ended up wanting to write their own book, they would have plenty of real life material to inspire their own official work of fiction or nonfiction. And don’t tell them, but finishing the journal is basically finishing a little book in and of itself!
8) Bookish Scratch-Off Poster
Some readers really enjoy setting various goals for themselves, such as choosing a specific number of books they want to read in a year’s time on Goodreads. If you want to help them take their goal setting to a brand new level, consider gifting them a scratch-off poster! Once they read a title listed on the poster, they are provided with instant gratification as they scratch off the coating to reveal the book’s cover. It’s basically just like marking off a title on their TBR list, just in scratch-off form! They make these posters with books from all kinds of genres and for different age groups, too, so you are sure to find one that your book lover will love!
9) Literary-Inspired Cookbooks
If you find that your reader is in the kitchen whipping up something delicious when their nose isn’t shoved in a book, this next gift is perfect for them! Over the years, there have been many literary-inspired cookbooks written and published, so there is bound to be one out there for them to enjoy. With this gift, your book lover can read a recipe that references their favorite novel(s) while they simultaneously fix themselves something yummy to eat – it’s the best of both worlds!
10) A Bookish Care Package
I don’t know about you guys, but I absolutely ADORE putting together care packages for people, especially when they’re bookish! In addition to packing a box up with a book and bookish merchandise you think your book lover will enjoy, you can also include general body care items, snacks/drinks, a gift card, and so much more! The beauty of this gift is that it is 100 percent customizable and you can adjust the types and number of items you include to fit any budget.
I hope that you enjoyed taking a gander at this book lover’s dream gift guide! I had such a blast writing this post, as even though I love the warmer weather, the holiday season is my favorite time of the year. If you’re a reader, what do you hope to recieve (or gift to a fellow reader!) this year? Let me know in the comments and we’ll chat about all the bookish goodies!
Until next time, bookish babes!
Sarah ❤
bookspirationbysarah.com 