It’s that time of year again when we all scramble to find gifts for our friends and family (or white elephant exchanges, birthdays, secret Santas, etc, etc). I’ve compiled a list of great gifts for bookish friends, because, as you all know, I am quite bookish and consider myself to be an excellent authority on the subject.
1. Collectible Editions
These are super great and VERY EASY gift ideas! If your friend/family has a favorite book, see if there is a collectible edition of it! This is especially easy for classics (my husband has 5000 copies of Moby Dick, because he’s a dork…. omg pun not intended but totally awesome). If the favorite book is not a classic, you can always get their favorite book in hardcover! Can’t underestimate the beauty of a brand new hard cover copy of your favorite book! The best place to look for special editions is The Book Depository. These books have free shipping and they literally have EVERY book you could possibly be looking for.
2. Bookish Candles
Buying your friend/family a candle based on their favorite story is a quite thoughtful gesture. Don’t worry about the scent not being perfect. I have a lot of candles from my favorite books, and some of them smell terrible! That’s okay, because I simply love having them on my shelf next to the books. And when the candle does smell good, it’s absolutely wonderful!
I have a discount code for you for Spireside (pictured above): Use BANDAR10 for 10% off.
3. Bookish Clothing
There are A TON of great places to buy bookish clothing, but Society6 is an awesome one. To get the screenshot above, I just typed in “reading tshirts” and got hundreds of results. They have shirts, scarves, leggings, etc! Use sites like this to search for your friends’ favorite books or fandoms!
4. Bookish Artwork
Along the same lines as the item before, Society6 is a great place to search for art prints, tapestries, wall-hanging, mugs, etc that showcase favorite quotes or images from books.
5. Bookmarks
If you’re looking for something more inexpensive, bookmarks are a great option. There are tons of places to get cool bookmarks online (including the previously mentioned Society6, Etsy, etc). You can even just google “[insert favorite book here] bookmarks” (see photo above) to find something specific for your gift recipient!
6. Your Favorite Book
Don’t forget that if you’re buying a gift for your favorite bookish friend, getting them a book you love is always a great idea (unless you’re gifting to me: DON’T GET ME ANY BOOKS. MY TBR CAN’T TAKE IT.). And if your friend/family ends up loving it too, you have something wonderful to share!
What are some other gift ideas for bookish friends?
A.S. Thornton has evolved from book blogger to author with a particular fondness for writing forbidden love in ancient deserts. When not writing, she’s caring for dogs and cats as a veterinarian. You’ll never find animals at the center of her writing, though, because those fictional worlds don’t have veterinarians and her literal brain can’t accept that the poor critters would be without parasite prevention. Thornton’s debut, DAUGHTER OF THE SALT KING is available wherever books are sold.
