It’s that time of year again, the most wonderful time of the year: it’s crunch time for Christmas shopping! If you still have a few loved ones to shop for, and they happen to be book lovers, chances are you’ve bought them lots of books in the past. But maybe this year, you want to do something different, but still get them something they will love. Lucky for you, there are all kinds of gifts that are perfect for book lovers (and that aren’t books)!
- Bookmarks
An oldie but a goodie. This may seem like an obvious choice, but even for those of us readers who end up using whatever random scrap of paper we can find to hold our place in a book (or even dog-ear the pages–guilty!), bookmarks are a thoughtful and well-appreciated gift. There are options for every price range, too, from those beaded-tassel numbers we all remember from elementary school, to custom, jeweled works of art. You could even hand-make them if you’re feeling crafty.
- Personal Library Kit
For anyone who knows the pain of lending a book to a friend and never getting it back, this might be a perfect (and fun) solution! Complete with stick-on card pockets and check-out cards, date stamp, and ink pad, this kit has everything a book lover needs to start their own lending library. You can also buy refills!
- Bookplates
Another way to keep track of your books that’s fun and has lots of creative options.You can get fancy customized versions from sites like Etsy. I really like these ones I found on Amazon.
- Reading Journal
For the reader who likes to keep track of the books they read and record their thoughts about them, the reader who would be a margin-writer if they could bring themselves to actually write in their books, but would never deface a book in that way, a reading journal is perfect. Journals come in all different variations. There are journals for recording books you intend to read, books you’ve already read, books you own, and anything else you can think of.
- Reading Light
For the reader who stays up way past their bedtime!
- Book-related Gear
The internet is a magical place, full of every kind book-, author-, or literature-related item you can think of. I have a Madeleine t-shirt from Out of Print Clothing, I’ve eyed some of the shirts and tote bags on Litographs, and, of course, everyone’s favorite site, Etsy, has loads of artists who make beautiful, one-of-a-kind book-related items.
- Bathtub Caddy
If the book lover on your list also loves to take long, luxurious baths, this is the perfect gift. With a stand for their book so it doesn’t fall in the water and cup holder for tea or coffee–or wine!–this is the perfect accessory to help them unwind after a long day.
- E-reader Case
If your book lover has an e-reader, what better gift than a spiffy new case or cover for it? Here are a few of my favorite options, available for many different devices.
- E-reader
If your book lover doesn’t already have an e-reader, this is the perfect opportunity to get them one! Personally, I prefer the Kindle Paperwhite, but of course there are lots of great options. New e-readers are being developed every year and becoming more affordable and more versatile. Shop around and try to think about what would be best for your book lover’s lifestyle; would they want something they could also use as a tablet? The Kindle Fire or Nook Color might be right up their alley. Or for something super simple and user-friendly that’s purely for reading books, try the classic Kindle.
- Gift Card to their Favorite Book Store
Okay, maybe this one is cheating, or a bit of a cop-out, but if your book lover is like me, they will love getting the chance to pick out their own books or book-related accessories! If your town or city has a local, independent book store, that would be a perfect gift certificate. Or, if it’s already 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve and you have nothing, go to Amazon’s or Barnes and Noble’s website and buy a printable or e-mail-able gift card. Easy!
Happy shopping, and Merry Christmas!
*Image credit: http://www.booknparty.com/blog
Rhonda With A Book 