Best Gifts for Book Lovers
By Diana Tramontano and Sherri Puzey
It’s that time of year when we start thinking about the perfect gift for friends, loved ones, and maybe even ourselves! Have a book lover on your list? We’ve got you covered. While gifting books is always a great idea (we have a few to-die-for sets here), bookish accessories are bound to surprise and delight. And you won’t have to wonder which books they’ve already read or bought for themselves!
Here are more than 20 of our favorite bookish gifts that any reader would love to open.
For the Reader Always on the Move: No Shelf Control Book Sleeve
Wet hands, coffee stains, sunscreen smears—you don’t want these things anywhere near your book (especially a library copy!). A book sleeve will always keep your book in good condition and looking stylish while traveling. Grace by Shan, a small company that is widely popular in the #bookstagram community, has creative, cute, well-designed book sleeves, bookmarks, and other bookish merch. We hope you love their book sleeves as much as we do, especially the no shelf control designed one, since we can all relate to overflowing piles of #tbr books!
$22, Grace by Shan
For the Overflowing TBR: Book Cart
Help get that out-of-control TBR organized and #bookstagram ready with this sleek metal book cart. It easily slides under a desk to conserve space but is also chic enough to be on full display with all of the books you can’t wait to read.
$44, Amazon
For the Friend Who’s Reading Several Books at Once: Tiny Library Bookmark
It’s hard to keep track of which page you’re on when you’re simultaneously reading the latest bestseller, book club book, and the classic you’ve finally decided to tackle. Enter the cutest bookmarks, featuring a teeny tiny Little Free Library. Bonus: buy 3 bookmarks, get 1 free, so you’ll have enough bookmarks for every book on your bedside table.
$3, Bookish Wonder
For the Perfect Book Club Hostess: Homesick Book Club Candle
Themed Homesick candles have quickly become our favorite hostess gift, especially the book club candle that will fill your cozy reading room with scents of orange, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla.
$38, Homesick Candles
For the Reader Who Inevitably Falls Asleep: Navy Weighted Blanket
Who doesn’t want to curl up with a cozy blanket on a cold day and binge a good book?! Brooklinen has our favorite weighted blanket, and it’s a great gift for any book lover!
$152, Brooklinen
For the Aspiring Librarian: Custom Book Embosser
This custom book embosser is a delicate yet beautiful way to make a book your own. This embosser allows you to customize your book without interfering with its beauty. A perfect way to start your own little library!
$23 and up, Etsy
For the Reader Who Likes to Accessorize: Bookish Stickers
Add a little literary love to a reusable water bottle or your computer with these adorable stickers. Whether you’re setting out on a hike or heading into the office, these stickers will remind you of the stack of books waiting for you at home. (And it will remind everyone else that the book is always better than the movie.)
$4, Redbubble and Slightly Stationery
For the Bibliophile Decorator: A Collection from Juniper Books
Juniper Books offers gorgeous sets of books with intricately designed spines to add beauty and class to a book lover’s collection. We’re partial to the feminine whimsy of the Little Women set, but there are plenty of options to suit every type of reader.
$160, Juniper Books
For the Friend Who’s Always Reading at the Local Coffee Shop: Enchanted Library Coffee
Coffee and books are two of our favorite things, so we were delighted to find this coffee blend! The light vanilla blend is a perfect addition to a cozy morning reading.
$17, Fable Grounds Coffee
For the Reader Whose Book Collection is Out of Control: Owl Bookends
The constant accumulation of books calls for a frequent updating of bookends! These owl bookends from Anthropologie are timeless and eye-catching. And may we suggest you pair them with Zibby Owens’s memoir Bookends?! After all, everyone loves a themed gift.
$48, Anthropologie; $23, Bookshop.org
For the Reader Who Annotates Their Books: Romance Trope Pencil Set
There are two kinds of readers: the purists, and the ones who love to dog-ear pages, underline favorite quotes, and mark thought-provoking passages. This set of pencils with common romance tropes (“Only One Bed,” “Enemies to Lovers,” “Slow Burn”) will undoubtedly be the ones you’re reaching for the next time you’re struck by the most perfect sentence you’ve ever read.
$20, Longhand Pencils
For the Foodie: Laurie Colwin Book Collection
Laurie Colwin is the beloved author of 10 titles, including novels, short story collections, and nonfiction. Last year, all of her books were reissued with gorgeous new covers, making a perfect gift. We’re partial to this trio for the cooking fanatics!
Starts at $14; Home Cooking, Happy All the Time, More Home Cooking
For the Book Lover Who Has Everything: Personalized Folded Book Art
Looking for a real showstopper? For a home library, reading den, or living room, personalized book art is something to make the space unique. Customize with a name, special date, and favorite color for the book jacket.
$55, Etsy
For the Friend Who Always Lends You Books: Felix Doolittle Custom Bookplate
As avid readers, I think we can all relate to the feeling of loving a book so much you want to share it with everyone. Felix Doolittle custom bookplates are the perfect gift so that you can share books but not lose track of them! Our favorite is the Swinging Bench 2 design!
$25, Felix Doolittle
For the Reader in Need of Bookish Accessories: Book Lamp
Every reader needs a lamp, so why not make it a book lamp! This is a fun decoration to have on your nightstand or end table that is both stylish and useful.
$19, Light in the Box
For the Bookfluencer in Your Life: Library Socks
Socks are the ideal stocking stuffer, secret santa gift, or added accessory everyone can use! Retro library-themed socks are even better for the book lovers in your life, and absolutely picture perfect. If you haven’t seen the bookfluencer trend, everyone loves a book-themed sock post!
$12, Amazon
For the Organized Reader: My Reading Life: A Book Journal by Anne Bogel
Fan the flame of your love for organization with this book journal from literary matchmaker Anne Bogel. The journal includes suggestions for reading goals and pages to track both a TBR list as well as the books you’ve read and loved. There’s even a color-coded reading habit tracker that will make every Type-A’s heart skip a beat.
$19, Bookshop.org
For the Reader Who Stays Up Late Into the Night: Caddis Reading Glasses
Find the right glasses for anyone at Caddis. If you or a loved one wants to stay up at night reading, now you can, and they even look stylish!
To buy: $99, Caddis
If you liked this gift guide, be sure to check out Zibby’s: Best Books for Those Closest to You
For the Friend Who Loves to Read in Bed: Lake Pajama Set
Reading in bed is the best way to unwind from a long day. Lake Pajamas are one of the softest PJ sets out there, and still look super cute! We love the striped navy blue set, but you seriously can’t go wrong with any of them.
$124, Lake
For the Physical Book Lover: Leather Tote from Able
Traveling with physical books can be unwieldy! Corral the stack in this leather tote, available in five different colors. And you can feel good about your purchase, too, because Able is challenging the fashion industry culture by creating transformative career opportunities for women around the world.
$190, Able
For the Coffee Addict: Kate Spade Book Mug
Not everyone’s a coffee drinker, but I think we all have people in our lives who can’t live without it. This stainless steel coffee mug (for both hot and cold beverages!) is a go-to gift for any book lover. The whimsical book design is picture perfect for #bookstagram and a creative accessory to spruce up anyone’s morning routine.
$29, Kate Spade
For the Friend Who’s Recently Moved: Little Free Library
The best housewarming gift for a book lover is their very own Little Free Library! As they keep their library stocked with new books (and maybe even peek out their window to see who is taking and leaving books), their new house and neighborhood will more quickly feel like home. Plus, all of the neighbors will know where to go when they need a book recommendation!
$290, Little Free Library
For the Collector: The Best American Series
The perfect collection of the finest short fiction and nonfiction, launched as a series in 1915! Each volume is bound with a beautiful gold spine and makes for great bookshelf decor.
Price Varies, Harper Collins
