Bookish Gift Ideas

Hello hello, and welcome or welcome back to my little corner of the internet. It took me three attempts to spell the word ‘internet’. Obviously I need more coffee.

It was my birthday recently, and so many lovely friends bought me gifts along with my family, I honestly felt the love so much. I always feel loved, but after a rocky few weeks it was so kind of the people in my life to show me in ‘things’. A lot of them surprised me, but a lot of people asked me what I would like too, which prompted the idea for this post. If you’ve got a bookworm you love with an upcoming birthday, I’m here to help you.

Naturally trust your own instincts too, but if you’re feeling a bit stuck, hopefully this post will help you out a bit.

Gift Lists

Most bookworms will have a list of books they want to eventually curl up with, and there is absolutely nothing wrong in turning around and asking for that list. Tell them to send you a link to their list or to name a few options for you. Remind them it’s okay because you’re asking (in case they’re anything like me and a huge bundle of awkward anxiety), and that you want to get them something they’ll like. Ultimately, that’s what birthdays are about, isn’t it?

Book Quotes

I have a book tattoo that I absolutely love, associated with a few quotes from my beloved A Court of Thorns and Roses series. I’m not one to get words tattooed, so I got something that symbolized those quotes to me. For my birthday, my friend bought me a lovely notebook and some magnetic bookmarks, containing two of my favourite quotes, “Don’t let the hard days win” and “You bow to no one”. They mean a lot to me, especially as she has never read the series.

Book Vouchers

This might seem like an obvious one, but I’ve heard some people say they don’t like giving vouchers. There’s nothing wrong with it! My parents gave me £30 worth of book vouchers (as I turned 30) and I couldn’t be happier. Especially as book shops have been closed for so long, I can’t wait to go in and spend time wandering around and spending them. I’ll be gone for HOURS.

Personal Library Stamp

One of the most unique and thoughtful gifts ever, a friend had a custom embossing stamp press made for me. It has “Ex Libris” at the top, my first inital in large font with flowers on either side, and then my full name underneath. You can find all different designs, and you can get ones that either use ink or are made just using pressure like mine. They’ll be sure to only get one of them!

Drink Of Choice

Another lovely friend signed me up for a three month tea club with my favourite tea company, Bird and Blend. With the Tea Tasing Club, you get sent three different loose leaf tea samples per month along with a tea scoop and tea bags to fill if you don’t have an infuser or gravity brewer (my personal fave). If you’ve got a tea lover in your life then that’s a great option. There are also coffee clubs, or even gin clubs! I have some mini bottles of gin that I’m going to create my own personal club from… Equally, a lovely mug to go with their reading, even better if it is book themed!

Raid Etsy, Ebay and Rebuddle

I collect enamel pins, postcards and prints, especially those that are book related. My friend has sent me some SJM postcards from previous book boxes, and I have stickers with some of my favourite quotes on my reading journal and even my laptop! You don’t need to know much about what you’re looking for. Type “From Blood and Ash” into RedBubble for example, and all sorts of things will pop up from £1 postcards to £30 jumpers with quotes and designs of all sorts. You can just find the ones you like the design of for them. (And then read the book, especially that book.)

Booksleves

If you’ve been on any book related instagram account in the last two years, you’ll have seen these everywhere. You can buy them pretty much anywhere, depending on what design you want, but they’re also pretty easy to make; you need two rectangles of fabric (outside and lining) something to act as padding, put that in between the layers, and sew together. My son and I both made a couple a while ago when the schools first closed. But you can find these again on Etsy, Ebay and Redbubble as well as from lots of small businesses.

Well there you go! Just a few ideas for the bookworms in your life. I hope this comes in helpful, and remember, it’s the thought that counts, always.