A Book Lover’s Gift Guide (For All Budgets)

I’m definitely one of those people who unashamedly revels in the Christmas season. I have my decorations up mid-November and make it a personal goal to watch a different Christmas film every night of December (although this admittedly requires watching some truly atrocious ones). While I don’t love the commercialisation that undoubtedly accompanies the holidays, I do feel that gifts can communicate a thoughtfulness that is quite exclusive to this kind of occasion. The difficulty is that, over many years, it becomes harder and harder to buy presents that don’t just feel like throwing money at the first potential gift idea in desperation.

Fortunately, for those of us who love books, there is always a way to integrate our obsession into the gifts that we give. Additionally, if you’re buying presents for book lovers, you have a super easy avenue through which to make sure that any gift you give will feel incredibly meaningful. I’ve given and received a lot of book-related gifts over the years. As we enter the present-buying frenzy of December, I thought that I would share some of my favourite gift ideas with you – with suggestions to meet any budget!

*An important side-note: nothing in this post is sponsored, nor are any of the links. These are all knick-knacks and gift ideas that I just truly love!*

1. Give A Book

This may seem a bit elementary but it amazes me how few people think to actually give books as presents. One thing I love to do over the course of the year is make a note of any books I read that I think family or friends would enjoy. It shows a level of thoughtfulness that, even if the person doesn’t end up loving your pick, you really can’t achieve with many presents.

I’ve been giving books as gifts for a long time. It’s also a foundation for my relationship with my husband. Our first date was visiting bookshops around St Louis and we bought one another copies of our favourite novels. Every anniversary, we now pick out books for one another. It may sound overly sentimental but I don’t think any present will rival the thought that goes in to picking a book for someone. It’s also a really inexpensive option!

2. Book-Themed Jewellery

One of my first sets of presents from my husband was a pair of earrings and a bracelet featuring small excerpts of pages from Pride and Prejudice. I don’t wear a lot of jewellery but these are some of my favourite belongings. If you pay a visit to Etsy (one of my all time top sites for gift purchasing), you will see just how many options exist. There are pins, necklaces, earrings, bracelets. And you can even tailor your search to specific books.

If you don’t mind the American covers of the Harry Potter books (I’m biased, sorry!), there’s this adorable bracelet for $35. Or perhaps classic novels are more your style, in which case this homage to Jane Eyre is perfection at just $16! Whatever your literary desires, this is an affordable way to give something perfectly tailored toward your favourite bibliophile!

4. Book Journals 

Last year, my husband bought me a book journal – a specialised journal designed to help you record your different reads and thoughts about them. I had thought that this kind of thing was obsolete in the face of Goodreads and, in my case, blogging. But it is such a helpful way to keep a concrete record of your reading habits.

There are number of book journals that are very fit for purpose. Although I don’t own it myself, this one from Amazon (for $12.69) looks really perfect and is, importantly, small enough to carry with you. If you haven’t tried keeping a book journal before – or if you think it might interest someone you know – I highly recommend it. It’s such a great way to keep track of your thoughts and avoid that ‘I think I’ve already read this’ fiasco.