Aaah! Christmas is coming. Hanukkah is already here! You’re way behind on your gift buying!
Well I am here to help. I read those BuzzFeed-style lists online, and it looks like fun. So I decided to do a list of gift ideas for book lovers. Of course, I am assuming you have already considered buying actual books and/or gift cards to bookstores (remember to support independent bookstores this holiday season).
1. Know someone who lends out all his or her books and never gets them back? This personal library kit would make a great gift for them. Also, anyone who likes to pretend to be a librarian which should be everyone. (ModCloth, $14.99)
2. What if you know someone who is always falling asleep while reading? They need a book pillow! You can get Sherlock Holmes, Treasure Island and Alice in Wonderland. I may or may not be getting one of these for someone on my list. If that person is reading this, please immediately forget about this. (ThinkGeek, $17.99 to $24.99)
3. Everyone needs shirts, or else they’d walk around naked. Really, you’re doing the world a public service by buying silly book-lover t-shirts. (Threadless, How to Kill a Mockingbird, $25; Book Lover, $25)
4. Getting toys at Christmas is kind of a tradition. So it makes perfect sense to buy one of Archie McPhee’s author action figures. Jane Austen, William Shakespeare, Edgar Allen Poe are all options. (Archie McPhee, $12.99)
5. The internet is full of wonderful things. On Etsy, you can get most any quote stamped on a bracelet cuff including your favorite literary quotations. I have this one, which says “She is too fond of books and it has addled her brain,” from “Little Women” and I often wear it to conferences. (EmeryDrive on Etsy, $16)
6. Out of Print Clothing is a great website. Everything they sell is book-related, and I got a $100 gift card to the store last year and used it in a hot minute. These library card socks are some of my favorite–I have them in multiple colors. Jealous? (OutofPrintClothing.com, $10)
7. One thing anyone who works in publishing has a surplus of is tote bags. But even I, who has a closet full of tote bags, look covetously on this book bag (get it?). Gorgeous! (ThinkGeek, $49.99)
8. In the same vein, there is this cute wallet for holding stuff if you really do have too many bags. This one is called “The Definition of Darling” because it’s in the style of a dictionary! Adorable. (ModCloth, $49.99)
9. A number of online shops like Frostbeard, Anthology Candles, and FromthePage sell candles inspired by books. I recently bought one based on Anne Shirley’s famous Octobers quote (“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”) from TheMeltingLibrary. (Frostbeard, $18)
10. It’s getting cold outside so it might be time for a nice scarf, or pair of writing gloves, with paragraphs from your favorite book printed on them. There are several sellers on Etsy who will custom-make a scarf/gloves for you, though the ready-made ones tend to be a bit cheaper. (Peter Pan scarf from Storiarts on Etsy, $48; matching gloves, $26)
