Gift Guide for Book Lovers
I’m not super great at gift-giving. I like finding something creative or unique for my loved ones, but it doesn’t always work out that way.
But you’re in luck because I’ve done some research for you!
If you are on the hunt for a gift for someone who loves books and reading (which may be yourself), hopefully this awesome list can assist you in finding the perfect gift!
From apparel to crafts to decor to games to unique books and even a section for kids, this list has a variety of gift options sure to meet your needs!
Some things are practical and some are splurges. I haven’t personally ordered all of them so I can’t confirm that they’re all as awesome as they appear but I tried to stick to things that had good reviews. Let me know if I’ve led you astray and I’ll update the list.
If you want to buy an actual book, browse my site or check out some of these reading lists:
Most Anticipated Books of 2024
Books Every Mom (and Woman) Should Read
Or gift a subscription to the Book of the Month club!
[Also, an FYI, I’m an Amazon Affiliate so I may receive a commission on certain products purchased through my links.]
Alright…
Welcome to the Shelf Reflection Gift Guide for Book-Lovers! Your next best present awaits!
APPAREL
I miss the days when we would get free t-shirts for everything. I’m finally having to replace my old high-school and college shirts. Unfortunately, as full grown adults we have to pay for our own clothing. But on the plus side… there are some fun options out there.
Luckily for you I’ve just launched my very own shop on this website! It’s full of unique and creative book-related merch you won’t find anywhere else. Some of the designs are even hand-drawn by yours truly. There are t-shirts, hoodies & sweatshirts, caps, beanies, mugs, blankets, cards, bags, and even a few kid shirt options!
Book Socks
Everyone needs another pair of socks. I love these options from Amazon! They have a design of a library card, a bookshelf, one that says ‘book nerd,’ book characters, and more.
Book Purse
A purse the shape and style of a book! There were several ‘classic’ options including Little Women and Shakespeare.
DECOR
Books themselves make good decor, but in case you’re looking for some other options, check these out!
Unique Book Shelf
Book-lovers need a place to put all their books. And they probably have more books than they have shelves, so you could get them this cool corner shelf!
Unique Book Ends
Traditional bookshelves don’t really need book-ends, but with open shelving, book-ends are a must— can’t have any books falling off and getting bent or torn! Here are some fun ones I found that are definitely unique. Would also be great for an office desk.
Book Table
This is a conversation starter! What a perfect side table for a library, book nook, or living room. Just a disclaimer: the books are not real and cannot be read. I suppose if you’re handy enough you could probably recreate this with real books!
Cozy Blankets and Candles
One of my favorite ways to read is in a cozy blanket with my favorite candle flickering in the background. So relaxing!
Someone has managed to capture the scent of books into a candle. I do love the smell of books so I’m interested in how this smells.
One of my favorite candle scents ever is the Woodwick’s Teakwood. Unfortunately, I think it’s been discontinued. Here’s a similar one called White Teak. I love that the Woodwick candles make the little crackling sound when it’s lit. Adds an extra cozy flair.
Kleenex Box Box
That’s not a typo! This is a cool box to disguise your Kleenex in a stack of books.
RANDOMS
I didn’t know how to classify these ones so I’m grouping them here. But these are not after thoughts, these are some cool products!
Personal Library Kit
One thing book-lovers want to do is keep track of their books. Organizing and knowing who has borrowed what is an important and challenging task. This library kit is so cool! It comes with a stamp and library card inserts so all books can be accounted for. If you have kids, it would also be incredibly fun for kids who like to play library— I always had to make my own and the lines were never straight and everything was spelled wrong…
Reading Light Panel
For the late night reader who doesn’t want to keep their spouse awake with their light! This one is a flat panel that fits right inside the book. Very inexpensive solution to help readers finish those books before going to sleep!
Anxiety Bookshelf
These have gotten really popular. It’s a miniature bookshelf with lots of little books that you can organize on your shelf however you would like! This is the one Amazon but you could also look on Etsy to see if there are other versions, you just might have to wait longer for shipping.
Novel Teas
For the reader who likes tea while they read! These come with tea bags that have literary quotes on them. There are 25 bags of English Breakfast Tea.
Cross Stitch Kits
Not all book-lovers enjoy cross-stitching. Maybe I’m the only one. But in case there are others out there, check out these bookish cross stitch kits!
For the fantasy reader: Buy on Amazon
For the person who reads with their cat warming their feet: Buy on Amazon
For the other ones: Buy on Amazon (This didn’t have a lot of reviews so there may be a better place to buy this kit. Let me know if you find a good one or if you can confirm this Amazon listing— I have my eye on this one!)
Litographs Products
Litographs is a cool website that takes text from books and creates pictures and creative products. I have a puzzle shown here but they also have shirts, blankets, scarves, and posters.
Book Art
Here are a few options that can be hung on a wall or propped on a shelf (if the shelves aren’t filled with books!).
Etsy has finished products like this and also patterns for you to fold on your own!
Shop Now
Bookish Diamond Dots
Not all book lovers will enjoy this activity as it is a bit tedious, but I find it fun and my kids do too! There are a lot of diamond dot kit options out there. My best advice is to read reviews and see if people post pictures of their finished products because they don’t always turn out like the picture. Here are a few I found that bookish! I actually got the diamond dot bookmarks for my daughter’s birthday party to do with my friends. She also plans to make one to give to her teacher for Christmas.
This is a website with a lot of options, they’re bigger and more expensive but have some cool designs!
Shop Now
Magnetic Bookmarks
I’m not a huge fan of bookmarks. I typically use receipts or whatever scrap of paper is nearby. Book lovers tend to have more than they need. But I came across magnetic bookmarks and became a believer. Mainly because my kids kept pulling my papers out of my books. These bookmarks can’t be pulled out and are harder to lose. Plus they’re pretty.
Personalized Book Embosser
For the reader who wants a fancy way to claim their books! You can personalize your very own library logo to emboss on your books. I go back and forth on whether this is ethical or not but if you’re as possessive of your books as I am, this may be a fun investment.
GAMES
I’m a big fan of games. Here are some that are bookish or even straight up based off of a book. If you want to get creative in another way, check out my post where I’ve paired a book and a related board game. Getting one of those combos would make a nice gift too.
And a bonus gift would be agreeing to play it with them!
Really Loud Librarians
First up, Really Loud Librarians. This is a fast-paced word shouting game. Able to played with kids as young as 8. This is more of a ‘party-type’ game but can be played with two players as well. Perfect for lovers of words and fast-thinkers- a category is given and teams are shouting out words that fit within those categories that start with a specific letter of the alphabet. No knowledge of the Dewey Decimal system required! This is made by the same makers of Exploding Kittens which is a really popular game so even though I haven’t played this yet, I’m guessing it’s a pretty good game.
My Shelfie
Okay, this one looks really fun! I love the 3D components! You fill your bookshelf with books, games, plants, etc., but you have to do it strategically to meet your personal or common goals. Because of the varying combinations of goals, each game is different. I haven’t played this one, but it looks like a blast!
Fiction
This is a game for those who like Wordle and deduction games. In this game the lie-brarian lies about one of the letter clues each round as players are trying to guess the five-letter word. This one can play 2-10 players.
The Princess Bride Adventure Game
The Princess Bride Adventure Game. There are a lot of people who looove this movie. I’m not sure if they read the book or not. I maybe shouldn’t admit this, but I’m not one of them. The movie is okay, but it’s not one I think about much. But since it’s so popular I figured I would include this game option!
Bookchase
Next, we have Bookchase. I’ve never played this, and THIS WEBSITE is the only place I can find to purchase one at the time of writing this post, so maybe this is just a tease. But if you find a copy, I think this would be great for a book lover!
Here’s a little blurb about the game: “Each player has a small bookshelf which they must fill with six small books. Books can be claimed by visits to the Library space, by answering multiple-choice category questions and by chance events on the turn of special Award/Sentence cards. Each small book represents a different category of real-world books: Scifi Fantasy, Travel & Adventure, Crime & Thrillers, Plays & Poetry, Classics & Modern, Children & Fun.”
221b Baker Street
Next we have a detective game called 221b Baker St. Obviously based off of the Sherlock Holmes series. There are 75 cases that you are trying to solve by moving about the board and finding clues.
It may not have endless replayability but 75 games is a lot and then it can be re-gifted to the next book lover!
This Amazon link is to a game that appears to be a remake. You may be able to find an older version, but the newer version comes with more cases to solve.
Liebrary
Again, this might be a tease because I’m struggling to find a purchase link. But it’s so bookish that I had to still include it. It’s played like Balderdash. Players are given a book title and each person has to come up with ‘the first line of the book.’ Then all answers (and the real/right one) are read and players guess which was correct!
Let me know if anyone can find a store link. Right now all I see are ebay listings and such.
Monopoly
There is a Monopoly game for everything under the sun. Luckily for book-lovers, there are a few bookish versions! Here we have Chronicles of Narnia Monopoly and Lord of the Rings Monopoly. A fun twist on a classic game.
Actually, if you’re buying for a Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings fanatic, there are a ton of games that were recreated to those books so with some creative googling you can find some other cool gift ideas.
The Lord of the Rings Game
While we’re talking Lord of the Rings. I’ll slide this one in here too. This is an epic adventure game that is cooperative and replayable: “Throughout Journeys in Middle-earth, you must work together with the rest of your party to survive a series of perilous adventures that sees you battling powerful foes, discovering lost treasures, uncovering forgotten lore and more.”
Ex Libris
This also looks like a fun bookish game. It one several awards including being a 2018 Mensa Select Winner. “You are a collector of rare and valuable books in a thriving gnomish village… To outshine your competition, you need to expand your personal library by sending your trusty assistants out into the village to find the most impressive tomes.”
As of the writing of this post Amazon’s price is $169… I don’t think that’s the right price for it so if Amazon’s algorithm doesn’t correct, you might have to look elsewhere to purchase.
Book Shelf Versions of Popular Games
I stumbled across these games and they are super cool! For book lovers who want to display their games stylishly on their book shelves. There are a ton of different options. A game that doubles as decor? Yes please!
Here I show links to Scrabble and Boggle, but if you click on the seller name of the Amazon listing it should take you to all of their games like this!
INTERESTING BOOKS
Of course a great gift for a book lover is a book! As I mentioned before, browse my site of book reviews to see if you see anything you’d like. But here are a few other unique book options to gift!
Otherwordly
“Words both strange and lovely from around the world.”
This would make a good coffee table book. Definitely a great gift for someone who loves new and interesting words.
The Reading Challenge Book
“Level up your reading life with 25 unique literary challenges, and reward yourself with 25 bookish surprises!”
For the reader who likes to broaden their horizons! It gives different categories of books and once they finish they’ll find a little surprise.
The Book of Unusual Knowledge
“Perfect for anyone with a curious mind and a passion for learning. Includes a vast array of articles, anecdotes, lists, and games, this book will provide hours of fascinating reading.”
For the reader who enjoys learning potentially useless information!
Eat What You Watch
“With recipes from more than 40 classic and cult films, Eat What You Watch is the perfect gift for both movie buffs and home cooks who want to add some cinematic flair to their cooking repertoire.”
For the reader who also loves to watch movies and/or cook!
Prayer and Gratitude Journal
This is a nice hardcover prayer journal for the Bible-reader who likes to write down their prayer requests and the things they’re thankful for. It is nice quality and looks great on a shelf as well.
JEWELRY
For the readers who love a little bling! Most of these are from Etsy because Etsy has so many cool handmade and personalized products.
Personalized Book Locket
Earrings
Necklace
Ornament
FOR THE KIDS
We already mentioned a few things kids would like above, but here are a few more.
P is for Pterodactyl Book
This is classified as ‘The Worst Alphabet Book Ever’! Haha. And it kinda is. I wouldn’t recommend it for kids who are just learning letter sounds or how to read, but maybe for established little readers who want to have their minds blown by all the letters that can be silent at the beginning! I can see my daughter (age 6) really thinking this is a fun book.
Lego Book Shop or Personal Library
Check out this library Lego set! Actually I think some adults would like this. This is a 2-in-1 purchase because kids will get to first build the book shop and then they’ll get to play with it! Even Lego people need to read books.
(This is hard to find and may be out of stock on Lego)
Fairy Tale Inn Board Game
“The Fantasy Fair is in town and everyone wants to attend. Guests show up at the Fairy Tale Inn, where two innkeepers compete to see who can get the most gold by putting Guests into different enchanted rooms.” This one has good replayability and fun art. Kids will enjoy the characters and even adults will enjoy the strategy of it.
iPad Lap Stand
There are a variety of stands out there for your electronic devices. What I like about this one is how soft it is! It would be a lot more comfortable to have on your lap than a plastic or metal version. I’m not sure you would want to use it on the kitchen counter as one of their pictures suggests, but for kids on the couch— great!
Reading Comprehension Dice
This may not be the most exciting gift for a kid but these are a good tool for kids to understand the books that they’re reading. There are 36 different questions and it comes with an activity guide.
Miniature Library Diorama
This is a fun miniature library that your child can put together and play with. The details on this product is intense. Depending on the age of your child, an adult will for sure need to help.
‘Write Your Own’ Gifts
For the kids who are writers, here are a few fun gift options!
Storymatic comes with over 360 writing prompts to help inspire a story. It comes recommended by teachers. Who knows, maybe your gift will help create the next best-selling author we’ll all be reading!
This Create Your Own Book/Comic Book Kit has everything your child needs to design their own comic book and even have it professionally published! “Your kit includes ready-to-use comic book template pages, order form, instructions, guide book, color markers, a postage-paid envelope, instructions and order form.”
Golden Ticket Game
This is good book/game combo gift if you so desire— or give this game and a whole bunch of a chocolate! It looks like a creatively designed game where players are trying to find a golden ticket by getting money to buy Willy Wonka bars or stealing candy from other players.
Book Cookie Cutter
If there is one thing I know about kids, it’s that they love cookies. How fun would it be for them to make their own book shaped cookies to decorate with their favorite book covers! Plus, if they want to do a book club with their friends it would be a great snack to provide.
Good luck with all your shopping and thanks for stopping by!
Feel free to share this gift guide on social media to help all your friends and family with their shopping as well!
