My top 5 Christmas gifts for book lovers

I woke up the other morning and thought that the one blog article the world is surely missing just now is this: what do you get the book lover in your life?

Now, sure, you could get them gift card or give them the most recent bestseller. But a gift card is pretty impersonal (on its own – it’s great alongside other stuff), and the most recent bestseller… just don’t. Your book-loving friend may love having random recommendations thrown their way, but some of us will just chuck that book into our to-read pile and feel quietly affronted that you dared interrupt our current train of book reading goodness with something new. (I’ve done this, and said book is currently sitting in my bedside table drawer ignored, poor thing.)

Instead, consider the following:

1. A hot water bottle

Hear me out: I’m not talking about a cheap and rubbish hot water bottle, I’m talking about one of these kinds of babies. I’m one of those weird pregnant ladies who do absolutely nothing that could be remotely (I mean really remotely) harmful to her babies, so I no longer have hot baths. I don’t like lukewarm baths, so I have showers instead. As a result, my feet are always freezing when I head to bed to read, and my hot water bottle has become my best friend. With that said, this needn’t just apply for pregnancy. On the contrary, winter-time reading can be made so much cosier and nicer with the addition of a hot water bottle and the aforementioned gift card to buy a new read – of your choice – with.

2. A special edition of a favourite book

Rather than buying the bookworm in your life a random new read, consider getting them a special or vintage edition of one of their favourites. As we all know by now, I’m a huge L.M. Montgomery fan (and still heartbroken that I’m now reading the last of her novels I’ll ever get my hands on.) I’d love a nice printed copy of pretty much anything she’s ever written. I’d probably like the complete Anne series or Jane of Lantern Hill best. These painted books look gorgeous, and this special edition with characters’ letters and mementos is intriguing. This Wordsworth Collector’s Editions look really good, too. eBay is a great place for vintage copies, as is your local antique bookshop, if you’re lucky to have one. Even Vinted sometimes sells classics (presumably by non-bookworm folks who don’t know what gems they have at their hands.)

3. A reading pillow

Ok, I don’t actually have one of these (yet), but they’ve always sort of intrigued me. I generally sit propped up with a pillow behind me or lie on my side to read. This does look very snazzy and I feel like it would up my nighttime reading game. I feel like this falls into the same category as those reading bath trays. I adore my bath, ordinarily, but these actually didn’t do it for me as I tend to be preoccupied with things like washing myself and face masks while in the bath. But they might be a great wee gift for the book-obsessed friend in your life.

4. Various little reading knick-knacks and decor

I’m a bit biased, but I do enjoy a nice literary art print. Bookish Christmas cards are good as well, as an added touch for the reader in your life. A bookish candle is a great gift, though I’ve yet to find something that hugely strikes my fancy. These ‘Old Bookshop’ candles look cool, but I haven’t tried them. I do enjoy a Yankee candle, particularly Fireside Treats and Macaron Treats, though they’re older editions and can be hard to find. This IKEA vanilla one is stupidly delicious-smelling, and makes for a great book reading ambience. Things like reading socks and book totes make nice stocking stuffers as well.

5. A great non-fiction or ‘coffee table’ book

I know this sort of falls into the category of gifting a new and random read (which obviously some people will like; not everyone’s a weirdo like me.) However, you can sort of kill multiple birds with one stone here. For instance, my husband and I got a new coffee maker for our Christmas, and I’ve asked my mother in law for this fab DK book on coffee. Your bookworm might be really into gardening or cooking as well. If it’s the latter, you’re particularly in luck because there are a couple of excellent book-themed cookery books. For example this Anne of Green Gables one and this Little House on the Prairie one. Which I both own, ahem, of course – who can help themselves? I’ll post reviews of them eventually.

So that’s my top 5 book-lover gifts for Christmas. Any of the above is great on its own or together with a wee gift card so the reader in your life can pick a new book (or several) for their reading list. If you have any suggestions of your own, please let me know – I always love a good reading gift idea!