Although booklovers love acim(hence the name booklovers), there are many other appropriate gifts for those who love the written word. It’s time to put some more thought into the gifts we buy for booklovers; it’s time to be a little more original for the sake of these recipients. These ten gifts make great alternatives to purchasing “just a book” for the booklover on your gift list.
1. Booklovers don’t love to put their books down, but sometimes they have to get other things done. Help them mark their place in the book with a classy bookmark. Purchase a silver plated bookmark that fits their personality and will endure through years of use. There is a great variety of bookmarks for sale at Barnes and Noble and other book retailers.
2. For booklovers who love to read late into the night you can purchase a book light. Visit biggerandbrighter.com and find the perfect light for your bookish friend. The lights start at $9.99, come in all different colors and sizes and are lightweight and sturdy.
3. Pottery Barn sells a very unique and classy pair of bookends for only $49. The bookends are silver plated boxes that double as picture frames. What a great use of space on the bookshelf! Your booklover can display his favorite books and his favorite pictures in one spot.
4. When toting around multiple books, a booklover needs a fashionable and durable book bag. LL Bean offers canvas bags that have long handles, are great for men or women and start at only $17.
5. Booklovers tire of loaning out books and never seeing them again. If the booklover in your life has a personal library, he or she needs a way of keeping track of all those books. For $135.00 you can purchase a personal checkout system at bookendsoftware.com.
6. Use some creativity and make a book basket for your booklover. Include coffees and teas to sip while reading, a blanket or throw to snuggle up with when reading and a blank journal to keep track of favorite books read.
7. If you visit art.com and type the word “books” into the search engine, you will be treated with hundreds of art prints that focus on the theme of books. You can find poster size prints of book covers, pictures of book storefronts, characters from books, etc. This makes an original gift, combining art and books.
8. Gift cards to book stores offer the book lover the gift of choice. He or she will be able to choose a book of their liking, purchase a magazine subscription or select book accessories. Most gift cards can even be redeemed online.
9. Here is an exception to the “no books for the booklover” rule: a first edition of a very special book. The only way this gift works is if you’ve truly found a first edition of a book that you know the recipient treasures. This gift might be hard to find and may be expensive, so plan accordingly.
10. One more exception to the “no books for the booklover” rule: a collection of books by the recipient’s favorite author. Many times collections can be purchased as boxed sets, but it might be more personal if you take the time to track down the titles your recipient loves.