Gifts for book lovers

And it's totally acceptable if that book lover is you.

No surprises here: I love to read. And just as much as I love to read, I love books and bookstores and bookshelves. I love to wear book merch and to tote my books around in book-themed totes and to never go anywhere without something to read. I also believe strongly that you can never go wrong with a book—or something from an independent bookstore—as a gift.

And so, here are some of my very favorite book-themed things. Let it be known that while I often will link things to Amazon as part of an affiliate model, this list contains no such links. If you are going to buy a book, I heartily recommend going to your local bookstore—and IMO, all of the best book-ish merch can be found via small businesses. And so, if you are looking for a gift for a book lover in your life—at any age, and that book lover can most certainly be *you*—might I recommend:

Bookplates: Although these are one of my favorite gifts for tiny readers—they really jazz up the inside of a picture book, and kids take such great pride in seeing things with their very own name on them—they can be a great gift for all ages. They can also be a great gift for teachers, or to easily add in if you want to make a donation of books in honor of someone. I love the options at Oiseaux: Jojo has these poppies and this peacock, and they arrived quite quickly and in mint condition. I also have it on good authority that the team at Seaside Papery can whip up some beautiful custom Crane & Co bookplates.

Book embosser or stamper: I bought a personalized book embosser as a gift to myself a couple of years ago, and when I tell you, it feels FANCY. Etsy has endless personalization options for both embossers and stampers: the toughest part is deciding on a design.

Bookmarks: While my drawers are obviously full of free bookmarks from independent bookstores, I will say that this gold pug bookmark was a truly excellent gift that I received. It always brings a smile to my face! I also love personal bookmarks, like ones that have illustrations of bookstore dogs or ones that are simply modern art done by friends’ kids. Bonus: they’re something easy (and flat) that can be added in as a small gift with a birthday card in the mail. Prepare yourselves: bookmarks by Jojo are likely going to be a hot gift for our family and friends this holiday season!

Bookstands: I love to have books as part of the decoration of a room, whether that’s a full built-in bookshelf situation (like we have in our master bedroom) or just stacked in fun ways throughout the house. I’m always swooning over this modern-classic tall bookshelf or a floating bookshelf, anchored by a book. A nice cookbook stand also is a great gift for someone who loves to cook.

Book of the Month: I’ve been a longtime fan of Book of the Month for exposing me to new authors and to consider different genres. It’s also a great gift to give if you don’t know the exact type of book someone likes—you can give just one, or several months, as a gift.

Your favorite book: I love having a signature book to give. New babies in my midst all receive a copy of Pig the Pug, and it’s no secret that if we discuss Lonesome Dove at a party and you haven’t read it, it might just show up in your mailbox. Normalize sending people books without a reason! On a similar note, I love having a book train going with my friends—if we read a book we love, we generally pass it along with instructions to keep passing it along, whether that’s through media mail or just dropping off on someone’s doorstep.

Book merch: My favorite spot for book-specific merch is Out of Print, especially since they feature so many classic kids books. The Matilda Bookworm kids shirt gives me such nostalgia—I loved Roald Dahl so much growing up, and can’t wait to introduce Jojo to them (I already have the full Roald Dahl paperback library waiting for her!). Also an excellent place for baby gifts: I love the classics on onesies, like Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.

Bookstore merch: I love to represent a favorite bookstore, but the reality is, some bookstores have better merch than others. My go-to sources, for both book-forward merch or specific store items: Books Are Magic (the hats are iconic), Strand Books and McNally Jackson (hilariously I once strolled in here after a glass of wine and bought the “if you love me read me a book” shirt only to be horrified by that second me—I don’t want anyone to read TO me, I just want people to read—so I crossed it out with a Sharpie).

Book art: While I am sad to report the Read Instead print is sold out (we have one, and I’m scoping a spot in Jojo’s room to hang it), Book/Shop does have other fun options like Books Are Bananas and Joie de Livres. I also just love framed prints of iconic childhood books, like Good Night Moon, Madeleine and Babar. I also love Ideal Bookshelf prints: we have the Girl Stars print in Jojo’s room, but I think a fully custom print would be such a special gift. I also love all of the American Library Association posters encouraging us all to read: this dinosaur one is one of my favorites.

A donation to the local library: Lastly, a great gift for a book lover is a donation in their name to their local library. I recently joined my local Friends of the Library program, and I’m ready to get to work (!) to make sure that our local libraries continue to have the resources they need to serve our communities. You can also consider donating to the Banned Books Book Club or to the Prison Book Program.