Gift Ideas for Book Lovers

Start With How They Read

A fast reader who finishes a book a week wants something different from someone who reads one novel slowly with a pencil. Think about how they read before what they read: in bed, on a commute, in the bath, with audiobooks, with a highlighter.

Not sure? Send them the free 6 types of readers test. It takes a minute, and the result tells you whether you're buying for a Devourer, a Savorer, a Mood Reader, a Collector, a Seeker or a Comfort Reader. There's a gift for each type at the end of this guide.

Small Gifts and Stocking Stuffers

A book light: a clip-on or neck light with a warm setting is the gift bedtime readers didn't know they needed.

Magnetic bookmarks or a set of nice ones: readers lose bookmarks constantly.

An annotation kit: a few mild highlighters that don't bleed through pages, sticky tabs and a fine pen.

A padded book sleeve, so a paperback survives the bottom of a bag.

A bookstore gift card, even a small one. Readers love choosing the book themselves, and a gift card for a local independent shop or Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores, makes it feel like more than cash.

Mid-Range Gifts

A beautiful edition of a book they already love: a clothbound or illustrated edition of a favorite they reread. It's a safe bet precisely because they've read it.

A reading pillow, a good blanket or a book stand for reading at the table.

An audiobook membership for listeners. Libro.fm memberships work like other audiobook subscriptions but support an independent bookstore of your choice.

A book subscription box, if you know their taste well. Choose one that lets them skip or swap, or they'll end up with books they won't read.

Big Gifts

An e-reader. For someone who reads a lot, a dedicated e-reader beats a phone or tablet: a glare-free screen, weeks of battery and no notifications. Kindle and Kobo are the two big names. Kobo has public-library borrowing built in, and in the U.S. Kindles can borrow library ebooks through Libby.

Good headphones for an audiobook listener, especially ones that are comfortable for hours.

A trip with a bookshop in it: a day out to a famous bookstore, a literary festival or a town known for its secondhand shops.

Free and Nearly Free Gifts

A book you loved, with a note inside the cover saying why. Secondhand is fine; the note is the gift.

A blind date with a book: wrap three books in brown paper and write three clues on each, like "slow-burn romance, rainy setting, you'll cry".

A printed reading journal. The free Reading Journal Kit prints at home: a reading log, a TBR planner and a page to celebrate their year in books.

Time. An afternoon where you take the kids, or a promise to keep the house quiet on Sunday mornings, is a reader's favorite gift.

Gifts by Reader Type

The Devourer, who reads fast and often: an e-reader or bookstore credit, so the next book is never far away.

The Savorer, who reads slowly and deeply: an annotation kit and a special edition of a book worth rereading.

The Mood Reader, who reads whatever feels right tonight: a blind date with three books in three different moods.

The Collector, who loves the shelves as much as the reading: a special edition, bookends or a gift card to a beautiful bookshop.

The Seeker, who reads to learn: a non-fiction book in a subject they keep talking about, and a good notebook for it.

The Comfort Reader, who rereads favorites: a lovely edition of the book they return to most, with a blanket and their favorite tea.

What to Avoid

Guessing a new release. If they're excited about it, they've probably bought it, preordered it or borrowed it. Check their wishlist or want-to-read shelf if they use a tracking app, or ask someone who knows.

Self-improvement books as a hint. Give what they'd choose, not what you'd like them to read.