21 Perfect Gifts for Book Lovers

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It's that time of year again. Yup, time to find a gift that isn't a book for your friendly, neighborhood book lover. Because everyone else will give him books this year, and you want to stand out.

Stumped? It's not hard. Here are some great gift ideas for that literary person you love.

1. Privacy Mug

Most book lovers, at one point or another, just want everyone to go away and let them read. This makes the "Go Away, I'm Reading" mug certain to be a hit with anyone who truly loves to read. Your book lover will thank you! (And then, probably, ask you to go away.)

2. Chocolate Books

Love books? Love chocolate? Then these chocolates decorated to look like vintage books might be perfect. Be careful if you want your book lover to share, though — these can hide in plain sight on the nearest bookshelf!

3. Board Games

You might never have guessed it, but there's a board game for every book (well, for many books). If you know someone who likes both, or if you love games, and you've been trying to get a bookish friend to play, choose the game that most closely corresponds with their reading interests and then offer to help them learn to play!

4. Banned Books Art Print

For a book lover banning books is akin to banning something essential for life, like breathing or chocolate. This print lists many of the most well-known banned books, so your book lover can celebrate freedom and check them off as he goes.

5. Book Staircase Stickers

Would your book loving friend would like to think about books all the time? Then decals for their stair risers will be a huge hit. You can choose these, where each stair is a separate book, or these, where each stair looks like an art-deco bookshelf.

6. Beautiful, Classic Books

Penguin has reissued 26 classic books — one for each letter of the alphabet — with gorgeous and unique covers. Buy your book lover the book that corresponds with a special letter (like the first letter of their last name), or start with A and buy all the way through to Z. Then you'll have gifts for the next several holiday seasons, at least.

7. New Book Smell In a Can

New books just have that smell. If you're a reader, you know exactly what I mean. It's only the world's most perfect scent — and now it's available in a can. Let your book lover smell his or her very favorite scent in all the world whenever he or she wants. It's a gift that keeps on giving.

8. The Reader's Nightstand

Does your book lover have stacks upon stacks of books piled next to bed? Do you wonder, sometimes, if you'll find them smashed under those stacks of books someday? Never fear, the Reader's End Table and Nightstand are here. These are designed to hold stacks of books in a way that will not only allow your reader easy access to titles, but just might save their life.

9. A Literary Calendar

Most readers love having quotations from their favorite books right at hand. Combine those with some gorgeous illustrations, and this literary calendar will keep your book lover happy all year long. If a calendar isn't your thing, the same shop sells all sorts of paper goods and even posters with the same quotations and designs.

10. Vintage Book of the Month Club

Does your book lover like old books? Find a vintage book of the month club on Etsy and sign them up. Some of the clubs will specify books from a certain era, so you can dial in even more specifically on a gift that will make your book worm happy.

11. A Lililite

When it comes to reading in bed, this is the coolest thing ever. You can stack your books on it. You can turn on the light and it shines right where you need it to. Then, when you're done with your book, you simply place your still open book on top of the light. It keeps your place, and the light turns off. Trust me, no bookworm loves getting out of bed to turn off the light, or constantly adjusting it to keep it in the right place. This is an amazing gift.

12. A Map of Bookish Locations

The streets, parks, buildings — everything — on this book map come from classic literature. Over 600 books are referenced on this display-worthy map, so in addition to being a piece of artwork that your book lover will adore, it can also be an ongoing game of trivia between book-loving friends.

13. A Shirt That Tells the Truth

Most book lovers spend quite a bit to feed their book habit, and they're fairly unapologetic about it. Even bookworms who utilize the library end up buying most of the books they really love. So help them fly their bookish flag high with a shirt that declares their priorities loud and clear.

14. A Library Embosser

When a book lover lends out a book, he wants it back. One way to make that more likely is for him to put his name in his books, but that can be messy and mar the look of the book. Enter the embosser. Simply have a plate made with his name on it, and he can press his name into the pages of his books, rather than writing it.

15. What I'm Reading Mug

Yes, yes, it's another mug. But many book lovers like to have coffee, tea, hot chocolate, or some other warm beverage while they're reading, so mugs really are a perfect gift. And this mug, with it's chalkboard surface, allows your favorite reader to declare to the world what they're reading (so you don't have to interrupt them to ask!).

16. A Postertext Print

The people at Postertext clearly love books. They've taken text from classics and made exquisite posters out of them, using the words to fill in a scene from a book. These are both lovely and fun, and would make the perfect gift for a reader who wants to display their love of books in a classy new way. Choose from quotes from many books and frame it for an even nicer gift.

17. A Pack of Library Checkout Cards

Many readers feel nostalgic for the days when card catalogs weren't online and books were checked out with library cards. Tap into this and get your bookwork their own set of library library cards. They can use them to check out their own books, decorate with them, use them as bookmarks, and more!

18. A T-Shirt That Makes Readers Into Superheros

Anyone who loves books will tell you that reading is very, very good, that it helps them grow and makes them stronger, better people in this sometimes evil world of ours. Acknowledge that reading is, in fact, a superpower, with this t-shirt. "Fight evil, read books."

19. The Storybook Rug

Is your bookworm in need of a place to curl up and read? This rug just might be the perfect addition to her home, then. It looks like a book and says "Once upon a time" on one page and "Happily ever after" on the other. And it also looks so soft and comfy!

20 A Kindle Paperwhite

There's a lot of disagreement about what makes the perfect ereader, but I think the Kindle Paperwhite comes close. I love the fact that it is glare-free, and that it does its one thing really, really well. It's not a smartphone and it's not a tablet, but it's a killer ereader. Combine it with a solar charger, and your bookworm can read anywhere!

21. Time to Read

No link here — sorry folks. But one of the best gifts you can give a reader is, quite simply, time to read. Maybe you can give your bookish friend a night or even a weekend away, where he or she can take books and read to their heart's delight. If you can't do that, you can fund an afternoon at a local coffee shop, where they can while away the hours with their favorite works of literature.

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