11 Great Frugal Gifts for Booklovers

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Christmastime is here.

If you've been planning for months, this is probably a great feeling. You can relax and enjoy the decorating, the events, the lights, the parties — the whole season. But if you're not a planner, Christmas can be stressful. Instead of enjoying everything the season offers, you may end up in a panic about presents: what to buy for which person, and whether everything will arrive by Christmas Day.

While I can't tell you what to get for the gamer or gardener in your life or your favorite artist, I can help you out when it comes to buying presents for your favorite booklover. Here are some of my favorites for this year!

1. Writing Gloves

Fingerless gloves are kind of a thing right now, and these writing gloves by Storiarts help highlight a person's love of reading. Printed with text from your reader's favorite book, they are the perfect addition to a winter wardrobe. You can choose from several classic texts, or even choose the text that best typifies your relationship with your reader.

As a bonus, many readers are also writers of some form or another, and these gloves are great for keeping the hands warm while freeing the fingers to hold a pen or type.

2. Author Plushie

Does your booklover have a favorite classic author? Of course they do! Wouldn't they love to curl up with their favorite author while reading their favorite book? Bookish Freaks offers plushies of some of the most popular authors. 

For the booklover who has everything, these make a fun and thoughtful gift. Show that you know your booklover well when you choose an author they love!

3. Building Stories

I almost never put actual stories on this list, but this one is an exception. Instead of a book, Building Stories is a story told through 14 different items in a box. These vary from pamphlets to scraps of paper, and tell the story of daily life in three adjoining apartments in Chicago.

There's nothing I've ever come across that is exactly like this, but it is the perfect gift for a reader. It's normal and exhilarating, beautiful and boring (but in all the right ways). It is a whole new way of storytelling, which most readers will appreciate, and it is also a work of art.

4. Bathtub Book Caddy

I'm not a huge bathtub fan, but one of my fellow book-loving friends is, and she adores her bathtub book caddy. If your booklover is also a bathlover, this can help them relax more than ever by making it possible for them to do two of their favorite things at once. Now, they won't have to worry about dropping their book in the tub, and they will be able to read while they soak.

Do be sure to buy a caddy with a spot for a wine glass. Because wine. Trust me. Your booklover will thank you.

5. The Storymatic Game

Pick some cards, tell a story. That's the basic premise of The Storymatic Game. This is a blast to play with friends, or to use as an icebreaker to start some fascinating conversations. Teachers can also use it in the classroom, and you can take it on car trips to help keep everyone off their phones. It's also great for writers who are stuck or who want to practice coming up with plotlines out of nowhere.

Most booklovers can appreciate a good story, and this helps them take it one step further to start telling stories of their own.

6. A Map of Fictional London

So many of the best stories take place in London, and now you can get your booklover's favorite literary locations collected together on this map of fictional London. How much fun would it be for your reader to plan a trip, real or imaginary, in which they got to see all of their favorite places? It's also helpful to understand the plot of some stories to actually see where the characters are going, how far they travel, etc.

7. Clic Reading Glasses

Even if your reader doesn't require reading glasses to see the words, a good pair can ease the strain on their eyes that comes from spending a lot of time with one's nose in a book. The clic glasses are especially nice, as they come with a built-in neck band, which helps keep them on and keeps them from getting lost, and they click together in the front, rather than going on like a regular pair of glasses.

Many of the booklovers I know wear reading glasses even though they don't require them, simply to extend the longevity of their ability to read regular-sized print by easing eyestrain.

8. "I'm Reading" Mug

As an avid reader, I can tell you that there's nothing (absolutely, positively nothing!) worse than being needlessly interrupted while in the middle of a good book. Give them the hint by overtly sipping from this mug. Not only does it let people know that their intrusion is not welcome (yes, I am actually doing something, thankyouverymuch), but it also does it nicely. Booklovers tend to be a fairly polite bunch, and this will help them make their point without feeling rude.

9. The Best Bookmark Ever

This bookmark doesn't just mark the page you left off at, but it has a handy pointer that shows you exactly where on the page you left off at! They also won't fall out easily thanks to the rubber band that goes around one whole side of the book. As a busy mom of three kids, sometimes it's impossible to find my place on a page before someone else needs my help. With this bookmark, I can read at least a couple of paragraphs before my presence is demanded.

10. "Well Read" Pin

For the booklover who is proud of their reading habit but also quiet and a bit understated, this "Well Read" pin can help them communicate about their passions. It's easy to wear on a backpack, a collar, or anywhere else. It won't get in the way, but I can guarantee that other readers will see it and smile, and they might even start up a conversation.

11. Solar Powered Kindle Charger

If your reader carries a Kindle with them wherever they go, consider a solar powered charger for their favorite device. Some of these even come with cases, so the Kindle can charge and be protected at the same time. Trust me… you don't want to be around a reader who can't read because their ereader died!

Be sure to choose the charger that goes with the Kindle your booklover owns. They are available for nearly every device.