Home · Shop · Gifts for book lovers
Gifts for book lovers they will actually use
A gift guide · updated October 2026
Buying a book for a reader is a gamble. They already have a pile waiting, they have opinions about translations and editions, and there is a fair chance they have read it. The safer gift is the thing around the book — the light they read by, the shelf it sits on, the bookmark that stops them dog-earing. Readers rarely buy those for themselves, and they use them every day.
Below are the ideas we would give ourselves, sorted by budget and then by the kind of reader you are buying for. Prices are in US dollars and include shipping.
Shopping for something specific? See the shorter guides: under $25 · for Kindle readers · Secret Santa · stocking stuffers · for math lovers.
Three rules before you buy
Buy for the habit, not the genre. You do not need to know what
someone reads to know how they read: in bed, on a train, at a desk with a
pen, on a Kindle. A gift that fits the habit always lands.
Small and good beats big and vague. A $15 metal bookmark that
lives in their book for years does more than a novelty mug.
Avoid anything that harms books. Spine-cracking “book weights”,
sticky notes that leave residue, cheap clips with sharp edges.
Under $15: stocking stuffers and Secret Santa
- Christmas magnetic bookmarks ($13.99) — fold over the page so they never fall out; gingerbread, snowman and Santa designs.
- Book tree Christmas ornament ($13.99) — a tree made of stacked books; tie it to the ribbon of a bigger present.
- Heart bookshelf ornament ($13.99) — a full bookcase in a heart, light enough for any branch.
- Animal book clips ($13.99) — a hippo or crocodile that grips the page. Good for younger readers.
- Heart book page holder ($13.99) — for the friend who still dog-ears.
- Washi sticker book ($13.99) — for readers who keep a journal.
- Hollow kitten bookmark (from $13.99) — a black cat peeking over the page.
- The Wanderer’s Reading Passport, printable ($8.99) — a reading journal disguised as a passport, as a PDF with 24 visa stamps to print. Arrives by email the minute you pay, so it is the gift for when you have left it too late.
- Kindle page turner remote ($14.99) — a clip on the screen and a small remote, so they can turn the page with their hands under the blanket.
$15 to $25: the useful middle
- Wooden finger book holder (from $14.99) — holds a paperback open one-handed; beech or walnut. We wrote a whole guide to one-handed reading around it.
- Butterfly metal bookmark ($15.99) — painted metal with a tassel; the kind of bookmark people keep for a decade.
- Reading log bookmarks ($15.99) — library-card style, with lines for title, dates and a star rating.
- Library ephemera sticker sheet ($16.99) — bookplates, date-due slips and catalogue cards, after the things you used to find in library books. Check delivery availability for your country.
- Washable kraft book cover (from $16.99) — looks like leather, wipes clean; keeps a paperback presentable in a bag.
- Kindle magnetic sleeve ($17.99) — for the e-reader that rattles around loose in a tote.
- USB rechargeable clip-on reading light ($16.99) — clips onto a book, with an adjustable LED head and built-in USB charging connector.
- Adjustable reading stand (from $18.99) — eight angles; for desk readers, students and cooks.
- Wooden reading tracker ($18.99) — a mini shelf that counts the books they finish this year.
- Bookshelf lantern light ($19.99) — a little street lamp that leans out over the spines.
- The Wanderer’s Reading Passport, A5 paperback ($19.99) — every finished book gets a numbered boarding pass, favourite lines are declared at customs, and a visa is stamped when a book earns it. Printed to order; ships free to the US, and elsewhere the exact postage is shown before you pay.
- Book lover’s advent calendar ($22.99) — twenty-five pockets of small bookish things. Order early: it has to arrive before December 1 to be any use.
- Neck reading light ($23.99) — worn around the neck, so the light falls on the page and not on whoever is asleep next to them.
- Readers — a desk calendar for 2027 ($23.99) — a painting of someone reading for every month. Check delivery availability for your country.
Bigger gifts: $25 and up
- Stacked books table lamp (from $25.99) — four stained-glass “books” that glow on a nightstand.
- A Literary Year — wall calendar 2027 ($31.99) — a classic book illustration for every month (Manet’s Raven, Doré’s Don Quixote, Rackham’s Midsummer Night’s Dream) with the authors born that month. Check delivery availability for your country.
- Twilight Library book nook kit ($34.99) — a tiny lamp-lit library that slides between real books. 194 wooden pieces; a winter-evening project.
- The Wanderer’s Reading Passport, hardcover ($34.99) — the deluxe edition: matte forest-green boards with the gold emblem, for the friend who keeps lists of everything they read.
- Modern bookends ($39.99) — heavy enough to hold a row without sliding.
- Baker Street book nook kit ($58.99) — a London street in miniature, for the Sherlock Holmes reader. 295 pieces, three to five hours.
- Antique-finish animal bookends (from $62.99) — about 2.6 kg a pair; the shelf centrepiece.
Gifts by kind of reader
The commuter
Reads standing up, one hand on a rail. A silicone page clip rides along as they turn pages, and a kraft book cover stops the paperback looking battered by Friday.
The Kindle reader
Do not buy them books. Buy the magnetic sleeve or the page turner remote, or — if they are still on an old model — have a look at our short list of e-reader picks.
The night reader
For a chapter before bed, try the USB rechargeable clip-on reading light or the stacked books lamp, which is pretty enough to leave on during the day. If they share a bed, the neck reading light keeps the light on the page.
The annotator and journaler
Reads with a pen. A finger book holder frees the writing hand; reading log bookmarks and the stained glass stickers go in the journal. If they log every book, the Reading Passport turns the year into a stamped travel record.
The one with the beautiful shelves
Cares how the books look as much as what is in them. A book nook, real bookends, or the lantern light. The whole decor collection is built for this person.
What not to buy a reader
Novelty socks with book puns, “I like big books” mugs, and generic bookstore gift cards when you could have chosen something. And unless you know their list, avoid this year’s most talked-about novel: odds are it is already on their nightstand.
Christmas order dates
| Delivering to | Order by | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| United States | December 8 | Includes the calendar and sticker sheet, printed in the US |
| Everywhere else we ship | December 1 | Exact estimate shown on each product page |
| Reading Passport, printed editions | December 1 | Printed to order, then posted; allow 10–20 days |
| Reading Passport, printable PDF | Any time | Instant download, even on Christmas Eve |
The full numbers per country are on the shipping & returns page.
A free companion for their reading year
Pair a bookmark or reading journal with our free 2027 reading challenge: 52 prompts to help a reader choose their next book. The full list is on the page, with a printable PDF available by email. You do not need to choose the books for them.
Common questions
What do you get someone who already has every book?
Not another book. Readers are particular about what they read next, but almost nobody buys themselves the things around reading: a good light, bookends with real weight, a stand for the desk, a sleeve for the Kindle. Those get used every day.
What is a good gift for a book lover under $20?
A metal or clip bookmark, a reading log bookmark set, a silicone page clip or a wooden finger book holder. All cost between $14 and $19 and none of them depend on knowing what the person is reading.
What is a book nook?
A miniature scene — a lamp-lit street or a tiny library — built into a narrow box that slides between real books on a shelf, usually with a small LED inside. Most are sold as wooden kits that take an evening or two to assemble.
When should I order for Christmas delivery?
For the United States, by December 8. For everywhere else we ship to, by December 1. Every product page quotes the delivery estimate for your country before you pay.