I’m sure there’s no one who is reading this blog post who wouldn’t appreciate a good book as a holiday gift this year. The thing is though, that we bookish people are likely to intimidate others into thinking that they — the less bookish people in our lives — are incapable of choosing a book for us. One way around this is to create an Amazon wishlist for your family members to peruse, but short of providing a list of books you want, here are some of my favorite bookish things that are sure to make any book lover pretty happy!

Magnetic bookmarks

I, briefly, lost all of my magnetic bookmarks and had to use an old, but nonetheless beautiful, metal bookmark with a tassel. Well, the tassel caused it to fall out no less than three times before I retired that thing. Your magnetic bookmarks don’t fall out. In fact, they easily keep your place, even if it’s in the middle of a page — just remember to take them out of the book after you’ve finished it. That’s frequently my mistake. They are available wherever books are sold, but I frequently pick them up on my way out of Barnes and Noble.

Book sleeves

You know that friend who returns your book looking like it survived a hurricane, tropical storm and some other such natural disaster? That friend should probably be gifted a book sleeve. A book sleeve is a convenient way to keep your book from getting bent, ripped and potentially spilled on by whatever else is in a backpack or purse as your book mosies its way through your friend’s possession. Etsy shop Trim and Thread makes some super cute ones!

Book stamp

This has been on my Christmas list for a number of years and yet NO ONE has seen it fit to purchase it for me yet. (Perhaps because they may be one of the serially delinquent persons who are in possession of my books…) Anyone, I guarantee you anyone, with an extensive library could use a stamp to lay claim to their books. A simple Etsy search nets a bunch of retailers who make these.

Book weight

For all of you who, like me, have been using your cell phones, tea cups, vase of flowers that acts as your centerpiece and everything else that’s within reach and has some weight to it, to hold down your book pages as you eat or do something else with your hands while attempting to read, I give you: the book weight. If you are sewing inclined, these seem fairly easy to make, though you’ll need to procure some pellets to give weight to it. If you’re not, have no fear because My Rainy Day Designs Etsy shop has you covered.

Bookstand

Along the same lines as a book weight, a good book stand can also solve the hands-free problem of reading. I find that my book stand is really useful for hardback books and those paperbacks that have a well-creased spine (essentially just not new paperbacks). These used to be pretty popular and are still available mainly advertised for holding a cookbook, so do a search on Amazon or Etsy to find one that might work out for you or your friend!

Book art

I’m a big fan of book art. A friend of mine made me a candle holder — consisting of a mason jar with pages of The Great Gatsby on the outside — when we went to see the debut of The Great Gatsby movie. (I was happy to hear she bought an alternate copy and it was not hers that was plastered on my gift.) Additional ideas are quotes from books and authors that the recipient may love. I previously gifted this ee Cummings quote to my Mom (for its sentiment rather than the author), and seeing as how I was already paying for shipping, grabbed a Louisa May Alcott quote for myself! It hangs on a wall adjacent to my bookshelves. (It appears this Etsy shop is no longer in business, but I’m sure someone else does something similar.)

Memberships

Last year, I gifted the gift I would have loved to receive to my sister, three months to Book of the Month club! Another membership you could gift, is to a bookseller, such as Barnes and Noble. The about $25 membership gets the bookish person in your life discounts throughout the year.

While we’re on the topic of memberships, it’s close cousin is gift cards. They are a great way to give the gift of books, I simply appreciate a little more thought. If that’s the route you’re going, consider popping into a local bookshops, which are in need of our love and support.