Bookish Holiday Gift Guide 2023
gift ideas for book lovers and other creatives
It’s that time of year and I’m here to help get those gift giving creative juices flowing.
Here are some things I’ve either tried firsthand or had my eye on that would made a great gift for the book lovers in your life!
A Comfy Headrest:
These are gorgeous traditional headrests, but I could also see myself lying on my stomach with a book propped up against this pillow. Made from vintage Moroccan textiles chosen and sourced by Glor Coats.
Handsewn and filled with 4 lbs. of organic buckwheat and organic wool.
A Radiant Booklight:
My mom once bought me a version of this at a museum and I have to say, not only is it a beautiful conversation piece, but it really does give off enough light to read in the dark, a.k.a. when your bed partner, be it human or dog, has had enough of the bright lights.
This one was born from San Francisco-based designer Max Gunawan’s fascination with the functional potential of origami and his desire to create a flexible lighting solution that adapts to the user’s needs. It’s minimalism and book loving at its finest.
My Upcycled Journals for Creatives:
$
Okay, you can’t blame me for doing a little bit of self-promotion. I make these journals from repurposed book covers and fill them with upcycled papers. Each one is handmade and contains a blend of lined paper, blank paper, architectural drawings, wallpaper, vintage graph paper, retro aerospace renderings, vellum, original art prints and more. Click here to my Etsy site where you can watch a video flip through of each individual book. These make a great gift for writers, artists and other creatives!
And as of today, they are $30 only $15! What? That’s nuts! I know! I’ve never sold them for so little, so grab them while you can! I will keep them on sale until January 1st. And, get this, if you order $35 or more of anything in the store, FREE SHIPPING! (restrictions apply) Readers, load up!
Materials: book cover, paper, vintage paper, colored paper, lined paper, graph paper, blank paper, book pages, original art
Always-Warm Coffee or Tea:
I only drink one cup of coffee a day and then my heart starts to flutter. But since I tend to lose my mug as I go about my morning, I end up drinking cold coffee. Not with this mug! You set the temperature on your phone and it stays that temperature whether it’s a full cup or there’s just one sip left. My husband got me this Ember Coffee Mug for the holidays last year and I use it every. single. day.
Bookish Candles:
From Noble Objects, Bookish candles with accompanying scents, like the Beloved candle that is based on the symbolism of biscuits and blueberries in the book. It is sweet and mouthwatering, warming and cozy. It is a scent of feeling safe and sound.
Other book candles include Les Miserables, Anna Karenina and Catcher in the Rye.
Book Postcards:
From Penguin Publishing, one hundred book covers on postcards. I love this so much! Frame or mail your favorites, or even write what you love about each book on the back!
A Wordy Nerdy Game:
Stet! (meaning: let it stand in copyright lingo) is a fun game for people who love words, books and grammar (well, two out of three ain’t bad.) This game is based on The New York Times bestseller, Dreyer’s English. Pretend to be a copyeditor as you figure out what is wrong with each sentence.
Wear What You Stand For:
Introducing the Lingua Franca x Judy Blume Forever sweaters. 10% of proceeds from each sweater purchased will be donated to PEN America. These cashmere sweaters come in a host of fun colors.
Banned Book Puzzle:
This 500-piece puzzle features over 65 books that have been banned in the US and abroad. It comes with a handy reading checklist and information from PEN America on how to fight book bans, so you can be inspired to resist the pushback and read them all for yourself. Maybe you’ll find new books to add to your TBR!
Reading Advent Calendar:
Okay, this advent calendar is right up my alley. Every day you get to open the paper door and read a book blurb. No titles or authors are mentioned. The descriptions are meant to whet your book-reading appetite. At the end of the 24 days, you get to choose your favorite four blurbs and then they send you the books you selected! How fun is that??
A Rolling Book Cart:
Here’s mine in action!
This metal 3-Tier Rolling Cart is ready to roll. Its slender dimensions make it easy to slide into a home office, pantry, laundry room or bath. Three tiers give you room to organize. Mesh bottoms provide ventilation. Yes, I love it for my books, but I guess you could fill it with other things.
So there you have it! Any other bookish gifts you’d add to this list? Let me know!
This post contains affiliate links to my Bookshop.org shop which not only supports me, but independent bookstores as well. Please consider purchasing books through these links as a way of supporting Books Are My People.
Love these! Sent you a question through your Etsy shop in case you have a moment to answer today.