Do you have friends who love to read? It’s hard to pick the best gifts for book lovers, especially if you don’t share their passion. You could always ask your friend what presents they want, sure. But if your friend has their head in the clouds like most readers, or if they’re just too polite, then you might not get a direct answer!
You don’t want to get someone the wrong present, like a present that’s just not “them”, or a present that’s nice enough but will get shelved the next day and forgotten in a week. That’s just wasting your money.
But, if you know your friend likes books, that’s all the information you need to pick a present they’ll appreciate and treasure forever. I’ve already done the hard work and compiled a list of the greatest bookish presents! To get started on your hunt for the perfect present, check out my list of the 8 best gifts for friends who read.
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This article is part of the 12 Bookish Days of Winter blog hop, hosted by YA Sci-Fi and Fantasy Addicts. Each post has a fun freebie and a chance to win our mega-giveaway!
12 Days of Winter Bookish Blog Hop Schedule
1 – YA Christmas Reads + Sweets
1 Bonus – Hosting a Secret Santa Gift Exchange with Your Bookish Friends
2 – Gift Ideas for Friends who Read
4 – White Stag Review + Decadent Vegan Hot Cocoa Recipe
5 – Book Room Christmas Decor + Favorite Christmas Reads
6 – 12 Favorite Fantasy Books of the Year
7 – A Christmas Playlist to Read To
7 Bonus – Christmas Traditions + Favorite Holiday Reads
9 – Winter Book Review: Wicked Lovely
10 – Derby Pie and Fond Memories
11 – Mistletoe Myths & Stories
12 – A Soul as Cold as Frost Review + Coffee Recipe
12 Bonus – Tea Pairings & Winter-Themed Books
Wrap-Up – All the Stocking Stuffers + Big Giveaway
The Best Gifts For Book Lovers Who Read Young Adult Novels
Does your friend love The Hunger Games and A Court of Thorns and Roses? Is your friend obsessed with #BookTok? Then the best gift for your friend is probably more books! Don’t worry: books aren’t too ordinary or too boring. Believe it or not, bookworms love getting new books more than anything!
For a special occasion, allow me to recommend a hardcover boxed set that will leave your friend in absolute awe of your thoughtfulness. The Cruel Prince Trilogy or a special print like the Six of Crows Collector’s Edition are both totally on-trend, well-written YA stories that would make the perfect present for your bookish companion. Just make sure those aren’t in their library yet!
Does your friend already have the traditionally published YA essentials like the books above? Get them an underrated indie YA story like Girl in the Dark: A Tale of Dystopian Royalty. Your friend will be so impressed with your discerning taste in books: especially if you buy them the hardcover version!
The Best Gift For Tech-Savvy Readers
The next time you see someone staring at their phone in public, don’t be too quick to judge. They could be reading an ebook! In fact, about a third of Americans who bought a book in 2020 bought a digital version instead of a print version.
If your friend is obsessed with ebooks, consider getting them an e-reading device like a Kindle Paperwhite. That way, instead of bringing a whole suitcase of books on vacation, they can just bring one handy device and have thousands of books available at their fingertips. The Paperwhite’s warm, paper-feel screen will make your friend feel like they’re holding a real book, but without the weight and wrist strain! The long battery life and glare-proof screen also ensures that your friend can read all day, inside or out.
The Best Gift For Binge Readers
Does your friend starts their next book immediately after finishing the first one? They’ll adore Scribd! A Scribd gift membership is the perfect gift for binge readers. It offers access to nearly unlimited ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, podcasts, sheet music, and more.
I’m actually a Scribd customer myself, and I can vouch that their library of titles is incredibly huge. Even the hottest YA fantasy and dystopian titles are all there: most of them in both ebook and audiobook versions! So, if your friend regularly finishes a whole series in one week, try Scribd.
The Best Gift For Audiobook Readers
Does your busy friend multitask while they read? I’m a fan of listening to audiobooks when I cook, clean, and drive. Likewise, some of my friends use the time while they knit, crochet, or ride the bus to listen to a book. One of them even increases the playback speed so she can get through books faster!
If that sounds like your loved one, then they would definitely appreciate Audible. A gift Audible membership will give them a new audiobook each month to keep, plus access to Audible’s ever-growing on-demand library. You can even choose between a 1-month, 3-month, 6-month, or year-long subscription!
The Best Gift For Older or Disabled Readers
It’s awfully hard to read a paperback while lying down in bed. Has your loved one ever complained about something similar? Get them a TILISMA Book Page Holder! This nifty device holds the book open for you, letting you read even a hardcover book one-handed or while in bed. Most women take a size small, but be sure to get the next size up if your friend is male or has thicker fingers.
A page holder is an excellent and thoughtful gift for older readers or readers with arthritis, physical disabilities, or chronic illnesses. I have arthritis in my hands, and I can say the TILISMA page holder really helps me reduce wrist strain. Even better, if your friend or loved one is neurodivergent and can’t stop fidgeting while they read (like me), this page holder also makes a great fidget toy! You can rock it against a hard surface, put it on your finger and spin, or rub its smooth, curved edges like a worry stone to reduce stress and promote happiness.
The Best Gifts For Book Lovers Who Read With Kids
Trader Joe’s hot chocolate spoons are perfect for the friend who always needs a snack when they read. Just pop one into a steaming mug of milk and watch it melt into a cozy winter treat! It’s soothing to watch the “spoon” slowly disappear, especially for kids, and it’s an epic, social-media-worthy experience your friend can post all over the place.
These spoons are also good if you have a hidden motivation: want to support your friend’s book hobby while also letting them know that it’s not really your thing? 😂 Go for this indirect present: something they can enjoy while they read, but not actually book-related. Your friend will love them, but not so much that they’ll try to force you to start that new series they’re hyping…probably.
The Best Gift For Book Reviewers
Is your friend constantly posting book reviews on social media? The Book Lover’s Hardcover Spiral Reading Journal is one of the very best gifts for friends who read and review! This journal will help your friend keep track of books they’ve already read, list books they want to read in the future, and record detailed thoughts about each book. Additionally, it’s totally Instagrammable and super cute!
The Best Gifts For Book Lovers Who Read Slowly
Is your friend too busy to read all the books they want? That probably means they’re only reading one or two chapters at a time. In order to save their place when they pause, they deserve a bookmark that reflects their elegance, beauty, and sophistication. These trendy Handmade Vintage-Style Metal Feather Bookmarks are sure to delight any reader!
Free Gift For You
Did any of those ideas resonate with you? Did any of them make you think, “I want that. I need that. It’s perfect for me…I’m the friend who needs this in their life.”
Well, I’m here to tell you: it’s okay if you’re the friend. Treat yourself! Just be sure to share the wealth with your loved ones, too. 😁 But before you hit Amazon and empty your wallet, get started with these awesome gifts from me to you.
First, here’s one of my favorite stories, Survivors of the Rising Sea!
If you like…
- found family
- pirates
- vikings
- strong female leads
…then you’ll love this 15-chapter YA dystopian fantasy adventure. Click the picture below to download it for free. You can even send this story to your book-loving friends, so they can read it for free too!
