Top Ten Gift Ideas for Book Lovers and Readers

Around this time of year, major bookseller chains are having a field day with all the different books, novels, biographies, comics, etc., that are being wrapped and put under the tree for the holidays. All avid book lovers enjoy receiving books as gifts. It helps expand their reading material - plus - books are expensive! If someone else can buy them instead - that's always a good deal. However, year after year, do you find yourself buying books and giving them to the same person because that's all you know they like?

How about changing it up a bit and getting them something different? It's not as hard as it seems because all you have to keep in mind is that you're buying gifts for a book obsessed person! They'll enjoy anything that has to do with books! What could I possibly mean? Read my list of great gifts to give this holiday season that every avid reader is sure to love this holiday season!

1. Membership to a Bookstore - Many bookstores have annual memberships for a small fee or sometimes, free. In return, they provide coupons, first dibs or even members only events where readers can lavish in bookstore utopia. Barnes and Nobles, for example, requires a $25 annual fee to receive their membership. The $25 provides membership for one year. In this one year, you will receive weekly coupons and updates on many features only members receive. Also, they provide a great shipping option - if you order over $25 in a single order, your shipping and handling charge is free! It's a great deal! Borders Books and Music provides membership for their bookstore as well but for free. They also provide coupons almost every week on deals in their store or online. It's a great bargain and a great deal for anyone who enjoys buying books just as much as reading them.

2. Bookshelf/Bookcase - This is an awesome gift and perhaps not the most obvious either. However, every book collector requires a bookshelf! Ikea is a great place to find affordable and great looking bookcases. Target, department stores, even bookstores themselves carry bookcases every now and then. Make sure you know the type of furniture your friend or family member may have so as not to buy something so outlandish it will turn them off the to present.

3. Booklight - This sounds like such a minor gift and something so small that it will go overlooked but let me assure you, being an avid reader myself, a booklight is a great gift! It comes in handy when reading in bed, especially. Does the book obsessed friend you know travel a lot? The booklight provides a solution for those long airplane rides when everyone is sleeping and doesn't want the light on, shining in their face. It's a great gift and the recipient is sure to love it! Barnes and Nobles carries a great selection on booklights. However, if you google booklight or any variation of the phrase, you're sure to find many other great places that are just your style.

4. Bookends - This is a simple gift but can add flair and attitude to any ordinary bookshelf or mantle. Typically, book collectors love to showcase their collection and bookends help to add attention to their prized collection. I've seen some great ones on a number of websites and also on bookstore websites as well. Pretty much any store that provides home decor and accessories, you'll find a number of bookends that are very decorative or on the simpler side - depending on the type of gift you're going for.

5. Book Journal - What's a book journal, you ask? Well, many book lovers have read so many books they start to lose track of the ones they've read. I'm definitely at fault for this. Why not provide a solution? Book journals can be found almost anywhere. I've seen a number of book journals that are set-up like address books so you can enter in a title, author, your personal rating, and a short blurb reminding you what the book was about. It's a great way to save a huge headache in the future.

6. Books on Tape - This provides a huge relief, especially for me, because I'm always on the go and find myself in my car almost half the day. I'd most definitely rather be reading and the only way that's possible is with books on tape. Almost every bookseller has these to buy and they're not as expensive as you think. More popular books may be a bit more on the expensive side but for the most part, I've seen a lot of books average to $20 - $30 a book. This is a great gift for people who travel in their car a lot and it provides a nice variation to always reading. It's nice to be read to once in a while.

7. Boxed Book Sets - Although boxed book sets are technically books, boxed sets are just a bit more luxurious than a single book on its own. Boxed sets in the book world, are usually more expensive because they are in hardcover (this is not always the case however - just normally). So, if that's not the route you're going, then this probably isn't the gift you were looking for. However, boxed book sets can overlap another hobby or interest your friend may have. Perhaps they are really into movies as well, so you can get them a boxed set of a book turned movie. Also, special editions for books are a great gift as well. Many remain as coffee table books which is even better because they turn into a conversation piece and are sure to attract a lot of attention.

8. Magazine Subscription - Chances are if your friend or family members likes to read, they enjoy reading almost anything. Magazines are the next tier of the book lover's obsession. Barnes and Nobles provides an interesting gift where they put together a number of magazine subscriptions that you can buy and then your friend choose their own magazine they'd like to have a subscription to! It's a win win situation because the gift is very affordable and will turn out to be a great hit for your friend as well since they get to choose whatever they'd like! If you'd rather choose a specific magazine, that's a great idea too because the holidays always have a number of great deals so you're guaranteed to run across a bargain.

9. Tote Bag - All literary readers must have one. It's an unwritten rule somewhere, I'm sure. The great thing about tote bags is that they are so versatile and provide a solution to carry a slew of items, whatever the reason may be. Bookstores usually sell their own brand of tote bags but if you search online, tote bags can be found anywhere! If you're looking to customize a tote bag, that's even better because pretty much anywhere and everywhere you look online, you're able to find someone that is able to customize a tote bag for you. They're usually very inexpensive as well. This is a great gift that can have a few books tucked away inside to make it extra special.

10. Miscellaneous Book Items - I know this is a broad and very general category but the reason for it is because you can pretty much get anything related to books and authors, more specifically. For example, there are many different stationary and journals you can buy from bookstores and online that have pictures of a specific author on them, a quote listed on the front cover of a journal, notecards that include an author's silhouette. Many of the items I have noticed are actually more classical writers and not someone like, J.K. Rowling for example. It includes authors like Shakespeare, Virginia Wolfe, Charles Dickins, etc.

Hopefully you found a gift that you're interested in giving that bookworm this year! Good luck and happy reading!