Christmas is just around the corner *cue shocked gasps and even more rushed preparations* I know!! It's coming up so quickly!
As a kid, I could not wait for Christmas. I would check off those days on the advent calendar like it was the last Christmas ever and would get so giddy my stomach hurt just thinking about that glorious day in the future called Christmas.
But now... I can wait for Christmas. In fact, I would like if it was almost Christmas all winter!
Because once Christmas comes, it's over before you can blink.
So now I look forward to the month before Christmas, and relish the before-Christmas preparations and gift-getting and music and all the fun leading-up-to-Christmas excitement. December is by far my most favorite month of the year - no doubt.
And yes, a lot of you are probably shocked and like how in the world?!!! For a lot of us December symbolizes busyness and chaos and frenzied activity - buying gifts and decorating and preparing for parties and so so many people!
But for me... I absolutely love giving gifts. I love buying gifts and giving them - I probably get more excited than the people I'm giving them too haha! But I just... love giving gifts.
And so, because I love this so much, I decided to do a bookish-themed gift guide... specifically for book lovers! To all of you readers who have a friend or family member that is as addicted to books as I am, here is your ultimate gift list... with some short book reviews to go along with it!
I have to first say, again haha, that credit for this idea goes to the amazing Erin Bronn, an epic romantic suspense author who you can find more about here or join her super super fun email list here. You can also check out her Writerly Gift Guide with even more gift ideas here!!
So, without further ado, here are some fun book-inspired gift ideas to get your creative wheels turning! And some actual books to make a book-lover's Christmas!
Bookish: A Business is actually owned by a good friend of mine, and she has so many cool book pendants, keychains, necklaces, bracelets - and custom pendants too!
So definitely go check it out - whether you're a fan of Pride And Prejudice, Lord Of The Rings, Dearest Josephine... or Coral, my ultimate favorite!
Coral is by far my favorite book ever - no question about it. (Although before I called you mine comes very close!)
And guess what?! It's only $4.40 on Amazon!!! For the hardcover! That is like unheard of!
From its Little Mermaid vibes to small-town romance - I just love it.
That said, it does deal with a lot of mental health sicknesses, such as suicide, depression and others. So if you're not ok with that, it's not the book for you. But it does deal with it in a very beautiful, God-honoring way.
But the characters and the love and the beauty of Sara's writing style is just amazingggg! I could talk about it all day - and I will if you want me too!
But, for now, all I have to say is that one of my top picks for a girl name if I ever have kids is Amaya. And if you have read it, you know why.
I just recently found out about these candles, thanks to Erin's amazing blog post, and literally fell in love!
They're so cute and perfect for writers - I can just imagine smelling the First Draft Candle when I start drafting, or the Bookish Boyfriend Candle... anytime haha! I'm just so fun and quirky like that XD
But seriously, if you have a writer friend, or someone you love who loves books these will be perfect!! Especially because I mean all readers just love any kind of candle... right?! XD
And A Cliche Christmas is the perfect book to go with one of these adorable candles!
It's also just a perfect book to read at Christmas because it is... about Christmas! And it's so cute and warm and cozy - and amazingly God-honoring and pointing towards Jesus this holiday season!
So if you want more of a light and cozy by-the-fire book, definitely pick this one up!
Also, Weston is just hilarious and I feel like The Bookish Boyfriend Candle would fit him to a tee!
For some reason... writers and readers just love hoodies, t-shirts, shirts, jackets, hats - actually literally anything - with fun book quotes or memes!
And yes, abibliophobia is a real thing.
And yes, I did have a very hard time choosing just one sweatshirt to feature here - a very hard time XD
So yes, bookish hoodies are the best.
And for some reason whenever I think of book-themed hoodies I think of Claire from Dust. Which is... an incredible book.
It's like taking Peter Pan, smashing it into modern England, throwing in some teenage angst, a little bit of love, and adding some dark magic - actually just making everything a bit dark.
Because... that's what it is. Except way more epic than that XD
I would recommend with all my heart, especially if you love Peter Pan and Captain Hook and fairytale retellings that totally change your perspective!
Book blankets are such a vibe - especially for readers who like to curl up on the couch next to the fire and just forget that the real world exists for a little bit.
And just imagine curling up in the page of a book?!?!
Because that's literally what this is - a blanket that is the page of a book... or a page of a book that is a blanket, I don;t know! But whatever it is, it's awesome.
Salt To The Sea isn't as cozy - it's actually pretty (very) sad and maybe slightly depressing, but it's a true story and so full of hope.
It's the true story of Germans evacuating Germany to flee from the Russians, and the story of three children who have to get onto one of the ships that are leaving before it's too late. It's sad, I definitely cried while I was listening to it and cleaning the neighbors, but it's also a beautiful story of hope and resilience and fighting.
It's also a story that not many people know about, so I would definitely check it out! Also, Sepetys' writing is just... a must. The audio book is done very very well too!
You can never go wrong with a mug - especially a quirky, cute, fun or memorable one!
And mugs are one of those gifts that can easily be repurposed, for example, turning them into adorable pen holders to hold a writer's high amount of pens and highlighters.
Mugs are also just so... wintery and have that comfy vibe that fits December so perfectly.
Unblemished, also by Sara Ella (I tried so hard to have all different authors but I just had to include two of Sara's!) has that kind of vibe. Perfect for a cozy read, but also very riveting and keeps you on the edge of your seat, heart racing. At least, as much as a contemporary-fantasy YA novel can!
But it's one of those novels that can just... be read again and again, and has such a beautiful message as well!
Writing boxes are like the catch all of multiple gifts - you could throw in some pens and pencils, bookmarks, sticky notes, candles, mugs, stickers, magnets, notebooks - anything and everything!
Writers, authors, book-lovers, pen-pallers, and anyone creative-minded will love this, especially if you throw in stuff that's uniquely them.
And its a fun way to take a lot of small, cheap gifts and add them all together to create something memorable and unique and sure to be loved!
To Best The Boys is... not a catch all book, but it is a beautifully unique book that will appeal to people who love romance, mysteries, mazes, science, high-fashion, poison, plague, and especially, a good ol' spunky female character masquerading as a boy XD Actually, two girls.
It's such a fun, quirky read, with lots of twists and memorable characters, and of course, just the right amount of romance to make it perfect.
Novel teas - what a novel idea!!
But in all reality, it really is such a good idea, especially for the tea-lovers among your friends!
You could do this with coffee though too, or even a bag of small chocolates.
And, you can do this one almost entirely yourself, if you're that kind of a gift-buyer. Just find some fun bookquotes and tie or staple them to the tea bags, keurig cups, or chocolates! Bonus points if you do quotes from books they love, and they have to guess what book it is!
Of Fire And Ash is likewise a very novel... novel! From the beautiful cover to the unique aspects of the horses and magic system, to the deep themes and messages, this is sure to be a memorable read, especially if you have friends who love horses!
A writer will never tire of epic mouse pads - and if you really want to be their favorite person, just go all in and get them a whole new computer and mouse to go with it!
Just kidding ;) but I'm serious, authors are at their computers all day long. A fun little mouse pad will make those hours ten times more enjoyable - and, it's a super practical gift!
Unless of course they don't have a mouse... but then they can just use it as an arm pad, and it works just as perfectly!!
But what's really perfect is the plot twists and intrigue of Romanov, by Nadine Brandes. An Anastasia retelling with guns and betrayals and magic - and a whole lot of amazing Russian vibes, especially if you listen to the audiobook!
If you like the traditional Anastasia, you'll love this unique spin on her story, without a creepy Rasputin and dark magic, but rather a light, fun, unique magic.
Agh and the tagline, Even Royal Blood Can't Stop Bullets - I love it so much!!!
And now for our last gift idea (I mean there's always more, but I have to stop somewhere, don't I?!) we have writing journals.
Specifically, cool and cute writing journals, which are extra amazing when they are author, writing, or reading related.
But I mean, what book-lover wouldn't want a journal/notebook/sketchbook?!
And also, who wouln't want to read a book about the Queen of Hearts... before she was the Queen of Hearts, filled with Alice In Wonderland lore and Jabberwocks and magic and beautiful origin stories?!!! I definitely would!
And Heartless is... just so perfectly maddening, to put it like the Mad Hatter.
It's like Disney's Cruella, but better, and a million times more tragic. You will never look at Alice In Wonderland and The Queen Of Hearts the same again.
The best gift you could ever really get a book lover though is an Amazon gift card so they can get more books!!!
You could even specify - only to be used on books - and any book lover would be thrilled. they get to support their favorite authors, but books they maybe love, but don't own, and overall just relish in the joy of receiving a new book.
Not many gifts can rival that joy.
But Of Course, It's Always The Thought That Counts
Whether you're getting a gift for a book-lover, or someone who hates books, the person giving it and the thought and love behind the gift is always so much more precious than the gift itself.
And, if you're not enjoying getting the gift, ask yourself why you're doing it in the first place? Because you need to? Or because you love this person and want to make their smile light up and remind them of our Savior's ultimate gift?
Every gift you get this season needs to be because of Jesus - everything needs to be because of Him. So whether you're giving a candle or a bookmark, it's for Jesus, because you love Him, love His ultimate gift to you, and love His children that He has placed around you.
His gift is the only reason this season. Don't forget that.