Christmas Gifts for Book Lovers

You and I know that it can be dangerously difficult to purchase a book for a book-lovin' friend or relation because you are taking on the risk that they already have the book in question. It's certainly a nice thought, and one most appreciated. However, if the person already owns it, well, they already own it! Here is a short list of things that *I* think are fabulous to give to book lovers in place of any specific title. These are all things that I think are practical (because I like practical gifts) and I'm ignoring any cutesy gift ideas. (I don't mind the cutesy but cute has to be well-done for me to adequately appreciate it!)

#1 - A gift card to a local bookstore. Yeah, you may think it's otherwise boring or impersonal but a gift card to Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble or Borders is a book lovers dream! The freedom to go in and pick any title of their choosing!? Be still our book beating hearts!

#2 - i-clips from Peter Pauper Press. These packages of i-clips are available for $3.95 on Amazon and they had a nice variety of designs to choose from such as the Floral Silhouette design, Calligraphy, Owls, Butterflies and Skulls i-Clip Magnetic Page Markers (Set of 8 Magnetic Bookmarks). Couple one of these with a gift certificate to Starbucks (or your local coffee shop) and you've just made a book lover's day! These i-clips sure beat out the scraps of paper most of us readers usually tear up and use to bookmark remarkable passages in the books we're reading. I use my i-clips ALL THE TIME and heartily recommend them!




The great thing about i-clips is that you can never have too many! (Esp. if you read multiple books at a time!)

#3 - A gift certificate to Starbucks (so that we can stimulate the brain in more ways than one!) Some book lovers really love the environment of the coffee shop and the treat of some time away from home to just sit down and relax with their beverage of choice. It doesn't have to be Starbucks. What is your book lover's favorite get-away spot? Again, a $5 gift card and a package of i-clips is one of the best gifts I can personal imagine because it equals time away and alone and I can easily keep track of passages in a neat and orderly manner! Love it!



#4 - One of my best book gifts that I ever received was an Insta-Tote Bag (Patty Reed Designs.) May I interject a comment on their website? They need some work!)You can find these bags on Amazon as well. The durability of these bags is amazing. I use mine for library visits, specifically, and have managed to cram in and lug out up to 50 books at a time. These bags are STRONG! Plus, they double for grocery bags and anything else you can think of! I believe I've had my bag for 2 years and I liked it so much I bought another! They are reasonable priced and come in a variety of different designs.



#5 - Journals. Most readers I know of also love to write. The power of words can be overwhelming at times and I appreciate having journals to write down interesting quotes, books I want to read, words I hear (i.e. sermons and speeches) and, of course, my own personal thoughts. Again, Peter Pauper Press has a fabulous selection of quality journals (and recently sent me a couple to check out.) I was sent their Almond Blossom Journal which is over-sized version. Admittedly my hand writing has become larger and more sloppy with age and children and lack of time so I rather appreciate the extra large pages for writing in. This journal, like their others, is quality bound and this particular style includes a bound-in cloth bookmark to help you keep your place.

In addition to the over-sized journal, I was also sent the Twilight Garden Journal which is more the size of a traditional diary and has a bound elastic band attached to keep it closed when not in use.

I've always loved the gift of a quality journal and I can't say that I have any complaints with the selection and styles that Peter Pauper Press has to offer (so, thanks PPP for sending some for me to check out!)

Are there items that you would add to this list? What would you all, as my fellow bibliophiles recommend to your friends and relations as good gift items to those of us who enjoy keeping our noses tucked away in books?