Gifts for book lovers

Why you should not guess at a novel

Readers are hard to buy books for. They have usually read the one you are thinking of, or they own it, or they have strong opinions about the genre. The gifts that work best give them the choice or hand the choice to a bookseller. That is why most of this list is e-readers, gift cards, subscriptions and things that sit next to books.

If you do want to give a physical book, choose an edition rather than a title. A Penguin Clothbound Classic of a book they already love, or a grey Persephone edition for someone who collects them, is a safer bet than a new release they may have bought last week.

Look at what they read before you look at what to buy. Someone working through crime novels will like the Persephone list. Someone who reads a chapter on the bus each morning will use the Little Black Classics. A book-club regular may want the Moleskine reading journal to keep notes for the next meeting. A reader who mostly buys second-hand will get more from a used-bookshop gift card than from any new hardcover. Small details like these tell you more than a bestseller list does, and they stop you from buying the third copy of a book they already own.

E-reader or paper

An e-reader suits someone who reads a lot, travels, or has run out of shelf space. The Kobo Clara BW is the plain choice for novels. The Kobo Libra Colour adds colour for comics and cookbooks and supports a stylus for notes, though the stylus is sold separately. The BOOX Go 6 suits someone who wants several reading apps on one device and does not mind more settings.

Skip an e-reader for a reader who loves the object: the smell, the spine, the shelf. For them, a subscription like Daunt Books or Heywood Hill in the UK sends real books chosen by booksellers, and an indie gift card lets them browse.

One practical point: Kobo devices do not read Kindle-store books. If the person has a large Kindle library, a Kobo means starting over, so ask, or pick a gift card instead.

Budgets that make sense

Under $25, look at small extras: the Persephone novel, the Frog and Toad tote, the Austen tea tin, a gift card from an independent shop, or a board book for a new baby. These work as stocking fillers or as an add-on to a card.

In the middle range, a classic hardcover, the Book Nook puzzle, the Moleskine reading journal or a Delayed Gratification subscription feel like a real present without much risk.

The bigger spends are e-readers and year-long subscriptions. A year of Daunt paperbacks or a Kobo Libra Colour is a lot, so save those for someone you know reads every week. Storyworth and the guided memoir sit apart: they are less about reading and more about getting a parent to write down their life, and they only pay off if the person keeps at it.

Timing, shipping and what to pair

Digital gift cards and Storyworth can go out the same day, which makes them the late option. The Readings card can land in spam, so warn the person. Subscriptions start slowly: Delayed Gratification is quarterly, and Heywood Hill sends books two at a time over the year. Write on the card what is coming and when.

Pairings that work: an e-reader with a bookshop gift card for their first few titles, a classic hardcover with the Austen tea, the Little Black Classics with a reading journal, or the Frog and Toad tote with a library-sale budget.

For kids, check the device first. The Yoto Silverwing pack needs a Yoto player or app, and the board book and Lightfall are plain books that need nothing at all.

Questions people ask

What do you get a book lover who has everything?

Give them a choice or a surprise instead of a specific title. A gift card from an independent bookshop, such as Birchbark Books or Readings, lets them pick. A bookseller subscription like Daunt Books or Heywood Hill sends books they would not have found on their own. If they already own a lot of books, an e-reader or a classic hardcover edition of a favourite also works.

Is a Kobo or a Kindle better as a gift?

It depends on where their books already live. Kobo devices cannot read Kindle-store books, so someone with a big Kindle library would be starting over. For a reader who borrows from the library or buys from many shops, a Kobo works well; the Clara BW is the plain choice, and the Libra Colour adds colour and stylus support for comics and notes.

What is a good last-minute gift for a reader?

A digital gift card from an independent bookshop arrives by email the same day; check the spam folder for the Readings card in Australia. Storyworth can also be sent by email at the last minute, though it is really a gift for a parent who will write rather than read. Both avoid shipping delays entirely.

What are good cheap gifts for book lovers?

A grey Persephone novel, the Frog and Toad tote, the Sense and Sensibility tea tin, or a small digital gift card from an independent bookshop all sit under $25 at the shops we checked. For a baby, the ABC of Australian Animals board book is a low-cost first book that holds up to repeat reading.