The best collection of bookish gifts for book lovers that are not books because let’s be honest, book lovers have plenty of books in their lives! Or they can get them free from the library or Libby! So these are book inspired, book themed, and bookish gifts that are perfect for any reader you know!
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Bookish Gifts Picked by a Book Lover
I’ve been a book lover my entire life. When I was a kid my mom would have to take my books away as punishment because I’d get sent to my room and just spend the day reading happily.
Now that I think about it, getting sent to my room to just read all day long sounds pretty amazing right about now.
Before I really started working on Play Party Plan, I ran a book blog. I think it’s probably still out there with my book reviews on it, but I haven’t touched it in over 10 years. But I’ve been reading away the whole time – it’s definitely one of my favorite things.
I hosted my second annual book retreat for my book club this spring and one of my absolute favorite parts of it is finding my favorite bookish gifts to give to our book club. I don’t just pick anything out there, I try to find unique items that everyone will actually take home and use!
And I’ve finally put together all of the items we used for our retreat swag the past two years plus some of my personal favorites I’ve been using over the years. There are reading items, reading inspired items, cozy items to use while you read, and more!
Book Themed Bookish Gifts
If you want gifts that are specifically inspired by books or book themed, these are a great option!
Bookish Sweatshirts
There are so many different options for book merch, but my personal favorite are the sweatshirts from The Library Closet. As my book club friend said, favorite sweatshirt ever!
They’re soft, comfy, and have bold designs that are designed to stand out.
We ended up all ones inspired Sarah J. Maas books, but they have a ton of just book themed sweatshirts as well. The reading is my favorite sport one may be my favorite design of all! And bonus – all of the designs are officially licensed so proceeds are shared with authors!
Use code PlayPartyPlan20 to get 20% off your order!
Feast of Thorns & Roses Cookbook
If the reader is into ACOTAR, this cookbook is a must-have. Not only is it filled with recipes inspired by the A Court of Thrones and Roses series, the cookbook itself is beautiful. It’s by Chelsea from A Duck’s Oven, so you know the recipes are delicious!
She also just announced she’s doing a Fourth Wing inspired book. I can’t wait for that one!
Storybook Inspired Puzzles
I looked at a lot of book themed puzzles and didn’t like any of them as much as the ones from Story Book Dream Art. Not only do they have gorgeous artwork imagined from popular novels, the puzzles themselves are super high-quality with glossy pieces, bright colors, and sturdy pieces.
These aren’t just puzzles, these are pieces of art you can even frame once you’re done for your own book nook!
Not into puzzles? They also sell fun blankets with similar designs!
Bookish Hair Clips
Blissfully Bookish has the most fun book themed hair clips like these Bat ones (another ACOTAR reference), but they also have dragons that are adorable!
While you’re there, check out all of their other items – they have an entire collection of hand drawn booked themed pajamas too that I’m trying so hard not too order for myself. Added them to my list of Mother’s Day gifts for my husband!
Literary Inspired Perfumes
When I saw these literary inspired perfumes by Immortal Perfumes, I knew I had to have them. So many books talk about how characters spell, what could be more fun than perfumes inspired by famous characters in literature??
They have ones inspired by Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, and even Gatsby. I grabbed a sample pack with a bunch of different scents and they really smell like a description you would read in a book.
Use code PLAYPARTYPLAN20 on any orders over $20 and get 20% off your order!
Custom Tote Bags
Know who their favorite character is? Or one of their favorite books? Get a custom tote bag made with a hand embroidered name, quote, or phrase on it!
We ordered ones with the nicknames from a bunch of our favorite romance novels and I’m obsessed with how cute they turned out!
All of the bags are hand embroidered, and they have a bunch of different bag and thread colors so you make it perfect for your book lover!
These also make great book club gifts! And if you order 3 or more and mention Play Party Plan, they’ll give you 35% off!
Bookish Wall Art
There is so much book themed artwork out there but I’m in love with these stained glass designs by Well Read Babes. They sell artwork, magnet bookmarks, and even Kindle sleeves with the bright and colorful designs.
They make the perfect addition to your bookshelf or wall in a cozy book corner – framed or unframed! I grabbed these white frames to put around the 5×5 wall art we gave out at our book retreat, and they were perfect!
Use the code PlayParty15 to get 15% off wall art and stationary of your choosing!
Book Themed Candles
We gave these out as swag at our first book retreat and let me tell you – picking out the scents was so tough! They have everything from Xaden in Fourth Wing to an Enchanted Library scent.
They’re handmade soy candles that would be perfect to create the perfect vibes for your next reading session.
Bookish Event Ticket
Our local bookstore Smitten Booktique has the most fun bookish events all the time – things like crafts, book clubs, and even most recently a night to learn how to wield a sword like a book main character.
If you’re in Kansas City, I highly recommend checking their store out in person for book shopping and going to one of their events. We’ve done their book club and book bedazzling and both were fantastic.
Not in KC? Check out your local bookstores for bookish events and grab a ticket as the perfect bookish gift!
Story Inspired Sugar Scrubs
The Lichen & Limestone fantasy collection couldn’t be any more perfect for book lovers! They’re bright colored, beautifully designed, and small amazing.
I was sad to share these with our book retreat attendees because I wanted to keep them all for myself.
The entire shop is full of magic and whimsy so try not to get lost in all the scent options inspired by your favorite books and love stories!
Use the code Party20 to get 20% off 8 oz scrubs!
Bookish Gifts for Cozy Reading
Want to make their reading experience even better? Grab one of these gifts that are perfect for cozy reading, creating cozy book nooks, and just making the reading experience a comfy one!
Cozy Reading Slippers
There’s not much better than cozying up with a blanket, cozy slippers, and a book. And it doesn’t get much cuter than The Darling Effect Slippers.
They have designs for everyone in your life including the cutest Book Nook design, animal designs, and my personal favorite – betty bow designs!
We gave everyone in our book club these slippers for the retreat and they literally wore them everywhere. They’re soft, cozy, and even have a hard sole so you can run to the mailbox to grab your new book in them!
Everything Book Bag
This everything bag from Bookish Goods holds, well, everything you could ever want. Fill it with your books, bookmarks, book lights, reading journal, snacks, and even a water bottle and bring it with you for the ultimate reading session.
You could even pack it up and bring it along on your very own book retreat!
They also sell all sorts of other smaller bags that I love, but the everything bag is my personal favorite because of how big it is!
Use code Bookish10 to get 10% off!
Book Counters
Grab one of these bright and colorful book counters from Epilogue Book Shop so the reader in your life can keep track of how many books they’ve read, outside of just Goodreads.
These make such a fun addition to any bookshelf or office, and they have colors for every place and personality!
While I love the book counters, they also have super fun bookmarks that fit right into your book to make a statement and hold your place all at the same time!
Main Character Makeup
Lean into your main character energy with book inspired makeup from Sydney Grace. With palettes like Raspberry Kiss, Unbreakable Bond, and Love’s Journey – they’re perfect for any romance book lover!
I personally have the Unveiled palette and it makes me think of the first book in the Blood and Ash series every time.
The eye shadows are all made with high-quality ingredients designed for long wear and high color payoff – perfect for creating your own main character energy all day long!
Use code PlayPartyPlan to get 15% off!
Unique Character Chocolate
I first saw Maeve chocolate bars on social media and knew I had to have them for our retreat. With whimsical flavors like Magical Mint, out of this world ones like Moon Rocks, and a fairytale truffle collection – they were the perfect addition to our swag bags!
The chocolate designs are bold and beautiful, the chocolate flavors are unique, and they’re just delicious.
They’re also constantly coming up with new and seasonal flavors like a World Cup collection right now that looks super fun!
Bookish Notebook
I don’t know any readers who don’t have a notebook near them at all times! How else are you going to write down the perfect quote?
These Archer & Olive journals make the perfect reading notebooks with their whimsical designs. They have both lined options and bullet journal options, ideal for writing down thoughts after you finish your latest read!
They even have specific reading journals with bookish designs on the front!
Reading Pillow
This reading pillow is not only ridiculously comfy, it also has a pocket to hold your book or Kindle.
It’s a must-have for anyone who reads in bed, on a couch, or pretty much anywhere. I promise if you get this bookish gift for someone who reads a lot, they will not be returning it! We used it as a prize for one of our book club games, and everyone was jealous of the winner!
They have this one in a variety of colors – the mint green is my favorite but they have more neutral colors as well.
Book Vase
I’m obsessed with these. They’re colorful, they’re bookish, and they are just gorgeous when filled with fresh flowers.
I’ve seen all sorts of designs but I love these brightly colored ones, especially for the spring!
Any book lover would love to get this to add to your favorite reading spot. I know we loved having them at the book retreat!
The link below is for the Secret Garden but I know they also have Pride & Prejudice and other classics!
Bookish Blanket
I know everyone has a cozy blanket in their house, but this one is fun because it’s actually book themed.
And it’s super soft. And big – perfect for hiding from the world with your favorite book.
This blanket doesn’t just say generic blanket, it says you know the person and know that they love books. And that’s saying more than just giving a generic gift!
If you don’t love the blue, they also offer designs in pink, purple, and another blue design!
Book Lamp
Not to be confused with a book light (I recommend this one if you’re looking for one of those) but instead, a book lamp.
It looks like a book but when you open it up, it lights up the pages and turns into a lamp.
When my friend brought this out of her book basket, I wish you could’ve seen the reactions on our faces. It was easily the hit of the night, and I won it!
This would make such a great bookish gift because it’s unique, beautiful, and actually functional!
Bookish Games & Activities
You know I couldn’t end a post without even mentioning games! They’re kind of my jam and these bookish games make great gifts for any book lovers! I’ve played all of them and can confirm they’re a lot of fun!
Book Nook DIY Kits
I wish I could explain how much fun these are to put together. We did one at our first book retreat as our bookish craft, and I still smile every time I see my complete book nook on my counter.
And one of our book club members has since completed about ten of them for her own library.
There are a ton of different options out there but I’m kind of obsessed with this Starlight one right now because of its gorgeous blue color and starlight design.
Not that I have the city of Starlight on my mind or anything…
Little Anxiety Bookshelf
I think these are technically called anxiety bookshelves because you shake it, all the books fall off, and it helps with anxiety to calmly put them back on the shelves.
They were on the sale the other day so my friends and I all bought them, and I wish I could tell you how much I love them.
I don’t necessarily use it as an anxiety bookshelf, but I do have it on my bookshelf in my office just as something cute to look at! But it could totally be a fun thing to have as a fidget for anyone who loves reading!
Build a Bae Game
I wish I could tell you how hilarious this game was to play with a bunch of grown married women late at night.
The point of the game is to build the perfect boyfriend and then convince everyone else they’re the winning guy. As you go, you have to choose cards that are toxic or charming treats.
It’s hilarious and perfect for a book club or girls night. We play it more than I’d like to admit, and it’d be a really fun one for a bookish gift because you don’t see it sold everywhere (like some games).
Romance vs the world game
Let me preface this with – this is for spicy book readers. It’s definitely not safe for kids or teens.
But if you have a romantasy lover or someone who reads romance with their friends, it’s pretty hilarious.
We were rolling laughing playing this one at two in the morning and actually ended up naming our book club based on our experience playing this game!
Bookish Puzzle
We did this puzzle at our first book retreat and it was the perfect way to start the weekend!
If you have a contemporary romance, this book puzzle is great because they’ll likely recognize a bunch of the books in the design!
This one was also great because it was easier than a lot of puzzles because books only appear once, making it perfect for a casual puzzler or book club night!
More Book Inspired Ideas
If you’re a book lover like me, check out these book inspired ideas next!
- Books to read – this is my current book list based on recommendations from others!
- Dr Seuss activities – all sorts of fun reading activities for kids based on Dr. Seuss!
- Hunger Games party ideas – may the odds be in your favor as you go through this list!
- Harry Potter would you rather – all sorts of this or that questions with a Harry Potter theme!
- Grinch gift exchange – a gift exchange that actually uses the Grinch book!
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