After years of book gifting, we have a long list of ideas saved up. And since book lovers like us seem to own most books, it’s good to have a stock of book-related ideas on hand.

So, welcome to our complete book lover’s gift guide! Whether you love books and want to share the wealth, or you need the perfect gift for a book lover, we’ve probably got something for you and yours on this list…

B O O K R E L A T E D

• Bibliophile: An Illustrated Miscellany
  A beautifully illustrated love letter to all things books by Jane Mount. From bookstores and their resident pets to gorgeous curated stacks we immediately added to our TBR (to-be-read) list, this book’s the perfect gift for any bibliophile. Also, Mount just released a 2019 Planner that’s equally as swoon-worthy!
• Ideal Bookshelf
  Jane Mount’s shop of book spine illustrations (and more). There are themed prints to choose from, or you can customize one with your favorites.
• Out of Print
  They have endless clothes, accessories and housewares all related to books (their library card mugs are a favorite)!
• Tiny Books
  This year Dutton Books released a set of John Green books in Tiny form. Designed to be held in one hand, maybe it will be the Luddite’s answer to the Kindle?
• Juniper Books
  A little more pricey, but worth it! Juniper creates stunning book sets and custom jackets to accessorize and beautify your library.
• Local Bookstore Subscriptions
  Popular destination bookstores (sure, that’s a thing) host their own book subscriptions like Literati Cultura, The Strand’s The Book Hook-up, and Shakespeare & Co. Year of Reading. They have unique categories, great finds and it supports booksellers!

R A I S I N G R E A D E R S

• Moonlite
  Turning your smartphone into a projector, you can cuddle-up with the lights off and enjoy bedtime stories in a whole new way.
• Wonderbly
  A great custom book shop we’ve used many times! Using the little one’s name, likeness, interests, characteristics… they can become a Queen in “Kingdom of You,” or a detective in “Where Are You?” and follow their own adventure.
• Who Done it? by Oliver Tallec
  A great series of little picture mysteries like “who left their coat at home?”
• Pearl by Molly Idle
  The most charming (and gorgeous) story about how even the littlest jobs can shine bright. As a stay-at-home mom this one definitely spoke to me.
• Here We Are by Oliver Jeffers
  We love anything Jeffers authors and illustrates, but this one especially. A powerful story written as a note to his newborn son about what’s important in this world.
• Windows by Julia Denos
  Perfect for any city kid (like mine) about a short neighborhood walk and all the wonderful lives behind each glowing window.
• A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss
  We can’t do this book enough justice, it’s amazing, just watch this.
• Tomorrow I’ll Be Brave by Jessica Hische
  A new release by an extremely talented lettering artist and mother, it’s the the story about all the things we wish to be and how if we’re not our best today, there’s always tomorrow.
• Love Is by Diane Adams
  A metaphor for the ups and downs of parenting as told through a little girl’s love and care for a growing duckling.
• A Child of Books by Oliver Jeffers
  Another Jeffers favorite of ours with books, pages, and words used to create whimsical illustrations that tell the story of what adventures await us in the pages of books.
• Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett
  The perfect story for any little one afraid of the dark. Orion is afraid of his dark bedroom, but soon he meets him, Dark, and realizes he’s nothing to be scared of.

F O R T H E R O M A N T I C

• Love Poems by Pablo Neruda
  A gorgeous edition of the classic love poems of Spanish poet Pablo Neruda
• One Day in December by Josie Silver
  The utterly charming love story of two Londoners; Laurie and Jack. Set in London, and described as Bridget Jones meets Love Actually, it’s the perfect winter romance.
• The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
  One of this year’s most popular love stories, with a just-released sequel (The Proposal), we’ll be reading this for Bookly in February, so grab a copy and read along with us!
• How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry
  A woman takes over her father’s bookshop in a small English town and she finds friendships, love, and a home she didn’t expect.
• Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren (not pictured)
  A coming of age love story that jumps time and follows a few twists and turns before reaching its heart-felt ending.

F O R T H E A S P I R I N G C H E F

• How to Grill Everything by Mark Bittman
  Grilling can be such an easy, healthy way to cook and Bittman gives endless delicious ideas that make you anxious for grilling season.
• Love and Lemons by Jeanine Donofrio
  What exists as a blog inspired by fresh, italian cooking, this vegetarian cookbook organized by produce is delicious and makes it easy to add any protein along with it (the shredded brussels sprouts salad is a personal favorite).
• The Food Lab by J. Kenji López-Alt
  Better cooking through science, this unique cookbook doesn’t just explain how, but why we cook food the way we do.

L E A R N S O M E T H I N G N E W

• Life’s Work by Dr. Willie Parker
  An outspoken, Christian advocate for reproductive justice, Dr. Willie Parker chronicles his deeply personal journey as an abortion provider living in the South making a moral argument for choice.
• The Healing of American: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, Fairer Health Care by T.R. Reid
  Organized by Country, Reid travels the world sharing all that he learns about the successes and failures of the health care systems around the world.
• On The Run: Fugitive Life in an American City by Alice Goffman
  What started as Goffman’s masters thesis turned into years among men and women in a Philadelphia neighborhood plagued by mass, perpetual incarceration and the realities of a justice system gone awry.
• Barracoon by Zora Neale Hurston
  Just published this year, Hurston interviewed Cudjo Lewis in the 1920’s and 30’s, who was at the time the last person alive who could tell the story of capture and bondage in the Atlantic slave trade.

T H E D A R K E R S I D E

• Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
  A completely unique story of “Area X,” a mysterious government property that has scientists baffled, and the all-female expedition team that travels into Area X for answers.
• Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
  This twisty sci-fi thriller takes you through a race of reality and chance to answer the question, “are you happy with your life?” and tell us something about humanity.
• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
  An American true crime classic. It’s the story of the senseless killing of a family while they lay quiet in their home in Kansas on November 15, 1959, and Capote’s hunt for answers.
• American Fire: Love, Arson, and Life in a Vanishing Land by Monica Hesse
  The arson started on a cold November midnight in Accomack County and didn’t stop for months. A portrait of the arsonists and America’s history with arson.
• Spook: Science Tackles the Afterlife by Mary Roach
  With her sarcastic wit and curiosity, Roach tackles another mysterious subject in this unique non-fiction analysis of the supernatural.
• Lady Killers by Tori Telfer
  A completely fascinating, smart and oddly fun look into the little known history of female serial killers, each chapter a new bizarre story of a frightening femme fatale.
• I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
  One of this year’s biggest hits, McNamara’s tireless pursuit of The Golden State Killer (as she named him) gave birth to this soon-to-be classic true crime novel (don’t read it when you’re home alone).

E S C A P E I N T O A N O T H E R W O R L D

• Hyperion Series by Dan Simmons
  A hard-to-explain classic sci-fi series from the 90’s with a devout fan base, the Hyperion series is one you’ll just have to read to believe.
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
  After only 2% of the world’s population survives as mass disease the stories of characters we’re left with intertwine and weave together in the most beautiful, fateful, powerful ways that it will have you in awe and thoughtful days after it ends.
• The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
  The mysterious Night Circus shows up with no warning and only at night. This cult favorite, filled with magical realism, love, and drama is a must read.
• An Ember in the Ashes Series by Sabaa Tahir
  A MUST READ series featuring strong women, great writing, a world that’s ancient Rome meets the middle East, and a story of love, magic, family, power, and justice that’s nothing but enjoyable.

F O R W O M E N ( A N D M E N )

• Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
  Asked by her friend for advice on how to raise a strong woman, this is Adiche’s response in 15 invaluable suggestions.
• The Mother of All Questions, Men Explain Things to Me, and Call Them by Their True Names by Rebecca Solnit
  Read anything and everything by Rebecca Solnit. Her words are powerful, elegant, and perfectly placed. Her essays have a way of saying things exactly how you’ve been meaning to say them but never could.
• Daring Greatly by Brene Brown
  How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent, and lead. Thought leader Brene Brown is a must read author.
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
  What if the world were increasingly sterile, and women were kept as, essentially, reproductive slaves? Funny, unexpected, horrifying, and altogether convincing. It is at once satire, warning, and a tour de force.

S . T . E . M .

• Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil DeGrasse Tyson
  What is the nature of space and time? How do we fit? There’s no better guide through these mind-bending questions than Tyson.
• Seven Brief Lessons on Physics by Carlo Rovelli
  Exactly what it sounds like, and thoroughly enjoyable. It teaches us about who we are through the fundamentals of physics.
• The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History by Elizabeth Kolbert
  Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, this is book about the future of our world, blending intellectual and natural history and field reporting into a powerful account of the mass extinction unfolding before our eyes.
• How Not to be Wrong: The Power of Mathematical Thinking by Jordan Ellenberg
  A math-world superstar unveils the hidden beauty and logic of the world and puts its power in our hands.

F O R T H E H I S T O R I A N

• One Summer: American, 1927 by Bill Bryson
  Charles Lindbergh crossed the Atlantic, Babe Ruth closed the home run record, Alvin “Shipwreck” Kelly sat atop a flagpole for twelve days, and in Chicago Al Capone was tightening his grip on bootlegging, and much, much more.
• Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
  Winter 1945. WWII. Four refugees. Four stories. A great historical fiction story for the YA audience and beyond.
• The Nix by Nathan Hill
  A man’s estranged mother comes back into his life in an unexpected way launching a journey through different lives and different times (Chicago in the 1970’s) for one amazing story. Rumor has it it’s being made into a Netflix film starring Meryl Streep.
• Belonging by Nora Krug
  A visually stunning graphic memoir telling the story of Krug’s attempt to confront the hidden truths of her family’s wartime past in Nazi Germany and comprehend the forces that have shaped her life, her generation, and history.

We hope you found what you were looking for, happy shopping!