The Ultimate Gift Guide for Book Lovers
Featuring a unique book subscription, an alarm clock with author quotes!!, and a literary cookbook
Look, I get it: the traditional time to publish a gift guide is early December. But the thing is, my birthday is in February, and before that it was Christmas, so my life is currently replete with a bounty of bookish gifts I want to rave about. Besides, there is no time like the present to make a book lover’s day (ah, the oldest pun in the joke shop). Or why not give one of these gifts as an unusual wedding present to a literature-loving-couple? Hey, why not just buy one of these things for yourself? I own and love and can vouch for them all, except for the first item, which I am leading with so that my loved ones have no excuse not to get it for me next holiday season.
Why are there no straight-up novels on this list? Well, because it’s hard to buy books for a book lover. When someone’s made reading a huge part of their identity, it can feel intimidating to shop for them; like you won’t find something they haven’t already pre-ordered. But if you do want to go for a book, because a book is undeniably thoughtful, then follow my excellent friend and housemate Andrew’s rule and always choose a short novella, like this one or this. Gifting a doorstopper is, arguably, savage.
But: gifting a literature lover a chic, book-adjacent present is always a good move. So without further ado…
The signature grey cover, with patterned endpaper inside Readers, I hinted hard about this to family and friends last December, but nobody picked up on it, so I have to admit it’s the only item on the list I don’t own. Still, I feel I can speak with authority because I do own and love many Persephone books. Persephone is a small feminist publishing house that reprint forgotten novels, mostly by women, mostly from the interwar period, and it’s ‘the nearest thing British publishing has to a cult’ (Observer). The books are political, in a domestic kind of way, and page-turners, in a still-well-written kind of way, and they are also beautiful objects in and of themselves. (I wrote about Persephone previously here.) A book subscription gives you the option to let the recipient choose their own Persephone title each month, or you can choose, or the bookstore will. You can also opt to get them wrapped in lovely fabric or Cambridge imprint wrapping paper. Irresistible!
The best pen you’ll ever write with
The Kaweco ballpoint pen My partner got me this pen for Christmas and it is, well, the best pen I’ve ever written with. I don’t know if it’s because the ink is oil-based or if some other kind of voodoo is responsible, but I can tell you that it’s smooth but never smudgy, bold without rubbing through the page, and conveniently pocket-sized. Also, it’s pretty and it comes in a nice little box.
NovellaMate Literary Alarm Clock
You and me both Jane! Reader, this alarm clock has changed my life. I’m obsessed with it. I used to wake up in the morning and the first thing I did was reach for my phone, or doom-spiral down into my darkest thoughts. But the NovellaMate digital clock wakes me up with a beautiful literary quote, and so I immediately feel inspired, curious and calm instead. Then, throughout the day, it offers more quotes - related to that specific time, or based on themes you’ve selected - and if you want to remember one, it’s easy to hit ‘save’ in the corner. Admittedly, it’s a little on the pricey side, but the clock has lots of thoughtful features that make it feel elevated: for example, you can choose your favourite authors and themes to curate your experience, you can opt to hear the quote read out loud, and you can even personalise it with a custom gift message that comes up when the clock turns on. All this means that the simple act of looking at the time becomes - dare I say it - a mindful moment.
Full disclosure: I was gifted this clock in exchange for an honest review, and I have to admit I was a bit sceptical about the claim on their website that it would be ‘built like a work of art’. But when it arrived, it was undoubtedly stylish: it’s made of this lovely walnut wood that looks calm and chic and, well, bookish somehow. I think the idea of transforming time - often a source of stress - into a source of inspiration is so lovely, and I often find that the quotes that come up inspire my Substack and my other writing, too. I think this would make such a thoughtful and original gift for anyone in your life who loves literature.
My very own NovellaMate, offering me up some A.A. Milne! 
It’s only May; it’s not too late to keep a diary for the second half of 2026. Why not make it this one? I have both given and received Faber poetry diaries over the years, and they are always, always a joy. It’s a weekly-view diary, and each week is accompanied by a poem on the left-hand page. Similar to the NovellaMate literary clock, the Faber diary turns something practical like scheduling into a creative and inspiring experience. It’s also helped me discover new poems and poets.
A print from a children’s book - the perfect gift for new parents Admittedly this gift relies on you having some awareness of what your intended recipient’s favourite author or novel is. But if you can find out, why not get them a beautiful print inspired by the book: an illustration from an early edition, a map from the book, or an extract typed out beautifully? The British Library has some lovely prints from children’s books that would make excellent gifts for new parents. And Media Storehouse has illustrations from Little Women and Anna Karenina, as well as maps of Hardy’s Wessex. I have a home-made print/poster which incorporates Sylvia Plath’s poetry that was made by two of my besties, and it’s among my greatest treasures.
Cute book merch from your local indie bookshop
Recently my partner went to New York and brought me back this excellent t-shirt from Sweet Pickle Books. I love it and wear it all the time! But wherever you are, the chances are your local indie will have some fun merch, and it’s a nice way to support independent businesses. In London, Daunt Books has its own gold-foil pencils, and BookBar has totes - you could put a gift certificate for the shop inside, so that part of the present is a trip to the lovely store itself.
Ok, I said no novels, but I didn’t say no film scripts. A24 films have started offering these beautiful editions of their films: Ladybird, Past Lives, Midsommar, The Lobster… these are sumptuous, coffee-table display books but would also be a thoughtful present for any inspiring screenwriters in your life. Equally, it’s lovely to gift just about anyone the script to their favourite film: reading is a whole different kind of fun to watching (said the nerd). I have Ex Machina, as featured above.
The Writer’s Table (a literary cookbook)
Ok, so, a cookbook featuring authors’ favourite recipes is maybe on the kitschier side of the gift-giving spectrum. There are some hardcore literature lovers who might turn their nose up, and when my partner first gave this to me for Christmas, I was probably one of them. And yet: not long after I found myself reading it with great pleasure. It’s less a cookbook per se, and more an interesting exploration of the culinary/gastronomical lives of your favourite authors. But there are recipes, too - it won’t surprise you that Roald Dahl’s is for frozen chocolate Kit Kat Cake and Ernest Hemingway’s is for fried trout. If you know someone who loves cooking and books, this gift might be the cherry on the cake.
The Complete Cambridge Jane Austen
From the maybe slightly low-brow to the more cerebral end of the spectrum, this collector’s edition of Jane Austen’s complete works is the only unequivocal flouting of my ‘no novels’ rule. But I got it from my dad this year and had to include it, because it is so special. These are beautifully bound, brand new editions of Austen’s novels, with excellent notes and forewords from leading scholars: plus the collection includes Austen’s childhood writing, her unfinished manuscripts and some of her letters. The collection isn’t cheap and, as my dad and I have discovered, not an easily transportable gift either! But if you send this directly to the door of an Austen fan you will win their heart forever.
Austen’s desk Last but not least: why not gift the book lover in your life a literary trip, and go with them? My dad and I went to see Jane Austen’s house last year and it was pretty special. Her desk was so tiny! But she wrote so many things there! If you are not UK based, I’m sure there’ll be a literary adventure near you. If you’re in New York, you could go visit Dylan Thomas’s favourite pub, The White Horse. If you’re in Rome, you could go visit the graves of Keats and Shelley. The best thing about a trip is, of course, spending time together while being bookish too.
Have you received any great literary gifts over the years? What’s the best novel you’ve ever been gifted? Let me know in the comments!
Happy 2d Birthday Fictional Therapy!
Simple as it may be. I found the poetry journal most inspiring.
I’m not sure anyone here knows me enough to take this hint tho!