Best Holiday Gifts For Book Lovers (That Aren’t Books!)

Many readers dream of adding a book nook to their bookshelf to make it prettier. Why buy someone a pre-made one when you can get a DIY kit, allowing them to have some fun putting it together? 

With so many to choose from, we recommend going for a themed one based on their favorite genre or series. If you’re feeling stuck, a generic library / bookstore one will be perfect. 

Book Nooks has many to choose from, including magic and fairy nooks, perfect for lovers of young adult or adult fantasy and romantasy. 

Incorporate their love for books into what they wear with bookish t-shirts, sweaters, and hoodies! You can find a range of designs inspired by books, authors, fandoms, tropes, and more.

OwlCrate has a range of collections to choose from. Sophie from Team OwlCrate's favorite collection is the Proud Reader collection, which offers a range of items perfect for bookworms that enjoy reading fantasy, romantasy, romance, horror, or sci-fi:

“What I love most about this collection for gifting is that it feels so personalized! And there is a range of price points from stickers and mugs to sweatshirts!”

We also have the My Bookish Era collection, which Cheryl from Team OwlCrate is a fan of:

“I live in my 'Romance Era' sweater and my daughter lives in her green 'In My Reading Era' sweater all weekend long. It’s the perfect gift for a reader if you know their genre but have no idea what else to gift them (or you can even go with the In My Reading Era if you’re still unsure!)”

Personalizing a reading experience and staying engaged is made easy with the help of a fun journal! Having a reading journal in which they can add notes as they read is a great way to keep track of thoughts, which can come in handy when writing reviews after they finish a book or when engaging in discussions at their next in-person or virtual book club meeting.

Journals also double as keepsakes, which they can look through in the future when re-reading books or telling their friends or family all about books they love.

Kathy, one of the moderators from our Nest community, enjoys keeping a journal for many reasons:

“If I had to pick only one item to gift to a bookworm, I’d choose a reading journal! I love keeping track of my reading, and having a special journal already set up is great. I can still customize it and make it my own, but the main structure is there, and the OwlCrate Field Guide one has a fun reading game to keep me encouraged, so it offers a good balance. I also love that it’s not pre-dated, so it can be used whenever it fits you.“

A thumb book holder is the perfect accessory to help the book lover in your life keep pages open with one hand and little effort, keeping the pages flat so they can focus on the reading. This genius invention is something every reader needs to have in their collection of accessories. 

Little Top Creations offers a range of thumb holders to choose from, including basic wooden ones and ones made from sustainable, 3D-printed bioplastic (both of which include cat-shaped options!).

For the wood ones, you can choose from a range of hardwoods of different colours, and both the wooden and the 3D-printed ones can be engraved with either a custom name or message, or “one more page” or “one more chapter”..

No matter how many mugs someone owns, there’s always space to grow their collection. There's something about mugs with bookish designs that adds a dash of whimsy to one's life. Kathy, one of the moderators from our Nest community, loves her Royalty Drinkware collection mugs:

“The Royalty Drinkware collection, especially the Once Upon a Broken Heart one, gets a lot of regular use at my house! These are the perfect size for homemade lattes.”

The latest trend people on BookTok and Bookstagram have been obsessed with has been bedazzling their book covers with gems to make them sparkly and pretty. If the reader in your life loves arts and crafts, you’ve just found them the coolest gift ever.

There are many people on Etsy who offer custom kits for any book. If you know what the favorite book of the person you’re buying for is, you can easily get a custom kit put together for them (or multiple kits so they can decorate a few books). Different kits include different things, so be sure to check if the one you’re choosing includes everything you need, like the tools, glue, and gems.

aCourtofBedazzles on Etsy offers a custom book bedazzle kit for any book, as well as book-specific kits. You have the choice between book cover only kits, as well as book cover and spine kits.

A hot cup of tea while reading? Count us in! But why drink any tea when tea inspired by all sorts of stories exists? Riddle's Tea Shoppe has been creating tea blends reminiscent of fantasy stories since 2012.

Marlena from Team OwlCrate loves the teas we have partnered with Riddle's Tea Shoppe on that have made appearances in our past boxes:

“As someone with a collection of 50+ different tea flavors, it’s safe to say that the teas from Riddle's Tea Shoppe have been some of my favorites. Not only have they encouraged me to read the books they’re inspired by, the flavors are amazing. My favorite to date has been the Plated Potable Tea, which had the flavor of spiced chocolate.”

Help them show their love for a book or series by getting them jewelry inspired by it! Many pieces of bookish jewelry incorporate symbols or quotes from popular books or those that are relevant to readers in some way. This is a wonderful way for them to carry their favorite stories around with them in the form of beautiful, wearable pieces.

Readers Society has a range of bookish necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and rings perfect for bookworms. You can shop for individual pieces or browse their collections which include romance (with jewelry inspired by books by Ana Huang and Ali Hazelwood as well as cowboy romances and dark romance books), fantasy (with jewelry inspired by books by Stephanie Garber, Sarah J. Maas, V.E. Schwab, Rebecca Yarros, and Olivie Blake as well as the Grishaverse and Shadowhunters) and academia (with pieces inspired by academia and mythology as well as tarot cards.)

If you’re not sure what piece to get, be sure to check out their Bookish Watches, which are inspired by dark academia and are the first and only of their kind!

Everyone needs something to keep them warm in the winter months. A stylish scarf is the perfect solution, and even better when it’s inspired by books! Marlena from Team OwlCrate loves wearing the Love and Curses Scarf, inspired by Once Upon a Broken Heart:

“I always look forward to winter as I get to start wearing my favorite scarf. Last year, I got so many compliments from strangers while out and about, and everyone thought it was cute and asked where I got it from!”

Pretty stickers are a great way to decorate and personalize belongings, and book-themed ones allow readers to share their love for books with the world. Some add stickers to their laptops, others put them on their kindles, and some even put them on their water bottles.

Finding good-quality stickers can be hard. Cheryl from Team OwlCrate recommends stickers made by Hubman & Chubgirl:

“As a planner obsessed girlie, I am PICKY about stickers. Not only are these stickers the best quality I have ever felt, but they are also hand-designed by the owner and are so, so cute. I look forward to my Ultimate Subscription every month, but you can subscribe to just sticker packs or journal packs or even just individual sticker sheets in the shop - perfect stocking stuffers!”

Charcuterie boards save the day when one gets lost in a good book. What better way to fuel the mind to charge through to the last page than by nibbling on some snacks like cheese and fruit, all plated nicely on a bookish-themed board.

Amber from Team OwlCrate loves the charcuterie board, which was featured in one of our 2025 young adult fantasy book and goodies subscription boxes:

“The Throne of Glass-Inspired Charcuterie Board is just amazing!”

Size: approx. 6” x 8" // 15 cm x 20 cm

Bookish art prints are a great way of showing love for books through art. They’re perfect for decorating and adding an aesthetic touch. Many prints feature quotes or illustrations related to books or fandoms. Some artists are able to make custom and personalized prints upon request!

Sophie from Team OwlCrate loves bookish art prints made by Olga at Cree Shop:

“I'm such a big fan of Olga's work - it's unique, different, and I love that you can personalize the artwork so much. Not only does Olga have so many amazing books to pick from, but you can also choose your preferred hair colour or skin tone to look like you or a friend, and then you can have it as a print or a t-shirt, a sweatshirt, etc. It's so fun!”

Still stuck on what to get the book lover in your life? Why not buy a gift card from OwlCrate? 

You can choose from gift cards starting at $20 (USD) all the way up to $500 (USD). These can be spent on a range of book subscription boxes, limited edition books, and bookish items.

Lighting a candle is an unspoken rule that every reader has to follow before they cozy up with a good book. There are many small businesses that offer candles inspired by books, tropes, genres, and beyond.

Cheryl from Team OwlCrate recommends candles from Library Lights Candles:

“I love this awesome Canadian brand, which offers bookish theme candles with whimsical old-fashioned labels. Her fall and Christmas collections are especially dreamy.”

If wax melts or reed diffusers are more their thing, be sure to check out the collections on offer at Library Lights Candles as well.

Book sleeves are a great way to protect books or e-readers from damage while on the go. They can double as storage spaces, as some come with pockets, allowing for the storage of bookmarks or things for annotating. There are endless designs to choose from, made from different materials. You can even get a crochet one if you think they’d love something handmade!

Kathy, one of the moderators from our Nest community, recommended book sleeves from Book Beau:

“Book Beau creates the best book sleeves, including their waterproof model, which keeps my books fully safe when on the go. I love the variety of sizes that they have.”