I don’t know about you, but this year, Christmas feels a bit weird (I don’t know why that might be…) and if you’re anything like me, you might be rushing to get some last-minute gifts.
I’ve been struggling to think of interesting gifts to get for people and I’ve ended up doing everything last-minute, so I feel you! But don’t fret – I thought I’d help you out by sharing some of the best bookish gifts I’ve come across recently. If you’ve got any bookworms in your life, why not get them something unique and interesting? Here are a few ideas!
(Want more ideas for everyone in your life, even if they don’t love books as much as you do? Check out this gift guide I wrote last year, including gift cards, experiences, and more.)
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase something using any of the links in this post, I may get a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you!
Table of Contents
- Bookish Gifts for Gamers and Puzzlers
- Bookish Gifts for Kids
- Bookish Gifts for Science & Nature Lovers
- Bookish Gifts for Film & TV Fans
- Bookish Gifts for Literary Lovers
- Fun Bookish Stocking Fillers
—
Bookish Gifts for Gamers and Puzzlers
The Nautical Puzzle Book
Note: I was sent a free copy of this book from the publisher.
The Nautical Puzzle Book is packed to the brim with over 100 puzzles inspired by the National Maritime Museum’s objects and their stories.
Inside this book you’ll find a fiendish mix of word games, codewords, trivia, picture puzzles, word scrambles, anagrams, crosswords and much more. It’s a chance to learn all about epic explorers, history makers, record breakers, myths, legends, seafaring traditions and life at sea.
By the time you reach the end you’ll have navigated centuries of history, crossed thousands of miles of ocean, and made countless discoveries – so batten down the hatches and set sail!
💡 Charlotte recommends: This book is a gorgeous little gift filled with all sorts of unique puzzles, mind games, and beautiful illustrations to keep anyone entertained on a rainy day (or if you’re still in quarantine). Because it’s a hardback, it’s great quality and it’s perfect to give as a gift for any occasion!
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
Taskmaster: 220 Extraordinary Tasks for Ordinary People
In the TV show and on my marriage certificate, my job description is ‘Taskmaster’s Assistant’. That’s what I do and it’s an honour. I like Taskmaster a lot. And, of course, I love The Taskmaster. He’s mountainous. If you feel in any way the same as me then you should enjoy this paperback version of the official Taskmaster book.
There are tasks for you, your friends and your family. There are new tasks, secret things and sneaky tricks. And there is one swear word. So it’s almost exactly like being on the show.
💡 Charlotte recommends: I’ve become slightly obsessed with Taskmaster this year – I’ve seen almost every single series within a month or so, thanks to being on lockdown and without a job. So when I discovered the official book of Taskmaster tasks that anyone can do at home, I jumped for joy. If you have some willing friends, whether in-person or virtually (because most of these tasks are also possible to do over Zoom), get together and get ready for some crazy tasks!
(If you want to take your Taskmaster game night to the next level, also check out the Taskmaster official board game!)
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
Agatha Christie Death on the Cards Card Game
In Agatha Christie: Death on the Cards, which consists of a deck of eighty cards, players work co-operatively to solve a murder, using their detective skills to unmask the culprit and prevent their escape. The twist is that one of the players is the murderer and must work against the group to keep themselves hidden. Players also have dark secrets from their past they want to keep hidden from the other players. Who can you trust?
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones
221B Baker Street Board Game
Seek out your inner sleuth with the ultimate detective board game. Boasting 75 fiendishly twisty cases, 221b Baker Street is the perfect opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Sherlock Holmes himself. Inhabit the world of master detective, Sherlock Holmes. Making your way through the cobbled streets of Victorian London, you’ll collect clues and deduce your solution.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
—
Bookish Gifts for Kids
Personalized The Nightmare Before Christmas Book
Note: I was sent a free copy of this book from the publisher.
Disney’s Nightmare Before Christmas is adapted into this special edition, reviving Henry Selick and Tim Burton’s gothic fairy tale into this frightful classic. Halloween Town is turned upside down when Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, decides celebrating Halloween 365 days a year is a bit repetitive. So, he takes a walk one day and stumbles upon Christmas Town. Inspired, Jack decides to bring Christmas to his frightful town with a few hazardous consequences…
Written through wit and rhyme, the book is interwoven with hand-drawn illustrations and the individual’s name across the top of every other page. Disney fans will adore this personalized addition and you can even include a special message on the opening page. Presented inside a unique gift box, the book is a fun and charming gift to teach kids about Christmas and Halloween and why they really should be celebrated separately!
💡 Charlotte recommends: Perfect for both kids and adults, this beautifully illustrated novelisation of The Nightmare Before Christmas would make a great gift. You can add the recipient’s name so that it appears at the top of every page, and you can also add your own custom message on the first page. For a memorable and special gift, you can add a gift box with embossed gold text and sparkles on the front.
🛒 Buy it here: In the Book
Personalized Me and My Pet Avatar Book
Note: I was sent a free copy of this book from the publisher.
If you like the sound of a story book that lets you have an exciting adventure alongside your favourite animal friend, then you’ll absolutely love this personalized pet story book! This fun book lets you create an avatar for you or the person you’re gifting it to, allowing you to choose their gender, skin color, clothes, eyes – everything! This means you one will not just see the name throughout the book, but also have a character made exactly as you want!
Even more, you can also create an avatar especially for their pet or favourite animal, letting the two star in their very own story. If you love dogs, you have the option to pick the breed of the dog, and the color of their fur! Or, if you want to use your imagination, the book can also feature dragons or unicorns! Whichever you choose, this story about your pet or their favourite animal is bound to put a smile on their face.
💡 Charlotte recommends: From the same makers as the Nightmare Before Christmas book above, this book is even more customisable and special. A sweet story for children or entertaining even for adults, you can customise the pet and the human character, both of which appear throughout the whole book. Add the recipient’s name and that will appear in a few different places throughout the story too, and you can add a custom message to go on the first page.
🛒 Buy it here: In the Book
Northern Lights: Illustrated Edition
Published to coincide with the 25th anniversary of Philip Pullman’s groundbreaking fantasy masterpiece, this sumptuous illustrated edition of Northern Lights brings the first part of Lyra’s epic quest to a whole new generation.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
—
Bookish Gifts for Science & Nature Lovers
The Big Book of Mars: From Ancient Egypt to The Martian, A Deep-Space Dive into Our Obsession with the Red Planet
Note: I was sent a free copy of this book from the publisher.
Filled with entertaining history, archival images, pop culture ephemera, and interviews with NASA scientists, The Big Book of Mars is the most comprehensive look at our relationship with Mars—yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Mars has been a source of fascination and speculation ever since the Ancient Sumerians observed its blood-red hue and named it for their god of war and plague. But it wasn’t until 1877, when “canals” were observed on the surface of the Red Planet, suggesting the presence of water, that scientists, novelists, filmmakers, and entrepreneurs became obsessed with the question of whether there’s life on Mars. In The War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells suggested that we wouldn’t need to make contact with Martians—they’d come for us—while, many years later, Nikola Tesla claimed that he did make contact.
Since then, Mars has fully invaded pop culture. It has its own day of the week (Tuesday, or martis in Latin), candy bar, and iconic Looney Tunes character. It has been the subject of novels and movies, from Ray Bradbury’s The Martian Chronicles to Mars Attacks! to The Martian. And it has sparked a space-race feud between Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who both hope to send a manned mission to Mars in the near future.
💡 Charlotte recommends: There are two things I love more than most things: space and films. Mars is one of the most interesting planets to learn about because there are constantly new discoveries being made. So a book that combines both Mars and pop culture? Yes please! This could be a great gift for anyone who is a pop culture or film nerd, or a lover of planets and all things space and astronomy.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
A Perfect Planet
Accompanying a major new BBC series narrated by David Attenborough, A Perfect Planet details how the Earth’s conditions foster life and evolution, through stunning photography and informative text.
The conditions of Earth are not just good for life, they are perfect. Everything about our planet – its size, its distance from the Sun, its spin and tilt, its moon – is perfectly suited to our existence, and our planet’s forces serve to nurture its spectacular biodiversity. A Perfect Planet shows in stunning detail how Earth has always been more than the sum of its parts. Unlike any other astronomical body, it is a living world.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree – A Nature Poem for Every Day of the Year
A dazzling, soaring compendium of illustration and verse, I Am the Seed That Grew the Tree presents a poem for every day of the year – including those that leap.
Capturing themes of the natural world, this sumptuous volume gathers together an exciting sweep of names, including works from Ted Hughes, William Carlos Williams, Emily Brontë, Carol Ann Duffy, John Updike, Grace Nichols and William Blake. From ice-dusted birch trees on a January night to an autumn glimpse of a hawk in flight, this landmark anthology sings with the power of language to capture the magic of our changing world.
Waterstones Children’s Gift of the Year 2018
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
Fungarium – Welcome To The Museum
Illustrator Katie Scott returns to the Welcome to the Museum series with exquisite, detailed images of some of the most fascinating living organisms on this planet – fungi.
From the fungi we see on supermarket shelves to fungi like penicillium that have shaped human history, this is the definitive introduction to what fungi are and just how vital they are to the world’s ecosystem. Created in collaboration with the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
Night Sky Almanac 2021: A Stargazer’s Guide
The perfect gift for amateur and seasoned astronomers. Follow the progress of constellations throughout the seasons with this beautiful companion to the night sky from Astronomy experts Collins.
With the aid of easy-to-understand monthly calendars and maps, you will chart the rhythm of the lunar phases, discover events that light up the sky for brief periods, and explore the rich tapestry of characters that adorn the starry canvas overhead. You can delve as deeply as you like, or follow your own favourite subject throughout the year.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
Our Garden Birds
In this beautiful, collectible new volume, street artist Matt Sewell offers his own unique take on 52 of our favourite British garden birds.
Since its first appearance in July 2009, Matt’s ‘Bird of the Week’ feature for the Caught by the River website has quickly become a cult hit. His pop-art watercolours are distinctive and enchanting, as are his innovative descriptions.
With 52 birds, one for each week of the year, this delightful gift book will appeal to bird watching enthusiasts, children and adults, and art and illustration fans alike.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
—
Bookish Gifts for Film & TV Fans
Accidentally Wes Anderson
Wes Anderson’s beloved films announce themselves through a singular aesthetic – one that seems too vivid, unique, and meticulously constructed to possibly be real. Not so – in Accidentally Wes Anderson, Wally Koval collects the world’s most Anderson-like sites in all their faded grandeur and pop-pastel colours, telling the story behind each stranger than-fiction-location.
Based on the viral online phenomenon and community of the same name, Accidentally Wes Anderson celebrates the unique aesthetic that millions of Anderson fans love – capturing the symmetrical, the atypical, the unexpected, the vibrantly patterned, and distinctively coloured in arresting photographs from around the world.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
Spoiler Alert! The Badass Book of Movie Plots: Why We All Love Hollywood Cliches
Note: I was sent a free copy of this book from the publisher.
Feel like you’ve seen these movies before? Spoiler Alert celebrates Hollywood film-making in all its formulaic and predictable glory!
Spoiler Alert! takes 38 mainstream movie genres, from ‘Teen Sex Comedy’ and ‘Buddy Action Comedy’ to ‘Film Noir Detective Thriller’ and ‘Alien Invasion Thriller’, and through detailed illustrations reveals what makes them so hilariously recognizable: the key lines of dialogue, the essential visuals, the crucial characters and the indispensable cast, scenes, and props.
So grab some popcorn and buckle up for a laugh-out-loud ride through the wonderful world of film!
💡 Charlotte recommends: This is such a great gift for any film lover out there, especially those who like to study tropes and common story structures. With famous films featuring their own details illustrations and graphics, not only will this be a fun way to learn more about the films you love, but it’ll be a way to add some more classic films to your watchlist too!
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
Funny You Should Ask… Your Questions Answered by the QI Elves
The QI Elves are the brains behind the enduringly popular BBC TV panel show QI. Every Wednesday the Elves appear on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show where they answer the ponderings and wonderings of BBC Radio 2’s most inquisitive listeners.
Dive into this splendid collection of listeners’ unusual questions and some unexpected answers that are sure to make your head spin on topics ranging from goosebumps to grapefruit, pizza to pirates and everything in-between.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
—
Bookish Gifts for Literary Lovers
The World of Shakespeare: 1000-Piece Jigsaw Puzzle
Piece together the world of Shakespeare in this art jigsaw puzzle depicting the London of his day. Spot a huge cast of contemporary extras as A Midsummer Night’s Dream is rehearsed at the Globe and fellow actors wander the streets, along with local characters who may well have provided the Bard with inspiration. From lovers ascending ladders and bears being baited to tavern brawls and summer fetes, there is something to delight in every detail.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
Jane-A-Day 5-Year Journal
Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery, this Austen journal is sure to delight and inspire your prose!
As demonstrated by the remarkable sales of Q&A a Day, the five-year journal has become one of the most popular ways to keep a diary.
Simply turn to today’s date and take a few moments to reflect on a quote from one of Jane Austen’s iconic works. When you finish the year, move on to the next section. As the years pass, you’ll notice how your entries evolve alongside the timeless witticisms of Jane Austen.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
The Literary Emporium Gift Sets
The Literary Emporium have put together a collection of bookish gift sets themed around their favourite works of literature. Each set comes carefully packaged in a bespoke Literary Emporium gift box and tied with ribbon, making it the perfect ready-made gift for a book lover.
💡 Charlotte recommends: I’ve bought things from the Literary Emporium before and I highly recommend it. You can get all sorts of bookish gifts including clothing, pins, and stationery that are all related to literary classics. I love these gift sets because they’d make such a great present for someone, but you can also buy things separately. Great for your literary friends or if you want to treat yourself to some bookish goodies!
🛒 Buy it here: The Literary Emporium
—
Fun Bookish Stocking Fillers
101 Things To Do Instead of Playing on Your Phone
Our phones have become a constant distraction; it’s time we put them down and rediscovered the simple art of taking a few minutes out. This book offers an imaginative list of games and tips aimed at curing us of our portable tech addiction.
More than mere time-killers, these activities include ways to unleash your creative side and train your brain, but above all methods to set you on the road to calm. And all without a phone-charger in sight.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
How to Tell If Your Cat Is Plotting to Kill You
Definitive proof of the homicidal tendencies of all felines, this darkly hilarious comic book reveals all manner of shocking and outrageous ruses, delusions and beliefs that your pet moggy is secretly harbouring. Laugh-out-loud funny and deliciously inventive, How to Tell if Your Cat is Plotting to Kill You is pure comedic catnip.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
The Little Book of Hygge: The Danish Way to Live Well
Denmark has an international reputation for being one of the happiest nations in the world, and hygge is widely recognised to be the magic ingredient to this happiness.
Hygge has been described as everything from “cosines of the soul” to “the pursuit of everyday pleasures”. The Little Book of Hygge is the book we all need right now, guaranteed to bring warmth and comfort into your life.
The Little Book of Hygge is the definitive, must-read introduction to hygge, written by Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen. The book is packed full of original research on hygge, conducted by Meik and his team, along with beautiful photographs, recipes and ideas to help you add a touch of hygge to your life.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
How to Make Friends With Strangers and Stay Friends Until You Die: A Really Inspirational Guide to Friendship
Note: I was sent a free copy of this book from the publisher.
have you ever wanted to have a friend of your very own if your answer to this is yes then this is the book for you. there is more than 9 million people in the world right now so there is a good chance that 1 of them will want to be your friend.
so to help you on your friendship journey i have made this book to teach you how to be the best friend that the world has ever known. inside of this book you will learn about:
- being alone
- making friends with strangers and animals
- how to make friends with people at your work or at your school
- popular friendship clubs that you can join
- how to stay friends with friends
- fun things to do with your friend
- eating with friends
- not eating friends
- online friends
- films about friendship
- caring for friends
- random acts of kindness
- losing friends
- and much more
so pick up this book and follow me as we walk on this magical journey of friendship together and who knows with my help you might even meet your best friend who will be a part of your life for the rest of your days or until one of you dies
love from your friend Chris (Simpsons artist) xox
💡 Charlotte recommends: I love this book a lot. I’ve been a fan of Chris Simpsons Artist for ages after seeing his posts on social media and reading his incredible replies to people’s comments on Facebook (seriously, if you haven’t seen them, you should go and have a look), so when I was offered a copy of this book from the publisher, I was so excited. It’s full of hilarious tidbits of advice about friendship, all written in Chris Simpsons Artist’s unique style.
🛒 Buy it here: Waterstones / Amazon
—
Has this list helped you find some bookish gifts for a special bookworm in your life? (Or for yourself! #TreatYoSelf) Let me know in the comments below 🙂 Hope you have a great Christmas!
📌 Pin this post:
