What makes a great gift for a book lover? Well, there's one obvious idea that springs to mind (the clue is in the name), but if you want to treat the bookworm in your life to something other than a new addition to their personal library, there are plenty of other literary gift avenues to go down. We'll be sharing some of our favourites in this blog post, so keep reading if you need book lover inspiration.
Book-themed gifts — like prints, totes, and mugs — are easy go-tos, or you can make it personal with useful yet unique bookish gifts like our range of personalised bookmarks. In fact, personalised gifts of all kinds make great gifts for bookworms, as they can be tailored to the recipient's interests by customising with quotes, jokes, or nods to their favourite reads.
So, let's get into it: here are seven of our best personalised gift ideas for book lovers that aren't actually books.
“Book Lovers Club” Heart Bookmark
We're starting off our book lovers' gift guide strong with an obvious choice: the "Book Lovers Club" leather bookmark. These heart-shaped leather bookmarks are available in nine different colours and are designed to slot perfectly on the corner of your page, holding your place ready for your next reading session. The red heart version is perfect for Valentine's Day, and the bookmarks also make great little stocking fillers for bookish family members.
If you'd prefer something a little more personal, you can choose your own lettering, like names or initials, instead of the "Book Lovers Club", and we also make them in corner and point shapes, if hearts aren't their thing.
Personalised “Any Message” Quote Keyring
Our number-one most popular gift type at Create Gift Love is our personalised keyrings: we make leather keyrings, wooden keyrings, keyrings with gold initials and keyrings holding your most special photos. For book-lovers, our "Any Message" keyring is a great gift idea because you can personalise it with their favourite literary quotes or words of wisdom from writers they admire. In this example, we've gone for a lovely quote from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott: "I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship".
Or, if you don't want to go for a specific quote, other message ideas for book-lovers you could use are "rather be reading" or "CEO of the [character name] appreciation society".
Leather Photo Strip Bookmark
Another personalised bookmark option is our leather photo strip bookmark, inspired by retro film reels from vintage photo booths. Each bookmark is printed with four photographs of your choice, making it a super-personal gift for a bookworm, with familiar faces to keep them company while reading. They're particularly popular as wedding anniversary gifts for book-lovers, printed with four photos from the wedding day, or as a way to look back at memories from the year.
Personalised Reading Glasses Case with Clip
Next up is a glasses case with a difference. This personalised leather glasses case has a handy clip attachment that snaps onto a belt, bag or keyring, meaning your glasses will always be in easy reach when you need them. Since reading glasses are an essential for many book-lovers, this gift idea ticks the practical box as well as the personal one. And even if your bookworm is blessed with perfect eyesight, the cases are great for carrying their shades when reading outside on a sunny day. Our leather glasses cases are available in a range of colours and come in two sizes. Plus, personalisation is included, of course.
Customised Coin Purse with Secret Message
Our little leather coin purses are one of our favourite personalised gift ideas for her. We have over 20 styles available in all different colours and prints, and as well as personalising the outside with the recipient's name or initials, you can add a secret message on the inside of the purse to make it extra personal. In this example, we've dedicated all the pennies inside this purse to a book-buying fund, but you could personalise your book-lover's coin purse with a quote or line from their favourite character instead.
Hand-Stitched Bookmark with Personalised Initials
For the book lover who enjoys the finer things, a hand-stitched leather bookmark embossed with their name in gold. We launched this bookmark earlier in the year, and it's our most luxurious yet: a celebration of quality craftsmanship and thoughtful design. The leather tab sits proudly above the pages, keeping your spot for easy reference and is made for those with a strict no dog-ear rule. These bookmarks are available in all our regular bright colours (fuchsia, lilac, mint and more), as well as forest green and deep burgundy for a giftee with more refined tastes.
Book Bauble Christmas Tree Keepsake
And finally, a festive favourite for bookworms. This personalised Christmas decoration is made to look like a mini leather-bound book, with a gold-foiled title, a photo inside and an engraved message to tell your story. Perfect as a keepsake Christmas gift for book-lovers, you can add a new volume to their collection every year, marking important chapters and new arrivals. Because if you're not going to give them an actual book for Christmas, a book-themed bauble is the next best thing.