Thursday, June 14, 2012

Gifts for the Insanely Bookish

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Again, another post inspired by a friend. My birthday isn't until September and already she wants to know what to buy me for the occasion. It's lovely to know that she's thinking about it already. She probably, definitely won't forget. It's just that I haven't thought about it much myself. What do I want?

And, then I got thinking about all the times my relatives have been absolutely clueless about what to buy me for birthday or Christmas presents once I had turned bookish. Mum constantly argues that she can't buy me books because she doesn't even know what I've read. Also, she probably thinks I have enough books already... So, I decided to create a post for the not-so-bookish people who need guidance in purchasing presents for their insanely bookish friends/relatives, And for the insanely bookish to link to their family or friends.

GIFT IDEA 1: BOOKS
It may seem like the simplest answer to the problem; buy the bookish person books. Like my mother said though "How do we know which ones you don't already own?" I do agree with her on this one. And, while I don't mind them going into my room to browse the shelves, my family might feel a bit invasive doing so. In some cases it's not just what I do and don't own that's the problem, but what sort of books do I even like? What authors do I or don't I avoid?

For this problem I have a few solutions:
a) If this person who likes to read has a Shelfari, Goodreads or Librarything account linked to their facebook or their blog (If you follow it for the sake of being nice), you should be able to view  their profile on these sites (provided the privacy settings aren't set to 'friends only') and have a look at their 'Wishlist' (if they have one). The only problem I can see with this is that if the person who likes to read doesn't update their wish list often and and you end up buying them a book they already have, or didn't want (if that's the case refer to solutions b or c)

b) Take a guess and keep the receipt. If you think you have a vague idea of what your friend would like to read or you see a book cover that screams their name you could decide to purchase the book and keep the dockets in case the person decides that they have already read it. Keeping receipts is helpful if you need to get your money back :)

c) If you really want to get them books, but don't know what to get them, you could get them a voucher for a place that sells books. You can get vouchers for online stores or physical stores, so depending on where the person lives(and if they even have any book stores in their town) or where they like to purchase their books from, you can choose the appropriate voucher for their needs.

GIFT IDEA 2: BOOK MARKS
I'm one of those readers who likes to collect bookmarks. I have a fair few books on the go at once and I like to have a choice when I'm selecting a  bookmark to read with. Bookmarks are cheap and you can even make some for the person if you're feeling crafty.

GIFT IDEA 3: NOTE BOOKS
If this person is an aspiring writer and/or a blogger notebooks are a must for recording ideas. A pretty notebook is a great gift for those who are never without a pen. I keep a notebook in my handbag, next to my bed and on my desk. A great way to document your ideas.

GIFT IDEA 4: MERCHANDISE
If you know that your friend is a big fan of a certain author or series, you could look up an online shop for some serious merchandise. You can get 'Hunger Games' pendants from etsy for those who are big 'Hunger Games' fans and there is still plenty of 'Twilight' merchandise for sale on Ebay. Including Alice Cullen's choker.

GIFT IDEA 5: BOOK BAG
Great for Library goers. You can get super cute ones with stuff like "I like big books and I cannot lie" written on them.

GIFT IDEA 6: BOOK ENDS/SHELVING
Also, kind of requires you to know what the person has or hasn't already got.

Also, for those creative ones: Here is a post I did a while ago on DIY projects for bookish people. They make great presents!

You could also buy this person a present that isn't bookish at all. They probably have other hobbies or interests. I do...

Hope this was helpful.

Your Favourite Blogger,
Natalie

1 comment:

Angela said...

Fantastic ideas, Natalie! Thank you :)