So far, we’ve talked about crafted gifts, crafty gifts, unique/unusual gifts, gifts for men, gifts for women, gifts for children, gifts for the whole family, and gifts that kids can make or buy inexpensively.  Today we’re talking about gifts for book lovers.

Books

Of course, the obvious choice is a book!

For babies/toddlers, I prefer board books.  When the little ones sit on my lap to read, they tend to grab at the books, and this results in “regular” books’ getting torn.  Board books don’t have this problem.  The Mini Masters series are great options.

Once you reach preschool age, there are children’s literature “classics” (and new classics).  We love anything by Eric Carle.  Some other favorites in this genre are Harold and the Purple Crayon, Ezra Jack Keats‘ books (‘though both of these choices freaked my sister out when she was a small child – I think she didn’t like the art), The Carrot Seed, Where the Wild Things Are, and Goodnight Moon. (The board book edition is great for a baby.)  The Lightlings, which we’ll be giving away this week, is a beautiful newer option by R.C. Sproul.  (His others, The Priest with Dirty Clothes, and The Prince’s Poison Cup, are excellent, as well.)

Elementary schoolers can, of course, go with some classic children’s lit, as well, such as Charlotte’s Web or (a slightly newer option) the “Ralph” books.  We also love the allegory in The Chronicles of Narnia*.  For another allegory which is, to my mind, very similar to Pilgrim’s Progress in allegorical style (but far more enjoyable to read!), check out The Terrestria Chronicles.  (We are giving some of these away this week, too.)  Both of these have the advantage of being appealing to girls and boys.

As your children get older, the options expand.  Their reading ability is greater and they have a more developed sense of taste for which genres they prefer.  Many of the classics are excellent.  Be sure you’ve read them, though, before you give them to your children, as a good number of them contain age-inappropriate material for middle- and high schoolers.  We like Peretti’s children’s series (The Cooper Kids for elementary to middle schoolers and The Veritas Project for middle and high schoolers) as well as Piercing the Darkness and This Present Darkness (intended for adults, so please preview and then give only to sufficiently mature teens).  What you get for this age, though, will vastly depend on genre preference of the recipient.

For the adults on your list who like historical fiction, I would highly recommend Michael Phillips‘ books.  (This is my own personal favorite author!)  I also really enjoyed Lynn Austin’s Chronicles of the Kings series.  (This series is a fictionalized following of the biblical Hezekiah and his family.)  For those who like fantasy, I would recommend (with reservations) authors Terry Brooks and Robin Hobb.**  If you prefer mystery, try Ada Madison.  I’ve only read one of her books so far, but it was quite “clean.”  It was, perhaps, not the most sophisticated mystery ever, but I thought it was well-written.  If you’re not familiar with it, check out the novelization of Courageous.

Of course, there is always non-fiction.  When it comes to non-fiction, just ask yourself what your recipient’s (other) interests are, and buy accordingly.

Accompaniments

Sometimes you want to give a book, but you think that’s a little boring.  Consider adding something to the book, to “jazz it up.”  If there are related products, you could give them as a set.  For instance, I have a “Very Hungry Caterpillar” butterfly garden kit in my gift guide this year.  You could package the book and garden kit together.

Along the same lines, you could purchase (or make) another item with the same theme and add it to the package.  A spider rubber stamp to go with a copy of Charlotte’s Web, for example, or a calculator with The Square Root of Murder.

You can include other items that a reader might enjoy while reading – like tea or coffee, or a throw to cover up with while snuggled into the couch reading.

Many of the book-related ideas below can be packaged with a book.  Most notably, giving a book with a special bookmark in it can be a nice touch.

Ideas for Bibliophiles

• bookcase necklace
• bookmark (elastic bookmark, clip-style, ribbon, corner bookmark, metal, etc.)
• bookplates
• reading light
• page nibs
• see-through sticky notes
• LibraryThing membership
• PaperBackSwap points

Gift Cards

Good gift card options in this category, of course, include:

• Books-a-Million
• Barnes and Noble
• Amazon

I would love to hear your book recommendations.  Please leave me a comment and tell me about your favorites!

*(I do have two caveats, though.  The Horse and His Boy is one we’re not comfortable having our daughters read until they’re older, because the daughter does not trust her father’s choice of marriage partner – not something we care to encourage.  And one of the books does have Lucy reading spells, which I would prefer to not be a part of the chosen allegory framework.)

**Robin Hobb’s books, in particular, do contain the occasional “adult” scene or language, so be forewarned.  These are not Christian authors.  We have found their work, though, to be excellently written, and free of “real-life” magic.