22 Essential Reader Gifts to Show You Love Them
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Are you looking for a way to show you love a reader in your life? Here are my favorite essential reader gifts I use daily. Showing your love is about letting a person know you see them and support their interests. Loving a reader is not for the faint of heart. Readers are known for packing their carry-on luggage with (non)essential reading materials. They are bothered when you remind them to look up from a new book to experience the scenic drive. They definitely don’t love it when you get home unexpectedly early on their day off. I mean, we do, but this chapter was just getting good!
Readers are fun to love, though. We are always on the hunt for a great story, connecting with readers, and asking for book recommendations. Readers love a comfy chair and a fuzzy blanket, but serious readers are like professional athletes; we need the right equipment to be our very best.
If you know a reader and want to help them win, this list would rocket you straight to the top of their favorite person list.
Essential Reader Gifts Include New Tech Tools
Good Night with a Red Light Book-light
This little light is the essential reader gift for late nights when only one of you is tired. Personally, I love reading in bed after everyone is asleep. As a mom, it is the ONLY time I do not get interrupted by questions, news flashes, and lost-item alerts. This lightweight booklight has three brightness settings and is soothing to tired eyes, relieving eye strain. Great for limiting exposure to blue light in the evening hours.
It is no limp noodle! The clip is strong, non-marring, and holds the featherlight lamp without flopping around. The only problem is that the battery life is long that no one makes me go to bed!
I can keep this little booklight tucked in my purse when I travel. I use it on the plane and in the car during my trips. It was so much better than the overhead lights in both cases. No neighbors were disturbed, and I could read all I wanted to.
Travel Ease with a Kindle Reader
I love my books, but there are times when the simplicity of an e-reader is a better option. When traveling, my Kindle Paperwhite is easy to handle in tight spaces. The built-in lighting is also easier to see without needing overhead lighting or dome lights on a car ride. I don’t like having to turn on the cabin light on a late flight to read. On a plane, a booklight is one extra thing to juggle, so I leave mine packed for the hotel or rental and use my Kindle.
I pay for Kindle Unlimited, so I have a slush pile of NEW books to read at my fingertips. My Unlimited Library shelf holds 20 books at a time, so I swap them out when I read a few or when I see something I want to grab for later. Amazon offers great prices on ebooks, so I can always find books at a great price.
Don’t forget to order a cute cover that fits the device you purchase. It is a great way to personalize your gift. I love my cover, and it helps me spot my device at a glance from across the room. Having a cover also protects the device, keeps your screen clean, and wakes it when the cover is opened. I have a cover that lets me stand my reader on a surface, and it has a strap to slide over my hand for secure reading.
Get Cozy with an E-Reader Stand
Does your beloved reader have it all? Think again. I recently ordered an e-reader stand with a remote page turner. Don’t judge me, I had real reasons for ordering this. I HATE being cold. One thing about reading in bed in winter is having cold hands, arms, and shoulders. I don’t like it one bit. If your beloved reader wants to be tucked in and cozy, but also wants to read, this is an essential reader gift.
Enter the hands-free Kindle holder, or you can purchase the remote page-turner. The floor-standing or the desk-mounted stand has a neck that adjusts to fit your comfortable position. The clicker turns your pages and lets you go back with a simple click. Any device from 5 to 10 inches wide will fit the universal bracket. The best part is: your book lover stays tucked in and cozy! I purchased a floor stand, but you can also get a model that can clip onto your bedside table. Our bedside tables are actually an old record player and speaker set from my husband’s childhood, and there is no place to attach the generous clamp.
Find a Fit for Your Reader
You could also use the smaller table-based stands to hold their device and order the clicker to turn the pages. I use a little tablet top stand for my phone. It is great for taking calls while I am working at my desk (and it might make a couple rounds of Mahjong more comfortable, too).
My husband benefits because I move way less, no light from the bedside table, and no turning pages to wake him up at some unreasonable hour. It is the gift that keeps on giving. The steel neck on my e-reader stand is strong and flexible, making it easy to wind up and put away when you want to, but why would you want to?
The Wonderboom Speaker Follows Me Everywhere
This is a gift the whole family can enjoy. I use my Wonderboom speaker all the time. I take it outside when I am working in the garden to listen to a good mystery book like The Housemaid, or to the kitchen while we make breakfast, listening to Gregory Alan Isakov with the family. My favorite place to use it is in the bathroom, where I listen to a book while I take a long soak in the tub with some delicious soothing salt soaks from Flewd. (If you are looking for gift ideas – I am trying to help you out as much as possible.)
Essential Reader Gifts Support Their Physical Existence
Gotta Stay Hydrated and Have Lots of Options
Every reader needs cozy drinks for the journey. I love this little cup with the funky handle and a lid to keep your beverage warm (and to keep ladybugs out if you live out in the country, like I do).
Another essential reader gift is a huge tumbler. After all, water tastes better when it is a bookish-themed tumbler. Everyone has their preferences, and the BIG-name brands cost more, but that makes them a great gift for the reader who can then spend their spare cash on books.
I have my water favorite bottles at my bedside and desk. I love BKR water bottles because they are all glass, so I can add essential oils if I want to. BKR bottles are made sturdy with a silicone sleeve for easy grip. I’ve ordered replacement bottles and sleeves in a new color to reduce waste. I’ve had the same three bottles for years, so they are worth the expense.
Reader Gifts to Keep Them Comfy
Reading in bed is a delight like none other. The house is quiet, no worries about being interrupted. It is a peak reading experience, but it can be less than comfortable if you don’t have the support you need. If I could list a couch-shaped headboard, that would be at the top of this list. Short of that, an adjustable wedge pillow is a great gift for a late-night reader.
Mine is a two-part set, but this handy set on Amazon is a three-part set that velcros in place for a secure hold. It offers flexibility, so you can prop your feet or head over to the couch. The main pillow has a built-in handle to make it easy to set up your space.
Give Them a Reading Buddy
If you think a weighted cow is silly, I would totally understand. Then, I snuggled under my grandsons’ weighted dragon and was completely sold on the idea of a weighted buddy. My kids gave me a weighted Highland cow for Christmas, and I absolutely love it. It is ridiculous! I was the NO-stuffed-animal mom, so it is truly insane that my kids gifted me a stuffed animal, but grandkids change a person.
This weighted reading buddy is now my essential reader gift. Mine has a removable pouch that can be frozen or microwaved to provide added comfort. The pouch has a reactive indicator that shows when it is too hot, which is great for younger readers. There are so many options. My grandkids have dinos and dragons, but I saw so many varieties. A great option to personalize to your book lovers’ favorite creature.
More Essential Reader Gifts They Will Appreciate
A couple of extra essential reader gifts that they will immediately love you for.
- Sticky Notes for Annotations
- Colorful and Beautiful Pens
- Slippers that Won’t Kill You on the Stairs
- A Tote Bag with Books in Mind
- Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb (a enthralling series with gift possibilities for a whole year plus!))
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach, a hilarious read for anyone who is stressed out
Loving a reader is easy. Showing it only takes a couple of clicks.
You really don’t need a reason to grab a little something to show them you see them and support their book habit. What would make you top the list of essential reader gifts?
Send me a DM on Instagram @bookhousereads, and I’ll add it to the list.
