Spotlighting the best gifts of the season year after year isn’t easy. It has to be thoughtful, considering the unique personality of the gift recipient — as in: Something they want and will use. Here, we've rounded up a gift list of our bookworm bests, including a Scribd gift subscription, to furnish a cozy reading nook and help the reader in your life be well-equipped to read anytime, anywhere. We’ve focused on options from small, mission-driven businesses, as well as some reading-based charities worth supporting.
If the reader in your life has the tendency to get so engrossed in a book they can’t put it down, consider the Aquapac waterproof tablet case. This waterproof case allows them to read while leisurely soaking in a bath, or while sitting by the pool, at the beach, or on a boat.
For the voracious reader who goes through books like water, a Scribd gift subscription offers access to millions of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, podcasts, and sheet music — all on a smartphone or tablet. It's literally the gift that keeps on giving because they can read to their heart’s content anytime, anywhere. Looking for a wrapped gift to complement a subscription? We recommend the Papier notebook with a few suggestions for great reads from Scribd written inside.
For the always-connected avid reader who listens to audiobooks or reads Scribd on-the-go, this convenient wireless charging mat is a gamechanger for keeping phones, tablets, and wireless headphones charged. It’s simple and sleek andt seamlessly fits anywhere in your home.
We love these glasses from Genusee for their serious style points and because they can help ease the strain of too much blue light exposure from screens. We also love that these sustainable frames are made in Flint, Michigan, with 100% post-consumer recycled water bottles. Every set of frames upcycles 15 single-use water bottles and creates jobs for citizens in Flint.
For readers who live for audiobooks, the TUMI Airpod Holder is designed to keep Airpods safe and easy to access, thanks to a tiny carabiner clip. Quickly stash Airpods while navigating the train station or airport, then access them easily when it’s time to get back into that audiobook.
To keep track of finished books and jot down notes the old-fashioned way, consider this higher-end version of a composition book. It’s made with upcycled leather and can also be monogrammed, giving it a personalized and luxurious feel while still being an utterly practical gift.
This candle from Convival is made with a mug as its base, so when the candle is used up, what’s left is a fabulous ceramic coffee mug. The simple-yet-gorgeous white mug is handcrafted by female ceramicists in Kansas City, Missouri, and filled with a soy candle wax scented with essential oils. Choose between winter fir, teakwood clove, lavender seed, honeysuckle vine, anjou pear, and tobacco cedar — all wonderful aromatherapy backdrops for curling up with a great read.
An alternative reading nook ambiance enhancer to candles is an essential oil diffuser. With its own line of essential oils, Vitruvi also provides the perfect stocking stuffer to go with its diffusers. If your bookworm is a fan of tropical vacations and reading by the beach, opt for Retreat, a grapefruit and eucalyptus blend that has serious cabana vibes.
Every reader needs a good side table, and this one from Yamazaki Home is perfect for the apartment-dweller who doesn't have much space to spare. Designed for reading, its clever setup allows users to slide the base under a sofa, pulling the table part over the arm of the sofa to create the optimal ergonomic spot to balance your e-reader or tablet, and possibly a snack or cup of tea. When not in use, the side table can tuck into any small corner, since the surface is only 13.8" x 13.8".
You might fall so much in love with this knit throw blanket that you end up ordering one as a gift and another for yourself. This cozy throw blanket is the perfect size to curl up under on a chilly day with a good book. Plus, it's made with 100% organic cotton and is both organic and Fair Trade certified. Bonus: It's also machine washable.
We love this Around the Way mug from Blk + Bkish, a brand that makes beautiful literary merch for literary Black folx. It's the perfect gift for a tea or coffee lover, and a great reminder that occasionally, we just need to sit down with a steaming mug and a good book. (Note: The design for this mug can also be printed on t-shirts, totes, or pillows.)
Speaking of coffee… For the java-loving reader who is always trying to do the right thing, coffee beans from Temple Coffee is a no-brainer. A small roaster that believes in three pillars of sustainability — social, economical, and environmental — Temple Coffee also pays above Fair Trade wages. We love the Honduran Three Pillars Blend.Give a single bag or opt for a weekly or monthly subscription.
Fireside fig? Smoked chai? Blueberry basil? For the tea-drinker who loves a good book, consider a cozy present like a trio of teas from the sibling-owned Wight Tea company. In addition to the more adventurous blends, the company also has staples like Earl Gray and matcha, and all come in chic tins that make them gift-worthy.
Donations to book-loving charities
For the person who already has it all, consider donating to a book-focused charity in their name as your gift this season. A few suggestions:
- First Book Marketplace: First Book believes that education can help children escape poverty. Founded in 1992, the charity has since delivered 200 million books to programs and schools serving children from low-income communities in all 50 states, as well as provinces in Canada.
- Book Aid: Every year, Book Aid sends one million books around the world to public libraries, community libraries, schools, universities, refugee camps, hospitals, and prisons to offer people opportunities to learn and grow.
- Book Trust: Book Trust works with schools in low-income areas to ensure children have access to books, and, equally important, gives them the opportunity to choose the books they actually want to read.
- 826 National: Reading and writing go hand-in-hand, and 826 is the largest youth writing network in the country, helping thousands of students gain access to the power of the pen each year.
- Girls Write Now: This NYC-based mentoring organization helps give girls and gender-expansive teens a voice. This diverse group has access to mentoring programs that are rooted in social-emotional learning and the organization has succeeded in delivering real-world, tangible results.
Donations to charities loved by Scribd authors
- Kaitlyn Greenidge: New York Writers' Coalition
- Bill McKibben: Third Act
- Jackie Woodson: Baldwin For The Arts
- Kiese Laymon: The Catherine Coleman Literary Arts & Justice Initiative
- Jess Walter: Spark Central
- Chuck Palahniuk: Pixie Project
- Myriam Gurba: Giovanni's Room
- Kurt Eichenwald: Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy
- R. Eric Thomas: Free State Justice
- Hampton Sides: Kitchen Angels
- Scott Simon: Gift of Adoption Fund
- Bonnie Tsui: Fair Fight Action
- Todd Balf: Chordoma Foundation
