My Gift Guide for Book Lovers
Or some idea for your own Christmas list...
Gift guides are everywhere, but I’ve yet to see one on my feed that isn’t filled with #ad #prproduct #ownbrand, and certainly not a literary one. I thought I’d share some of my favourite gifts for readers, in case you’re looking for a thoughtful Christmas present for your book-loving friend, relation or partner. I’ve divided them into five categories — subscriptions, magazines, collections, courses and titles — and if my maths is correct, there should be about 36 ideas for you to consider. I’d also love to be given any of them myself, in case you’re looking!
Subscriptions and Book Clubs
One of the best gifts for a voracious reader, a book subscription will give them multiple books throughout the year, and they’ll think of you each time they receive one.
Fitzcarraldo Editions subscription
I gave the essay subscription to my sister in 2020 and she keeps asking for it again. I’ve mentioned Fitzcarraldo a few times on here, but their books really are among the best. Bringing literary writing to the commercial market, their distinctive white and blue covers (for non fiction and fiction, respectively) are both thought-provoking and quite sexy. You can buy a separate fiction or essay subscription or a combined one, and there are five options of between four or twenty books a year. The subscriptions also include invitations to publishing events and launch parties.
This is one of my favourite gifts for book-loving friends and I now quite fancy one for myself, having heard about some of the clever choices made by the booksellers at the gorgeous Mr B’s Emporium in Bath. You fill in a questionnaire about your reading tastes, and the team then sends you an email with their suggested choice each month. If you’ve read it before or don’t fancy it, they’ll suggest a different book, which they’ll wrap and send to you. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!
Heywood Hill’s A Year in Books
For an even more generous version of the above, Heywood Hill have a wide range of ‘Year in Books’ gifts, from bedtime stories or London specific titles to the eye-wateringly expensive, limited edition tailored quarterly selection, which provides the lucky recipient with forty custom-picked choices every year. Maybe I should start offering this service myself, at £1200 a pop!
Toppings and Co is one of my most-loved bookshops and I really rate their selections. They have a wonderful selection of signed first editions in store, and I think their Signed Fiction Club could be quite a nice present for a friend who likes to read contemporary fiction. At £22.99, this feels less personal and possibly less worth it than just gifting a box of new novels yourself (and I can definitely tell you which new publications to look out for!), but it’s still so lovely to get a new hardback in the post every month.
Rare Birds Book Club Rolling Subscription
This one would be great for ‘edgier’ readers who prefer rare or forgotten books to contemporary bestsellers or who are curious about getting out of their comfort zone. It’s a rolling subscription at £15 a month, or you can buy a 3, 6 or 9 month subscription as a gift. You get sent two summaries to choose between but aren’t shown the titles, and there’s also an active online book club where readers discuss the books.
This might be top of my own Christmas list. I love Charco press, who exclusively publish translations of novels by Latin American authors. Their books have a distinctive look, slim little volumes with colourful covers, and the writing is literary and urgent. You can buy the full list of every title they are publishing in 2025 as well as bundles from previous years.
Magazines
A literary magazine is another really nice idea for someone who reads a lot, as they’re likely to enjoy reading about books and culture as well. It can also be a nice digital gift for someone who travels a lot or has too many books in their home.
The LRB is a perfect gift for loved ones who are interested in literature but also politics, philosophy and the arts. If you buy a subscription as a Christmas present, you can also pay an extra £6.99 to get the Xmas gift issue so you have something to give them on the day.
A New Yorker subscription is one of the best presents out there. With a weekly issue, I actually found the print subscription too much to keep on top of, but I really love my digital subscription, which I like to download and read on the tube.
Separate to Granta Books, the quarterly magazine publishes the best new literary writing, usually around a particular theme. At £50 for one year, a Granta print subscription is a great present for literary readers who like a mix of essays, fiction, poetry and art.
The TLS describes itself as “the world’s leading magazine for culture and new ideas”, so this could be a good present for someone who likes reading reviews, essays and staying on top of current trends and topics. They review over 1500 books a year, which is incredibly impressive!
Series and Collections
There are some wonderful new collections out at the moment, and this could be a lovely gift for a book lover. These ones would all look fab on their bookshelves.
The winner of the 2024 Nobel Prize in Literature, Han Kang is a remarkable writer. Granta have recently reissued her three novels, translated from the Korean by Deborah Smith, which would look very striking on a chic, literary reader’s bookshelf.
Faber has quite a clever Members program. It’s free to join, and then gives you access to exclusive editions of classic works, member events, tailored discounts and much more. The recent reissues of their bestsellers are really gorgeous, and only available for Faber Members, although I wish they had all of the Sally Rooney novels in this collection!
The industry went crazy when the new cover designs for Sarah Waters’ backlist were revealed earlier this year. This could be a great gift for someone who loves gothic literature or historical fiction.
The Collins Modern Classics are another gorgeous series which would make a great present. There are around thirty HarperCollins titles in this collection of most significant books of recent times, each with a beautiful and distinctive cover design, and you get 40% off when you buy three of the Modern Classics titles together.
There are 103 books in the Penguin Clothbound Classic series, and you can buy three for £33. I like this one as you can select the titles you think your recipient will like the most, from Homer to Hardy and so much more. You can also buy collections of Dickens, Bronte and Austen novels, which is quite a nice gift.
Another striking collection, Daunt Publishing have recently reissued several of Natalia Ginzberg’s novels, with new introductions by authors including Sally Rooney, Alexander Chee and Natasha Brown. You can buy the individual titles or a bundle of three of the novels from Daunt Books. There are some other great bundles on their website, including The Motherhood Bundle, The New Fiction Bundle and the How Art Can Change Your Life Bundle.
Jane Austen Special Anniversary Editions
There’s a wonderful new Jane Austen collection by Macmillan Collectors Library, published this month to celebrate the 250th anniversary of her birth. The pocket-sized hardback books are bound in cloth with foiling, sprayed edges and a ribbon marker. I can’t find a place where you can buy the full collection together, but you can get each of the titles on the Macmillan website.
Courses
These might be more suited for writers than readers, but I thought I’d throw in a few courses for those who like to give experiences to others.
Faber Academy has a range of creative writing courses available in London, Newcastle and online, from one-day introductory workshops to year-long advanced courses. I think one of the ‘Start to Write’ beginners courses would make a great gift for someone in your life who loves to write but doesn’t know where to start. If they’re a little further along in their project, Faber also offers services like manuscript assessments (although I can also offer these!) and mentoring.
An Arvon gift voucher is another nice idea. A £40 voucher will pay for a two-hour masterclass with an acclaimed writer, or for £450 you can give them a five-week evening course. How generous!
Curtis Brown Creative Bootcamp
Similarly, Curtis Brown Creative is a great writing school which I’d recommend for first-time authors. There are a range of different gift vouchers, covering the cost of courses from a thirty-day writing bootcamp to a six-week How to Write Your Novel series. There are sessions with authors like Marian Keyes and David Nicholls, as well as workshops for writers hoping to get an agent.
I’m asking for this again this year. Masterclass is a great gift as the platform offers video courses in a huge range of subjects, not just writing. That said, I’d love to do Margaret Atwood, David Sedaris and Salman Rushdie’s series on creative writing and story telling.
The Mslexia Salon is a virtual space with events, resources and a members-only community of women who write. It’s £18 a year but you have to be a subscriber to the Mslexia Magazine — you can gift both for £52.75, so it’s a nice double present.
The BBC’s version of Masterclass, Maestro has courses on a range of subjects, from business to wellness. You can take courses from writers including Carol Ann Duffy, Lee Child and Jojo Moyes, each with around 4.5 hours of material.
Titles
There are so many books I could suggest if you’re looking for a few new publications to send to an avid reader, but here are ten I’d be thrilled to receive this Christmas.
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
She’s Always Hungry by Eliza Clark
The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
Dear Dickhead by Virginie Despentes
The Last Dream by Pedro Almóvodar
I’ve also added them to a wishlist here, just to make things easier. Please try to support your local bookstores, rather than buying books from Amazon!
Have you done your Christmas shopping yet? Let me know if you use any of these ideas or if you’d like some more personalised recommendations for a special recipient. I’m always happy to help :)