A book is always a great gift … especially if you take the time to match the recipient’s taste in fiction or nonfiction. Suddenly, your thoughtfulness becomes part of the gift. Whether your relatives or friends are interested in the Civil War, literature, romance novels, westerns, paranormal fiction, railroads, guns, cooking, collecting old comic books, antique automobiles, or anything else, there's always a book that will bring a smile to their face.
I'm giving my granddaughter a unique gift this year. She's twelve and wrote a short story as a class assignment. The six thousand word story received a 100% from her teacher. My gift is that I published it on Amazon as a 5X8 paperback and a Kindle book. She'll be surprised to find the paperback in her stocking on Christmas morning. Cool, huh?
I'm giving my granddaughter a unique gift this year. She's twelve and wrote a short story as a class assignment. The six thousand word story received a 100% from her teacher. My gift is that I published it on Amazon as a 5X8 paperback and a Kindle book. She'll be surprised to find the paperback in her stocking on Christmas morning. Cool, huh?
The episode reminded me that the most popular post on this blog is my Top 10 Tips on book gift giving. I decided it needed updating ... so here are my twelve tips.
Top Dozen Tips for Book Gift Giving
Top Dozen Tips for Book Gift Giving
- There are books about every hobby and interest in the world. Picking the right book shows you care.
- Write a personal message on the flyleaf that won't get tossed out like last year's Christmas card.
- Write surprise messages in the margin of random pages.
- Search out an author signing for your recipient’s favorite author, or give a collector’s version of the recipient’s favorite book.
- If you need professional help or want something unique, shop at an independent or specialty bookstore.
- If you subscribe to Amazon Prime then shipping is free, or mail books early to take advantage of media class at the Post Office.
- Give a book as a piece of art, like a fine print book, unique coffee table book, favorite book as a child, or collectible cover art.
- Make a highly personal photo book with ShutterFly or Apple Photos.
- Give a bookseller gift card for e-book and audio book enthusiasts.
- College students will appreciate a gift card for their campus bookstore. For fun, you can put it inside a trash novel.
- Tuck crisp currency into the flyleaf as a bookmark.
- If your friend or relative already owns piles of books, give a unique set of book ends to hold them in their proper place.
Children's books are also great gifts. We search for
autographed storybooks for our grandkids. Bookstores always have children book
signings around the holidays, and this is one area where we join the crowd. The
icing on the cake is that we get to read from one of these books when we visit.
Books are a great entertainment value. They provide hour
upon hour of personal pleasure, and then they can be passed on to another
person. What could be better?
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| You might even gift one of these. |
