Annie
23rd Nov 2025
Reading Time: 14 minutes
The recent boom in reading – led by the romantasy, romance, and YA crowd thanks to series like Fourth Wing and the Hunger Games and the rise of Booktok, shows no sign of slowing down. And that means it’s likely you’ve got an avid reader on your Christmas gift list. We’ve rounded up the best gifts for book lovers this year – which feels particularly apt, as 2026 is officially the Year of Reading. Whatever your budget, you can spoil your bookish loved one with these presents for readers.
Gifts for Book Lovers Under £100
Book Lover Gifts Under £10
Whether you want to fill a stocking with small reader gifts, or have an avid reader as your office Secret Santa, these gifts are affordable for every budget and will always be appreciated by book lovers.
Bookmarks
Everyone loves a funny, sweet, or nerdy bookmark. They’re so inexpensive, it’s easy to find one for just a couple of quid that really suits the tastes or in-jokes between you and the recipient. And don’t worry: readers can never have too many bookmarks.
Book Themed Keyrings
Much like bookmarks, keyrings are great small gifts for stocking fillers, or to send with a Christmas card in the post, or as an extra little gift to go with something else. Etsy has a huge range of keyrings available to choose from.
Sticky Notes, Book Darts, and Highlighter Tape
If you know a reader who likes to annotate their books, they will love it if you get them sticky notes, book darts, or highlighter tape for their books. These make it easy to create colour-coded references or easy-to-spot lines when flicking through for a favourite quote. Most stationery stores like Papier will have them, or look online.
Pens and Notepads
For the scribblers out there, pens and notebooks are never unwanted gifts! Many readers like to take notes about their book, to reflect on what they’ve read (or to prepare to write up reviews).
While there are loads to choose from, such as budget-friendly options at The Works or luxury items from Papier, you could also consider making custom pens and notebooks for them. VistaPrint has some custom print options with no minimum order limit, so you can design a pen, notebook, or even t-shirt or blanket with the design that you feel reflects your reader friend the best.
Book Light
While most e-readers come with a backlight, some don’t – and some people prefer paperbacks, anyway. A book light makes a great stocking stuffer and they’re easy to find for under a tenner. Check out The Works or Waterstones (or your local independent bookshop), or shop online.
Cosy Drinks
When you sit down for an afternoon of reading, it’s important to stay hydrated. So, pick a festive tea from Bird & Blend like their Mince Pie Chai or Snowball Tea, or find the recipient’s favourite coffee blend, to give them a tasty warming drink to enjoy their book with.
For something more indulgent, you could give them a hot chocolate gift set like the ones available from Whittards and Knoops. This turns a comfortable reading afternoon into a truly luxury experience that they’ll savour.
Reading Snacks
Just like hot drinks, one needs snacks for sustenance! If you’re giving someone a book for Christmas, consider bundling it with their favourite snacks. Chocolate is a winner with most people, while others prefer gourmet popcorn.
Divine Chocolate does a great bundle of their delicious ethical chocolate bars with coffee, which makes for a great gift to go with a book (or two!).
E-Reader or Tablet Grip
E-readers can get heavy or awkward to hold after a while, and some people are also more clumsy than others. A Pop Socket is always a good choice to make it easy to hold an e-reader, while others prefer tablet straps that let you slide your hand in so you’re not likely to drop the tablet.
Stickers
There’s a HUGE trend for bookish stickers by a large number of keen readers, especially those who like to decorate either reading scrapbooks and trackers, or their e-reader. Find out what their favourite genre is and look for related stickers (or, once again, make your own custom ones with a platform like VistaPrint!).
Book Sleeves
Ideal for both e-readers and paperbacks (sometimes also hardbacks if they’re large enough), book sleeves are the equivalent of a case for your laptop. They protect books from getting all dog-eared when they’re in a bag, making them a perfect present for someone who likes to read when they commute or go travelling.
Candles
Candles are a great way to create a cosy reading atmosphere, especially in the darker post-Christmas days. We’re always big fans of Yankee Candle and Woodwick Candle here at MoneyMagpie, which come in a massive range of scents and sizes.
But you can also search online for ‘literary candles’ or ‘bookish candles’ and there will be loads of options to find a candle that is called something like ‘smells like a library’ or with reference to a book title like ‘Smells like Mr Darcy Walking Across a Flowery Meadow’ (yes, really).
Reader Gifts Under £50
For a slightly bigger budget, try one of these book lover gifts under £50.
E-Reader Case
E-readers are expensive, but they’re often thrown in bags for the daily commute or dropped by accident. A protective e-reader case is the perfect gift for a book lover. Find out what model of e-reader they use, or opt for a universal one to make sure it fits.
You can choose a sleep-case style, which includes a flap that covers and protects the screen when it’s not in use. Or, look for a silicone cover that goes on the back to improve grip and protect the corners. (Side note, if your book lover is also a sticker lover, clear cases are the best because they can change their stickers in and out at whim).
Bookish Jewellery
True literary lovers will thoroughly enjoy having some book-related jewellery. If you know their favourite book or book series, search for related jewellery online. Or, look for more general jewellery like book-shaped earrings.
Book Themed Clothing
Along the same lines, bookish clothing can be a big hit with avid readers. Some shops, like Joanie, have a wide range of items such as bookshelf-printed dresses and cardigans. Or, choose something like a Jane Austen hoodie or a Dungeon Crawler Carl t-shirt.
E-Reader Stand
We’ve covered the on-device grips like Pop Sockets, but the hands-free option is always another route to take. A goose-neck e-reader stand that attaches to a table or bed headboard makes it easy to read without having to hold the device all the time. You can also get tablet snack trays, which are fun all-in-one designs to hold your e-reader hands-free while also having a useful spot for your snack.
For those who are likely to use their e-reader for serious, day-to-day, regular reading and notes, such as students, consider a more heavy-duty option like those available from Twelve South. These are very durable and handy for tablets (sometimes also laptops) as well as phones and e-readers. The new Curve Mini is portable as it folds flat, and is highly adjustable too.
E-Reader Page Turner
If you’re going for a hands-free stand, consider pairing it with an e-reader page turner. This means they won’t have to keep leaning forward to swipe for the next page, which is perfect if they like to read while toasty warm under the covers. Speaking of which…
Blanket
We’re nothing if not cosy loving people here at MoneyMagpie. That’s why we strongly suggest popping over to the Fine Bedding Company to nab a Night Lark coverless duvet, which is the purest and comfiest luxury for every reading day on the sofa or in bed. They’re warm and cosy, but also light and easy to wash.
Or for something more traditional, check out The Wool Room, which has a huge range of ethically made beautiful blankets that will suit any reader and any home style.
Bookshop Gift Cards
Alright, this one could technically go in any category on this list! Because you can buy gift cards from as little as £10 to as much as you want. They make a perfect gift for when you’re worried about giving a reader a book they’ve already read, plus it gives them the joy of shopping for more books.
Gifts for Book Lovers Under £100
If you’ve got a bigger budget or want to spoil someone special, consider one of these gifts for the book lover in your life.
Annual Reading Subscriptions
If you know that your gift recipient uses Kindle Unlimited or Kobo Plus, you can gift them a subscription to enjoy reading throughout 2026. For Kobo, you need to buy the gift card which can be redeemed against the subscription, while Kindle can be gifted direct.
Some readers prefer magazines and newspapers, which is where Readly makes a great option for a gift card. At the time of writing, you could save up to 38% on an annual Readly subscription with a gift card. Also, remember to point your recipient to our exclusive two-month free trial link, which means they can extend your gift by a further two months for free.
Headphones
Whether your giftee is an avid audiobook lover or simply wants to listen to music while they read, headphones are in almost every reader’s wishlist. Look for ones with great noise cancelling for those who like to read in busy places or have loud households, while bone conduction ones like the Creative Outlier Free or the Free Pro+ headphones leave the outside noise open for safety while still being able to listen on-the-go. For those that prefer individual ear buds, the OpenRock S2 are a solid favourite of MoneyMagpie, (and the black ones are on sale for Black Friday at just £28.99 instead of £79.99).
A Bookshelf
There’s no such thing as too many books! … Unless you’ve run out of storage space. A beautiful bookcase or bookshelf could be just what your book lover needs for Christmas (just remember to measure up the space for larger bookcases first). Add some stunning bookends to finish it off, too!
Book-Related Games
Whether you want to pick up a literary jigsaw, a trivia card game about someone’s favourite author or genre, or find a Pride and Prejudice board game, there’s a huge range of toy-related options for book lovers. You could even find a LEGO set linked to their favourite books, like the Lord of the Rings LEGO sets – which can suit any budget. For those with a love of Harry Potter, the GoChess Wizard Mini by Particula is a great example of a luxury book-related game gift that they’ll treasure forever thanks to its usability, repeatability, and craftsmanship. (We’ve snuck it in although it’s over the budget range for this gift list, because – like LEGO – we wanted to show you that there are some bookish games for EVERY budget).
E-Reader Gifts for Avid Readers
E-Readers are the device of choice for many keen readers and bookish people, because the screen is designed to be easy on the eyes for reading for a long time. It also means there isn’t so much distraction with notifications going off all the time, like on your iPad or phone, and you can carry thousands of books on one device which has a weeks-long charge.
There are lots of different e-readers out there on the market. Rather than look at each one, we’ve chosen to break down the three main competitors and which reader might like them the best.
Kindle E-Readers
Kindle is by far the most popular e-reader, and it’s part of the Amazon universe. here are three main models: Kindle, Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Colorsoft, and Kindle Scribe.
Most people go for the Kindle base model (6″ screen) or the Paperwhite (7″ screen) which also has a backlight to make it easy to read in darker conditions. These are smaller screens, very light, and the most popular models.
The Kindle Colorsoft is quite new, and is also a 7″ screen. But it uses e-ink colour technology, so you can see book covers and illustrations in colour. This is best for those readers who love to read manga and graphic novels.
The Kindle Scribe is a crossover e-reader and e-ink tablet (like the ReMarkable Paper Pro). It’s much larger at 10.2″ and can be used as a digital notebook. It’s more suited to students who want to be able to write notes on their books while they study than someone who wants to have a convenient take-anywhere compact e-reader. It’s also the most expensive, at £379.99 compared to the base model at £94.99 (£259.99 and £69.99 in the Black Friday Sale, respectively).
There are also the Kindle Kids options, in both 6″, 7″ and colour types, starting from £114.99 (£74.99 for Black Friday), come with a choice of covers, and include six months of the Kids Unlimited (£4.99 a month thereafter if you choose to renew the subscription). They also have a Parental Dashboard, so you can set controls on what your child is reading. Also, the Kids Kindles don’t come with any adverts.
MoneyMagpie is on Kindle! Check out the first eBook in our new straight-talking money series, Everything You Need to Know About Pensions. Available as an eBook to buy or to read with a Kindle Unlimited Subscription.
Kindle Pros:
- You can access a massive library of exclusive books through Kindle Unlimited
- This is the only major e-reader brand that has a child-specific range, which is a great way to encourage younger children to read and also keep an eye on what they’re choosing to read with the Parental Dashboard.
Kindle Cons:
- Not everything is in Kindle Unlimited, so readers may still need to purchase ebooks.
- Kindle is a closed-loop design, which means it only uses the Kindle app and you can’t access other apps such as Libby or Hoopla for library borrowing (in the UK – the US allows this).
- If an author removes their book from Kindle or Kindle Unlimited, your book will come off your Kindle, too. That’s because your purchase is only the licence to borrow and not own the book.
- You have to pay extra (usually about £10) to buy a Kindle that doesn’t serve adverts on the lock screen.
- Many users find the Kindle app interface frustrating to use, as it will push promoted books at the top rather than the books in your library.
Kobo E-Readers
Kobo has been around for a while but more people are turning to it as they want to get away from the closed-loop system of Kindle. This has been a marked move in 2025, because Kindle stopped the ability for people to download their books from their Kindle, essentially meaning if anything was no longer published, it disappears from their Kindle. Kobo allows you to move your files freely.
There are two popular Kobo e-readers: the Kobo Clara and Kobo Libra. The Clara comes in black and white (£129) or colour (£149), and the Libra comes in colour (£209.99 but £179.99 for Black Friday). The main difference between the Clara and the Libra is the size, with the Libra slightly bigger – and it also has page-turn buttons. These buttons are what make most people opt for the Libra, because older e-readers used to have buttons but most are touchscreen-only, and many readers like to still have the physical buttons to press.
You can also choose the Kobo Sage, which is a bit larger at 8″ for the screen, and also has the physical buttons like the Libra. Finally, the Kobo Elipsa 2E is much like the Kindle Scribe, ReMarkable Paper Pro and other e-ink tablets, at 10.2″ with a stylus and notetaking functions. The Elipsa is usually £349.99 but is on sale for Black Friday at £299.99.
Kobo Pros:
- Kobo doesn’t have an exclusivity clause, which means you can find books from wide-published authors that won’t be in Kindle Unlimited.
- They have Kobo Plus, which works like Kindle Unlimited, with unlimited borrowing. But you can choose whether you want an ebook or audiobook-only subscription (£8.99/month) or a combined subscription (£11.99/month).
- For those who currently use services like Audible, which allow only one ebook per month at £5.99/month or £8.99/month to access some podcasts or their unlimited (but limited) library, the Kobo Plus price is a steal. That’s because you can get unlimited audiobook listening for the same cost as a single audiobook of choice on Audible.
- One of Kobo’s huge selling points is that you can use Overdrive apps – that’s Libby, Hoopla, and BorrowBox – which UK libraries use. This means you can still access books from authors exclusive to Kindle Unlimited, if you request their ebook from your library through the Overdrive app.
- There are also no pushy adverts on the Kobo.
Kobo Cons:
- While Kobo is growing fast, Amazon’s Kindle exclusivity clause does mean you might not find every author you want to read on there.
- You don’t have to have Kobo Plus (just as you don’t HAVE to have a Kindle Unlimited subscription, if you only read a book a month or less), but books – particularly audiobooks – can be pricier outside of the subscription compared to other sites.
- There are no children-specific Kobos.
Boox E-Readers
Boox is a sneaky competitor to the Kindle and Kobo, and growing in popularity, for one major reason: it operates on Android. This means you can have Kindle, Kobo, AND Overdrive library apps all on one device.
The Boox Note Air 4C is a large tablet designed for students, similar to the Kindle Scribe and ReMarkable. But there are smaller versions, like the Boox Palma2, or the newer colour version Boox Palma2 Pro which is (as you might guess) palm-sized, as it’s not much larger than a mobile phone. Yet it offers a wide range of apps and functionality thanks to its Android operating system. The Boox Tablet Go Color 7th Gen is similar to the colour Kindle Scribe, but significantly cheaper and offers far more functionality on the Android system.
Boox Pros:
- Boox running on Android is the massive competition-winning element of e-readers, for those who want real flexibility with their book reading and note taking.
- There are several different sizes, from pocket-size to tablet-size, so there’s something for every type of reader.
- Most importantly, perhaps, is that the price is comparable or even cheaper than other e-readers on the market.
- Built-in microphones mean you can listen to audiobooks directly from the device (Kobo and Kindle need external speakers or headphones).
Boox Cons:
- The battery life is arguably shorter than a Kindle or Kobo, but that’s largely because the operating system means you’re more likely to be using it for other functions than reading, such as checking the internet or your email.
- And that, possibly, is the biggest downside: if you (or your gift recipient) is easily distracted, the Boox might not be the best choice. Kindle and Kobo stay firmly within reading realms, while Boox e-readers span the middle space between e-reader and tablet, offering more opportunity for distraction.
- Similarly, running on Android means parental controls are more complex (and knowledgable kids might find workarounds) compared to the Kindle Kids options.
ReMarkable E-Ink Tablets
A quick extra mention for ReMarkable tablets. These aren’t specifically e-readers, but e-ink tablets. However, if you’re considering a Kindle Scribe or a larger Boox e-ink tablet, it’s worth weighing up the ReMarkable options against them, too.
ReMarkable was the first big player for e-ink screens, and that means its tech feels more advanced than other options. The price tag definitely reflects this, but there’s a quality to the build that reassures the user it’ll last for years.
More importantly, ReMarkable has just launched the ReMarkable Paper Pro Move, which is a much smaller hand-sized e-ink tablet to rival other e-readers in size. Transferring files can be more manual than, for example, using apps natively on the Boox options. But the palm-sized e-ink reader definitely comes with the distraction-free elements of other e-readers and the note-taking tablet power of the larger Boox options.
Save Money on E-Readers
A final note, because we know that e-readers might be a desired gift but not in everyone’s budget.
Getting refurbished Kobos, Kindles and Boox e-readers and tablets is a great way to save money on even the latest models, and can be done directly from their respective websites. Or, check out shops like CEX to get nearly-new e-readers for a reduced price (even better if you have any old tech to trade in for a CEX voucher to spend on the e-reader).
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