We all have at least one of those people in our lives. The ones who are just dying to tell the restaurant server about the menu typos or who can talk for hours about what the Fifty Shades of Grey series has done to the world of fiction. (Hint: it’s not good.)
We love these people. They’re book snobs. Why not help them show it off?
Check out just a few gifts and crafts perfect for those who make us smarter simply by association.
1. Literary-inspired apparel
At Litographs.com, each item is designed using only the words from your favorite novels. Now when you spill mustard on your shirt, you can linger and read the scene where Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett meet for the first time.
Looking for what to wear on your lower half? Check out this skirt, tights, and socks.
2. Book clutch
Dont’ be intimidated by the high price tags on Kate Spade’s book cover clutches from a few years ago. I’ve seen quite a few clutches made from actual books on Etsy.
But if you’re feeling crafty, make your own! Thicker hardcover book spines make great homes-on-the-go for your phone and credit cards.
3. Jewelry
The last time I wore a pin might have been when I was in the sixth grade safety patrol, proudly seeing young students through suburban intersections. But for these I think I may have to invest in a pin-worthy outfit.
Made by laser-cutting outdated books, these adorable, delicate pins are pretty impressive.
4. Infinity scarves and gloves
When’s the last time Edgar Allen Poe or Frances Hodgson Burnett infinitely graced your neck? Odds are, it’s been too long.
Check out Etsy shop Storiarts for smart scarves and fingerless gloves — essentials for typing away in too-chilly coffee shops. (My pick: these Sherlock Holmes writing gloves.)
5. Book clock
Apparently, it takes about $10 and a few hours — at most — to make a clock out of your favorite book. Talk about a great gift! If you use a hardcover of Tales of Terror: 58 Short Stories Chosen by the Master of Suspense by Alfred Hitchcock, you can put the clock’s center at about Hitchcock’s nose.
6. Book lamp
If you’re going full hipster with a side of steampunk, you should definitely read these instructions on how to make a book table lamp. The top book will be the most visible, so pick a good one.
If you’re feeling 25 percent less hipster, consider taking a plain lampshade and using Mod Podge or another adhesive to layer on pages from your favorite books. The end result might be even better than the Anthropologie lamp that inspired the DIY.
7. Wedding gear
Forget about the blushing couple: pages from your favorite books can be the focus of your special day with beautiful centerpieces, garlands, mobiles, luminaries, and backdrops.
Just make sure to say “I Do” to your significant other, not to the stack of books just behind him or her. Need more ideas? You got it.
8. Shower curtains
You see your shower curtain at least once a day, so why not have one that reminds you of your love of reading? Choose from titles like To the Lighthouse, Moby Dick, The Great Gatsby, Madeline, and others at Overstock.com. I’d settle with this homage to Harry Potter, though.
9. Blankets and throws
Sometimes you just want to stay in and snuggle with your favorite book. Right now I’m reading the Outlander series (don’t judge!) and always have my favorite fuzzy brown blanket nearby.
But if you’re a two birds/one stone kind of person, consider a duvet cover designed using text from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. By the time you’re finished reading the snippet, you might already be asleep!
10. Plates and napkins
Restoration Hardware’s Literary Collection offers cocktail plates, napkins, and coasters with quotes from authors such as Oscar Wilde, Dorothy Parker, and Ralph Waldo Emerson crack wise on heaven, love, and more.
Snatch ‘em up quickly, since some of these items are on final sale and may not be around long.
11. For the baby bibliophile
“See Dick and Jane. See Spot run.”
But…what happened to Dick and Jane? What is Spot running from??
These are not questions your baby will likely ask, so it’s totally OK to purchase this cute and super-soft-looking baby blanket from Etsy. It features copy from the vintage Dick and Jane book series.
12. Tattoos
If you’ve got book fever, then it may be time for a more permanent solution: a tattoo. It’s a fine line between a novel and an overexposed phrase, but plenty of people are pretty happy with their book-themed ink.
13. Wall decor
Nothing tells the tale of your love of books like wall-mounted pieces. You can do this yourself, like writing the text from your favorite novel in a special place, printing and framing a quote from your favorite book onto a photocopied page, and perhaps my favorite, making your books center stage in your bedroom as a headboard.
14. Coffee cups
If a book starts out with a great first line, chances are good that you’ll remember it. But if you don’t, it’s always helpful to have it listed on your coffee mug. Alternately, if you run into your high school librarian and want to discuss banned books, it’s nice to have this banned book mug to inform the conversation.
15. Food
There’s no better way to honor your favorite books than by eating as the characters did, in their time and place. So who wants the recipe for Butterbeer? Or would you rather make treats mentioned in books such as The Help or Jane Eyre?
For a more homespun version, check out Nico and Amy’s Literary Kitchen, a blog in which Nico and Amy create recipes from books such as Ulysses, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands: A Moral and Amorous Tale, Beloved, The Kite Runner, and more.
I get excited at the idea of showing off my love of literature. But let’s be honest, I’m probably not going to actually do or buy any of these things. I’m too busy reading.
My name is Raina, and I’m a readaholic. Now you say, “Hi, Raina.”