The Goods

Book Subscription Gifts for Reading, Keeping Cozy, Slurping Tastily, and More!

Tracy Shapley Towley

Staff Writer

Tracy is a freelance copywriter, all-around ne’er do well, very-adult graduate of the University of Iowa, and occasional waterer of plants. Her hobbies include writing fiction, reading fiction, mixing together various flavors of soup, and typing letters to her friends on an old red typewriter that doesn't have a working period so all sentences must end in questions marks or exclamation points? She has read every Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and has a lot of thoughts on them. Her old Iowa farmhouse is shared by her husband Sean, a pair of cats, a pair of dogs, and the ghost of Kurt Vonnegut.

One-time gifts are cool, but what’s even cooler? According to Outkast, what’s cooler than being cool is ice cold. But, according to me, the answer is gifts that keep on giving: book subscription gifts!

You and I have chatted in the past about 25 of the best book subscription services, and we’ll cover a few of those today, too. But a book isn’t the only thing a bookish person needs to enjoy a bookish life. We need to be cozy, we need delicious beverages, we need to set the mood, and we need somewhere to jot down notes about the best (and worst) books in the widest of worlds.

The (mostly) non-book options listed below are perfect for anyone on your list who loves to read but is already getting plenty of climbing-themselves-out-from-under-their-TBR cardio, or if you just aren’t sure what books they’d like. Or heck, buy ’em for yourself — you’re the best!

So today we’ll chat about subscription gifts that go way beyond books and help your recipient become truly enveloped in the reading experience. And by “we’ll chat,” I of course mean that I will tell you things and you will read them. A half-chat, if you will.

Book Subscription Gifts — Books Edition

First of all, let’s talk about the simplest definition of book subscription gifts — book subscriptions! Here are a few picked from my previous post.

TBR: Tailored Book Recommendations

Book Riot Book Subscription promotional banner

Imagine if you could pay someone at Book Riot to climb into the head of your recipient, poke around, and determine the perfect books for their particular brains. This is what TBR does! But, you know, less gross because instead of climbing around in brains, our bibliologists ask cool questions to get the info they need to create incredibly specific and, as the name suggests, tailored book recommendations.

Book of the Month

blue Book of the Month box

While we’re talking about book subscription boxes for adults, we’ve got to cover the original, longest lasting book subscription of them all: Book of the Month. This straight-froward option gives the recipient five or more books to choose from each month.

Owl Crate / Owl Crate Jr.

Owl crate Halloween pack with the book The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell and other spooky and Halloween themed knickknacks

Whether you’re looking for book subscription gifts for adults or kids, Owl Crate has you covered with regular ole Owl Crate and Owl Crate Jr. Both come with books, goodies, and magical reading fun.

Book Subscription Gifts — Snack Edition

Reading is fun but snackin’ and readin’ are double the fun! Send your fave person some cool snacks to keep them munching during their next reading marathon.

Universal Yums

Book Subscription Gifts Snacks from Universal Yums

I’m a subscriber and big fan of Universal Yums. Every month they focus on a different country and send out treats. I can’t say I love every flavor of every snack they send, but they are generally very interesting and fun to try.

Kernel Crate

Popcorn Subscription Gift

Keep the tummy rumbles at bay for your favorite reader and gift them Kernel Crate, a coolio box that sends various flavors of popcorn on a monthly basis.

Vegancuts Snack Box

Vegan subscription box

Don’t forget the vegan folks in your life! Vegancuts offers the snack box seen here as well as meal boxes, beauty boxes, and more — all certified vegan.

Book Subscription Gifts — Beverage Edition

What else does a reader need to enjoy a good reading stretch? A good bevvie, of course! No matter what their drink of choice, we’ve got them covered.

Bean Box

Bean Box Book Subscription Gifts

There are plenty of coffee subscriptions out there but I can personally vouch for Bean Box. They send you freshly roasted, truly delicious coffees each month. I unfortunately no longer have this subscription, but while I did, I tried some exceptional coffees.

Sips by

Tea Book Subscription Gifts

I’m not a huge fan of tea but I tried Sips by anyway. They send a curated box of teas each month based on the wants and needs of the sipper. I must say, I was very surprised to learn that, though I’m a coffee girl in and out, some teas are pretty damn good! If your recipient is already well aware of this well established fact, they can get some really special teas from this box.

Shaker and Spoon Cocktail Club

Alcohol Book Subscription Gifts

What about those who choose to imbibe? Just because I often will not shut up about the fact that I am a sober person, those of y’all who choose to whet your whistles are encouraged to do so! And this box, which comes with mixers, bar gear, and a whole bunch more, makes it easy to mix up a unique cocktail to enjoy with a favorite book.

Book Subscription Gifts — Candle Edition

When I’m reading for hours on end, I like to get in the MOOD and that involves a lovely candle casting its glow and sending out a lovely scent. You can always pick up some book-scented candles, but if you want the gift that keeps on giving (for three, six, or 12 months), check out some of these candle subscription boxes.

Vella Box

Vella Box Candle Book Subscription Gift

I have tried many candle subscription boxes and Vellabox is by far my favorite. Depending on which box you choose, you get one small, one large, or one of each, plus an extra something. That “something” is usually a sample of a lotion, a new scrubby, or something similar. I love this candle box the most because their scents have deep aromas to them, they support different candle pourers every month, and they use only cardboard and cloth to package their candles. Great job!

Candle Club by Fire Doll Studios

Monthly Candle Subscription

Every month I am shocked by how affordable and lovely Fire Doll Studios’s subscription is. The plan I chose comes with a large pillar candle, complete with dried flowers and other stuff poured right into the candle, a smaller candle, and a fun goodie. These are hand-poured in Champaign, Illinois and come beautifully wrapped. If Vellabox wasn’t my favorite, these folks would be!

Wickbox Luxury Candle Subscription

Wickbox Candle Subscription

The next candle subscription box I’ll try is Wickbox. They offer “luxury candles,” and I’m excited to see what that means! They also send out a questionnaire to new subscribers in order to get their customers the scents they’d love most.

Book Subscription Gifts — Recap Edition

Which of these incredible book subscription gifts are you going to give this holiday season? Birthday season? Heck, which one are you going to buy for yourself! Though I’ve tried most of them, I’m always excited to check out the latest and greatest the internet can bring me.