wooden houseplant bookends
Book Fetish

Uncommonly Good Gifts for Readers from Uncommon Goods

Kelly Jensen

Editor

Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.

View All posts by Kelly Jensen

Are you looking for a unique gift for a reader in your life or a gift that’ll bring you a little cheer now or down the road? One of my favorite sites to peruse for any kind of clever gift is Uncommon Goods, which is a real treasure trove of fun gifts for readers who seem like they have everything.

I’ve been a long-time fan of their scratch off book poster — linked below in the roundup — and beyond that, there’s a wealth of great gift ideas including candles, glasses, and fun bookish accessories. Consider some of these perfect for stuffing a stocking or including with a larger gift or go all in and splurge on something more spendy (and let’s be clear: I find spendy to be $30 or more, so your mileage may vary!).

Let’s dive in to all things uncommonly good with these great bookish ideas from Uncommon Goods this year. Some will be perfect for adults while others make perfect treats for young people.

Prices listed on this guide are all normal sales prices and don’t reflect any sales or specials which may happen during the holiday season. That means you may click and discover an even better deal than anticipated.

Image of a poster set up like a bubble mind map, packed with insults from literature.

Where would a literary insults poster look good in your life? I’d imagine this to be nice in your office or in your personal library. $25

Image of a peach colored set of books on a white background. One reads "another book in the books" and the other reads "another drawing in the books." They're styled like passports.

Give a kid their first reading journal with this fun young reader passport. The pages inside ask for art and thoughts on the books they’ve read or have read to them. $20

Image of a brown leather bookmark magnet. It reads "fell asleep here" in black ink.

This magnetic bookmark is on backorder until about New Year’s, so don’t pick this one up planning to gift it for the holidays. Instead, get it as a post-holidays treat to you or to squirrel away for a birthday gift next year. $20

Collection of popup books featuring fairytales. The book open in the front of the image is for Alice in Wonderland.

When is the last time you picked up and enjoyed a pop-up book? Choose from among these fairytale classics and read these, then showcase them on your shelves (or suggest your giftee do so) as some rad bookish art. $40

image of three candles. The left candle features the cover from The Great Gatsby. The center candle has the cover from Pride and Prejudice. The final candle says notable objects and features bookshelves.

Select from seven options with these literary candles and bring ambiance to a reading experience. $32

Magnifying glass. The handle reads 'Extra! Extra! Read All About It!"

I never understood magnifying glasses as anything other than decorative until I hit my mid-30s and know their daily value. This one is a fun newspaper-themed magnifying glass, perfect for the elder millennials like me who need some help reading the print edition. $40

Image of a cream colored tote bag. It's designed like a library date due card.

Having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card tote bag. $20

Image of a green poster with silver scratch off boxes. Each has a book under it.

Talk about a fun way to take on a reading challenge. This 100 books bucket list poster offers 100 titles to read and scratch off as you go. There’s a children’s version, too, though you may have to wait for that to come back into stock. $15

Image of eight dark colored pencils. They each have a bookish saying on them.

Gift a bouquet of book pencils. $13 for a set of eight.

A brightly colored body suit for babies along with a hat that's covered in comic phrases like Pow! Bam! and Splat!

If only they made comic body suit and matching hats for grown ups and not just babies! $40–42

Image of three tea tins that are shaped like books. There's a cup of tea in the middle of the image.

Novel teas. Novelties. Get yourself some delicious literary teas in the flavor of one of these sumptuous tomes. $35

Set of four literary glasses.

Whether you like your drinks on the rocks or not, these literary bar glasses rock. $16 each, with four different options.

Image of a puzzle featuring a wide range of faces in various skin tones each reading a book. Yes, there's a cat, too.

This is one book club I’d love to join. Work on this 1000 piece puzzle with a drink or an audiobook (or both). $17

Image of two necklaces each featuring a letter press letter. S and E are shown.

I love a good piece of letter press jewelry. Grab a letter of choice for $78.

Image of a set of bookends. They're wooden and feature all kinds of houseplant leaves.

If you love houseplants or WANT to love houseplants but have a rough track record with them, these wooden plant bookends are an outstanding gift. $65, no water needed.

Need more gifts for readers? Here’s a roundup of some of the best reader gifts under $30, along with a host of book puzzles.