Best 10 Uncommon Book Lover Gifts For Your Nerdy Significant Other

Do better than stationary, accessories and plain books. Discover 10 rare book lover gifts to thrill your nerdy partner with!

Get them a book, duh!

Fine, no book lover will ever turn down the gift of a book from their significant other, or anyone for that matter. But, as far as book lover gifts are concerned, there are more ways than one to impress your partner.

Forget about the bookmarks, highlighters, and other cute bookish stationery you’re considering. Level up your gifting game by considering some of these fun, unusual presents for your loved ones:

1. Rare editions of their favourite book

Now, calm your horses. It’s a book, you say. But it’s not just not just any book. As long as the book involved is their favorite or at least one of their very favorites, your loved one will definitely treasure the sprayed edges, gilded book covers, or rare art on the book cover.

Gifting books to book lovers is a no-brainer, but making them extra special in this way will warm your lover’s heart like almost nothing else will.

2. Commissioned book fanart

If your significant other is a big follower of bookish trends, series, worlds, or characters, you can commission an artist to produce something beautiful straight from the world of that fandom.

For instance, if they love The Wheel of Time, you can commission a nice map of Randland. If they’re always yapping about their favorite character from a book, you can make an artistic replica and present it to them as a gift.

Commissioning original book fanart can be quite expensive, but if you’re on a budget, you can still do the same, but with free-to-use images. Trust me, they’ll appreciate it, whichever one you choose.

3. A meeting with their favorite author

Many of the more thoughtful gifts you give your non-reader friends aren’t even physical. Similarly, gifts for book lovers don’t always have to be material.

Arranging a surprise meeting with their favorite author is a surefire way to get them to fall in love with you again. While this particular surprise may not be accessible to everyone for various reasons, it’s something to consider if you have the ways and means to make it happen.

You’ll be thrilled at the show of happiness, especially if they’ve never met the author before.

4. Their favourite item, branded

Now, I won’t go on stating whether you should buy kitchenware, clothes, accessories, or sports gear. You know what your significant other likes; I don’t.

But once you’ve identified it, procure the item and brand it with something bookish that they can relate to. There’s no point ordering a custom Gucci shirt with a quote from Things Fall Apart when they don’t read African Literature.

Again, like everything regarding presents, the best gifts are always intentional, never random.

5. An artwork of their favorite book cover

Commissioned fanart is a great book-lover gift idea, but artwork of their favorite book cover is just as awesome.

Note, however, that their favorite book may not necessarily be the cover that they admire the most. So, you’ll have to do some prodding and subtle detective work to discover the cover they actually like.

You’ll probably spend less than you would for commissioned art while getting the same level of satisfaction from their pleasure at receiving your gift.

6. An ebook about how you both met

I speak from personal experience here when I say this is the best, most thoughtful book-lover gift I’ve ever received.

It admittedly takes a bit of effort, especially if you aren’t a writer to begin with. Tempted as you may be to outsource the entire writing to a professional, it takes something out of the gesture. So, best ensure that the original words are yours. That way, they hold much meaning for who they’re intended for, even if edited by a third party for clarity and grammatical correctness.

Whether it’s a few pages of text or a lengthy chronicle, gifting your lover such an ebook is a unique and beautiful way to show that you care for them in the precise way that they love.

P.S. My own ebook came with a personalized book cover from a photo of us. A very thoughtful woman, my Margaret.

7. An e-reader

If your partner doesn’t have one, you can never go wrong with gifting them an e-reader. While older models of Kindles and Kobos get the job done just right, there’s no harm in going the extra mile with the advanced versions if you can afford it.

Ebook readers make a great gift for a bookish partner and show your loved one that you care about the things that make them happy.

8. A new bookshelf

If your significant other has a lot of physical books, you can do no wrong by getting them a new bookshelf.

Bookshelves are perhaps the most significant book accessory, especially for bibliophiles with several tens or hundreds of books in the house.

You can check for aesthetic furniture designs online and select one based on your lover’s tastes. You can have it custom-made or purchase ready-made bookshelves.

9. Cake

When in doubt, turn to cake. Only demons and ghouls say no to cake, and, provided your bookish lover is neither, they’ll always be delighted at this classic gift.

You can go the extra mile with fancy (or book-themed) cake or stick to a plain old cake. Whichever case, they’ll surely be happy with the gesture.

10. Curated playlists

This is perhaps the most difficult book-lover gift idea on this list to execute. But it’s worth it if you have the wherewithal to execute it perfectly. Like the best gifts, it has to be intentional. And, to get it right, you have to take the time to observe your partner.

You can start by picking up a book or series your significant other rates highly, whether or not they’ve read it. Then, skim through it or look it up online for themes that resonate with your music picks. Do this for one book or several, and send it to your partner.

It’s not necessarily as flamboyant as commissioned art or a rare book edition. But it’s certainly unique. And, best of all, it’s thoughtful.

Wrapping up

You may grumble about the cost of the gift ideas here. None of them are really cheap, truth be told. But nobody ever told you that having a bookish partner was cheap.

You fell for them. Now, deal with the consequences!

Share your ideas in the comments on other fun book-lover gift ideas you might have!