#frostbeard

As an apology have some Angsty gay ass Pirate art of Frostbeard and Ghostfur :]

(under the cut)

Shopping for Your Favorite Bookworm: A Gift-Giving Guide from a Bookseller

Let’s be honest, the holiday season and all the gift-giving occasions it brings with it can be stressful. So to help ease your mind, I’ve put together this post that will, hopefully, take away some of that stress and help make picking out gifts for all your favorite bookworms a little bit easier.

1. Do your research!

No matter who you’re shopping for, you really need to know a little bit about that person in order to find a gift they will enjoy. I know this sounds obvious, but I can’t tell you how many times someone has come into my bookstore looking for a recommendation for a gift and all they can tell me about the person is their age and gender and nothing else. Very few things drive me crazier than when someone comes in and asks “what’s popular for a 12 year-old girl?” Ummmm, literally anything. Horses, baking, Pokemon, mysteries, scary stories, dogs, Harry Potter, history, fashion, mythology, science, cats, romance, dinosaurs, dragons, space/astronomy, sports, music... I could go on forever.

You’re going to need to know a little bit more than basic demographic information if you want a solid recommendation. What types of book do they enjoy reading? What types of TV shows/movies do they like to watch? What kinds of music do they like to listen to? What subjects are they interested in? What do they like to do in their free time?

You don’t even have to know anything about their interests as a reader. A good bookseller should be able to make a decent recommendation if you just provide them with a little bit of information about the person you’re shopping for.

2. Accessorize!

It’s not always easy to buy for voracious readers and bookworms with large collections. Instead of worrying about buying them a book they’ve already read or already own, pick up some bookish merch! I recommend:

- Bookmarks! No bookworm can ever have enough bookmarks.

- Book-themed candles! Set the right mood for a day of reading or transport yourself to the setting of your favorite book with candles. Check out Frostbeard Studio!

- Bookends! Look cute and your books won’t fall over!

- Book sleeves! Protect your books or e-reader when traveling with a cool book sleeve. Check out the book sleeves over at Book Beau!

- Shirts and blankets and pillows, oh my! Find something they can use to show off their favorite books and quotes. Litographs prints your favorite books on shirts, scarves, totes, posters, pillows, and blankets!

3. Gift cards are not the worst gift - trust me.

You are not a terrible gift-giver for giving someone a gift card. What better way to ensure they get exactly what they want? Maybe the book they’re really excited about doesn’t come out until after the holidays are over - a gift card is the perfect way to give them that book without having to delay your holiday gift exchange! And you can still make a gift card a personal and special gift. Rather than just giving them the gift card, plan a day where you can go to the bookstore together and help them pick something out. Your bookworm gets to pick out the exact book they want and you both get to spend time together.

4. Don’t forget to ask about the return policy and ask for a gift receipt.

Nobody’s perfect. As much as I want to find the perfect gift on my own, I also want my favorite bookworms to get exactly what they want. So it never hurts to ask about a store’s return policy and I always ask for a gift receipt, no matter how confident I feel about the gift I’ve picked out. A gift receipt makes everything so much easier for both your bookworm and the bookseller helping them with their return/exchange.

6/100 days of productivity

I didn’t do as much on the weekend as I would have liked, but I more than made up for it today with over 12 hours of studying.

(via Bookstore 8 oz Book Lovers' Soy Candle Book Candle)