Piper Nuelle

I was out the other day with my youngest at my local Waterstones bookshop, just having a good nosey round the store and amongst other bookstores in the area… (I was on the hunt for a specific book – Which I found by the way) and we came across some chocolates that looked like books, they were so cute and funny and I thought they would be a great gift for a book lover (I mean, that is pretty obvious, they were for sale in a bookstore lol) But sometimes it is hard of what to think to get someone, especially if they write or have a certain interest or hobby, it’s nice to think outside the box, or even just to be told something is there because unless your looking, you might miss it.

So, I decided to come up with a small list of presents and or gifts that would be ideal for writers, authors and readers alike…

• Well, seen as I have already mentioned the chocolates, let’s start with them… Chocolates that are shaped and look like books!!!

These are so damn cute and to be honest I probably wouldn’t want to eat them lol, I would want to put them on display. But, for someone else, a book lover with a sweet tooth, these would be perfect. I also love the fact that there are different colours of chocolate there, Pink chocolate, White chocolate and Milk chocolate… Hmmm I wonder if they taste different too? These do cost £10.99, which isn’t cheap but they are Belgium chocolates and Belgium chocolates have always been known to be pricey and usually well worth the chocolatey splurge (I should know, my Grandad was a huge fan of Belgium chocolates, especially the shells!) but they also seem to be from a small business and handmade in Britain, so thinking about it practically, I actually don’t think they cost too much. The company is called – ‘Choconchoc’ and has a website and a Facebook page. I checked out their Facebook page and wow, they have so many different chocolate ideas its madness. They have chocolate Croc’s (The shoes not the animals lol) Although they do although have chocolate animals too!!! There is chocolate vegetables, chocolate beans on toast, handbags, lollies, male and female body forms … The works, so much chocolate, they seem to do everything. If you want to check them out I will add the link here, it’s not affiliated or anything, I just decided it might be more helpful to have it than not – https://choconchoc.co.uk/ xo

• Signed Books and Special Edition Books – I am a HUGE sucker when it comes to books that are signed, are special edition, or have the fore-edge pages painted, comes with a free gift like a bookmark etc… You name it, if it makes it special, I want it… No, I need it!!! And if you nosey round Waterstones, especially near the front of the store (Or at least that’s the case in my local in Eastbourne) you can usually find some signed by the author books on display. They usually have a sticker advertising it on the cover if it has been signed and can at times be exclusive to Waterstones. Then there are the special editions where the cover may differ from the normal cover that is sold and there may only be X amount of them available. But there is just something so awesome about receiving a special, signed copy of a book.

• Special Bookmarks – Some readers are like me, the devil incarnate and bend the top corner of the page to mark where they have read up to. I know, I know… How could I be so evil and do that to a beloved book. Because of this, my daughter got annoyed and decided to buy me a bookmark, in fact she got herself one and me the same so we could be matching and so I don’t deface the pages anymore and anger the book Gods. She found me the cutest little cat bookmark which is metal and hugs the corner of the book page like a sleeping cat. Which is so sweet because it reminds me of my little emotional support cat who hibernates in my office with me whilst I write sometimes. The one she chose me cost £4.99 but is made of metal and will last a long, long time to come, so I think it is well worth the price tag. The name of the bookmark is called ‘Curled up Corners’ (I’m sensing a little dig here for my corner curling). These make such cute little gifts, and even at Christmas time they could be lovely little stocking fillers or secret Santa gifts.

• Stationary or special Writing sets such as Quills and Ink – A writer, Author and or reader can never have enough stationary. Pens, notebooks, pencils, paints and so on are great for the writer who is always writing notes and drawing or sketching characters and worlds. Specialised pens are also pretty amazing too!!! Such as engraved pens like the world famous ‘Parker Pen’, or there are Quill pens with feathers that are great for practicing Calligraphy and then the pretty and specialist Inks that coincide with the Quills. Diaries can also be great gifts, maybe the special author in your life has a busy year coming up and a forgetful memory because their characters have taken up all their brain space. So some place for them to keep appointments and dates to hand is always a win, win.

• Book Voucher – Worst comes to the worst and you are at a complete loss at what to buy your book loving friend, then a book voucher to one of their favourite bookshops is a great safe option. Not only does it show you at the very least you know them well, but it means they can go and spend hours in a bookstore, searching for their own perfect gift whilst spending your money and not theirs. It’s like taking a kid to Disneyland but for books!!!

I hope my little list of good presents and gifts for writers, authors and readers is helpful. As other dates and events during the year creep up on us I will post updated versions for gifts that are relevant for that season, time of years or type of celebration. And if you have any ideas of what I can add to another gift giving post, then please let me know!!!

Take care, xo Piper xo