5 reasons why books make the best gifts (with book suggestions!)

As we edge closer to the silly season, now is the time to start thinking about presents to buy for all the people in your life. Friends, family, neighbours, and maybe the secret Santa you somehow got wrangled into, you may have a long list of people to buy for. All that gifting can be stressful. In a bid to alleviate the stress, we have the perfect solution to meet the needs of pretty much everyone on your list…books!

Here are five reasons why books make the best gifts.

1. So easy to wrap

Have you ever tried to wrap a hula hoop? Notwithstanding the exorbitant amount of wrapping paper needed to cover the thing, it can take a long time, a great deal of patience, and potentially a glass (or two) of wine to calm the nerves. There’s a reason shopping centres have pop-up gift-wrapping stations, it can be awfully tricky. The most experienced gift wrapper will tell you, the neat, clean edges on any book are a dream to wrap.

Even if you’re a novice, any sized book can be wrapped without sacrificing a forest of trees, which sounds like a philosophy everyone’s favourite gardener, Costa could get behind. Costa’s World: Gardening for the soil, the soul and the suburbs is a best seller, bringing together all of Costa’s gardening and sustainability knowledge.

Fully illustrated, this book for all the garden lovers in your life celebrates the life-changing joy of chooks; kids in the garden; big ideas for small spaces; Costa’s favourite plants; growing the right plants for your conditions; biodiversity in the soil and garden; the power of community; the brilliance of bees and pollinators; easy-peasy permaculture; and much, much more all for $24.

2. Postage is a breeze

Once you have beautifully wrapped your book, you can send it anywhere in the world knowing it won’t break, melt, spontaneously combust, or leak through the packaging. A gifted book is good, clean, wholesome fun. No special packaging required, no bubble wrap needed, and certainly, no fancy boxes are called for to get a book delivered to a loved one.

The lighter the book, the cheaper the postage. We love to recommend Australian authors and Brissie boy Trent Dalton’s new release is already a bestseller and an inspiring novel. Lola in the Mirror by Trent Dalton, paperback (lighter to post!) from just $16.

3.  An endless world of variety

No matter who you’re buying for, you’re guaranteed to find a book to suit their taste. Unlike clothing, books go with every single size, age, and walk of life. There will always be that one person on your gift list that is near impossible to buy for. Like your distant relative with a love of birds who carries a pair of binoculars at all times ‘just in case’.

Complete Guide to Australian Birds by George Adams, from $34.50.

4.  Gifting under budget

Everything about this time of year can be pricey. By the time you have decked the halls with Christmas cheer, paid for the ham, stocked up the liquor cabinet and forked out hundreds of dollars on gifts for the grandkids, you really don’t want to be spending a whole lot of money on your Kris Kringle gift. Then there are those acquaintances who are close enough to be buying a gift for, but not so close that you’re prepared to go all out.

Alex Cotton perfectly captures the nostalgia of life in the sixties in her delightful book Don’t Look at Me in That Tone of Voice!: Memories of a Confused Sixties Childhood. Coming in at under $20, you can keep within your budget and still manage a thoughtful gift to really make someone feel special.

Don’t Look at Me in That Tone of Voice!: Memories of a Confused Sixties Childhood by Alex Cotton, from $15.

5. Buy without leaving home

These days, it is easier than ever to do all your Christmas shopping without leaving home. With books you don’t need to know someone’s size, you can find the perfect book for each person and if they don’t live nearby, you can even have it delivered right to their home, saving you on both the costs and the line-up at the local post office!

When executed well, a book can be a door into an imaginarium filled with fantasy and can transport you away from reality. For any child in your life with a vivid imagination, a book would be the perfect Christmas present. Furthermore, you can write a personal message on the inside front cover, transforming the book into a memory piece, easily kept for a long time to remember you by.

If you are still a bit stuck, start with an already curated collection of the best book deals online.