If you (*gasp*) procrastinated on buying gifts for friends or family, or if you just now realized there’s another reader in your life who you need a gift for, then you’re in the right place! I’m sharing the best last-minute gifts for readers to help you find items you can give even if there is little or no shipping time left before Christmas or your favorite reader’s birthday. So check out these best last-minute gifts for book lovers to find an amazing present for any reader in your life!
1. Audible Subscription
Are you looking for last-minute gift ideas for readers who love audiobooks? If so, then an Audible gift membership could be the perfect option!
Audible gift memberships come in choices of 1, 3, 6, or 12 months, so you can choose the length of subscription you’d like to gift. Each month’s subscription comes with unlimited listening to any books in the Plus catalog, as well as one credit to use on any book that they can keep and listen to forever. So this is a fantastic gift that any audiobook lover would enjoy!
Learn how to gift an Audible membership now!
2. Kindle Unlimited Subscription
Another easy last-minute gift for readers is a Kindle Unlimited Subscription. This is great for any book lover who reads a lot and enjoys ebooks!
Kindle Unlimited gift memberships come in 6, 12, or 24 month options, so you can choose the length of membership you gift. Recipients can then choose when to start their subscription time, and can check out all the books they want from the KU library! You can learn more about how Kindle Unlimited works here, but this is sure to be a fun gift and can be given even up to the very last minute!
Learn how to gift a Kindle Unlimited Subscription now!
3. Kindle Ebooks
If you like the idea of gifting digital books from Amazon but want to gift a specific book (or just don’t want to gift a full subscription), then gifting a Kindle ebook could be a great way to go!
Gifting Kindle ebooks is super simple, and all you need to do is decide which book(s) you want to gift and then follow the instructions here! This is a fun gift option as you can choose to gift specific books that you know the recipient will love.
Learn how to gift Kindle Ebooks now!
4. Audible Audiobooks
Similarly, if you know of specific audiobooks your favorite book lover will enjoy, then you can gift Audible audiobooks rather than gifting a whole Audible subscription!
Like gifting Kindle ebooks, the process to gift specific Audible audiobooks takes practically no time at all. Decide on the audiobooks you want to gift, and then follow these steps to check off all the last-minute gifts you need for the readers in your life!
Learn how to gift Audible audiobooks now!
5. Chirp Audiobook
Now that we’ve got the basic Amazon gifts out of the way, I’m going to tell you about a fantastic last-minute gift secret—Chirp audiobooks! This is one of my favorite last-minute gifts as they offer excellent discounts on audiobooks, which means you can get more audiobooks for less money…which means you can give an even better gift to your favorite reader!
Chirp offers incredible discounts that rotate throughout the year, so you should check out their current deals to see if there’s any currently on sale that you’d like to gift!
6. Bookish Gifts from Amazon
If you still have a little shipping time left, then you should also check out bookish gifts from Amazon! Since Amazon items can arrive in as little as 1-2 days, shopping on Amazon can really save you when you realize you need a last-minute gift for a reader!
From book-themed mugs, to book journals, to bookish candles, reading lights, and more…there are plenty of great gifts for bookworms on Amazon that you can get delivered in a snap!
See the best bookish gifts on Amazon now!
7. Your Favorite Book (or a Book From Their Wishlist)
Looking for even more last-minute gift ideas for book lovers? Gift them your favorite book, or a book that’s on their wishlist!
If the reader you’re looking for a gift for hasn’t read your favorite book, then this is a great way to give a more personalized gift and also introduce them to something you love! Or, if you know of a book that’s on their wishlist (if they use Goodreads you can check out their to-read list to get ideas!) then that is also a fun way to surprise them with something they’ll really love! To get books last minute, you can shop at your favorite local bookstore or order online for pickup in store at a shop like Barnes & Noble near you.
Pick out a favorite book to gift your favorite reader now!
8. Book Subscription Box
Another easy last-minute gift that any reader will enjoy is a book subscription box! This makes a great last minute gift, as it ships later on purpose and is sent to them throughout the year (or for however many months you choose). After all, your gift can’t be late if it’s meant to ship in the future anyway! 😉
There are tons of fantastic book subscription boxes to choose from, so check out these best book subscription boxes to find one that your reader will love! There are also plenty of fun book subscription boxes for kids, so if you’re looking for last-minute reader gifts for kids then you’re sure to find a great box for them as well!
Choose a book subscription box to gift now!
9. Reading Care Package
Bookworms know that there are very few things as nice as cozying up with a good book and fun snacks or drinks! Which is why putting together a reading care package would make a great last-minute gift for any book lover.
For your reading care package gift, you can consider getting your favorite bookworm some of their favorite items…whether that be tea, coffee, specific candies, chocolates, snack foods, or something else! Other good ideas for a reading care package include a cozy blanket, a cute mug, or maybe even a fun scented candle. All of these items are ones you can pick up at a local store like Target or Walmart, and then you can put all the items together into a cute box to give to the recipient.
This is also a fun gift to include with another item on this list, like the gift cards I’ll talk about in just a minute. It just makes the gift a little bit more personalized and fun!
10. Barnes & Noble Gift Cards
Gift cards to book stores also make delightful last-minute gifts, as it shows the readers in your life that you know they love books and reading but it also allows them to choose which books they’d like to add to their collection! Barnes & Noble is a great choice for gift cards, as they have huge variety of books to choose from and also have a lot of fun e-gift card and physical gift card designs to choose between!
Buy Barnes & Noble Gift Cards now!
11. Amazon Kindle Gift Cards
Amazon also has a ton of exciting books that readers can purchase in physical or ebook form, so an Amazon Kindle Gift Card could be a great last-minute gift option!
You can get a physical Amazon gift card with the Kindle logo shipped to you or the recipient if you have a little shipping time, or you can get an e-gift card or a print-at-home gift card as well (for both of these latter options, you’ll need to click “see more” designs and go through the pages of available designs until you find the Kindle logo).
One thing to note, however, is that even if the gift cards say “Happy Reading” and have the Kindle logo, they still function like normal Amazon gift cards. This means the recipient can use the Kindle gift card on any item on Amazon.com (including books and ebooks). It also works in reverse, that you can get any Amazon gift card design and they can still use that on books and ebooks…so if you see another design you like, then go for it and just write a note telling them you got the gift card for them to use on books!
12. Bookshop.org Gift Cards
If you know a reader who is passionate about shopping small and supporting local and Indie bookstores, then you’ll want to skip the gift cards for big brands (like Amazon) and instead go for a Bookshop.org gift card!
Bookshop.org gives a portion of all their sales to local and independent bookstores (and you can even choose which independent bookstore you want them to give a portion of your sale to!). So giving a gift card to Bookshop.org is a fantastic way to allow your favorite reader to choose what books they want by shopping online, while also allowing them to shop their conscience by supporting small businesses and local bookstores.
Buy Bookshop.org Gift Cards now!
13. Printable Bookmarks
Many readers also love bookmarks, but if you don’t have time left to ship bookmarks to you or the recipient then you can go with something a little less traditional but still cool—printable bookmarks!
You can shop the printable bookmarks in my shop, where you’ll find lots of cute punny bookmarks as well as the bestselling Bookshelf Tracker Bookmarks! Or you can search on somewhere like Etsy to find other cool printable bookmark designs. Then, you purchase the ones you want and print them at home or at a local print shop (like Staples).
Because the printable files are delivered electronically and immediately, this is such a perfect way to gift a bookish item even when you don’t have much time to get a gift! And you can find a design you know the recipient will really love, so it’s a perfect way to personalize a gift at the last minute!
14. Printable Bookish Art
And last, if you’re looking for bookish gifts at the last minute then printable bookish art is another great way to go!
There are so many fun reading-themed art prints and reading quote prints that you can buy and print at home or at your local print shop, so check out some of the best printable book art here to find the perfect design to gift!