If a picture paints a thousand words, then surely books must paint at least a thousand pictures! With the power to stir up this much in our imaginations, they’re a gift. ’Tis the season of giving after all, so how can you make a book the perfect, thoughtful gift? Here’s 10 ideas to warm you up this winter: 

No. 1:

You can’t go wrong with an old classic. In the spirit of all things sustainable, find a vintage copy of a favourite. Whether it’s a classic Charles Dickens novel like Great Expectations or a chance to relive childhood in Alice in Wonderland. You can find copies on Ebay, or take a look in local independent book shops. If they don’t have the copy you are looking for, often they will be able to help you find it!

No. 2:

Perhaps a friend is about to start Veganuary? A recipe book is a wonderful way to kick start this new habit with fun and flavour aplenty. Some great vegan cookbooks to recently hit the shelves include: Fast Vegan - Leon, The Dirty Vegan - Matt Sanchez, Planted - Chantelle Nicholson and  Modern Vegan Baking - Gretchen Price.

No. 3:

Something for the little ones: A personalised name book which will make them think that Santa REALLY knows who they are! Check out sites like Wonderbly and Put Me In The Story to get you started. Bedtime will never be easier with kids leaping into bed ready to read about their own name-sakes’ adventures. 

No. 4:

Brown paper packages tied up with strings… these are a few of my favourite things! They say you should never judge a book by its cover, and with Blind Date with a book club, you can’t! Simply pick a book based on the brief bullets listed on the mystery cover and dive in… 

No. 5:

There’s a subscription for almost anything these days. Take Rare Birds Book Club: costing £10 a month, the recipient is presented a newly published paperback book every month. The VIP treatment continues. There’s access to monthly giveaways, author interviews, IRL events, special limited-edition bookmarks and treats along with the subscription. Or if you know that curling up with a cup of tea or coffee and a carefully curated book choice, is the way to go. Bookishly is the subscription for you. They even design their own book covers! 

No. 6:

For that friend who’s always on holiday, unite their wanderlust with a travel guide book. Lonely Planet and Rough Guides are well established travel gospel. Lonely Planet has also published Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travelist and Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Eatlist to ensure no-one misses out on the best of the best while abroad. 

No. 7:

Natalie Fee (@nataliefee_) now has a regular column in Time Out - check out this Green Goddess! She’s rocking sustainability in the mainstream and has recently published a book! How to Save the World for Free is a fitting gift for that friend or family member who's recently started shopping at their local zero waste store.

Perhaps they’re looking to start the new year with fresh habits? Everything from how to vote with climate change in mind to carrying a keep cup and waving goodbye to plastic-filled period products. The icing on top of the cake: each nugget of information reduces your environmental impact while also saving money. 

No. 8:

Writing in a journal is not only a good way to document life, decompress from a long day and plan ahead. But it’s also a way to capture creative thoughts meaning this gift will extend so much further than the page. Beautiful notebooks can be found from Smythson, Papier or a sustainable alternative on Ethical Market.  

No. 9:

Often book box sets are cast aside for film and TV box sets. But let’s not forget the Lord of The Rings Trilogy, the great works of a classic author like Jane Austen or even the Harry Potter series. Indulge your friend or family member with a selection of books.

No. 10:

Who doesn’t want the best and the latest book to hit the shelves? Oh go on… buy that hardback copy of Margaret Atwood’s The Testaments! It’s worth every penny. As the oldest Booker prize winner, Atwood (79) is a testament herself to the great power of literature! 

Eat, read and be merry this festive season! 

Written by Caroline J, also @carolinej294 on Instagram