The Best Gifts for Book Lovers in the UK for 2026

For most readers our top pick is the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (12th Generation): its larger 7-inch glare-free screen, waterproofing and multi-week battery make it the lowest-hassle premium gift, and review consensus is strong. If they borrow heavily from the library or want a colour screen and open formats, the Kobo Clara Colour is the better choice; if you want something that keeps arriving, a personalised book subscription like The Willoughby Book Club is our pick for a recurring surprise.

It depends on how they read. The Kindle Paperwhite has the sharper, higher-contrast monochrome screen and the larger store, so it is best for someone who buys ebooks and wants the most polished device. The Kobo Clara Colour is cheaper, adds a colour screen, reads open EPUB files natively and has library borrowing (OverDrive) built in, making it the better gift for library users and anyone who dislikes being locked into Amazon. The trade-off is screen sharpness and store size versus openness and colour.

You can give something genuinely useful at almost any budget. Around £20 buys a quality reading light such as the Glocusent; roughly £25 gets a Rolife book nook kit; from around £53 starts a three-month personalised book subscription; and £140 to £159 covers the colour Kobo Clara Colour or the flagship Kindle Paperwhite respectively. All figures are indicative and move with promotions, so check current retailer prices before buying.

Move away from buying more books they may already own. A personalised subscription such as The Willoughby Book Club delivers titles chosen for their taste each month, so duplication is unlikely; a personalised library embosser or ex libris stamp turns their existing collection into a marked personal library; and a book nook kit adds character to their shelves. These lean on personalisation and experience rather than adding another hardback to the pile.