Selecting a book for your bookworm friend has changed a lot in recent years. You can still pop to the bookshop and get a good deal and the experience of browsing bookshelves, but you can shop online for books now too. Amazon is the biggest online bookstore and you are sure to find some rare copies and first editions listed there as well as a whole range of new and used books.
Online and high street bookstores are now so diverse in what they sell that you can get almost anything for the literary minded person. Apart from a whole range of books, there are also music and film, and audio books in CD or download format that make great gifts for the bookish friend. Reading accessories such as reading lights, book pillows, lap desks, magnifiers and even spectacle stands are available in most book stores and would make for a thoughtful gift for the avid reader. Bookmarks and page markers are so beautifully made from filigree wood and metal that they would make a marvelous gift to adorn any book or personal journal. Letter writing gifts such as stationery and pens, diaries, journals and photo albums abound in bookstores too, as well as a whole range of novelty gifts, such as board games and desk toys. Good book stores also have a wide range of specialist journals and magazines available on the shelves and by subscription which would make for great gift ideas for readers who are scholarly or enjoy reading about their free-time pursuits.
Bookstores are packed with shelf after shelf of tomes, both real books and virtual books, since the release of electronic readers, such as the Kindle, Nook and Ipad. You can download books directly to your reader without leaving the comfort of your own home. E-readers are not such a leap in format from a traditional book, they are about the same size as your average paperback but can come with larger screen sizes for people who prefer a larger print size. They display one or two pages at a time and you can turn the page at the tap of a key or by tapping the screen. When selecting the perfect e-reader you may have to consider the types of screens available, which are e-ink and LCD. The e-ink screen is similar to printed books compared to the LCD screens which are more like a computer screen, and e-ink is now available in color too. There are new book releases for the e-readers every day and they are competitively priced alongside their printed counterparts, and will cost you about the same as a paperback, but many of the literary classics are free to download!
If you still prefer to browse the bookshelves then high streets bookstores have made it a really comfortable and relaxing experience with comfy chairs, excellent coffee and chocolaty and cakey treats. So giving a gift card as a gift is sure to be appreciated for both the relaxing experience of enjoying an afternoon at the bookstore as well as the gift that is eventually selected.
