The Sunday Salon... Great Gifts for the Book Lovers on Your list BESIDES Books!

Good Morning Everyone! Welcome to The Sunday Salon! It's the day of the week where we all gather to chat about the great books we've read, books we're looking forward to and all sorts of bookish things. Grab a cup of joe, relax and let's chat about those last minute gifts for the bookish person on your gift list! Sometimes you just want to give someone something bookish, but not a book. What's a girl to do?! Well, it is less than a week before Christmas, and if you're still scratching your head, here's some suggestions...

How about a magazine subscription? One of my all-time favorite bookish magazines is Bookmarks Magazine. I devour this beautiful full-color magazine every time it appears in my mailbox (Which is 6 times a year). There are a ton of book reviews, usually an in depth article on a particular author and their work, coverage of a particular genre (this month is "Coming of Age" novels), coverage on what's coming out soon in paperback, and more. Right now a 1 year, 6 issue subscription is $27 to US address, $37 to Canada, and $57.95 International. Go to Bookmarks Magazine to learn more about this great magazine and to subscribe. If you decide to give a gift subscription, you can usually find Bookmarks magazine at the magazine rack at most bookstores, so you can wrap up a copy for under the tree, but if not you can always print out a page from Bookmarks magazine website and wrap that up.

For a magazine with a more literary bend, The Paris Review is another great magazine. Usually with a great interview or two from some of today's great authors (this month Jonathan Frazen talks about the art of fiction and Louise Erdrich talks about her heritage and being pigeonholed), poetry, original fiction and coverage of some great art. What The Paris Review is known for are it's amazing interviews that seem to get to the heart of the writer. This magazine comes out 4 times a year and it $40 for a US one year subscription, $45 for Canada, and $55 for International. Check it out at The Paris Review.

Book lights are a perfect gift! What reader doesn't like to cuddle up in bed with a good book?! Or in a comfy chair that doesn't necessarily have a great reading lamp nearby?! You can find book lights at your local bookstore, or retail store. The Octovo Solis eReader lights are my favorite book lights for Kindles and Nooks! You might be able to get one in time for Christmas, but only if you order ASAP. Octovo says they have a 3-4 day transit time, and if you order by 4pm Sunday, orders should ship out on Monday. No guarantee though. Check out the lights at Octovo. Right now the book light is sold out for the Kindle 2's (those are the older Kindles), but are available for Kindle 3's and Noooks.

Bookmarks! Bookmarks are a gift that any reader can appreciate! And there are plenty of beautiful bookmarks to choose from. For the younger people on your gift list, there is the Mark-my-Time Bookmark, which is this digital bookmark that can keep track of the amount of time read or if your young reader has a specific amount of required reading, it can act like an alarm to let them know when they have finished their reading time. I've seen these at Borders, and they should be available at Barnes & Noble too. They retail for $8.95 for the regular digital bookmark, or for $14.95 you can get one with a booklight too! You can learn more about them out at Mark-My-Time. They can keep track of 99 hours 59 minutes of reading!

How about a great T-Shirt?! Out of Print co. "celebrates the world’s great stories through fashion. Our shirts feature iconic and often out of print book covers." I love these t-shirts! My local Borders just started carrying them. Adult sizes range from small - 2X Large depending on availability. They retail for $28. Check out all the great t-shirts at Out of Print.

How about a Book Holder! The BookGem is a neat little holder that works great for books as well as eReaders. And this particularly makes a great cookbook holder . This has feet on the back and tabs on the front that hold your book open. It retails for $14.95 and they've added 2 day express shipping as an option. Read more about it and how it works at The BookGem.

What else?... Tote bag for books, book covers, lap desk, or how about a magnifier for the person with vision problems. How about an iTunes gift card so they can treat themselves to an audiobook? Journals, nice writing pen, or maybe a nice pair of readers (reading glasses)? If all else fails, think chocolate!

Can you think of any other bookish gifts?! Share your ideas here! Hope you found a great idea! And hope you find that perfect gift for your bookish friends!

*Julie from Reading without Restraint shares another great gift idea- The Book Lovers 2011 Calendar! "I won The Booklovers Calendar last month and it is a great calendar for book lovers." It's a 28 page wall calendar that measures 12 x 24 and is filled with all sorts of bookish stuff. It retails for $13.99 and part of the proceeds is donated to First Book, "the organization that gets books into the hands of children in need!" Go to Book Lovers Stuff to get yours, and while you're there check out the other bookish gifts they carry. Thanks Julie for sharing this great gift idea!

Happy reading! And if you only stop by on Sundays, have a wonderful Christmas!