Buying gifts for readers should be easy, as we literally tell everyone what we love. Books. And yet somehow, the minute you actually have to buy a gift for a reader, things get considerably more complicated.

Which book? Have they read it? Do they own it? Is that beautiful special edition already hiding somewhere on their shelves? Would they prefer something to read, something to wear, something for their reading corner, or an entire experience built around a book? 

Honestly, we're difficult people to shop for. Delightful, obviously, but difficult. So, we decided to make things easier.

Our reader gift finder quiz will help you figure out what kind of reader you are and which bookish gifts belong on your wish list. Or, if you're shopping for someone else, answer the questions as you think they would.

Grab a piece of paper, keep track of your letters, and absolutely do not spend ten minutes overthinking Question 3. Actually, you're a reader. Overthinking things is rather on brand.

What Kind of Reader Are You?

Choose one answer for each question and keep track of the letter you select most often. If you end up with a tie, don't worry. We'll deal with your inability to fit neatly into one category at the end. 

Ready?

1. You unexpectedly get an entire afternoon to yourself. What happens?

A. I disappear into a book and resurface several hours later wondering why it's dark outside.

B. First, I need a blanket, something to drink, good lighting, and a comfortable spot. Then we can read.

C. I'm probably heading to a bookstore. I don't need another book, but that's hardly relevant.

D. I'm reading, but I also want something fun to happen along the way. Give me surprises.

E. I'm out doing something, but there's a book in my bag just in case an opportunity presents itself.

F. I might read, journal, do a puzzle, craft, or reorganize my bookshelves. Bookish activities absolutely count.

2. Which sentence sounds most like you?

A. “Please don't talk to me. Something VERY important is happening in this chapter.”

B. “Could someone please pass me my blanket?”

C. “Look at these edges. LOOK AT THEM.”

D. “Wait...I get to open something when I reach that page?”

E. “Yes, my tee is about books, so is my phone! Thank you for noticing.”

F. “I bought new stationery, so clearly I'm about to become extremely organized.” 

3. You're allowed one completely unnecessary bookish purchase. What are you choosing?

A. Another book. Obviously.

B. Something gorgeous for my reading corner.

C. The prettiest edition of a book I already own.

D. A reading experience I've never tried before.

E. Something I can wear or carry everywhere.

F. A journal, game, puzzle, or crafty project.

4. What's the current situation on your bookshelves?

A. Full. There are books stacked horizontally now. We're adapting.

B. Styled. There may be candles, artwork, or carefully positioned bookish treasures involved.

C. Beautiful. I have editions that deserve their own lighting.

D. Chaotic, but there are some very interesting book-box goodies scattered around.

E. Honestly, my love of books has escaped the shelves and spread to the rest of my life.

F. There are notebooks, stickers, bookmarks, and several projects I fully intend to finish.

5. What makes a bookish gift feel really special?

A. Finding a story I can't stop thinking about.

B. Something that makes reading time feel even cozier.

C. Beautiful details I can admire every time I pick it up.

D. The surprise. Half the fun is having no idea what's coming.

E. Getting something that feels completely me.

F. Something I can actually do, use, or create with.

6. Finally, someone hands you a mystery package. What are you secretly hoping is inside?

A. A book I've never read.

B. Something lovely for my home or reading nook.

C. A ridiculously beautiful book.

D. Several things. Preferably wrapped. I have expectations now.

E. Something bookish I can wear, carry, or use every day.

F. Something that will keep me happily occupied for the next few hours.

Have you got your most common letter? Excellent. Let's find out what kind of reader you are.

Mostly A: The Book-First Reader

Your ideal gift is therefore probably...another book. We realize this isn't exactly a shocking development.

The good news is that you can browse books by the kind of story you actually enjoy, whether you're usually drawn to romance, fantasy, thrillers, historical fiction, mysteries, or something entirely different.

And if one book simply isn't enough of a challenge, our Up All Night Lite box featuring The Lost Spectacular comes with a 40-Book Reading Challenge booklet and custom stickers to track each challenge you complete. Basically, we're giving you a book and an excuse to read another 39. You're welcome.

🎁 Your gift matches: Book Only editions, Up All Night Lite: The Lost Spectacular, or a gift card if someone wants to leave the choice up to you. And sometimes a gift card is an act of great wisdom.

Mostly B: The Cozy Reader

For you, reading is never just reading. There is an atmosphere to consider. You want somewhere comfortable to curl up, a blanket within reach, and preferably a little corner of the world where nobody will ask you to do anything productive for the foreseeable future.

Your bookish gifts should make that space even better. Think bookish home decor, blankets, candles, reading lights, and accessories that make settling down with your current read feel like an occasion.

Current OUABC home finds range from book-inspired blankets and candles to lights, book-shaped vases, trinket dishes, and other little treasures that make it very easy for your love of reading to wander off the bookshelf and take over the room. As it should. 

🎁 Your gift matches: Home Decor, Blankets & Pillowcases, Reading Accessories, and bookish lifestyle finds.

Mostly C: The Collector

You understand perfectly well that you already own this book. That's not the point. Does your copy have those endpapers? That artwork? Those edges? Exactly.

You're the reader who appreciates the book itself as an object, and a beautiful edition of a favorite story is the kind of present that may result in some very excited noises when the wrapping comes off.

OUABC's Special Edition Books are a particularly good place to start because individual editions can include details such as redesigned artwork, custom endpapers, foiling, or special edges.

You probably also have strong opinions about how books should be displayed, and frankly, we would like to see your shelves.

🎁 Your gift matches: Special and Limited Editions, collectible bookish artwork, and anything worthy of a prime position on the bookshelf.

Mostly D: The Experience Reader

You like books. You also like presents. Somebody eventually realized these two things could happen at the same time, and frankly, your reading life has never been quite the same. You're our Experience Reader.

A traditional OUABC Full Box is an obvious match because you read until you reach an “Open Your Gift” note, then unwrap the gift with the corresponding page number. The gifts connect to moments from the story, bringing the story to life the OUABC way!

But you actually have several ways to play.

OUABC Mini Boxes offer a smaller immersive experience with two to three gifts, while OUABC Lite takes things in a different direction with paper-based surprises connected to sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch.

Which one sounds most like you? We've conveniently devoted an entire guide to OUABC Lite vs. the Full Box, because apparently we enjoy making bookish decisions almost as much as we enjoy creating bookish problems.

🎁 Your gift matches: Full Book Boxes, Mini Boxes, Lite Boxes, and Limited Edition Book Boxes.

Mostly E: The Bookish Everywhere Reader

Your bookshelf isn't enough. The books have escaped. They're on your clothes. They're on your phone. They're attached to your keys. They're coming along on vacation. And we love this for you.

You're the reader for whom something doesn't necessarily need to help you read. It simply needs to make you smile because it says something about the fact that books are a fairly significant part of your personality.

Bookish apparel is an easy place to start, with tees, sweatshirts, and hats that let your wardrobe join the book club. You can also take things considerably further with book-inspired phone cases, jewelry, keychains, and travel accessories.

OUABC book phone cases include designs inspired by classics, fairy tales, horror, romance, and plenty of general book-lover favorites. In other words, subtlety is available. It just isn't compulsory.

🎁 Your gift matches: Apparel, Book Phone Cases, Jewelry & Keychains, Accessories, and Travel.

Mostly F: The Playful Reader

Reading the book is only the beginning for you. Give you a reading journal, some lovely stationery, a puzzle, stickers, a craft project, or another excuse to do something bookish, and you'll be quite content.

You may track what you've read. You may annotate. You may have a suspicious number of notebooks. Some of them may even be too pretty to write in. We understand.

OUABC has bookish stationery and journals alongside activities, games, crafting products, digital downloads, and sticker collections, so there are plenty of ways to indulge the hobby without adding another novel to the TBR. 

Although adding another novel remains an option. Obviously.

🎁 Your gift matches: Office & Stationery, Activities & Games, Digital Downloads and Sticker Collectors.

Your Reader Type at a Glance

What If Your Answers Were All Over the Place?

Congratulations, you're a reader. Seriously, we would have been slightly suspicious if everybody fit perfectly into one little category.

Maybe you are a Collector who also considers a blanket an essential piece of reading equipment. Perhaps you're an Experience Reader who would happily wear your bookish obsession on a sweatshirt. Maybe you selected A, B, C, D, E and F exactly once and have somehow defeated our entire quiz.

In that case, use your top two results.

A Collector + Cozy Reader, for example, might love a beautiful special edition paired with something for their reading space. An Experience + Book-First Reader is practically begging for a book box. And a Bookish-Everywhere + Playful Reader gives you plenty of possibilities across accessories, stationery, and games.

The point isn't really to squeeze every reader into a category. It's to think about how they love books before deciding what to buy them.

Buying a Gift for Another Reader?

This is where the quiz can be particularly useful. Instead of starting with, “What do you buy someone who likes books?” think about what their particular version of book-loving looks like.

Perhaps they talk about beautiful editions, or maybe book covers aren’t their thing (it’s all about the story inside). Do they spend Sunday afternoons curled up in a carefully created reading nook? Do they wear bookish sweatshirts? Do they track every book they read?

Those little clues usually tell you far more than simply knowing that somebody “likes books.”

And if you genuinely have no idea what they already own, there is always the book lover's emergency exit: a gift card. No duplicate books. No guessing their phone model. No attempting to remember whether they said they loved romantasy or didn't love romantasy during a conversation six months ago. Sometimes surrender is sensible.

And if you're shopping for a particular occasion rather than a particular reader type, our OUABC Care Packages are designed around everything from birthdays and graduations to breakups, self-care, and those moments when somebody simply needs a little extra love. 

So, What Kind of Reader Are You?

We're fairly certain most of us are a combination. I am a Book-First Reader with a side of Playful, while Sydney is a Cozy Reader with a touch of Bookish Everywhere!

That's half the fun of being a reader. One month you're buying a beautiful edition because the edges were impossible to resist. Next you're building the perfect reading corner, and somewhere along the way another tote bag has appeared even though you definitely already own several.

We would love to hear what kind of reader you are! Happy reading and, more importantly, here's to those ever-growing TBRs and wish lists. And if a certain gift-giving season happens to be approaching, well...it might be worth sharing your results with the right people.