Book Lover Gifts for Mother’s Day

‘Perhaps it takes courage to raise children’ – John Steinbeck.⭐

Whoever and however you’re celebrating this Mother’s Day, here are a few thoughtful gift ideas to say thank you to the woman who deserves it most. All of the items featured are available over on Bookishly, our main website.

1. ‘She is Too Fond of Books’ Floral Tote Bag – £15.00

2. Personalised Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – £9.95

3. ‘Home Is Where My Mum Is’ Watercolour Print – Fr. £10.00

4. Motherhood T Shirt – £18.00

5. A Book A Day Keeps Reality Away Mug – £12.50

6. Blind Date with a Book Mother’s Day Edition – £10.00

7. ‘Tea and Buns’ Framed Book Page Print – £23.00

8. Book Lover’s Tea Set Gift – £15.00

What’s inside a Bookishly Classic Book Crate?

As some of you might know, we run a bi-monthly book crate alongside our smaller monthly book club subscriptions.

Think of the crate as an upgraded, deluxe version of our Classic of the Month Club. It’s still themed around a classic book from literature, but there’s a lot more that comes with it. Plus, it’s great value.

You can read more about our crate and how it works right here.

We wanted to give you a better idea of what you can expect to find inside a typical box, so we went through our past crate collection and put together a list of the crate contents from some of our favourite months.

We’ve added a few photos too!

October 2018 – Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. 

Frankenstein Bookishly Edition, Penguin Little Black Classic, A5 unframed art print, framed book page print, tea, bookmark, author stat card, notepad, vinyl sticker sheet, large luxury scented candle.

November 2018 – Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables Bookishly Edition, A5 unframed art print, framed book page print, tea, vintage children’s book, wooden coaster, pencil case and pencils, notebook, bookmark.

March 2019 – Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Little Women Bookishly Edition, A5 unframed art print, framed book page print, vintage children’s book, bookmark, tea, tote bag, postcard set, author stat card.

May 2019 – Persuasion by Jane Austen

Persuasion Bookishly Edition, Penguin Little Black Classic, A5 unframed art print, tea, framed book page print, three greeting cards, author stat card, pen pot, desk pad.

August 2019 – Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Romeo & Juliet Bookishly Edition, Penguin Little Black Classic, A5 unframed art print, author stat card, bookmark, bunting, framed book page print, wooden house brooch, tea.

November 2019 – The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

The Little Prince Bookishly Edition, Penguin Modern Classic, A5 unframed art print, framed book page print, tea, author stat card, bookmark, note pad, tote bag.

Like what you see? Check out our biggest ever past crate flash sale whilst it’s still running!

 

 

 

Book Lover’s Valentine’s Gift Guide – Bookishly UK

A lovely literary list of Valentine’s Day treats.

Just a few different gifts to show your favourite person how wonderful they are. We hope you find your perfect match. ✨

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Shakespeare ‘Companion’ Book Page Print

Blind Date with a Book – Valentine’s Edition

Ernest Hemingway ‘Together’ Gold Foil 

Navy & Copper Foil Map of the Stars Print

Personalised Family Name Retro Wooden Sign with Gold Foil 

Personalised Foil Edition of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

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See more gifts in our Valentine’s collection right here.

The Ultimate Cosy Books

Our recent trip to see Greta Gerwig’s Little Women left us feeling all nostalgic and warm inside. (We seriously loved it, but you can read about that right here.)

That feeling of familiarity got us thinking… Little Women has always been one of those books that makes us feel cosy and safe, but what other books make us feel like that? 

Here’s a little list of the books (along with a quote or two) that we love to return to time and time again. The books that feel like home.

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Of course, we have to start with Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. 

“Never get tired of trying and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault.”

 

Next up is Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery.

“Isn’t it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet.”

 

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice is another firm favourite.

“I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of any thing than of a book.”

 

For some reason Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the book from the series that feels most comforting. (Maybe Prisoner of Azkaban too!) Anyone else with us on that one?

“Anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.”

 

We couldn’t not mention J.R.R Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Pure escapism. 

“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

 

And finally, last but by no means least, THE BFG. Or anything by Roald Dahl for that matter.

“Dreams,” he said, “is very mysterious things. They is floating around in the air like little wispy-misty bubbles. And all the time they is searching for sleeping people.”  

 

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Tell us your ultimate comfort book?

A Full Guide To Our Subscriptions

Our subscription collection has changed a little over the year. We thought we’d give you the full lowdown on what you can buy and the best place to find them!

MONTH-TO-MONTH SUBSCRIPTIONS

Month-to-month subscriptions are available to buy from our dedicated subscriptions website Tea & Book Club and have no set time length. Each subscription lasts for as long as you’d like it to – after purchase, customers can cancel at any point.

Here’s how it works: a set payment is taken from your account each month (the amount depends on your chosen subscription) and your monthly parcel is sent out by us and delivered straight to your door. We ship worldwide and you can expect your parcel to arrive at a similar time each month. We recommend a month to month subscription if you’re self purchasing. 

Month-to-month subscriptions are available for the following products! Tea & Vintage Book Club, Coffee & Vintage Book Club, Classic of the Month Club. Find out more about these subscriptions right here. 

PREPAID SUBSCRIPTION GIFTS

Our prepaid subscriptions gifts are available to buy from our main website Bookishly and have set time lengths. Subscriptions can run for either three, four, six, nine or twelve months and you choose this at the time of purchase. 

Here’s how it works: a full payment is taken from your account at the time of purchase (the amount depends on your chosen subscription and the number of months) and your parcel is then sent out by us and delivered straight to the recipient’s door. We ship worldwide and you can expect your parcel to arrive at a similar time each month. We recommend a prepaid subscription if you’re looking to buy a gift. 

Prepaid subscriptions are available for the following products! Tea & Vintage Book Club, Coffee & Vintage Book Club, Classic of the Month Club, Classics & Cuppa Subscription, Vintage Crime Thriller Subscription, Vintage James Bond Subscription. Find out more about these subscriptions right here. 

THE CLASSIC BOOK CRATE

Think of The Classic Book Crate as an entirely separate product to our subscriptions. They’re bigger and they’re more expensive – there’s a lot more in them! Crates are available to buy from our main website Bookishly and are available as a one off product or a month to month subscription. 

You can read all about the crate, including how it works, right here. 

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We hope you found this blog post helpful. We figured it would be especially useful for those of you thinking about starting the new year with a new hobby! 

Here’s to a wonderful 2020, filled with happiness and a LOT of books. 

Literary Gifts for Every Friend

 

We’ve put together a little gift guide inspired by literature to help you with your Christmas shopping and those friends who are hard to buy for. 

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The Moon Lover

Personalised Map of The Stars Print with Gold or Copper Foil – Fr. £39

A beautiful star chart print, that would look wonderful in any home. Our star maps are entirely accurate and are personalised to depict the stars, planets and constellations at the exact moment and location of your choosing.

The Tea Drinker

Tea and Vintage Book Club Subscription – Fr £36

A wonderful book subscription gift that will delight any book lover. A special literary package sent from the UK arriving on the doorstep every month: a surprise vintage paperback book, some lovely stationery and delicious tea. Perfect!

Or how about…

Book Lover’s Tea Set Gift – £15

This book lover’s tea set is a lovely gift for bookworms and tea drinkers alike. Four packets of different bookish themed teas – perfect! Each packet of tea comes with four tea bags and a unique literary twist.

The Book Addict

Funny ‘I Can Fit All Of My Books’ Book Lover Mug – £12.50

An amusing mug that features an all too relatable line. “Me: I can fit all of my books into one box. Them: You need to stop calling your house a box.”Anyone else guilty of this? This funny mug makes a great gift for any book fan!

The Coffee Fiend

Coffee and Vintage Book Subscription – £27.00

A special literary package subscription on the doorstep every month: a surprise vintage paperback book and delicious ground coffee. Perfect!

The Bad Influence

Funny ‘Rare and Charming Qualities’ Red and Pink Poster – £14.00

After a funny best friend gift? This bright, modern poster will make them smile. We’ve all got one friend that’s guilty of being a bad influence, this one’s for them. An amusing quote, this fun and bold literary print is available in three colourways: red text over pink, rose gold over navy, black over white.

The Mini Bookworm

Wizard of Oz ‘Emerald City’ Children’s Varsity Sweatshirt – £23

A fun and preppy varsity style children’s sweatshirt featuring one of literature’s (and film’s!) most iconic locations – Emerald City from The Wizard of Oz.

The Adventurous One

J.R.R Tolkien ‘Not All Those Who Wander’ Journal – £13

A lovely travel journal featuring a literary quote from the brilliant J.R.R Tolkien and printed on to our signature watercolour blot and vintage map design. A brilliant leaving gift for friend or family member embarking on a big adventure.

The Interiors Obsessed

Personalised Retro Family Name Wooden Sign – £50

A retro personalised family name sign in a circus style font with beautiful gold foil, inspired by the classic gold leaf lettering technique, and mounted onto a wooden block.

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Want some more inspo! Check out our entire range of products on our website right here.

 

 

 

A Month of Birthdays!

It’s a month of birthdays! We’re celebrating a number of our favourite authors along with the brilliant stories they created.

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Lucy Maud Montgomery 

Born :  30th November 1874.

Died :  24th April 1942

“We ought always try to influence others for good.”

Nationality : Canadian. 

Known For : Anne of Green Gables.

Her family were less than supportive and considered writing a waste of time, however Montgomery ran the post office and was able to submit work to publishers in secret. 

Frances Hodgson Burnett

Born : 24th November 1849.

Died : 29th October 1924.

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”

Nationality : English. 

Known For : The Secret Garden. 

The Secret Garden was based on the beautiful garden at Great Maytham Hall, where she lived for ten years. 

Louisa May Alcott

Born : 29th November 1832

Died : 6th March 1888

“I could have been a great many things.”

Nationality : American

Known For : Little Women

During her time as a Civil War nurse she contracted typhoid fever and pneumonia, which was treated with calomel, and led to her suffering from mercury poisoning until she died at age 55. 

Bram Stoker

Born : 8th November 1847

Died : 20th April 1912

“There are darknesses in life and there are lights, you are one of the lights.”

Nationality : Irish

Known For : Dracula

Stoker worked a business manager to the great actor Henry Irving. Upon their first meeting, Irving recited a spine-chilling rendition of Thomas Hood’s verse horror story The Dream of Eugene Aram. 

C.S Lewis

Born : 29th November 1898

Died : 22nd November 1963

“Courage, dear heart.”

Nationality : Irish

Known For : The Chronicles of Narnia. 

Following on from a successful career as a Tutor of English Literature at Oxford University, C.S Lewis was unanimously elected to the Chair of Medieval and Renaissance Literature at Cambridge University in 1954, a position he held until his retirement.

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Make sure you’re following us on social media! We might just be doing a giveaway to celebrate… Find us @bookishlyuk on both Facebook and Instagram. 

Classic Book Crate – What’s New?

It’s been a little while since we last spoke about The Bookishly Classic Book Crate, our monthly book box subscription themed around a different literary classic each month. We’re in the midst of celebrating the first anniversary since we launched the product last year and wanted to fill you in on what we’ve been doing and what’s to come!

Current Crate

We’ll start with the basics – this month’s current crate! Our crate this month is based around The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. We still have a few remaining and they’re on sale for one more week. The PERFECT read for this time of year. If you’d like to see a crate spoiler for this month then you can do so right here or if you’re ready to take the plunge and buy your crate you can do so here.

Flash Sale

Every so often we have a clear out of our remaining crate stock. We always keep a few crates aside each month incase any orders go missing in what we like to call, the postal vortex. Each crate has 20% off – we only have a limited number available so be quick! Shop the past crate flash sale right here.

Anniversary Editions

So this is exciting! In a few weeks time we’ll be launching our Anniversary Editions. We’ve brought back a very limited number of your three favourite crates from the last year so if you missed out first time round there’s a chance to get one now. And in plenty of time for Christmas too! Perfect! Anniversary Editions will be launching at the end of this month, make sure you’re following us on social media @bookishlyuk to stay up to date with latest news!

Ten Inspirational Males From Literature

Never underestimate the importance of storytelling. 

Literature has provided us with some incredible characters over the years; characters who inspire us to better ourselves as individuals. 

Male, female, animals, even inanimate objects. Without a doubt, they’re one of the most valuable parts of any story – if you’re not invested in who they are and the decisions they make then it simply won’t work. 

The list of characters we deem ‘kick-ass’ is way too long for just one blog post, so we thought we’d start with our top ten favourite male characters first! Even whittling this list down proved quite the task!

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1. Harry Potter

Book: Harry Potter Series – J.K. Rowling

Admirable traits: valiant, loyal, resilient

2. Mr Darcy

Book: Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen

Admirable traits: sincere, liberal-minded, romantic

3. Jean Valjean

Book: Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

Admirable traits: charitable, righteous, caring

4. Albus Dumbledore

Book: Harry Potter – J.K Rowling

Admirable traits: wise, generous, selfless

5. Sherlock Holmes

Book: The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Arthur Conan Doyle

Admirable traits: intelligent, determined, passionate

6. Peter Pan

Book: Peter Pan – J.M. Barrie

Admirable traits: adventurous, brave, free-spirited

7. James Bond

Book: James Bond Series – Ian Fleming

Admirable traits: charismatic, smart, level-headed

8. Mr Knightley

Book: Emma by Jane Austen

Admirable traits: self-sacrificing, generous, honourable

9. Atticus Finch

Book: To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee

Admirable traits: headstrong, clever, dignified

10. Samwise Gamgee

Book: Lord Of The Rings – JRR Tolkien

Admirable traits: supportive, reliable, courageous

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There you have it. I would love to know your thoughts. Do you agree with my list? Is there anybody you would add or is there anybody who you would definitely take off? Share your ideas below!

Hidden Treasures Part Three

It’s time for the third installment of our ‘Hidden Treasures’ series. A blog post dedicated to the little snippets of the past that we find hidden inside the pages of our vintage books.

We’ve been running this series for the last few years over on our main website, Bookishly. Think of these blog posts as a mini highlight reel of all the treasures we’ve found so far!

Wihout further ado…

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1. Steam Train Photograph

We found this old black and white photograph of a steam train either arriving in to or departing from its station. An educated guess would date this picture back to around the 1940s. We wish we had more information than just that. The front of the train shows that it has the number 46455 written on it. Do you guys know if that means anything?

2. List of Destroyed Aircraft

Probably written by an individual who had a keen interest in aircraft. This is an entire list of destroyed aircraft from 1970. Divided in to fatal and non fatal. Pretty interesting!

3. Letter to Jane

Written from her parents. It reads:

‘Dear Jane, many thanks for your letter. Hope the weather improves for you, it was quite warm here on Saturday but colder yesterday, and it is rainy today. We are going to Nanas & Grandpa’s tonight for supper – picking Aunt Kate up on the way. We are going to get the eggs and the paper for you – then hope it has cleared up by the time we get home and I might do the washing. How do you like golf – do you think you would like to learn – and do you think Daddy and I could manage it. Daddy is just finishing his breakfast so I think that is all the news for now, as we are going down to Henley. Much love, Mummy and Daddy x x x x x’

Letters like this always make you want to find out more of their story; who they were, why they weren’t together, etc!

4. Sunday Times Book Voucher

A voucher for a book of choice for J.P Musker. The front of the voucher has a particularly lovely quote about reading for you book lovers out there.

‘Let your bookcases and your shelves be your gardens and your pleasure grounds. Pluck the fruit that grows therein, gather the roses, the spices and the myrrh.’

5. Santorini Postcard

Dated back to 1988 (nearly thirty years ago!) This postcard was sent from an Ingrid and Joseph to a Matuto. The photo on the front shows Santorini looking just as picturesque and beautiful as it does now. It reads:

Dear Matuto,

Our short holiday here is flying. Joseph says it is compulsory for us to swim everyday. On some beaches the pebbles really hurt, but the water and colour are great.

Our love to you, Ingrid and Joseph

Ingrid and Joseph, we are so jealous of past you.

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What’s the coolest thing you’ve found hidden inside a vintage book?