Bookstores can be a one-stop shop for gift-giving, with plenty of genres, formats, and trinkets to choose from. We’ve put together a gift guide featuring some of the most popular reads and the perfect accessories to help your loved one settle into a good book.
Have an avid reader on your Christmas gift list? From the top books of 2025 to cozy accessories to help you get into your page-turning groove, here’s a shopping guide for your favourite bookworm.
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TOP BOOKS OF 2025
Canada’s top bookseller, Indigo, has released their list of the top books of the year, and it’s full of page turners.
The Best Books of the Year list is compiled by Indigo’s book lovers, who have read and reviewed hundreds of books since April, to find a list of ten incredible books that stood out from all the rest.
1. Wild Dark Shore
This novel focuses on the story of a family isolated on a remote island, and a mysterious woman who washes ashore during the worst storm the island has ever seen.
Written by New York Times Bestselling author Charlotte McConaghy, Wild Dark Shore is described as a novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, telling a story about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love.
2. Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts
The latest work from internationally acclaimed Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood, Book of Lives: A Memoir of Sorts, follows her life story, starting with her childhood in the wild forest of northern Quebec, living with her entomologist father and dietician mother.
Beautifully descriptive and captivating, the memoir connects moments in Atwood’s life to the books she has written that have gone on to shape both Canada’s arts landscape and international literary reputation, including works like Cat’s Eye and The Handmaid’s Tale.
3. Mother Mary Comes to Me
Also named one of the New York Times Book Review’s Top Ten Books of 2025, this memoir documents the life of legendary author Arundhati Roy, the brilliant mind behind works like The God of Small Things and The Ministry of Utmost Happiness. Mother Mary Comes to Me explores Roy’s complicated relationship with her mother, Mary.
A finalist for the Kirkus Prize, Roy’s first memoir is described as an intimate, inspirational story of how she became the person and the writer she is, shaped by significant life events and circumstances, including the mother-daughter relationship she shared with the extraordinary woman she describes as “my shelter and my storm.”
4. The Emperor of Gladness
Set in East Gladness, Connecticut, this novel by poet and essayist Ocean Vuong follows nineteen-year-old Hai, who is ready to end his own life when he hears an elderly woman living with dementia calling out to him with the hope of convincing him to take another path.
The Emperor of Gladness sees Hai become a caregiver, developing a life-changing bond built on empathy, spiritual reckoning, and heartbreak in a story that follows the cycles of history, memory, and time while exploring the profound ways in which love, labour, and loneliness form the bedrock of American life.
5. One Golden Summer
This book will be a nostalgic read for anyone who grew up going to the cottage during the summer weekends, with the author saying she aimed to capture the quintessential Ontario cottage country summer and reflect the beauty of Canada in One Golden Summer.
The novel follows a love story between photographer Alice and Charlie, a man whom she first photographed when they were teenagers. Now all grown up, and spending the summer on the lake with her aging grandmother, Alice encounters Charlie again after a long time.
These five reads are part of Indigo’s 10 Best Books of the Year list, which they call “guaranteed reads,” meaning that if you do read it and don’t love it, you can return the book to Indigo and get your money back.
You can find the entire top ten and the expanded list of 100 on the Indigo website.
BOOK-RELATED ACCESSORIES
The bookstore is also a great place to grab gifts outside of the reading materials. From Tonies to lamps and sex toys, here are some other great gifts to grab at Indigo.
Toniesbox
The Toniesbox is a great gift for young storylovers who can’t read solo just yet. The box has a built-in speaker, and when a Tonie figurine is placed on top, it reads a story aloud for the listener.
From storytime with Miss Rachel, to sing-a-longs with your favourite Disney characters, and plenty of other Tonies to choose from, it’s a great gift for little ones and families alike.
Book Buddies
Also great for young book lovers, the book retailer also has a collection of Book Buddies, collectable plush toys that are paired with stories.
For example, a plush version of Clifford the Big Red Dog comes with a story featuring the beloved American dog. Several Dr. Seuss books, including How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Lorax, and The Cat in the Hat.
Reading and Writing Accessories
If you don’t have a reader on your list, but you do have a writer, or someone who dabbles in both, you’re in luck. Indigo offers a variety of accessories for the poet, essayist, or even student in your life.
Their collection of book lamps can help shed a little light on the situation, especially while reviewing notes or writing on the go. They also have lap desks, which allow you to work comfortably with a tabletop on the couch, the floor, in bed, or pretty much anywhere else. Book sleeves are another gift idea for the writer/reader on your list, offering protection against the elements, your spilled coffee, and your lunch for your favourite books and documents.
The Reading Cozy
The best way to enjoy a good read in the winter is cuddled up in PJs, or under a warm blanket. Indigo has the perfect solution: The Reading Cozy. The blanket/poncho hybrid is made from a soft fleece with wide sleeves, an open front, and an oversized hood, making it the perfect attire for tucking into a new read.
The Reading Cozy comes in ivory or in two different patterns. Plus, it has pockets, in fact, it has pockets big enough for your latest read.
Book Club Apparel
If book club is your life, then the Indigo Book Club Collection is definitely for you. Featuring various tote bags, baseball hats, hoodies and graphic t-shirts, the products are branded for that one person in your life who just can’t put their book down.
And if you’re doing a Secret Santa or swapping gifts with members of your book club, this collection is also filled with the perfect presents.
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