Christmas Gifts for Book Lovers

Christmas, many people's favorite holiday, is just around the corner and I'm sure that most of you have already done your Christmas shopping for yourself and your loved ones. However, just in case some of you still need to do it, or in case you want to find some more book-related gifts, I'm going to share some of my ideas with you. 

Here, at One More Chapter, we love giving bookish gifts and sharing our ideas about them, so there's already one more post on this blog about book-related gifts you can check it out here before checking this one, so you can get even more cool ideas. Any of the items listed in the previous post can also be given as Christmas gifts if you'd like, but they will not be listed on this current post in order to avoid repetition.

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1. Bookish Christmas tree ornaments: A gift that your bookworm friends will surely love, as they will surely love to place it on their tree and admire it all the time! There are always enough branches on the tree for all our favorite decorations, especially if they are book related, and even if there aren't, you can still just hang it anywhere you'd like!
2. Bookish socks: For half of the Earth's hemisphere, this time of the year is cold. So we'll all need some help to warm up and what would be better for this than a warm and cozy pair of socks?
3. Bookish slippers: In a similar spirit to the previous idea, this gift will definitely be useful, as it will keep your friends warm and cozy and they will surely love it because it will always remind them not only of their favorite hobby but also of you, the friend who brought them the gift!
4. Bookish jewelry: A book-shaped necklace, bracelet, or even a bookish pin... Simple, cute, and who wouldn't want it, really?

I hope these ideas helped you a little bit in our search for a Christmas present, but even if it didn't, remember there's always the choice to give them their favorite book, or a book they've wanted to read for a while, or a pretty/rare edition of a book they love. You can carefully pick something according to their preferences and they surely won't be disappointed! 

After all, Christmas is all about the spirit and being with your loved ones and gifts are all about thought and showing your love, so whatever you pick, in the end, what matters is the connection between you and them!

Whatever you do this Christmas, with whoever you decide to spend it, and in whichever way, I hope you all will have a great time, full of love and happiness! 

Merry Christmas and may all your wishes come true!

How Audiobooks Changed My Reading

Audiobooks have been around for a long time and have become popular among many people. They're fast, and easy to follow, and you can listen to them any place and any time you want, even while doing your daily chores. I think it would be fair to say that audiobooks have changed many people's reading habits. 

I, however, have been avoiding them until recently, not because I thought there was anything wrong with them, or because I thought I wouldn't like them - on the contrary, I've always been intrigued by them. I've been avoiding them because when I tried listening to fiction books, I struggled to get used to the narrating voice, especially regarding the characters' voices. Don't get me wrong, most of these narrators are usually amazing and do a great job, it's just that I as a reader want to imagine the characters' voices a specific way and when the narrating voice, accent, and general demeanor don't match the voice in my head I have a problem to fully emerge to the story.

I tried listening to several fiction books and realized that it didn't really work for me, so I didn't really give audiobooks a second chance until I realized that I could try listening to non-fiction books! As it turned out, this was one of my best ideas regarding reading, it had a lot of perks, and it completely changed my reading!

So, below I'll list some of the pros of listening to audiobooks, some of the things I've gained from listening to them, and some of the ways my reading habits have changed because of them.

• Audiobooks help you read more: By nature, they are fast and easy to consume, and you can listen to them at any place and at any time. So naturally, that will increase the number of books you read and will help you reach your reading goals. Especially if you are like me and have limited free time, they seem like the ideal solution.
• They increase the variety of the books you can read: The most significant change that has happened for me in my experience of listening to audiobooks is that they got me into reading all different kinds and genres of books that I never thought I would be into, and which I wouldn't have read otherwise. Audiobooks helped me get through heavy classics that I would have otherwise found boring, but most of all, they allowed me to read plenty of non-fiction books that I normally wouldn't have picked to read and I surely wouldn't have the patience to read any other way.
• Similarly, they can get you into new authors: Authors that you never thought you'd try reading, authors that you wouldn't have gone for... Audiobooks will get you acquainted with their various writing styles and different genres and will open your eyes to new worlds and experiences.
• Listening to a book is an entirely different experience: It gives you a whole new sense of the book, and each narrator can bring something new and unique to a book. Granted, not all of the narrators are equally great, there will be some that you won't like, but most of them are very passionate and really talented. Some of the narrators can bring an entirely new feeling to the book and they can draw you into it.
• More time spent productively - less time wasted: Reading (or listening) to a book is not only an enjoyable but also a very productive activity that exercises your brain and engages all your senses. It's certainly a much preferable investment of your time, rather than scrolling through social media or procrastinating, doing nothing. You'll find that the more you use your free time to listen to a book, the more you'll learn, the better you'll feel and your bad habits and procrastinating will gradually be reduced.

These have been some of the positive changes I have noticed after I started listening to audiobooks more regularly. Audiobooks have now become a big part of my reading and I've grown to love them and the positive impact they've had on me. I will possibly discover even more facts about them as I listen to them more and more and I will be back to discuss them with you again...