Buying a gift for a book lover might seem easy – you just buy them a book, or something related to reading. However choosing the right book for someone is often much trickier than anticipated – how do you know what they’ve already read, what they like reading and genres they struggle to get through? You could just ask them, but that spoils the surprise of a gift.
Let me introduce you to The Right Read. A small business run here in Sydney, it creates bespoke book packages for all kinds of readers, making gift-giving fun and easy. I was lucky enough to receive a box myself, and despite having received a lot of PR in my time, this was by far one of the most exciting.
The experience begins with a questionnaire. This does make a really fun gift for yourself too, so you can choose to fill the questionnaire out for yourself or for someone else. It asks a bunch of questions about reading habits, personality and genres enjoyed and disliked (so you may need to sneak a peek at their bookshelf), before taking all the info and creating a personalised box.
When you receive the box, it’s such a fun experience unpacking everything. Inside the box, the book is wrapped, so you get to go through all the little pieces that hint at your book without actually knowing what it is. From what I’ve seen (and experienced) most boxes include a mug, tea and candle (essential reading equipment), and then a selection of book-tailored objects.
I’m a big fantasy reader, so it’s no surprise my box included adventurous trinkets like a compass (which, having now read the book was actually a big theme) and some lucky stony elephants, as well as a themed bookmark and a shiny coin to flip, with one side saying ‘bedtime’ and the other ‘one more chapter’.
Also included are some prompts to encourage you to take notes on the book and reflect on what you thought, and a personalised letter that teases what the book is.
Having read A LOT of books in my time, I actually sent over a picture of my bookshelf to avoid receiving something I already had, however I was still nervous as I’ve also read a lot from the library. I was pleasantly surprised to open my book and find not only something I hadn’t read, but also hadn’t heard of yet (definitely not an easy feat for someone like me).
Called The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah, it tells the story of Loulie al-Nazari, a criminal who goes by the alias The Midnight Merchant, who hunts and sells illegal magic with her jinn bodyguard. After saving his son, the sultan blackmails Loulie into finding an ancient lamp that will restore the barren land, at the cost of sacrificing all the jinn.
I absolutely loved this take on One Thousand and One Nights. The story is unique and engaging, and the author’s writing style is beautifully descriptive. The Right Read nailed my reading taste from my questionnaire, the only downside is now I have to wait until April 2025 to read the next book in the trilogy.
If you’re keen to experience The Right Read for yourself or order it as a gift for a friend, you can take the quiz on their website.
