Spending eight years as a reference librarian, teacher of knowledge literacy, and even a library director, together with finishing a Masters in Library Science, it is secure to say, I am an enormous fan of books and data entry. I’m additionally the copyeditor right here at Pocket-lint. Our opinions, how-tos, and head-to-head comparability articles protecting all of the tech that I dream of scooping up, come by way of my desk. So, for the holiday season, let me be your knowledgeable information on what tech to present the book-lovers in your life.
Best eReaders: Upgrade your print book library for greater storage and accessibility
The perfect eReaders are waterproof, simpler in your eyes and might prevent invaluable shelf house with unbelievable digital storage choices.
With a library (excuse the pun) of useful tech to select from, I seemed to the Pocket-lint workforce to assist me slim down my checklist into three classes. We’ll begin by wanting on the best devices to handle and entry your library of tales and data, then hop to the very best desk necessities, and at last over to additions to spruce up your house. And since I can not assist myself, I will attempt to sneak in some professional ideas all through the checklist too. With out additional ado, the very best tech for the avid reader in your life, from a licensed guide jockey.
Finest tech to learn and hearken to tales
Amazon Kindle Oasis
Finest Kindle eReader
Amazon’s greatest provide with an enormous show display screen
The last word studying system, that is for guide lovers who eat books at pace and need the very best system obtainable to learn them on.
- Massive storage
- WhisperSync
- Stunning show
- Consists of web page turner buttons
- 2019 launch
- Costly, different worthwhile fashions exist
- App retailer is restricted
Whereas I personally have probably the most expertise utilizing the unique Kindle Fireplace 1st technology mannequin, it is the Kindle Oasis that I might rapidly substitute it with if given the possibility (trace, trace). The show dimension and premium efficiency are the standout options, and whereas it launched in 2019, it nonetheless charges very excessive amongst Pocket-lint editors right here (incomes 4.5 out of 5 stars), who agree that is the highest expertise you possibly can have with a Kindle.
Amazon Kindle Oasis (2019) review: Glow up
The Amazon Kindle Oasis (2019) stays our best choice for studying units. It is costly, however, in the event you learn lots, it is unmatched. Discover out why on this full assessment.
It is usually neglected for current Kindle Paperwhite and Scribe fashions, however the Kindle Oasis is the unsung hero of the vary. The professionals of this system embody IPX8 waterproofing, providing safety for these desirous to learn by the seaside, bathtub, or pool. Plus, in the event you’re an audiobook aficionado, the 32GB storage and 4G connectivity are particularly helpful. Bigger storage permits for extra native file obtain house for offline studying and listening — audiobooks, specifically, are hefty information. The 4G connectivity permits WhisperSync to match up e book and audiobook titles the place you final left off in the event you personal each.
If a 2-in-1 writing choice, just like the Kindle Scribe, or small dimension for portability, just like the Kindle Fireplace, in your eReader is not a serious concern, that is the mannequin I might advocate on your subsequent buy.
reMarkable 2
Finest ewriter for storytellers and professionals
An environmentally pleasant option to manage your brilliance
The reMarkable 2 is the final word minimalist doc creation/enhancing software. It has dozens of paper fashion templates, integration with Docs and Dropbox, and is so well-designed.
- Templates for writing, music, and extra
- Suitable with notes app
- House and paper saver
- 10.3-inch, E Ink, textured show for paper-like really feel
- No backlighting for nighttime
- Costly
Studying tales is not the one option to broaden your book-tech. The novelists, song-writers, and storytellers on the market may be part of within the enjoyable with the tablet-like expertise of a reMarkable 2 pocket book. Outstanding guarantees to maintain creatives organized and prepared the following time inspiration strikes, with its unimaginable light-weight and skinny pocket book that might substitute all of the paper notebooks in your bag.
ReMarkable 2 review: You’ll never need paper notebooks again
It is a pill for writing on that has a paper-like really feel… it’s kind of magical
The Pocket-lint workforce reviewed the Outstanding 2 again in 2021 when it got here out, and I personally noticed the system in motion final summer season. The texture of the pill is as near paper as any writing tech we have seen. My earlier library director bought one final summer season, and it was a delight to see the performance and spectacular means to show fast notes into simply readable PDFs.
Some detractors to say, starting with the value. That is an costly little bit of tech that I might advocate in the event you or others in your life choose to bodily write issues and need a method to do this with much less paper waste and on a product with out distracting extras. This isn’t supposed to switch your telephone, pill, or eReader (though it could show PDF and EPUB ebooks), it is actually meant for writing. If you’re searching for a extra all-in-one system, you might wish to try the Kindle Scribe.
If the value tag is an comprehensible turn-off, I believe many may get by with the Rocketbook Fusion notebook as properly — you may miss out on many premium options, however for a lot much less of successful to your pockets.
Toniebox starter set with Playtime Pet
Finest storyteller for youths
Audiobooks and songs on your favourite baby
The Playtime Pet Tonie on this set even has tunes like “Wheels on the Bus” and “If You are Glad and You Know It.” The bundle supplies a charging station for the Toniebox, too, which affords as much as seven hours of battery life.
- Much less screen-time whereas nonetheless providing storytelling
- Many characters to select from and accumulate
- Extraordinarily child and user-friendly
- Battery lasts lengthy sufficient for many outings
- Has proprietary charger stand
- Somewhat cumbersome for journey
- Preliminary studying curve to downloading content material
My two favourite toddlers are each getting Tonies this Christmas. Typically the TikTok algorithm wins, and with the Toniebox it did its greatest work on me and my sister-in-law. The Toniebox is a dice speaker, wrapped in smooth material, that may play music or tales by attaching totally different Tonie characters to the highest of the system. When you have a toddler in your life who loves storytime and singing, I believe that is the proper option to give them extra tales and independence, with much less display screen time.
What is a Toniebox, how to set it up, and can you add content to Tonies?
Tonieboxes and Tonies are well-liked youngsters toys in 2023, rating on Amazon’s greatest toy lists. Here is the right way to arrange and use these storytelling units.
I now have one Toniebox and 6 Tonie characters in my home, and I am so comfortable I misplaced the TikTok battle this time. The hand painted high quality of the characters is great. There’s a unbelievable selection within the Tonie retailer and on Amazon of various characters from Disney, fairytales, well-liked and basic image books, and academic characters by Nationwide Geographic.
Tonies are beneficial for ages 3 and up. Please notice in the event you purchase them for a kid below the age of three, they aren’t supposed to play with them independently. A few of the Tonie characters might be choking hazards with out supervision for youthful kids.
I bought the Playtime Pet starter set above and moreover a couple of enjoyable characters: Shrek, Counting with Fox, Occurring a Bear Hunt, Sleepy Pals Lullaby, and two DIY Artistic Audio Characters. I’m most enthusiastic about giving the customized Tonie characters to my family and friends to create their very own audio to play for his or her youngsters. Whether or not it is a favourite lullaby sung by a grandparent who lives out-of-town or a bedtime story from the mother or father who travels.
Finest desk necessities on your residence library
Librarians know the right way to keep cozy, even with most of our buildings’ historic rattling HVACs, excitable patrons, and again workplaces that give Pandora releasing Chaos for the primary time a run for its cash. Listed below are my high decisions to make your personal residence library house peaceable and serene, and no, it isn’t simply three totally different cardigans.
Ember Mug 2
Finest beverage hotter
For these of us with chilly tea and low all around the home
$120 $140 Save $20
The second-generation Ember Mug can preserve your espresso or tea at its excellent temperature for 80 minutes on full cost, or eternally if in case you have it sat on its charging coaster. Good for winter months.
The Ember mug, and particularly the second technology, is a favourite amongst editors right here at Pocket-lint. I seethe with envy each time I discover my chilly tea and know that my colleagues have completely tempered caffeine of their mugs from NYC to Wales. The Ember Mug 2 has IPX7 waterproof rating, however must be hand washed solely, not put by way of the dishwasher.
There’s an app for sensible management to set your most well-liked temperature, nevertheless it works wonderful with out the app too. You’ll be able to rise up to 80 minutes of warmth on the mug when it isn’t on it is base, which ought to offer you simply sufficient time to recollect the place you might be after diving right into a fantasy novel.
There are a few fashions that may enchantment to totally different shoppers. The mug model above is what I might use, as I work remotely. Nevertheless, if in case you have somebody who commutes or is an on-the-go mother or father, the Ember Travel Mug 2+ is a game-changing choice. It incorporates Apple’s Find My technology, that will help you find your favourite vessel.
Niimbot B21 Inkless Label Maker
Finest tech to arrange your books, cabinets, and desk
Create customized bookplates and genrefy your cabinets
For customized guide stickers and shelf labeling, make your own home cabinets as simple to browse as your favourite library or bookshop with the Niimbot B21.
- Connects to your telephone
- Fashionable design
- 4 shade choices
- Not as customizable as bigger fashions
- Considerably expensive
Relating to organizing books for immediate accessibility, a label maker is a superb techy option to ease into group with out instantly choosing an eReader. The Niimbot B21 inkless label maker packs a number of options right into a small and classy package deal. It is moveable, is available in 4 colours, and might hook up with your iPhone or Android system by way of the Niimbot app for straightforward printing and design entry.
The wi-fi printer might be taken with you, whether or not from room to room or out of the home, and might print for as much as 4 hours after an hour and a half cost. The printing is completed with thermal know-how and does not want ink. Labels print at a width of 0.8-inch to 2-inch and the Niimbot B21 comes with an included pack of fifty x 30mm labels (230pcs/roll) to make use of.
Sony WH-1000XM5
Finest noise cancelling headphones
Get misplaced in quiet serenity or immersive listening
$328 $400 Save $72
An incredible all-round package deal that sounds merely unimaginable, Sony’s newest providing is just about nearly as good because it will get.
- Excellent lively noise cancellation
- Glorious sound high quality
- Consolation for lengthy listening classes
- Heaps of features
- No help for aptX
- Do not fold as small as they used to
The Sony WH-1000XM5 are my dream active noise cancelling (ANC) headphones. I am at the moment rocking an outdated Logitech G435 pair that I principally bought for his or her first rate microphone high quality however which lack ANC, and I remorse it. Our Pocket-lint workforce gave the Sony WH-100XM5’s an ideal ranking (5 out of 5 stars) throughout their assessment, they usually had been simply behind the Bose QuietComfort Ultra in our choose of total headphones of the yr for our annual Pocket-lint awards.
Sony WH-1000XM5 review: Still an ANC masterclass
Sony up to date its flagship WH-1000X headphones in 2022, now in its fifth iteration. This time there is a change in design, on high of different enhancements.
Nevertheless, the Sony headphones got here out on high primarily based on worth, in our head-to-head comparison of the 2, which is why they’re my selection right here. Consolation and lengthy audiobook listens go hand-in-hand, whether or not you may have roommates, would love privateness from little ears, or simply want a break from the noise of the world; these are my dream ANC headphones and I believe they will impress the audiobook lover in your life too.
Finest library house and studying nook additions
Good lighting makes all of the distinction in a studying house. Good lighting is the way in which to go to permit customization on your favourite bookworm to glow up, dim and glimmer, or brighten their house.
Govee Curtain Lights
Finest sensible lighting for protection
Nice choose for teenagers and faculty college students
$90 $130 Save $40
- Animated choices galore
- IP65 waterproofing
- Extraordinarily customizable
- Alternative ways to mount and apply
- Curtain fashion not for everybody
- App has a studying curve
The Govee curtain lights are a flexible and enjoyable option to improve any house, however one I believe would work so properly in teenagers and faculty college students’ rooms to customise their house. I purchased curtain fairy lights a couple of years in the past that aren’t sensible, and I really like the impact they’ve on my house, however I would like to improve mine to the Govee model. Harsh overhead lights are the enemy of most of my millennial-aged mates, and I believe that is one quirk that almost all generations can get behind.
Govee Curtain Lights review: Fairy lights have never been so fun
Govee’s Curtain Lights appear like an superior option to simply brighten up your residing house, however are they definitely worth the money? I put them to the check.
The Pocket-lint workforce reviewed and examined the Govee sensible curtain lights this previous summer season. They scored properly in brightness ranges, compatibility with Google Dwelling and Alexa, and the effectiveness of the RGB animated lighting. When you do not use a sensible residence hub, the app will work properly so that you can management, arrange new lighting settings, and use timers. These lights are rather more costly than commonplace curtain lights, so the IP65 waterproof ranking is sweet to see for longevity’s sake.
The app comes with heaps of preset types but additionally affords DIY customizations and the power to upload gifs to the lights. How efficient the animations could also be will rely on the unique design’s complexity and the way far you might be from the lights. The lights approximate to 520 pixels for photos to show. The function that I can not wait to check out is the music reactive mode, which makes use of microphones to react to the encircling music and noise with lighting modifications and pulses. In all probability not greatest for events, however ideally suited for creating the proper vibes whereas studying.
Philips Hue Go Moveable Desk Lamp
Finest moveable mild
Stalk the halls like a ghost in a Brontë novel
The Philips Hue Go Moveable Lamp affords a design that may mix in with most interiors. Portability permits it for use in a mess of studying areas, making for a really versatile system.
- Nice efficiency
- Multitude of options from Hue app
- Strong and moveable design
- Waterproof
- Costly
- Design is probably not to all tastes
When you dream of carrying round an oil lamp like a lighthouse grasp in a thriller novel, you aren’t alone. The Philips Hue Go moveable desk lamp is a stellar multiuse choice that might be a fantastic addition on your residence studying nook, or another house you want to illuminate. It has a helpful silicon part alongside the stem for straightforward carrying. As a Philips Hue sensible system, it’s appropriate with the Philips Hue Bridge, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Matter — a rarity in sensible lighting.
Philips Hue Go Portable Table Lamp review: Lighting up your home and garden
The Philips Hue Go Moveable Desk Lamp has been reworking my residing house for a couple of months, however must you purchase it? Here is my full assessment.
There is a button on the highest of the shade that may management the system with presets inside the app, permitting for some guide management if you do not have your telephone or pill close by. The lamp is available in two finishes of black and white, however the lighting choices are the place the colour selection actually impresses.
The Philips Hue Go moveable desk lamp is a straightforward design that ought to match most interiors, however won’t be as fashionable as some would love. The expense is one other factor to contemplate. Seeing because it might be helpful at evening to make use of with out waking the entire home and has a cost that lasts as much as 48 hours (nice in a pinch for an influence outage), there is a case for the worth being price it for this sensible lamp.
Hooga Ebook Mild
Finest booklight clamp
Blue mild blocking for simpler nighttime studying
This hooga guide mild is rechargeable, clips on simply to books, and most significantly for nighttime studying, has blue mild blocking LED lights.
- Funds-friendly choose
- Eases eye-strain
- Lengthy battery life
- Journey sized
- On and off button is reportedly loud in some opinions
- Button is simple to activate in a bag
When you or somebody was ever disciplined for staying up too late studying, the hooga guide mild is a superb discover. Hooga’s clamp fashion guide mild guarantees to assist evening owls give their eyes a break with blue mild blocking LED, so eye pressure might be decreased. This model has amber shade lighting, however there are different choices in the event you choose a chillier hue. It is travel-friendly in its dimension and will not hit your pockets as exhausting as a few of my different dream picks.
Honorable mentions: Apps and devices for bookworms
If the above presents do not feel like secure bets for the bookworm in your life, the three under must be helpful, but nonetheless private picks for them. Libro.fm and Audible presents playing cards are nice for audiobook lovers.
Libro.fm present card (3 credit)
Protected selection for audiobook lovers
In case your favourite loves impartial bookstores, that is the present card for them
Libro.fm permits you to buy audiobooks and nonetheless help your small and impartial booksellers. A portion of the audiobook sale goes to your chosen bookstore. Like Audible, the membership is $14.99 per 30 days, however you may also browse totally free and purchase books à la carte with no month-to-month subscription by buying ‘credit’ to your account as you go.
Audible present card (3 credit)
Protected selection for audiobook lovers
For the recipient who’s totally within the Amazon ecosystem
Audible, when built-in with the Kindle system, permits for seamless integration, WhisperSync, and a few fairly cool Audible unique content material. I am actually having fun with the abridged dramatized diversifications of some of my favorites for a brand new fashion of listening.
Acrimet Premium Metallic Bookends
Protected choose for shelving
Low tech resolution for safely storing and preserving giant collections
My final choose could seem an odd one, however shelf upkeep know-how is the secret right here. If somebody has actually tons of or hundreds of books, they want high quality, heavy-duty guide ends. The Acrimony model linked right here provide enjoyable colours and totally different sizes, which is essential to contemplate when supporting books which might be bigger than commonplace peak, a standard downside with artwork books, cookbooks, and saved “espresso desk” books. Forestall backbone warp and bending by supporting print books correctly in your shelving.
In case your present recipient has steel bookshelves, I have to point out magnetic bookends as an unimaginable choice for heavy tombs.
Why tech presents for guide lovers in your life?
Many who romanticize the library area say that they too want to spend all day studying. And with out rudely shushing them, to that I say – most of us want that was truly our job too. Moderately, libraries have all the time been extra involved with connecting individuals to info in probably the most environment friendly and comprehensible method doable.
And certain, we try this by serving to of us find books, however many library mission statements have developed to make sure equitable entry to info in each the print and digital world. A minimum of in my previous positions, I’ve spent extra time navigating patrons round info.
That is to not say I do not learn lots, and that I do not love recommending books to family and friends; it is often off desk hours although. So do not be too stunned {that a} librarian’s dream present information is not solely a present card to your native bookstore, though that is an evergreen advice, not simply across the holidays. This checklist is the tech that I fantasize about including to my residence library, that might enhance my studying and listening expertise.
How ought to I manage my studying house?
I could get into hassle with my earlier Data Group professor, however my recommendation is that this: manage it in the way in which that makes probably the most sense on your mind. When you like by shade, by golly, manage by backbone shade in your personal residence. The way in which I manage is by topic for nonfiction and style for fiction, then by creator’s final title, as a result of that’s what makes probably the most sense to me and I like to seek out my books rapidly.
When you just like the mannequin I described above, listed below are some ideas to consider earlier than you begin creating your personal classification system. We like to check bookshelves with grocery retailer cabinets. You do not have a tendency to seek out canned items subsequent to yogurt on the shelf. Equally, you do not often discover books on the right way to backyard subsequent to historic fiction or memoirs.
You’ll be able to classify your assortment into fundamentals, like non-fiction and fiction. Then, additional part by “genrefying” your books for fiction and deciding the “aboutness” (what the guide is about versus what the catchy title says) for non-fiction. Get to know your assortment or use a web-based free catalog like LibraryThing in the event you actually wish to go above and past.
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