Ethical bookish gift-giving

'Tis the season to think about how gifting can also help you give back to community, charities, and causes - and isn't that the true meaning of Christmas?

Yes, it’s nearly Christmas time again and I don’t know about you, but the older I get the more I make a concerted effort to give thoughtful and impactive gifts. Below I collected some ideas - but I’m also keen to know what bookish gifts you’re intending to give, be it for Christmas, New Years celebrations, or just to thank those in your community for their work throughout the year …

• Book People Gift card - BookPeople is the national association dedicated to supporting Australia’s bookshops and promoting a love of books and reading. As the industry association for Australian booksellers, they’ve advocated for local bookshops for over 100 years, helping them thrive and connect with their communities. So a great Christmas purchase would be a Book People gift card - accepted at hundreds of local and independent bookshops across Australia as well as online. It’s as simple as popping over to the Book People website to find a bookshop near you! Plus, when you gift a BookPeople Gift Card, you’re also supporting community-focused businesses. Shop local, anywhere in Australia.

• TABKHA by Mona Zahed from Slingshot books - Slingshot is a tiny, radical publishing house for kids and their grown-ups, and TABKHA is a gorgeous new book they’ve released (and full-disclosure: this one is going into many a present box for my friends and family). The story behind this book and the good that gifting it will do, is incredible;

Writing from her tent in Gaza, chef Mona Zahed shares twenty-two of her ancestral recipes, lovingly nurtured and recalled. Each dish is illustrated by a different artist, creating a visual feast as delicious as the food itself.

Connoisseurs of Palestinian cuisine and newcomers alike will be nourished by Mona’s Tabkha.

After October 2023, Mona lost her catering business, her home, her husband’s workplace, and so much more to settler colonial violence. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of this book will go directly to the author and her community.

It’s so gorgeous, Tess (publisher at Slingshot) and Mona are incredible people and I want nothing but the best things for both of them. This book is very special - not only nourishing, but beautifully crafted and with the best of intentions behind it.

• Diary of a Young Doctor: Notes from the Genocide in Gaza by Ezzideen Shehab, - This vital book is published by Readers and Writers Against the Genocide (RWAG), an organisation founded by members of the Australian literary sector to call for a ceasefire, oppose the genocide in Gaza, and advocate for a free Palestine. I highly recommend you read this incredible op-ed by founding member and UQP publisher, Aviva Tuffield;

Why I started Readers and Writers Against the Genocide (RWAG) ‘As a literary community, we trade in creative freedom, free speech and the contestation of ideas,’ says RWAG founder Aviva Tuffield.

RWAG (of which, I am a supporter) believes in the power of literature to transform lives and through this project aims to collaborate with Palestinian writers to share their stories and amplify their voices. Dr. Ezzideen’s book is the first of hopefully many, aiming for more ethical publishing practices that will centre Palestinian voices and drive funds directly and wholly back to them.

I purchased my copy from Better Read Than Dead, and I’ve got to say it’s one of the most powerful and moving pieces of literature I’ve ever encountered;

Five days before 7 October 2023 a young Palestinian doctor returns to Gaza, having completed his medical studies abroad. His family gathers to celebrate his achievements and welcome him home. On 11 October seventy-five members of his extended family are killed in an airstrike, and thus begins his incredible story of survival and service to his people.

Check the links here for a number of indie Australian booksellers who stock it - though you can always ask your local to order it in! - and many of those listed will ship internationally.

• Libro.fm Digital audiobook gift cards - Libro.fm encourages more people to read while supporting local, independent bookshops. Libro.fm shares profits from your audiobook purchases with your chosen bookshop, giving you the power to keep money within your local economy. They are proud to be a Social Purpose Corporation, Certified B Corp, and 100% employee-owned. This is a great alternative to an Audible or Spotify gift card X1000! My local bookshop is Farrells - who have partnered with Libro.fm - so if any of my loves ones are reading this, that’s the gift for me!

• Book Lover’s Pack from Human & Hope - full-disclosure, I am a Human & Hope ambassador which I have mentioned in the past (hey, you can still join us in Cambodia for November 2026!) but I genuinely believe they’re a wonderful organisation who raise funds to support a locally-run community centre in Cambodia, enabling them to run their own projects with their local expertise. To support their endeavours, Human & Hope have an ethically-run shop of gifts that are handmade and printed in Cambodia, supporting women’s livelihoods and locally-run education projects. Check out their whole store it’s incredible, and especially good for stocking-stuffers, or teacher-gifts!

• The Indigenous Literacy Foundation store - the ILF is a national charity of the Australian Book Industry, working with remote Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Communities across Australia. They are Community-led, responding to requests from remote Communities for culturally relevant books, including early learning board books, resources, and programs to support Communities to create and publish their stories in languages of their choice. They have a really beautiful shop that is choc-full of books and tote bags and I think for little readers they’re a particularly great place to go for picture books and junior fiction titles - maybe you’re buying for little people in your family or friendship group, but also consider buying some and donating to local public schools too!