Why unique pieces make the best gifts (and stop gifting books no one reads)

Personally, I find the universe of books a bit delicate – and I'll admit, I also get lazy with certain types of reading. That's why I gravitate towards works like Travel by Yuichi Yokoyama or Richard McGuire's graphic novel Here. And it's not just because there isn't (too much) reading involved, but because of the aesthetics. Being a very visual person, I'm always chasing aesthetics, and in the case of Travel, as a fan of beautiful straight lines, it's a delight I keep on my bedside table. The graphic novel format also gets me every time, and if I'm going to read, it has to be the classic paragraph-on-paragraph, vertical kind of reading, and about something I'm genuinely passionate about. We've all got our little quirks.

I do devour biographies though. A fan of Anne Boleyn, Marie Antoinette and all things medieval. Susan Sontag, Sylvia Plath and Britney Spears are fundamental. Britney is already a national treasure.

All this to say: no, books don't really work as gifts for me unless I tell you directly, "get me Jenny Wormald's biography of Mary Stuart".

Let's be honest: giving books blindly is the equivalent of gifting a beige jumper in one-size-fits-all. Fine, neutral, but really thought for me? Maybe. But I can get my own beige second-hand jumper, thank you very much. So the reality is that, most of the time, the generic book of the moment ends up gathering dust on a shelf or, worse, in the dreaded "I'll read it one day" pile (spoiler: it won't happen).

Let's be honest again. We know people's tastes from what they wear, and when we see each other in everyday life, we learn to observe and understand what our friends like. And accessories can become those unique little details that brighten our faces and our lives.

A unique piece doesn't end up forgotten on a shelf. It's worn, it's lived, it's proudly shown. A pair of earrings, a necklace, a quirky ceramic mug for your morning coffee, an unexpected handmade object… Now that is a gift that stays with you, that excites, that nobody else (or very few people) has. A constant reminder of the person who thought of you carefully, not in a rush.