
If you're a reader and have friends who are, too, there's a good chance that books are a popular gift between you and those friends. If you know someone's taste, books can make wonderful gifts. And if you're not sure, you might consider bookstore gift cards, including ones from independent bookstores such as Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon and Octavia Books in New Orleans - and many more.
But here are some other ideas for book-related gift giving - in ways designed to ensure those books don't become clutter.

1. Just the Right Book
Experienced booksellers (and people who read a lot themselves) hand-pick books to send to your gift recipients, based on information you provide. And here's how Just the Right Book explains its guarantee: "If we get it wrong (unlikely, but not impossible), or if your gift recipient already has the book we send, we will gladly exchange the book for another selection at no cost to you or your recipient!"
The recipients can also provide feedback to help fine-tune the selection process. [via Springwise and Cool Mom Picks]

2. Bookswim gift membership
Bookswim is often called the Netflix of books; it provides book rentals. This might be perfect for someone who likes to read new releases, and would prefer not to wait in those long reservation lists at the library. [via Jamie Pearson, @TravelSavvyMom on Twitter]

3. A book PLUS an experience
This idea comes from Lisa Belkin at the New York Times, who writes: "For instance, give From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, then take a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and look for all the works mentioned in the book." Customize this for something local to you, and you have an interesting gift idea. [via Naomi Seldin, @SimplerLiving on Twitter]