Ah, the humble reader. That quiet friend who regularly stuffs horrifying words into their brain without anyone being the wiser. Stuff‘s Festive Gift Guide 2025 has several options for you to keep that quiet friend as silent as possible, in the hopes that they never share their eldritch and cursed knowledge with you.
And, if they do happen to let a few factoids slip after you’ve handed over a reader-based peace offering, never mind. Perhaps you’ll learn something new about the world you live in. Or, perhaps, you’ll learn what Bret Easton Ellis really thought of Wall Street culture when it was all about excess and cocaine (as opposed to excess and crypto, like it is now).
Stuff’s Festive Gift Guide 2025 – Readers
Kobo Clara Colour
from R3,000 | Buy it here
It’s no secret that the folks at Stuff are avid readers (well, most of us), meaning that the ideal way to shut us up is to hand over a new ereader. Kobo’s range of devices is relatively new in South Africa and, based on our time spent with them, they’re… well, they’re excellent. Particularly in terms of software and interface, an area where the brand’s largest competitor had fallen over lately.
It’s more than just an excellent UI, though that counts for a lot when absorbing the written word. The Kobo Clara Colour throws a 1448 x 1072 Kaleido 3 e-ink screen at readers, bringing actual coloured illustrations and pages to the formerly sombre world of digital reading. The matte display’s varying brightness levels offer readability in all manner of scenarios, from bright sunlight to complete darkness. A long-lived battery, IPX8 waterproof rating, and 16GB of storage mean it’ll be at least a year before this thing is full. Of completed books, that is. We happen to know that you can fill it up in a single day. Reading it all, though…
Kobo Clara SleepCover Case
R800 | Buy it here
Kobo’s Clara, and the rest of its devices, are all excellent but, as with any ereader, there’s almost no point in handing one over without a case handy. Not only does this SleepCover offer that satisfying ‘opening a book’ feeling, but it also a) saves battery life by shutting down when the lid is closed, and b) protects that lovely colour-rendering display in case your recipient commits the unthinkable sin of dropping it by mistake. The cover listed here suits both the Clara Colour and the new Clara BW, in case you’re after a cheaper bundle to stick under the Christmas tree.
Fancy bookends
from R465 | Buy some here
Not every item in Stuff’s Gift Guide 2025 should be bought from the place we’ve listed it. Some, like the bookends featured here, are merely suggestions. You can (and should) purchase bookends when and where you find them, provided they fulfill one special criterion. They should be awesome.
That means rummaging around thrift stores, lurking in various online marketplaces, and, yes, perhaps even hopping over to Amazon to buy the latest mass-produced goodie to hand over to your reading friend. Even digital readers will have a series of physical books stockpiled somewhere. In the event they’ve got an incomplete shelf, a quirky stopper that keeps their precious tomes from toppling over makes for an excellent gift.
Universal desktop stand
R100 | Buy it here
Readers don’t only read on their reading-specific gadgets. Reading takes place in many ways — smartphones, tablets, even traditional slices of dead tree. Provided your buddy isn’t lugging around Tolstoy, something simple like this universal desktop stand will help to keep those words propped up so they can eat their meals with both hands.
For a little extra spiciness, there are also book holders that make readers feel like the venerable Zummi poring over the Great Book of Gummi. Kids, ask your parents to explain that one to you. These are often dedicated to cookbooks, but they can probably use them for whatever Lee Child proxy they’re reading this week.
Audible subscription
R140(ish)/m | Buy it here
What does a reader do when they’re not reading? If they’re readmaxxing, they’re listening to other folks read while they do… other things. Shopping for new books online, perhaps? Audiobooks, bought individually, are expensive, but Amazon, purveyors of all things Kindle, has an answer to that. So do you.
Nabbing a monthly Audible subscription for your bookworm friend/partner/other is one way of saying you care. It’s also a handy way to know when they don’t want to be interrupted. If a smooth, textured voice is issuing from a mobile device or computer, or if the headphones are in, you’ll be left in no doubt that it’s storytime and you should go and make some coffee and or/a sandwich until they return to this plane of existence. Just… as long as they don’t share any of the horrible places they’ve been while they were away.
