The perfect Valentine's Day gift: 14 books to pair with a book token!

If poetry is their love language…

Poetry Prescription: Words for Love by Deborah Alma

This gorgeous pocket-sized book contains carefully curated poetry prescriptions compiled by Deborah Alma, founder of the Poetry Pharmacy. The poems look at all the many manifestations of love, written by W. B. Yeats, Walt Whitman, William Shakespeare, Edna St Vincent Millay, D. H. Lawrence, and more.

They may also like: Penguin's Poems for Love by Laura Barber; Rapture by Carol Ann Duffy.

If they need a bit of hope right now…

The Book of Gifts by Lucy Claire Dunbar

Lucy Dunbar's touching, beautiful, warm-hearted and, above all, hopeful collection of pictures, thoughts and inspirations. A trip to your valentine's local bookshop is the perfect pick-me-up.

They may also like: Growing Brave by Donna Ashworth; The Poetry Pharmacy by William Sieghart.

If they like to connect with the natural world...

Ebb and Flow: A Guide to Seasonal Living by Tiffany Francis-Baker

Illustrated throughout with sketches, prints and paintings by the author, Ebb and Flow introduces seasonal living and explains why it is increasingly vital for us to reconnect with the seasons.

They may also like: Uprooting: From the Caribbean to the Countryside – Finding Home in an English Garden by Marchelle Farrell; Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton.

If they're a dedicated foodie...

What I Ate in One Year: (and related thoughts) by Stanley Tucci

Actor Stanley Tucci records twelve months of eating, in restaurants, kitchens, film sets, press junkets, at home and abroad, with friends, with family, with strangers, and occasionally just by himself. Whether it’s duck à l’orange cooked by singing Carmelite nuns or meatballs made by his mother and son, these meals give shape and richness to his days.

They may also like: A Thousand Feasts: Small Moments of Joy by Nigel Slater; A Passion for Whisky by Ian Wisniewski.

If they were glued to BBC's The Traitors…

And Then There Were None: The Ultimate Mystery Edition by Agatha Christie

Ten strangers are lured to an island mansion on an isolated rock near the Devon coast. As one by one they are picked off, the dwindling group must stay one step ahead of their deadly stalker. Who will survive? And who is the killer? In this gorgeous collector's edition, the final solution is sealed in an envelope at the back of the book.

They may also like: Then Things Went Dark by Bea Fitzgerald; One Perfect Couple by Ruth Ware.

If they love to learn about the past…

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (10 Year Anniversary Edition) by Yuval Noah Harari

A beautiful anniversary edition of Yuval Noah Harari’s bold and provocative book. What makes us brilliant? What makes us deadly? What makes us Sapiens?

They may also like: A History of the World in 21 Women by Jenni Murray; Thirty-Two Words for Field: Lost Words of the Irish Landscape by Manchán Magan.

If they're all about retro gaming…

The Game Changers: How Playing Games Changed the World and Can Change You Too by Tim Clare

An entertaining and thought-provoking look at games through the ages. Tim Clare explores the legal highs of a good dice roll, the thrills of a predatory race game, and the tactile pleasures of the games that age with us through our lives to discover how, through play, we become fully ourselves.

They may also like: Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin; Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

If they love their dog (or cat!) more than fellow humans…

Pam Ayres on Animals by Pam Ayres

A beautiful collection from beloved poet Pam Ayres, compiling her best verse dedicated to her love of animals, including brand new poems and illustrations.

They may also like: We'll Prescribe You a Cat written by Syou Ishida and translated by Emmie Madison Shimoda; A Pawtobiography by Ted the Dog.

If they're in thrall to the classics...

James by Percival Everett

An enthralling and ferociously funny novel that forces us to see Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in a wholly new and transformative light. Jim emerges to reclaim his voice, defying the conventions that have consigned him to the margins.

Whether they pick out a modern retelling or an undiscovered classic, they'll delight in having a National Book Token to spend.

They may also like: Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays The Rent by Judi Dench; Mythos Illustrated by Stephen Fry.

If they listen to music as much as they read books…

Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall by Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro explores ideas of love, music and the passing of time. From the piazzas of Italy to the 'hush-hush floor' of an exclusive Hollywood Hotel, the characters we encounter range from young dreamers to cafe musicians to faded stars, all of them at some moment of reckoning.

They may also like: Listen: On Music, Sound and Us by Michel Faber; Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

If they're eager to travel (even just from their armchair)…

Abroad in Japan by Chris Broad

A team favourite, this book won the Readers' Choice and Non-Fiction categories in the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards, sponsored by National Book Tokens.

When Englishman Chris Broad landed in a rural village in northern Japan, he wondered if he'd made a huge mistake. With no knowledge of the language and zero teaching experience, was he about to be the most quickly fired English teacher in Japan's history? Abroad in Japan charts a decade of living in a foreign land and the chaos and culture clash that came with it.

An ideal accompaniment to the raft of travel fiction and non-fiction they can choose from with a National Book Token.

They may also like: Notes From A Small Island: Journey Through Britain by Bill Bryson; One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle.

If romance makes them swoon, from Bridgerton to Bridget Jones…

The Complete Novels of Jane Austen by Jane Austen

Few novelists have observed their society with the wit and insight of Jane Austen. This volume brings together her seven great novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, and Lady Susan.

This stunning edition is designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith, one of our very talented gift card designers!

They may also like: Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin; Reputation by Lex Croucher.

If a movie night is their idea of the ultimate Valentine's Day date...

The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks

Spanning eighty years and culminating in the opening of a film, beloved actor Tom Hanks writes about a cast of characters who together create Hollywood magic. Funny, touching, and wonderfully thought-provoking, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece offers an insider's take on the momentous efforts it takes to make a film. 

They may also like: Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour; Wes Anderson: The Iconic Filmmaker and his Work by Ian Nathan.

If they can't walk past a bookshop without going in…

Bookshop Tours of Britain by Louise Boland

Across 18 bookshop tours, journey from the Jurassic Coast of southwest England, over the mountains of Wales, through England's industrial heartland, up to the Scottish Highlands and back via Whitby, the Norfolk Broads, central London, the South Downs and Hardy's Wessex.

Your favourite booklover will love nothing more than being given an excuse to visit a new bookshop – they can use our handy bookshop search, too!

They may also like: Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop written by Hwang Bo-reum and translated by Shanna Tan; Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree.