Bookish Patches for Readers
Growing up, I had a very specific backpack that carried me through most of middle and high school. It had a zipper that did not go all the way around the bag but rather was on the top and opened in a circular pattern. This left a lot more space on my bag for things like pins and patches. I grew up in the hey day of third-wave ska, and my early high school years’ style could best be described as a little bit skater. Rather than iron on my patches — of which I had many — I attached them to the bag with safety pins (and I carried an old school lunch box as a purse). All of that is to say that were I still that kid in today’s world, where I didn’t have to go specifically to Hot Topic to buy my patches and could simply navigate over to Etsy, I would have been swapping out those patches all of the time, and I would have had a pretty impressive collection of bookish patches.
Enamel pins are, of course, still popular. But there are more and more sweet bookish patches making the rounds, too. These patches, some of which harken back to nostalgic favorites, are perfect not just for a backpack but for the canvas tote you now carry around to haul all of your current and forthcoming reads.
Even if you don’t attach them to a tote bag, you can use these bookish patches on your denim jackets (I know that’s cringe, Gen Z) or you can attach them to a banner or bulletin board in your house or workplace. Can’t use an iron to adhere them to something? I promise you safety pins work, too.
Let’s dive into the world of sweet bookish patches for readers. How fun would it be to slide one of these into a birthday present or greeting card for a book-loving friend?
This is a super fun vintage looking book lover patch. $10.
Are you a book hoarder? Join the club. We have patches. $13.
Kick it old school with a Book It! inspired patch. $9.
This books are magic patch is easily one of my favorites. The skull! The moon! The bubbles! $8.
Say all you need to say as simple as possible with an aqua colored bibliophile patch. $9.
This reading tiger patch reminds me so much of my youth and the kinds of fun prizes we’d get during summer reading club at the library. This vintage cutie is $4!
Ready for a new adventure? This patch is everything perfect. $10.
Grab this haunted book patch if you’re a fan of all things creepy and scary. $6 and up.
“Take a look. It’s in a book. A Reading Rainbowwwwww.” Need another old school throwback style patch? Here you go! $9.
This “curl up with a good book” cat patch is so cute. I want to slide into the world this patch came from, don’t you? $5.
Yes, yes it does. At least temporarily. $12.
Wear your love for all things HEA over your HEArt with this sweet romance reader patch. $13.
Looking for some other genres? Grab a horror reader patch, historical fiction reader patch, or sci-fi reader patch.
Never fear, fantasy readers. This genre patch is for you! $8.
Say it loud and say it proud with this book nerd patch. $7.
What better than a stack of brightly colored books and a lil heart to show just how much you love books? $8.
This may be the most clever patch in this roundup, as it pays homage to one of the most famous paintings in the world. I need Birth of a Reader myself. $12.
I do love a good fuzzy patch and this book heart patch is a GREAT one. $8.
Rep the library with this patch. Put it on your tote bag that you use for your library hauls. $13.
There’s something about this astronaut reading a bright pink book in space that makes this my favorite patch of the bunch (and that’s tough competition!). $7 and up.
Last and absolutely not least, the only club I want to be part of ever is the baby cat book club, where the objective is to read books, take naps, and pet cats. $8.
