This TikTok Book Buying Challenge Is The Perfect Mother’s Day Gift, TBH

If you’re on #booktok, you know how easy it is to want to buy all the books you see recommended — they just sound so good! And there’s nothing worse than finishing up one good read and the sequel you ordered is delayed in the mail somewhere. To that end, there’s a new TikTok challenge going around, but it’s less of a challenge, and more like the best gift idea ever for the bookworm in your life. So, here’s the low-down on this TikTok book buying spree trend, and how to pull it off to surprise someone you love.

The gist of the book shopping spree is this: you take your partner to a book store and let them look around. Once they’ve scoped the place out, you give them a set amount of time. However many books they can pile into the basket in that time is what you’ll buy. The specifics can vary: some people don’t let the gift recipient look around the store first, resulting in a bit more of a mad dash to hunt down the titles they want most. Some folks give their partner three minutes, and others only get one. Maybe you don’t even give them a basket. So, tailor it to what you think your partner (and your bank account) can handle.

The book buying spree has spawned countless TikToks, so if you need ideas for how to tailor it perfectly to the person you want to surprise, there are plenty to scroll through. A word of advice though: keep the amount of time shorter than you think. One to three minutes doesn’t sound like enough, but a book lover on a mission can sniff out the reads they want like a blood hound. This husband gave his wife 10 minutes, and he paid handsomely for his generosity. A book spree is also a wonderful gift idea for kids. This family involved everyone in the game: little sister had two minutes to gather all the books she wanted, and whatever her big brother could hold and do a few squats with is what she could keep.

So, take your wife to your nearest book store for Mother’s Day this year and let her go wild. Maybe crank up some “Move, b*tch, get out the way” on the drive to get her in the right head space. She’ll appreciate the chance to pick out exactly what she wants, but in a way that’s planned out and thoughtfully executed by you.