40Th Birthday Gift for Friend?

does she have a favorite author? My favorite presents are hardback books that I want but wont buy for myself, I usually have to wait for the paperback.

When I turned 40 my friends put together a "time capsule" box filled with books, toys, candy, and music from my childhood and teen years. There were Patridge Family CDs, Pop Rocks candy, a Duran Duran magazine, a slinky, a Malibu barbie, etc. They also added in pictures of me from the 70s and 80s. It was so much fun to go through and have this blast from the past, checking out things I hadn't even thought about for 30 years. I have since done the same for other friends and relatives of mine, and it is always well received. Ebay is a great source for inexpensive things from other decades, and sometimes places like Target and Walmart sell "retro" stuff that may work too.

I'm with the pp on giving her something from her childhood. My parents gave me a large framed photo of Duran Duran on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine in the 80s. The perfect gift for my 40th ... I loved it! (If your friend was into Christian music in the 80s, I remember that Amy Grant was huge among my Christian friends then.)

For my husband's 40th birthday, I got a special cake done for him from a local bakery that does Cake Boss-type cakes. He's a (sober) Grateful Dead fan and the woman made him a really cool GD cake. It meant a lot to him.

We are also addicted to books. We are fortunate to have great locally owned book stores, but many times, I find the most amazing books through this Book Store called Bas Bleu.

They have a website. Every time I receive a catalog I end up ordering books. You could get her a membership and a gift card..
http://www.basbleu.com/

How about a Kindle or a Nook? Don't know how much you want to spend, but maybe can share the cost with other(s). Or a night away for the 2 of you to have dinner, stay somewhere nice overnight could be nice too....