A book about recipes! A book about books?

I am sure everyone has a book of recipes at home. It offers you help, it gives you ideas and it is a nice collection, often full of memories. But have you ever thought about a book about books? The idea is the following. You take a nice little notebook (there are fantastic booklets which have a bookshelf on the cover ;-)) Then think about aspects about books you find interesting. Here are some ideas:
- How did you like the cover?                                      
- How did you like the blurb?
- Was it easy to read?
- Who are the main characters of the story?
- The beginning? the end?
You can create a table or a mindmap. Or do you prefer a list of keywords? Let's start! It's your turn now! Activate your creativity and draft an interesting visualisation about your favorite books.
 

Why could this be helpful? Interesting? Useful?

     A "book diary" is a very personal item. It is about things you like or dislike and it is a sketch of your personal taste concerning literature. If you reread it after a few years, you will probably not only remember the books' content but also have a collection of memories of the time when you read this piece of literature. Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream? Surrounded by little red hearts? For sure! This was the time when you had your first boyfriend. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's stone? Pumpkins, ghosts and spiders? Oh yes, that was a fantastic Halloween Party where one of your friends read out the story of Harry and his friends to the guests. Do you see what I mean? It is almost like a little album.
     I love offering books as a present. Books have a personal value, they are never out of fashion and they can accompany you a very long time. But! The tormenting question is: which book for which person? Very often you have heard the novel's title a few times but you do not really know what it is about. Or you read a book many years ago and you cannot remember the protagonist's name or the plot. In these cases, a book about books is your friend and helper. When you create a mindmap about one specific book, you can already add the names of friends or members of your family who would probably like this book, too. Isn't that a fantastic idea? No trouble before Christmas! Last but not least, let me give a little piece of advice. A present should have a personal value. Sure, a book is a good idea because you have spent some time thinking about novels this person could like. But it even gets better! A dedication on the first page of the book is the icing on the cake. Tell him or her why you have chosen this particular book, share your own reading experiences or tell a little story about how you got to know this novel. Be sure, the presentee will love you and the present.