Musing Mondays - Gift Certs

Do you give gift certificates to book stores as presents? If so, do you give for actual stores or online stores? Do you like to receive them yourself?

Nope, I don't. Not normally, anyway. Most of the people for whom I need to buy presents don't really like books. The couple who do... I find it much more personal to go and buy them a book myself, and write them a little note on the first page (with a pencil, before you accuse me of vandalizing books), as to the occasion, and why I think they'll like the book. Or, it just might be a quote I really like. 

Yup, I do like receiving gift certificates as presents, or books themselves. When I was growing up, my birthday present from my parents was always book-related. I remember dropping hints from a month before, and continuously changing my list. My poor parents almost always got it right! 

My predominant issue with gift certificates is that I never know what a good sum to put on them is. And sometimes (depending on the recipient), it seems as though not enough thought has gone into it. As one of my friends says, I'd rather get a 5 quid present, which shows a personal touch, as opposed to something just for the sake of, like a gift certificate. It takes a book lover to appreciate just how personal gift certificates to book stores are.