I adore getting stuff in the mail. Whether it’s a magazine, a birthday card, or even a bill (sometimes), I love checking my mailbox and seeing something there addressed to me. In college, when I lived in the dorms, the highlight of my day was going to the Student Union where all our mailboxes were so I could check and see if there was anything in it.
Which is why when I heard you could receive books in packages in the mail, it was even better. Books and mail? Two of my favorite things.
I’ve tried many book subscriptions over the years and I have thoughts about what I did and didn’t like about them. I do want to say that I received some of these subscription boxes a long time ago. I haven’t signed up for a subscription box since 2021 so it is highly likely that these boxes may have changed since then and gotten better (if they even still exist).
Here are all the book subscriptions I’ve received in the mail:
Book Riot Quarterly subscription box
This is the first subscription box I signed up for many, many years ago. It was sponsored by Book Riot and unfortunately, it does not exist anymore. This was a quarterly book subscription and each box contained one to two books, as well as a mix of bookish things. I think I only received this box a couple of times before I canceled this subscription. You can check out my post from 2014 about it here.
What I liked: Each box came with a letter from the curator of the box detailing the items included and why each was selected. Some of the book swag was good and some wasn’t. Some of the bookish items I received were a beanie, a poster, book darts, buttons, a magnet (still on my fridge!), and a mug (which still sits in my cupboard).
What I didn’t like: I don’t think I read any of the books sent. I also came to realize that I don’t love knick-knacks or trinkets even if they are book related. I never wore the beanie, I never used the book darts, and I think I recycled the poster.
Book of the Month
Book of the Month has the honor of being the oldest book subscription service and is probably the most popular. It is a U.S.-based book subscription club where, each month, you can choose from a selection of five newly released hardcover books that have been handpicked by a panel of judges.
What I liked: You can choose from a selection of books which one you want to receive. The books are always new releases so it was fun to get a book right when it was published. If you don’t like any of the books you can choose to skip that month and come back the next month. The cost of the books was also a deal – the monthly membership is $9.99 for the first month and then $14.99 per month after that (and if you skip a month you don’t have to pay).
What I didn’t like: I have a love-hate relationship with hardback books. Yes, they look nice on my bookshelf but they are heavy and take up so much room in my bag if I want to take them somewhere. I also find hardback books to be a bit unwieldy when I’m trying to read. The book jackets do have the Book of the Month logo printed on the cover and spine of the book. If you’re not into advertising and want your book to look like it came from the bookstore, this is not it. At the time that I had this book subscription, I was not reading as much so I found my to-be-read list just kept getting longer and longer which each new book that arrived.
Bubbles and Books
Bubbles and Books is a monthly bath and book subscription box that contains either a romance or mystery novel as well as three to five handcrafted bath goodies. Note – when I signed up I believe this box was only offering romance novels. You can pick this subscription box up through their website or through CrateJoy.
What I liked: I liked that the box focused on romance novels. According to the website, you can now choose between romance and mystery novels and it’s easy to change your subscription to a different genre if you change your mind about what you want to read. The bath goodies were either soaps, bath bombs, salt scrubs, and all the things that make a bath fun.
What I didn’t like: I came to realize that I didn’t like the surprise of which book would come in the box. I think out of all the books I received, I only read one. The rest either did not sound interesting or I had already read them. I also came to realize that I don’t take as many baths as I thought so the bath items were just piling up in my bathroom with nowhere to go. Also, I think I may have subscribed to this box in its early days before it became popular because the bath items I received seemed a bit mediocre. There was a real homemade aspect to many of them that kind of diminished the value.
Chocolate and Book
Chocolate and Book is a monthly subscription box that comes with one book and some chocolate treats. This box is also available through CrateJoy.
What I liked: Each box came with one book, a full-sized chocolate bar, three single servings of hot chocolate, and a chocolatey delicacy. As a lover of hot chocolate, this box was perfect and I loved trying out all the different varieties of hot chocolate sent to me. The chocolate bars were a nice treat as well. The presentation of this box is great. The book was wrapped in tissue paper and then everything was wrapped with a bow which made it super fun to open.
What I didn’t like: Again, I didn’t like the surprise of receiving a book I did not pick out. I’m not sure if I read any of the books I received from this box. You can choose which genre book you want to receive and I have to say, I’m not sure if that feature was available when I signed up for this box. If it was, I believe I signed up for the “Surprise” genre.
Scribbler subscription box
Scribbler is a monthly subscription box full of writing gifts and tips from bestselling authors and is geared toward writers. The box contains a newly released novel, a “writing passport” which is a little booklet that includes tips for writing, and some writerly gifts like notebooks, pens, and snacks.
What I liked: I loved the box this subscription came in – it was so fun! I liked that this subscription box was focused more on the writing element. I can’t say that I actually used or read any of the tips, but I appreciated them anyway.
What I didn’t like: I found that I wasn’t really using the times that were in the box. As I said, I don’t think I ever read through one of the writing passports and I don’t think I used any of the writing swag. I think I received some coffee beans in one box that are likely still in the bag in my cupboard.
What I learned from book subscriptions boxes:
1. A common thing throughout all the boxes was that I never used or displayed any of the book swag that was included. To me, it was just more stuff that I had to find a place to put somewhere. Except for the chocolate – I ate all the chocolate and drank all the hot chocolate. Maybe I just need a chocolate subscription box that sends me chocolate each month? It was just disappointing that I spent money and received these bookish items that were not really for me. I would have much rather spent the money on a notebook or a pen that I know I’ll like and use.
2. I also learned that I do not like when someone else picks out a book for me. I guess I don’t like surprise books. Except for the Book of the Month subscription, where I got to pick which book I received, I did not like the majority of the books that were sent to me. Again, not knowing which book would arrive made me think that I could have spent the money I paid for the subscription box on a book I actually wanted to read.
Have you ever signed up for a book subscription box and did you like what you received?
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