Let's Talk Book of the Month

February 23, 2023

Book of the Month logo
(Version 1)

Dinner: Chicken and veg marsala soup with homemade rustic sourdough bread

Watching: Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb (available on Netflix in the US)

Book of the Month, also known as "BOTM," has been a recent love of mine. I've been consistently subscribed to BOTM and having boxes sent to me for about 5 months. I did one or two boxes sometime in mid-2021 but then paused for a while. But once I picked it up in late 2022, I knew I wanted to stick with it for some time.

If you're interested in Book of the Month, you can take a look through the links at the end of this post. There's my personal BOTM referral link, the general BOTM website, how it works, February's BOTM selections, and all books BOTM has.

Now let's talk a little bit about Book of the Month today.

Book of the Month logo
(Version 2)

My February 2023 BOTM Box included: Babel by R.F. Kuang, Kaikeyi by Vaishnavi Patel, and River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer. If you get any of these books, please be sure to look up trigger warnings. Storygraph is a quick and easy place to do this, but Book Trigger Warnings (BTW) is also a good resource.

What is Book of the Month? It's a monthly subscription box that allows you to choose a book - using a "credit" to buy it - from a specific month's selection of 5 to 6 books. You can also select 1 to 2 other "add-ons" (books that you add on) for around $15 each.

Some benefits:

all the books are hardcover

hardcover lovers rejoice
only paying around $15 for any add-ons
most hardcovers in stores or on other sites will usually be listed at cover price, which can range from 20-25+ USD

three plans to choose from based on your wants or needs
"relationship" statuses after a certain number of boxes

Friend -3 boxes

Blue Box Boutique
$10 add-ons instead of $15
bigger selection

BFF - 12 boxes

book-pocket tote
birthday book
Book of the Year ("BOTY") finalist of your choice

100% personalizable

you choose what books go into your box
you choose merch from Blue Box Boutique

no extras of items you aren't sure you'll use unless you add them on

BOTM Box being held up

Overall, I've had a fantastic time with Book of the Month. Additionally, the customer service for BOTM is really great.

When R.F. Kuang's Babel arrived in my February 2023 box, there was some damage to it that wouldn't have happened during transit. I'm not sure how it happened, and. I am not laying blame anywhere since I don't know how the damage occurred. But I did the form to replace a damaged book, and they were so understanding of and quick to resolve the issue. (If you want to see photos, DM me at Shanna's Bookshelf on IG.)

However, this was the first, and only, time that I've received a damaged book from BOTM. As a result, I have no intention of stopping my subscription with them.

This is one of my favorite book subscription boxes because of all the benefits listed above. I've been interested in trying Litjoy, Illumicrate, or even Owlcrate. But none of these stand out to me because they don't have that level of personalization that I would like a bookish subscription box to have. Which is why I have - and why I'm sticking with - BOTM.