Book of the Month Club Review: Best Book Subscription?
When you can’t get outside and travel, sometimes all you need is a good book. Or when you need some chill time on your next adventure. The problem is, I’m always stuck in the Non-Fiction side of the bookstore or library.
It’s easy to navigate because it’s broken up by subject. But sometimes you need a break and it’s hard to know where to start. That’s when I found the Book of the Month Club.
It turned out to be my new favorite escape. This is the ultimate Book of the Month Club review.
Why I Choose The Book of the Month Club
Let’s get real. Sometimes you go through some things in your life when you just need an escape. I had been having a pretty rough fall. We had to put both of our family pets down over the course of a couple of months.
Between the contestant worry about their health and sadness afterward, I needed an escape. I thought a good novel was all I needed. So I headed to the library and used a completely random approach to finding a book.
Almost everyone I picked up dealt with loss or had a dog in the description. I finally found one book to try and it was one of the worst things I’ve ever tried reading. I gave it a good 150 pages before I realized it was poorly written. That’s when I found the Book of the Month Club.
What is the Book of the Month Club?
The Book of the Month Club is not like other subscription services. First off, it’s the original. They’ve been curating a list of books each month since 1926, so they know what their audience likes. Instead of signing up and sending you a book each month, they give you five different books to choose from. The books range in topics to romance, mystery, young adult, historical fiction, suspense, and more.
After picking out your books, they arrive on your doorstep within a week. They even provide tracking information so you can keep tabs on it while you eagerly await the next month’s list. This subscription is just for a book. None of the extras, like a fancy bookmark, a cup of coffee beans, or a bubble bath.
While the add-on can be fun, they skyrocket the subscription costs and add to the clutter in my house. Some of the novels are early releases and everyone is a hard-covered copy.
Book of the Month Club Book Reviews
What sets the Book of the Club apart from other book subscription services is the reviews. First off, they have a great selection. They seem to have the pulse of what makes a good book and chances are, it will become a best seller soon. And secondly, they have tons of great reviews breaking down each one. Let’s face it, the summary most books provide can be a toss-up.
Quick Take is a sentence summary of the book. A few sentences with everything you need to know.
Good to know gives you the quick details on the book. It is an emotional, literary, sad, romantic, and quick read.
Why I love it is a curator’s review of why you need the book.
Synopsis is the standard back of the book review.
Preview because sometimes you need to open up the book and find out a little more about it before committing.
Virtual Book Club
My favorite part about being part of the Book of the Month of the Club is the virtual community that comes with it. I’ve always wanted to be part of a book club but have never been socially outgoing enough to join one.
That and it comes with timelines, due dates, and all that other stuff. But there are some amazing Facebook Groups online, as well as the official Book of the Month Club group.
Members are always posting about the books that have arrived and discussing which to get next. A little after the book comes out and they feel everyone has had a chance to read it there are the spoiler group discussions.
The spoilers are always inside the posts, and never visible so they are easy to ignore. It is an amazing community that encourages everyone to read a little more.
For those that can’t get enough, there are Facebook Groups that swap books too. Member virtually swaps their books from all over the country.
How much are we talking about?
The Book of the Month club has subscription packages starting at 3 months and going up to a year. Once you get your 12th box, you’ll get a book tote, a free add-on book during your birthday month, and to choose pick from Book of the Year Finalist. Unlike other book clubs I found, shipping is always free! I’m already super excited.
Buying a month’s subscription is kind of misleading. You are actually purchasing a book credit. This credit allows you to pick out one of the featured books a month, or a member favorite.
With these credits, you can add on a second or third. What if you don’t want to use up your credits? You can pay $9.99 for the additional books. If you don’t like any of the books that month, skip it. Or if you still have a pile to get through, skip that month.
I got a year subscription as a birthday gift and absolutely love it. I wanted to stretch out the subscription as long as possible, so I opted to pay the money for the second book.
It might sound a little crazy, but financially it just makes more sense to pay for the extra book.
Depending on what type of subscription you purchase, it will cost anywhere from $12.41 – $16.66 a book. Next month, I’ll probably do it again with the long list of books available.
Would I Sign Up For the Book of the Month Club again?
Part of the fun of subscription boxes is getting something delivered in the mail. As soon as I select the books, I am glued to my phone checking on the shipping status to see when it arrives.
The fact that there isn’t extra stuff in the box is a perk to me. Yes, I will be buying another Book of the Month subscription next year. When you can’t travel, getting wrapped up in a good book is the next best thing.
