A Box of Stories: A Review

In 2020 I read 77 books. Yeah, I know, I had a lot of time on my hands with being furloughed for 3 months and I discovered how to get through more books quicker with audiobooks and was a great way to get away from a screen.

I realised this year I needed to spice things up and find a way to make the pandemic lockdowns more bearable with small treats for myself. My close friend mentioned mystery book subscriptions. I had been meaning to read more widely, since I normally stick safely to best sellers (which aren't always as amazing as they are hyped to be), Sci-fi or autobiographies only of people I already know about.

I saw an advert for A Box of Stories on Instagram soon after googling various book subscriptions (thanks for following me around Google).

Every year, 77 million books in the UK are destroyed. Just 17% are lucky enough to get a marketing budget to become a best seller.

I was drawn to the idea of books being picked for me and saved from being thrown away. Some of the best books I have read have often been off the beaten path, random selections from charity shops or quirky suggestions from friends. I've barely got through some books that are so hyped with marketing, and never really live up to their standard which has left me at loss.

The premise is, each box is filled with 4 books that never made it to the bestsellers lists or sold well because of a lack of marketing budget from publishers. This doesn't decrease the quality of the books, it's more that they were just unlucky. These books were otherwise to be destroyed. Knowing that I will be preserving 4 brand new books from this is a huge selling point for me since it's all about sustainability.

There are book boxes of different genres available, including a mixed box of fiction and nonfiction, a fiction box, a nonfiction box, or you can narrow it down by genre and pick a crime or historical fiction box. I personally chose the mixed box because I fancied a bit of everything. When you subscribe for the first time, you receive a survey to pick two book genres you definitely don't want in your boxes, just to put you more at ease that you won't receive books you definitely just won't like.

Here's my box which I received today:

I personally rarely read paperback or hardback books. I often borrow online from my local library, especially with no other way to borrow during the pandemic, so I read ebooks or listen to audiobooks, or read on my kindle. You can image this was a real treat! There's nothing quite like holding the weight of a book and feeling it's crinkling pages except when you're holding a cup of tea and then it's just the Olympics for your hand muscles!

Let's delve into what was in the box on first impressions:

The Zoo by Christoper Wilson

This was the shortest book in the box, and looks like it will be a fairly quicky read. From the blurb, its a satire novel about a young Russian boy in the 1950s that has unfortunately become mentally and physically disabled after an accident. I'd say this comes under Historical fiction due to the time it is set, and I'm not quite sure it's something I'd normally pick off the shelves (or an app). Well, this is what the book subscription is all about!

Boy Erased by Garrard Conley

Each of the mixed boxes is said to come with at-least 1 non-fiction novel. This is a memoir about a son of Baptist paster who is discovered to be a homosexual and has to undergo a church-supported conversion therapy programme to 'cure' him of his homosexuality (yikes).

Although I'm personally not a part of the LGBTQ+ community, this book is especially intriguing as I have close friends who are. I have heard of conversion therapy and that is definitely illegal now, however, if this book is set in the 20th century, who knows if that was the norm then or whether it happens behind closed doors. I don't expect this book to be light-hearted, but I hope it will be quite thought-provoking.

Paper Lovers by Gerard Woodward

This is a novel about a man who falls in love with a religious woman and is about their love and betrayal as their worlds collide. I never normally read about family dramas and have found romance novels quite predictable or I never quite understand what people see in them, but I'm sure that's more my lack of English literature with my maths brain. However, some novels in the past have definitely surprised me, so I am still excited to give this a try especially if it is well written.

I Thought I Knew You by Penny Hancock

This is the longest book in the box, about two best friends from University. As they grow up, one of their daughters makes an allegation about the other's son which produces a great strain on their friendship and families. I feel like this is a thriller or a suspense novel, which I always love, no matter how predictable they are. I wouldn't have thought this from the title or the cover, but I love a good page-turner as much as the next person.

So there you have it! My four books from my first box. None of them definitely scream 'nope' to me, so I'm excited to delve into worlds I wouldn't normally do and discover some new authors.

Book subscriptions are all about the experience. Yes, boxes may be more pricey than simply buying the books on Amazon, but that is because we love the intimate experience of having books chosen for us. Also, does Jeff Bezos REALLY need more money?

I think what could improve this subscription is more aesthetically pleasing packaging. As you can see in the image, it's just a cardboard box with the books, which is very minimalist and why it is such good value for money (and also less waste). In the UK, this subscription costs £14.99 for a subscription of any length which you can change between every month to every 4 months.

I'm really looking forward to delving into these books, and hopefully finding some gems within this box. If this sounds like it's for you, or simply the idea of a book subscription then definitely check them out, even if it's only once just to treat yourself during these gloomy times. Happy reading!

This post is not sponsored by A Box of Stories, it's purely my own experience. Unfortunately, I'm definitely not famous enough for that (yet)!