Well, this weekend was both fun and hugely stressful! The Sabakon Fashion show was a blast, but for someone with severe social anxiety, it was also very draining. I must have done five or six test runs of my makeup for show last week, which burned me out a little bit, so let's move away from beauty today and into something at least equally as cool! (To me, anyway). I just got my first box from Once Upon a Book Club and I just HAD to share it with you!
Once Upon a Book Club is a monthly subscription box that aims to "bring books to life". The boxes are on the expensive side, starting at $34.99 per month (plus shipping, which was $7.50 to me here in Las Vegas) with discounts for longer subscriptions. They feature a new book every month, plus 2-4 corresponding gifts to match that book, but here's where Once Upon a Book Club is different from other "Book of the Month" type clubs: Each gift comes wrapped with a page number written on the outside - when you reach that page in the book, you open the gift!
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| The mailing box LOOKS LIKE A BOOK! Squee! |
There is also a card with a quote on one side and some discussion
questions (which I advise skipping until you've read the book so nothing
gets spoiled) on the other. On specific days you can go to the Once
Upon A Book Club Instagram page and talk about that day's discussion
question with other members!
The book this month is "The Gilded Years", a novel based on the true story of Anita Hemmings, the first African-American woman to attend Vassar College... even if Vassar didn't know that at the time! I'm really enjoying it so far- it's not the high fantasy I usually immerse myself in but it's definitely a fascinating portrait of both the age itself and the people within it.
When I first opened the book I actually got my first surprise! This bookplate, signed by author Karin Tanabe, was tucked inside! I love getting these, and this one is extra special since it has a picture of the heroine on it as well.
Once you reach the designated page in the novel, there's a little post-it note showing you where to open the corresponding gift! This is an extra great feature for me, since I will get totally lost in books and I wouldn't remember to open the gifts in the proper place!
Here are most of the still-wrapped items that came with this month's box. There was one more item but I already unwrapped it and I don't want to show it so I don't spoil the surprise for anyone else! Besides which, it won't hold much meaning unless you've actually read the book. When the next box arrives I can do a bonus blog post detailing all the unwrapped gifts from this box, if there is any interest.
Final Thoughts: I am having SO MUCH FUN with this box. I'm already an avid reader, so I didn't think it was possible for something to get me this much more excited about reading books, but here it is! It really does enhance the experience of reading by adding tangible items to the story. As I mentioned, it's quite an expensive box for the actual "value" of the items you receive, but I think the true value here lies in the amazing amount of care and attention to detail that obviously goes in to every aspect of the Once Upon A Book Club.
What do you think of the Once Upon A Book Club? Are you reading any good books right now? Let me know in the comments!
Until next time, thanks for hanging out!
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