Let’s talk bookish – Subscription boxes!

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Let’s talk bookish is a weekly meme, created and hosted by Rukky @Eternity Books, here different topics will be discussed.

This weeks topic is ‘Subscription boxes’, which I suggested haha! Now let’s hope I can actually say something about it!

I honestly think subscription boxes are such a nice idea! I love that you get a new popular book and some fandom articles. And that is the my whole thing with it, I love the idea, but I haven’t really loved the boxes that I’ve got?!

My first problem, which is not necessarily the boxes fault, is that most of them are located in the US. Which means shipping to Europe is ridiculously expensive, often more expensive then the actual box price?! But of course, I can see the reasons for that! But this does mean that I have not tried out many different boxes since I don’t have that amount of money to spent on subscription boxes haha!

And I think my second problem, which is a personal problem, is with the bookish items. I so often just do not care for them.. I love getting candles! I like getting book sleeves. But I think that is about it.. I don’t really care for the coffee and tea.. I love drinking tea, but the once I’ve gotten are often wayyy too sweet for me. And then you have the pillow cases, which I really like the looks off, but I just don’t know what to do with them.

So in this case, it is just cheaper to buy the book myself haha! Although then of course you don’t get to exclusive editions.. Dilemma’s Dilemma’s.

I’ve gotten one Owlcrate box, I loved the book (Ace of shades), but honestly didn’t care much for any of the other products?! I think there was coffee (which I’ve never tried haha) and a pillow case which was twice as big as my normal pillow?! So, to me, it was not worth my money haha (but again, shipping was riculous, so if that would have been less I would reconsider)!

I also got a couple of Fairyloot boxes, who are based in the UK, so way more affordable to me! I absolutely loved the first box that I got, it contained The last namsara, which is one of my favourite series, and I don’t know if I would have picked it up otherwise! It also contained a candle and tea, which I both loved! Then the second box had Everless, and a Funko pop, which of course I loved! And I think from there on it went a bit downhill from me. I think the main problem was that they included quite some books that I just did not enjoy and would never have picked up on my own.

Some of my favourite books that I’ve gotten from subscription boxes: Ace of shades, Shadow of the fox, The last namsara, Sorcery of thorns!

Some that I really didn’t like: Heart of thorns, Grace and fury, Fire&Heist and State of sorrow.

So basically what I’m trying to say is that I really love subscription boxes, especially if you get some gorgeous special edition. But if the special edition is not that special, and I’m often not liking the other items, I’m not sure they are worth it for me. I do love that they now offer matching special editions for sequels. It would be such a bummer, if the sequel doesn’t match ahah!

I do want to try out Fairyloot again once I’m back home, I just love unboxing them! And I feel like recently they have included some books that I really liked! Also have you seen the special editions they over for the City of brass trilogy!! They are gorgeous! I need them, even though I haven’t read them yet!

Another subscription box that I would love to try, but can’t, is BOTM! I love the idea of their service. They select 5 books, and you can select one for a cheaper price then that you would normally get it. And you can add on more books, if you can’t choose, or skip a month if you don’t like any! In this way you spend less on the book, and it is a book you want!

But they don’t ship to Europe.. And again probably would be expensive!

I was afraid I would not have much to say.. And then randomly wrote this in 10 minutes.. I hope it makes sense haha!

Do you get subscription boxes? Which ones? What do you think?

21 thoughts on “Let’s talk bookish – Subscription boxes!”

  1. I like the candles too, and I love pins because I like collecting things but often a lot of the other bookish items I’ve very indifferent to lol. I live in the US and even I stopped my box because it was too expensive, I can’t imagine getting one in Europe, the cost must be really high!

    1. I bought Owlcrate once, and I think the shipping was almost the same price as the box.. Idk why I got it haha!

  2. I’ve always wanted to try a subscription box but I then always talk myself out of them as I panic that I won’t like the items that are included. Some of them are amazing but other things I really can’t imagine myself using. I do think that a lot of the editions of books that I’ve seen from them are absolutely stunning though. Like the series that you mentioned. And also Marie Lu’s book this year that Fairyloot released – that was just amazing. And I am kind of kicking myself for not getting last month’s Fairyloot box as I have a feeling that the second book in it – the 2020 release – is one that I really want. I definitely agree about the shipping on a lot of them (if it wasn’t so high I might have gotten an Owl Crate one a while ago for their HP mug) too. I know it’s not the seller’s faults but it is annoying that so many are based in the US and are then so expensive to get.

    1. Sorry I meant Marie Rutkoski not Marie Lu. I think I said the wrong name as I’m desperate for Kingdom Of Back :L

    2. Yeah there are always some items that are not for you! But of course they can’t always be haha!
      Oh yes, Marie Rutkoski’s book was very beautiful!
      Those OwlCrate HP mugs are so beautiful, I would love to have those! But shipping for OwlCrate is really too much for me!

      1. It does! I definitely want a copy of it.
        Yes that’s true. And some of the items that they’ve had are absolutely stunning.
        I agree, they’re incredible but I’m with you on the shipping issue sadly.

  3. I love the idea of book subscription boxes too, but I’m just not sure they’d be for me. I’m very particular about what I want to read, and if I had wanted the book to begin with, it would have been much cheaper just buying it rather than paying for a box which comes along with all the other trinkets I might not have wanted. I’m with you on that – I like certain book swag, but most of the time they just end up in some corner gathering dust. On the other hand, I do like that some boxes have started having their own special editions of the books though, that might be worth it for collectors!

    1. I think we’re very on the same page here!
      Most of the things I got in the boxes are sitting in a box on top of my shelves..
      Sometimes shop offer the books afterwards, to buy separately, so I might have to buy books from there haha!

  4. I totally feel you on the shipping thing. I love some of the U.K. based subscription boxes but the shipping is terrible! I live in Canada so even some of the U.S. based ones are a toss-up.

    I usually love the coffees and teas that are included, but there have been quite a few pillow cases and I don’t have that many pillows! I’ve thought about trying BotM for a while as it’s such an interesting concept.

    P.S. I’m hosting this meme now too~

    1. The shipping is so sad.. Not that the companies can do anything about it..
      Pillow cases were very popular for a while haha!
      (I will include you in the next post! I totally forgot to adjust the introductory part of the post..)

  5. I love opening the box when it arrives! I’ve only had a few boxes so far (Fairyloot, Illumicrate and Book Box Club) and Fairyloot is my favourite of the ones I’ve tried. I’m not a regular subscriber, I’ve just been getting them here and there. I’ve had three boxes so far and loved them. But like you say, sometimes the items just aren’t things I will use! Some subscription companies offer a book only option and I think I would consider subscribing to a book only option if Fairyloot offered one because I seem to enjoy their picks and like their editions.

    1. I do like the opening part! Like a present ahah!
      If fairyloot did book only, I would definitely get those as well! Lately I’ve been liking the books they’ve been including!

  6. I’ve only gotten one so far- Scavenge the Stars from Owl Crate and I loved it- but I knew the book (I hate not knowing the book- I have to know the book)- but I also knew there would be Six of Crows themed items so they couldn’t really go wrong.

    I don’t like tea either. I can’t use candles because the cats will burn down my apartment but I don’t mind them as decoration. I really love getting cool artwork that I can frame.

    I’m getting my second one from Beacon Box for House of Dragons- plus it has Six Of Crows and Three Dark Crowns. So I’m curious what that will be like… We shall see. I’m new to them because I haven’t had the money in the past. But I get what you mean about not liking certain items.

    I know a lot of people like to collect pins but I’m too old for that LOL. I don’t drink often but I like to collect shot glasses just because they look cool. But that’s never going to happen!

    1. I’m a bit conflicted about knowing the book, on the one side I want to know, because what if I don’t want it, but it is also nice to be surprised!
      I like tea, but not the extremely sweet tea they include in boxes..
      I also do use the candles for decoration (partly becasue I don’t know what else to do with them ahah)

      I haven’t heard of Beacon box before, I’m going to look that one up! I hope it is a good one 🙂

      I also don’t care for the pins.. I have no idea what to do with them..

  7. I only by the boxes I know that I will like the book (i.e. read it as an arc) or an anticipated read of mine. I sell whatever i don’t like so I don’t really spend much since I make my money back.

    1. So you try to figure out the book beforehand? 🙂
      That’s smart actually haha, selling the other products!

  8. If you’re primarily interested in just getting the special edition book, can I recommend LitJoy? They do a ‘book only’ subscription which means you don’t get all the other stuff with it, just the book (and the playing cards that are collectibles at the moment), and with the Book Box Sherlocks Facebook page, I usually know what the book is (I’m the kid who went looking for Christmas presents) then I can usually figure out if I want to skip the book for the month!!

    1. Ooh that is actually a good idea, will look into Litjoy!
      Haha that’s smart, if you don’t feel like you want that book!

  9. I feel the same way! I never used most of the bookish items so it was way cheaper to just buy the book But the exclusive covers are always so beautiful! ❤❤

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