PageHabit Review, July & August 2017

BEWARE – URGENT UPDATE FOR PAGEHABIT AND ALL QUARTERLY CO. BOXES AS OF 8/20/18!! – THERE SEEMS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH SUBSCRIBERS RECEIVING JULY 2018 BOXES AND SO FAR NO AUGUST BOXES OR ANY WORD FROM THE COMPANY.  QUARTERLY CO. (WHO IS THE MOTHER SITE OF PAGEHABIT) SEEMS TO BE HAVING MAJOR ISSUES WITH THEIR SUBSCRIPTION BOXES AND CUSTOMER SERVICE IS NOT ANSWERING EMAILS OR CHAT MESSAGES VIA SOCIAL MEDIA.  I CANNOT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE CONTINUE TO ENDORSE THIS SUBSCRIPTION BOX WHEN SUCH THINGS ARE OCCURRING, AND DISCOURAGE YOU FROM SUBSCRIBING TO, OR COMPLETING ANY ORDERS WITH THEM UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.  I WILL UPDATE AGAIN WHEN I HAVE MORE INFORMATION.  IF THE COMPANY DOES NOT RESPOND TO ME BY SEPTEMBER 1, I WILL BE DISCONTINUING MY AFFILIATION LINK.

PageHabit is the book box subscription formerly known as “Bookly Box”. They partnered with Quarterly Co. and now offer an even BETTER box! To see my previous reviews of Bookly Box, go here.  To see my previous reviews of PageHabit, go here.

There are several options to choose from:

1. PageHabit Monthly Box is $29.99/month + shipping (tax added for CA and ID). Each box includes: (1) Brand new release annotated by the author in the genre of your choice (Literary Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction, Romance, Horror, Historical Fiction or Science Fiction), (1) Written letter from the featured author, (2-3) Bookish items, (1) Beautifully designed bookmark, (1) Donation to support children’s literacy around the world, and access to PageHabit’s online community. International shipping is available.

  • You can also add extra annotated books to your box from the other genres offered that month for $18.99 each; however you will NOT receive the author’s letter with any added books.

2. PageHabit Quarterly Box (shipped every 3 months) is $49.99/quarter + shipping (tax added for CA and ID). Each box includes: (1) New release annotated by a critically acclaimed author in either the Literary Fiction, Young Adult or Cookbook genres, (2) additional books curated by the featured author, (1) Written letter from the featured author, (2-3) Bookish items, (1) Beautifully designed bookmark, (1) Donation to support children’s literacy around the world, and access to PageHabit’s online community. International shipping is available.

3. PageHabit Gift Subscriptions are available for both monthly and quarterly boxes, with different length subscription options. International shipping is available.  See the PageHabit website for pricing.

4. PageHabit Limited Edition new release books annotated by their authors are also available  – no subscription needed! For latest options/pricing see PageHabit website.

NOTE: Some subscriptions also offer a ‘skip’ option, and an option to switch to a “book(s) only” box at a lower rate. See PageHabit website for details.

Why should you subscribe to a book box when you can just buy a book cheaper elsewhere? PageHabit has an answer for that!

FIRST, part of the reading experience is diving deeper, going beyond the words on a page to relate these stories to our real lives. That is why each of our boxes comes complete with exclusive author insight, including a written letter and author annotations! Every new release is peppered with exclusive author annotations placed throughout the book to enhance the reading experience. You will not be able to purchase these anywhere else.

SECOND, with a membership you also get access to our online community of over 12,000 bookworms from around the world! Get instant book recommendations, feedback, and thoughts on all things bookish.

THIRD, our members also get access to exclusive author content, including live chats with authors — ask them anything! — and exclusive playlists, deleted chapters, interviews and more!

There are affiliate links on this website, however I pay for my subscription. Please note that I *never* accept compensation in exchange for a positive review.  All of my reviews are my honest, personal opinions and contain my own photography (unless otherwise stated).

My review will cover the PageHabit HORROR genre for July & August of 2017!

PageHabit Review, July 2017

Here’s the PageHabit Box! Not as nice as the old Bookly Box, but much bigger!

Look at that stack of goodies!

Their motto is “Get into the habit.”  I have to say, I’m into the habit for sure! In every way.

Here are all the items at a glance. Seems to be about the same type of stuff; but more personalized with the author letter/notations.

For each box sold, there is a donation to support children’s literacy around the world – which is cool. It is always nice to know that my subscription box addiction is brightening someone’s day besides mine!

This month the donation is going to South Sudan via the ‘Nyarweng Foundation’.

Each box comes with a letter from the author – a really nice touch. It makes the reading experience much more personal and meaningful. I had a little trouble deciphering the handwriting, and at the end of the letter, the author apologizes for that – ha!  Thought that was funny.

There was a sticky note attached to the front of the book by the author indicating more notes to come inside!

Final Girls: A Novel by Riley Sager – Retail Value $26 (Amazon $16.26)

Amazon excerpt:

THE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

“The first great thriller of 2017 is here: Final Girls, by Riley Sager. If you liked Gone Girl, you’ll like this.”—Stephen King

Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout’s knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media’s attempts, they never meet.

Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.

That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy’s doorstep. Blowing through Quincy’s life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa’s death come to light, Quincy’s life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam’s truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished.

This book is right up my alley, and I’m super excited to read it! I do in-depth book reviews here on the CrazyDogMama website, so be sure to watch for this one soon! If you would like to read my other book reviews, go here.

A glimpse at all the author’s sticky notes! They are everywhere! I really love this feature of the box – it is something you can’t get anywhere else, and for me, justifies getting the subscription. If I end up really loving the book, these notes become invaluable!

Stephen King has just released some new novels, and I don’t know if PageHabit will feature any of them in their horror box, but can you imagine having notes from STEPHEN KING in your possession?? How cool would THAT be?!? Fingers crossed!

Gilroy Portable Mini White LED Clip On Book Light Lamp – Retail Value $2.58

These little book lights are super handy for reading in bed at night if your significant other doesn’t like the lights on, or for using on a plane at night. This one unfortunately is not the highest quality, but it does work better than NO light. I am blind as a bat and have trouble seeing in low light, so I use the Mighty Bright 40811 DoubleFlex LED Book Light and it works like a charm.  I was able to trade this for another item on a swap site, so no harm, no foul for me! If you get more than one box subscription, I would highly recommend getting on a swap site! My Subscription Addiction has a good one. I love supporting my sister box reviewers!

Here it is in the daylight so you can see how it works…

…and here it is in the dark. Effective, but not ample.

Field Notes Blank Original Kraft Notebook – Retail Value $3.32 (based on similar without the PageHabit Branding)

I can always use blank notebooks! I journal up a storm and take notes on everything, so this was a useful item for me.

The PageHabit custom bookmark for July 2017.  They are always so lovely, and I do use them!

Once I read a book, I generally either donate it, give it to a friend, or swap it.  I include bookmarks when I do (as long as I don’t destroy them with my klutziness), so that I don’t end up with endless clutter. It is a nice touch, too, and I know people appreciate it. I’m sure PageHabit appeciates the advertising. 😉

What the book looks like with all the fanfare!

So what are your thoughts on the Horror Genre Box from PageHabit? My verdict: I am very pleased with the hardcover selection and the author’s letter and notes!  I will definitely use the field notes and bookmark, and I was able to swap the light pretty quickly. The total retail value was $31.90 (Amazon $26.16) not including the value of the author’s annotations or the bookmark.  The goods themselves did not exceed the value of the box with shipping/tax, but if the personalized annotations are worth at least $10 to you, then the value is there, plus they do donate books around the world to kids, so that is something, too. I did enjoy the box, but I’m on the fence at this point about a long term subscription, and am going to see what the next few boxes bring to make a solid decision.

PageHabit Review, August 2017

The state of my box this month from the Post Office cracked me up – it looks like me after a stressful day – LOL!

Bubbling at the brim!

Many more items this month! I’m guessing it’s because the book is paperback instead of hardback.

The donation location for August 2017 is Buea Cameroon. I find the statistics interesting. The literacy rate is a little higher here than some of the previous locations they have donated to, so that’s encouraging. I’ve never heard of Buea Cameroon, so I’m getting a geography lesson from PageHabit, as well!

Letter from author Jac Jemc!  Love the little doodles – lol!

The Grip of It: A Novel, by Jac Jemc – Retail Value $15.00 (Amazon $13.50). More doodles on the sticky note!  Wheeee! This book was on my Amazon wishlist, so I’m totally thrilled to have received it!!!

Amazon excerpt:

Recommended Reading by Nylon, W, Marie Claire, Entertainment Weekly, Men’s Journal, Lit Hub and Chicago Reader

Jac Jemc’s The Grip of It is a chilling literary horror novel about a young couple haunted by their newly purchased home

Touring their prospective suburban home, Julie and James are stopped by a noise. Deep and vibrating, like throat singing. Ancient, husky, and rasping, but underwater. “That’s just the house settling,” the real estate agent assures them with a smile. He is wrong.

The move—prompted by James’s penchant for gambling and his general inability to keep his impulses in check—is quick and seamless; both Julie and James are happy to start afresh. But this house, which sits between a lake and a forest, has its own plans for the unsuspecting couple. As Julie and James try to establish a sense of normalcy, the home and its surrounding terrain become the locus of increasingly strange happenings. The framework— claustrophobic, riddled with hidden rooms within rooms—becomes unrecognizable, decaying before their eyes. Stains are animated on the wall—contracting, expanding—and map themselves onto Julie’s body in the form of painful, grisly bruises.

Like the house that torments the troubled married couple living within its walls, The Grip of It oozes with palpable terror and skin-prickling dread. Its architect, Jac Jemc, meticulously traces Julie and James’s unsettling journey through the depths of their new home as they fight to free themselves from its crushing grip.

Snapshot of Jac’s annotations throughout.  The notes aren’t ‘sticking out’ of the book like last month, they are hidden within the book pages.  I like this better because it is more aesthetically pleasing, and the notes do not get all bent up. It is more of a surprise this way, too.

This is a short story from a partnership with Great James Street called “The Last Days” by Hugh Sheehy. Each genre received a different short story in their box. Based on the satanic looking goat-man on the cover, I’m guessing it’s of the nasty variety! I thought this was a really fun item! You can download it to your Kindle for $0.99 on Amazon, but it is free to read here.

Amazon exerpt:

Abigail is afraid for the safety of her daughter after a neurological event enabled her to hear other people’s thoughts and to see the true character of the man her daughter is in love with. She’s unsure how to find out the truth about him, knowing only that he glows red and gives off a great heat, and is always around when disaster strikes. She decides to investigate further in an effort to discover the truth.

This could be a fun little gift for Halloween!

Socks “If You Can Read This, Pass Me My Book” Ankle Socks – Retail Value $4.99

OK, so these are totally fun! I love novelty socks. Even in sunny Southern California, I’m a sock-wearer in the Fall/Winter. My feet don’t get cold easily like some people (I run hot all the damn time), but I do get dry, cracked heels, so I like to put on foot lotion and wear socks so my tootsies stay nice and soft!

Hello, Lucky Stripe Magnetic Bookmarks (set of 4) – Retail Value $4.95

These are WAY CUTE! I just recently started using magnetic bookmarks, and I really like them. My dog (Jack!) likes to STEAL my bookmarks out of my book (little turd!), but he’s not coordinated enough to get these little magnetic ones. 🙂

Here’s the back of them.

Yonger Creative Cactus Pen by Silly Gifts Office School Supplies Ballpoint Pen – Retail Value $2.12

This is genius! It looks like a little cactus plant, but it’s a pen! Perfect for sitting next to my phone. I do live in the desert, so it works!

It is just a regular ball point pen, but it writes nice and has some heaviness to it. I like the way the spikey-things feel on my fingers!

The colorful PageHabit bookmark included with each box. Different design each month; double-sided.

This was a fun box! I will use all the items this month, and I’m especially excited to the read the book and wear my socks (while drinking wine, I’m sure!). The total retail value of the items was $28.05 ($26.55 with Amazon book pricing), which is a little shy of the cost of the box, but like I stated in the previous month’s review, if the annotations are worth $5-10 to you, it makes it worth it, plus they make a donation to children’s literacy around the world for every box. When thought of in those terms, the box is worth it’s value. Me, personally? I LOVE the book selections so far, and the annotations are really cool, but I’d like to see quality over quantity in the bookish goods. But that’s just me. I’d be happy with the book, the annotations and ONE extra goody that is in the $10-15 range. At this point, though, I am still leaning toward ‘yes’ on keeping my subscription!

Let me know what you think of PageHabit!

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1 Comment

  • faris sheikh September 17, 2017 12.56 am

    pretty good work, Keep it up 🙂

    Reply 

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Cheryl, a.k.a. "CrazyDogMama". Welcome to my blog - it's about time you visited! Anything and everything goes here - seriously. I'm a 40-something introverted writer and maker of body care products.

I am obsessed with books (mainly the Holy Bible of late), writing, essential oils, intermittent fasting, road trips, subscription boxes, and all geeky things related to earthquakes, space weather and the last days written about in Revelation. I exist mainly on coffee. I'm not above writing about uncomfortable subjects, and political correctness isn't my priority, I'm just real. I also love Jesus. So, if you're good with all that, take a look around and get to know me! Even if you're not, I try my best to entertain and offer up good advice occasionally, so hopefully there is a little something here for everyone.

Oh, and my dog Jack is my muse, so I like to exploit him here. ;-)

This is my life.

Simply Earth

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