Book of the Month is probably the most popular book box out there regarding price, quality & variety. However, the BEST part of this club is that you get to CHOOSE the book(s) you want, and quite often they offer titles before their official release date, as well as exclusive versions! I’ve subscribed to pretty much every book box out there, and this is the one that I’ve had the longest commitment to because I love it so much! Today I’m here to show the books I chose for January 2019.
BOTM Membership costs just $14.99/month for (1) book credit, or less with longer subscription commitments. Each box includes YOUR CHOICE of (1) newly released hardcover book out of their (5) monthly selections, and you can also add up to (2) more books to your box for only $9.99 each. If you have additional credits on your account, you can choose to use those to purchase add-on books instead. The add-on books can be from the current month OR from previous months (as supplies last). You can skip a month whenever you wish and you won’t be charged; and your credit(s) will roll over to the next month. Shipping is always free! Gift memberships are available to purchase as well.
All new monthly titles are available to start selecting on the 1st of the month, and you must also select when to ship your box. You have until the 6th to make your selection(s), or, if you don’t choose a book and ship your box by the 6th of the month, you will be renewed $14.99 for a credit to redeem the following month.
There are a variety of genres offered each month that may include (but are not limited to): Thriller/Horror, History, Historical Fiction, Fantasy/Sci-Fi, Contemporary Fiction, Literary Fiction, YA (Young Adult), Mystery, Romance, Domestic Suspense, Dystopian, Satire, Non-Fiction and Memoir.
COUPON: If you would like to join and get your first month for only $9.99, sign up at this link!
I am not a Book of the Month affiliate, but I do use their referral program which is available to all members. I pay for my subscription, but there may be other affiliate links within this post where I could potentially earn a commission. Please note however, 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).
To see my other Book of the Month reviews, go here. If you’d like to see what I think of all the books I read, you can go to CrazyDogMama’s Book Reviews here. You can also come be my friend (or stalker) at Goodreads.
Book of the Month Review, January 2019
I always choose my book(s) promptly on the 1st of the month, and have my box shipped immediately – which is more often than not the same day. I receive my books around the 8th of the month, give or take a day. That blue box stands out, and then my eyes glaze over.
I saw this printed on the back of the box and thought I would show you.
Photo courtesy of bookofthemonth.com
These were the January 2019 choices, chosen by 5 different curators to ensure a great selection. On the website you can read the descriptions, and the reason why each was chosen by it’s curator. This month there are two exclusive versions, and two debuts!
Read. Love. Repeat. – the BOTM motto!
I opted for the 12-month membership and have enjoyed every book I’ve read so far. How many books I order each month depends on how many titles sound interesting to me (duh), but I haven’t yet wanted to skip a month because there is always a great variety.
The books come shrink-wrapped together with a cardboard bottom, and a paper bookmark. My books have always arrived in perfect condition – no damage at all.
This is the cardboard bottom with instructions on how to tag your photos on Instagram.
Here is my customized box layout for this month. My pick from the January lineup was “The Silent Patient”, then I added 2 more books; one from the previous month’s choices “One Day in December”, and one from the additional new featured books they offer (that are add-on only, and not a part of the monthly picks) – “Watching You”. More details on these below!
An insert card was included this month advertising the 2018 Book of the Year, and the 4 finalists.
So let’s talk about the books I chose!
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides – Retail Value $26.99 (Currently a pre-order item on Amazon for $16.19 – official release is February 5, 2019)
Description:
Alicia Berenson’s life is seemingly perfect. A famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer, she lives in a grand house with big windows overlooking a park in one of London’s most desirable areas. One evening her husband Gabriel returns home late from a fashion shoot, and Alicia shoots him five times in the face, and then never speaks another word.
Alicia’s refusal to talk, or give any kind of explanation, turns a domestic tragedy into something far grander, a mystery that captures the public imagination and casts Alicia into notoriety. The price of her art skyrockets, and she, the silent patient, is hidden away from the tabloids and spotlight at the Grove, a secure forensic unit in North London.
Criminal psychotherapist Theo Faber is captivated by Alicia’s story and jumps at the opportunity to work with her. His determination to get her to talk and unravel the mystery of why she shot her husband takes him down a path more unexpected, more terrifying than he ever imagined – into his own motivations―a search for the truth that threatens to consume him.
Shocking, thought-provoking, and deeply twisted, The Silent Patient is a spellbinding psychological thriller about violence, obsession, and the dark side of passion.
This is a debut novel that was offered by BOTM over a month before it’s official release! This is one of the great perks – getting to read books before the general public. I read this book right away, and while I will give a more detailed review of this book in my next installment of ‘CrazyDogMama’s Book Reviews’, I can tell you that I enjoyed it immensely! It wasn’t horrific, but it is disturbing and there is a great plot twist at the end that even I wasn’t expecting.
All BOTM books are specially labeled with the BOTM logo on the book jacket, and the month/year the book was featured is on the back.
Watching You by Lisa Jewell – Retail Value $26 (Currently on Amazon for $18.18.)
Description:
Melville Heights is one of the nicest neighborhoods in Bristol, England; home to doctors and lawyers and old-money academics. It’s not the sort of place where people are brutally murdered in their own kitchens. But it is the sort of place where everyone has a secret. And everyone is watching you.
As the headmaster credited with turning around the local school, Tom Fitzwilliam is beloved by one and all—including Joey Mullen, his new neighbor, who quickly develops an intense infatuation with this thoroughly charming yet unavailable man. Joey thinks her crush is a secret, but Tom’s teenaged son Freddie—a prodigy with aspirations of becoming a spy for MI5—excels in observing people and has witnessed Joey behaving strangely around his father.
One of Tom’s students, Jenna Tripp, also lives on the same street, and she’s not convinced her teacher is as squeaky clean as he seems. For one thing, he has taken a particular liking to her best friend and fellow classmate, and Jenna’s mother—whose mental health has admittedly been deteriorating in recent years—is convinced that Mr. Fitzwilliam is stalking her.
Meanwhile, twenty years earlier, a schoolgirl writes in her diary, charting her doomed obsession with a handsome young English teacher named Mr. Fitzwilliam…
In Lisa Jewell’s latest brilliant “bone-chilling suspense” (People) no one is who they seem—and everyone is hiding something. Who has been murdered—and who would have wanted one of their neighbors dead? As “Jewell teases out her twisty plot at just the right pace” (Booklist, starred review), you will be kept guessing until the startling revelation on the very last page.
I love twisty-turny psychological thrillers – especially when it involves a creepy stalker plot. This was a must-have for me!
All BOTM books are specially labeled with the BOTM logo on the book jacket, and the month/year the book was featured is on the back.
One Day in December by Josie Silver – Retail Value $16 (Currently on Amazon for $12.15)
Description:
Two people. Ten chances. One unforgettable love story.
Laurie is pretty sure love at first sight doesn’t exist anywhere but the movies. But then, through a misted-up bus window one snowy December day, she sees a man who she knows instantly is the one. Their eyes meet, there’s a moment of pure magic…and then her bus drives away.
Certain they’re fated to find each other again, Laurie spends a year scanning every bus stop and cafe in London for him. But she doesn’t find him, not when it matters anyway. Instead they “reunite” at a Christmas party, when her best friend Sarah giddily introduces her new boyfriend to Laurie. It’s Jack, the man from the bus. It would be.
What follows for Laurie, Sarah and Jack is ten years of friendship, heartbreak, missed opportunities, roads not taken, and destinies reconsidered. One Day in December is a joyous, heartwarming and immensely moving love story to escape into and a reminder that fate takes inexplicable turns along the route to happiness.
So this book was one of the previous month’s picks (BOTM December 2018), and I wasn’t originally interested because mainstream ‘fluffy’ romance isn’t my usual gig; I’m more into dark romance. After hearing a ton about it, however, I changed my mind and decided to give it a chance. I chose it as an add-on for $9.99. I could have used one of my ‘credits’ to add it to my order, but my credits are worth $12.50, and paying $9.99 is a better deal!
All BOTM books are specially labeled with the BOTM logo on the book jacket, and the month/year the book was featured is on the back.
Each monthly box comes with a sturdy cardboard bookmark with a literary quote printed on it.
This month’s quote is by Amy Tan “When you read about the lives of other people…you are part of their lives for that moment. You inhabit their lives and you feel what they’re feeling and that is compassion.”
I actually love these bookmarks! They hold up well and are just the right size/thickness. No fuss.
So what do you think of BOTM? The total retail value of my box was $68.99 (currently $46.52 using Amazon prices – but one of them is not officially released yet!), and I paid $32.48 ($12.50 with my 12-month subscription + $19.98 for my two add-on books.) – so this is a fantastic deal, even over Amazon prices! If you are bookworm like me (or want to be) and want to be in the loop on the latest releases, I highly recommend this box – you just can’t go wrong! I love being introduced to new authors, and books I may not even know about. I’m also more inclined to try new genres I wouldn’t consider otherwise.
DON’T FORGET THE COUPON! If you would like to join and get your first month for only $9.99, sign up at this link!
TTFN, CrazyDogMama – XOXO
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