My Addiction to Subscription Boxes

If you haven't heard of subscription boxes, at this point, you must have been living under a rock. Subscription boxes are monthly, quarterly, however-often-you-want-ly boxes, packages or deliveries that you can receive, that revolve around a certain topic, item or theme. You may have heard of the Beauty boxes, like Birchbox or Glossybox - these were certainly the first I heard about, years ago. In these cases, subscribers receive monthly boxes with a certain number of sample or full sized beauty products to try out. I've never signed up for any of these, but they certainly intrigue me.

About a year ago (or possibly a little longer) I first heard about Book Boxes. I can't remember the first book box I heard about, but I know that OwlCrate was one of the first. Now, the market for book boxes has truly exploded, and in fact the market for subscription boxes in general has grown exponentially; there are cat-lady boxes (I of course follow their instagram), jewellery boxes, comic book hero boxes, tea boxes and the list continues. My housemate was only yesterday telling me about a geeky tee shirt and book box he subscribes to.

I ordered and received my first book boxes in May, and I haven't been able to stop. Three OwlCrates, two FairyLoots, two Nerdy Posts and one My Nerdy Book Box later, and I can definitely say I'm addicted. I would have bought all of these boxes every month, plus many more, if it hadn't used all of my money up (sad times).

What is it about these boxes that I love? Well, I obviously love books, but I have to say that isn't the reason why I adore these. In fact, I haven't yet read any of the books that came with the boxes! My love for these boxes comes from the themes and the geeky gifts that come with them. The funkos, stickers, book marks and jewellery.

What have I received so far? Well, like many book readers with an instagram (clairreads! Follow me there!) I have taken a few photos along the way...

OwlCrate ($29.99 a month) 

May's box - Steampunk

June's box - Royalty

July's box - Good vs. Evil (this is the evil box)

This is the box I've received the most, and one of my favourites. It's shipped from the US, so it can be a bit pricey. Altogether, it's around £38.00. I'm probably going to cancel this 'rolling subscription' soon, as I can't justify the expense; however, I will keep an eye on it so that I can sign up for boxes I am interested in, The great thing is that you can also order past boxes, if there's one you really fancy. My favourite items so far include the VE Schwabb book, the Malfoy funko, and the steampunk snitch badge. Next months theme, which I am signed up for, is 'YA High'.

Nerdy Post ($21.99 a month, no book included)

June - Harry Potter

July - Game of Thrones

Another package I have to unsubscribe from, as I cannot justify the price :( I love these little packages; simpler and more homemade than the other ones, they really showcase the makers talent. My favourite thing about this subscription is that they are all themed around one area; as you can see these are Harry Potter and Game of Thrones themed. My favourite items have been the Harry Potter poster and book mark, and the same items from the Game of Thrones box.

Nerdy Bookworm Box (£29.99 a month)

June

As this is a local 'homegrown' UK box, it makes more sense for me to sign up to this one, and luckily it did not disappoint. I like how you can only order one box at a time - perfect for me as not all of the themes suit me. This box was kind of perfect - I loved the candle, the poster, the notebook, the book...it was all great!

Fairyloot (£26.00 a month)

May - High Fantasy

June - classic twist

Another UK box, which I love. I very briefly met the creator at YALC (she probably doesn't realise) and she was lovely. She was also really helpful in the past when I accidentally put the wrong address down (I'm an idiot). My favourite items have been both the figures (Brienne of Tarth and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies Mr Darcy), the candle, the posters and the book marks. Next months theme is Magic and Mayhem, which I have most definitely signed up for!

As you can see, there are some great items available in these boxes, but I am always on the hunt for more. In August I should receive another OwlCrate and NerdyPost (they'll be my last for a while, from these guys, unless I'm obsessed with a future theme). In September I'll be getting a FairyLoot, and perhaps a Nerdy BookWorm Box, if the theme suits me. I'm always on the hunt for more, though, On instagram alone I follow:

• Spellbound - https://spellboundbox.cratejoy.com/shop/listing - $25.00 - None UK based
• Nerdy BookWorm - https://nerdybookwormbox.cratejoy.com/ - £29.99 - UK based
• Lit Joy - http://litjoycrate.com/ - $29.99 - None UK based
• Once Upon A Bookcase - https://www.cratejoy.com/once-upon-a-bookcase/ - $26.00 - None UK based
• The Monthly Prophet - https://themonthlyprophet.cratejoy.com/ - $26.00 - None UK based
• The YA Chronicles - http://theyachronicles.com.au/ - $29.99 - None UK based
• Illumicrate - http://www.illumicrate.com/ - £29.99 - UK based - quarterly
• Flitwicks (a jewellery subscription) - https://flitwicks.cratejoy.com/ - $12.00 - None UK based
• Parnassus Next - http://www.parnassusbooks.net/ParnassusNext - $100 for three months - None UK based - frst editions
• Novel Tea Club - http://noveltea.club/ - $27.50 - None UK based
• Fantasy and Sci Fi Books - http://www.fantasyandscifibooks.com/ - $27.99 - None UK based
• The Best Damn Book Box - https://www.cratejoy.com/the-best-damn-book-box/ - $39.99 - None UK based
• Uppercase Box - https://www.uppercasebox.com/ - $29.00 - None UK Based
• The Bookish Box - https://thebookishbox.cratejoy.com/ - $25.00 - None UK Based

Dollar Signs by Manning Wolfe

Thank you to the author for sending me a signed copy of the book in return for an honest review.

Dollar Signs is the first book in a future series about Merit Bridges, an attorney and widowed mother in Austin, Texas. In the story Merit and her legal team take on a corporation with corrupt methods. With their lives threatened, the team race against the clock to win their case. 

My first impression was hugely positive. The book was of good quality and the front cover was intriguing. 

Writing

I knew from the start that I might find it hard to follow the story as it's not the genre I usually read, however I was pleasantly surprised. The author had obviously put a lot of effort into her writing. I think had this book been a little faster paced, I would have been sucked in more, but I certainly wasn't reluctant to carry on reading it.

I found the legal jargon and details a little too much as it made it harder for me, someone who has not trained in the law, to understand. Obviously, for someone who understands the terms and vocabulary, this would not be an issue. Perhaps if I read this genre more I'd have understood more, but I also believe this level of detail was unnecessary for the plot. 

I also found some areas of writing a little choppy - they made sense to read but didn't flow so well. As a primary school teacher who is constantly attempting to help her year fours improve their writing, I am possibly wearing my teachers hat here but I do believe flow is important! 

This definitely wasn't a badly written book. Authors improve with experience, and this is the authors first book, so I can appreciate that her style of writing will evolve.

Characters and story

Whilst Merit was an interesting character (with a back story and future potential) but I have to say I didn't connect with her or the other characters. I just couldn't work out what was 'bad ass' about her team, or why Merit kept saying 'coolio!'. Lots of the characters didn't seem to play a part in the larger plot.

The plot was interesting, although I generally find legal matters hard to follow. A lot of my lack of understanding probabl not only came from the legal genre but from the location - Texas. 

I have never been to the U.S. and Texas probably wouldn't be the first place if head. I'd like to go there, but it's a bit further down the list. Anyway, this is relevant because I feel some plot points, statements and jokes were ones that would only make sense to Americans or perhaps even only Texans. I also felt that at some points the book was getting dangerously close to being a pro- gun advert. I mean, everyone has their own opinions and they are allowed them, but I didn't think it was necessary. 

Overall

Overall I gave this book 3 stars on GoodReads, but it's probably closer to 3.5 stars. Easy to read but could have been more adventurous with the writing. Good plot line but not an addictive read.

February Wrap Up!

Yes, it's well in to March at this point, but (as always) better late than never.

Rosemary and Rue (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

3.5/5 Stars (4 stars on GoodReads)

I completely forgot, until I began reading this again, that I had attempted to read this once before. I remember, and agreed, that it was a very slow start. In fact, whilst the book improves once you get past half way, it's also true that the series really only gathers pace a few books in. This wasn't the most exciting first book in an Urban Fantasy series, hence the 3.5 stars, but I'm glad I persevered, as February ended up being a month of Toby Daye...

A Local Habitation (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

4/5 stars

The series was still slow at this point, although the pace and plot were still good. I just couldn't really immerse myself properly; I liked the characters and from other reviews knew that it would get better, so I was happy to give this book a better rating than number 1.

An Artificial Night (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

4.5/5 stars (5 stars on GoodReads)

This is where I felt the series began to properly pick up steam. I felt much more immersed, other characters played a larger part and Toby herself was beginning to feel more familiar,

I do also have to say, now that I'm reminding myself, I really like these covers. They don't have that 'tacky' appearance that some UF books have, with half naked people everywhere. They're interesting to look at whilst leaving everything vague enough, so that your personal image of the character isn't altered (or, if you're like me and never really picture their faces properly, the random blur isn't replaced by a weirdly lifelike book model).

Late Eclipses (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

5/5 stars

One Salt Sea (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

5/5 stars

Ashes of Honor (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

5/5 stars

Chimes at Midnight (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

5/5 Stars

Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour

3.75/5 stars (4 stars on GoodReads)

SUCH A BEAUTIFUL COVER. A lovely little book to read. Not 100% obsessed with the plot or the characters, but I enjoyed it. This may have been a book I read once then gave away, but the cover looks too damn good on my bookshelf. That's where the extra 0.25 of a star came from, as well!

An Utterly Impartial History of Britain, or 2000 years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge by John O'Farrell

4/5 Stars

A lot of reading in this book, but most parts are delivered with a sarcastic humour that made me snort a LOT when reading it. Typically, once it got to 'recent' history (and for some reason my brain thinks late 17th century is a part of this) I started to get less interested in carrying on, but worth the read as I learnt a few random facts!

My Sword Hand is Singing by Marcus Sedgwick

3.5/5 stars (4 stars on GoodReads)

A book bought for my sister years ago, as she is/was obsessed with Russia, and didn't read enough (in our opinion :P) I don't think she ever picked it up. I enjoyed it! Not a book I'd read again, but a nice twist on Eastern European folklore.

The Winter Long (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

5/5 stars

A Red-Rose Chain (An October Daye Novel) by Seanan McGuire

5/5 stars

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green 

(DID NOT FINISH)

I'm a big John Green fan, but that's always been because of vlogbrothers, rather than his books. TFIOS made me sob, and convinced me to try more of his books, but I've never quite got his writing style. It's never managed to keep me engaged. This was the same. Well written, but not the genre I normally read, and not a style that intrigued me. I tried, John, sorry. I still have a couple more of your books to have a look at, but I think you'll always be a Youtuber before an author in my mind.

2016 Reading Challenge:

A YA Bestseller - Queen of Shadows by Sarah J Maas (January)

A Book Written by a Celebrity - Gangsta Granny by David Walliams (January)

A Graphic Novel - River's of London: Body Work by Ben Aaronovitch (January)
A Book Set in Europe - My Sword Hand is Singing by Marcus Desgwick (February)
A Book Set in the Summer - Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour (February)
A Book Based on a Fairytale - The October Daye Series by Seanan McGuire (February)

2015 challenge continuation...

A Book I was Supposed to Read in School (I read all the books I was supposed to when I was a student in school - I've now read this as a teacher) - Gangsta Granny by David Walliams (January)

Books from 2015 that I didn't read:

• A classic Romance
• A book that became a movie
• A Pullitzer prize winner
• A book based on a true story
• Antonyms
• Published in the year I was born
• A book that made me cry
• Originally in a different language
• A book that was once a play
• A banned book

Life and Death

I have done something I am not too proud of.
I have bought Life and Death.
On my kindle, so that no one has to know what I am reading, but still.
There is a reason, and I am hoping it works out.

I plan on live blogging my reading of Life and Death, the new gender bent version of Twilight by Stephenie Meyer, here on my blog (and on my tumblr page, Lyrasdaemons).

Wish me luck

What have I read during February (and since I last posted here)

I have read a lot more than I expected to during February, but I was so tired during half term that I completely forgot to post!

The last book I wrote about here was....trying to read The End of Mr Y (and I failed).

Since then I have read:

Crown of  Midnight by Sarah J Maas
Burned by Karen Marie Moning (on my kindle)
Firelight, Moonglow and Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan (on my kindle)
The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory
Delilah by Eleanor Jong
The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

I finally got round to starting this series at the end of last year, and this month I read the second book in the series. I really enjoyed it. There was a lot of character development, and some huge plot twists. I love high fantasy, and this series so far seems really accessible. The characters are funny and great to read about. The third book was ordered straight away.

Burned by Karen Marie Moning

I had heard mixed reviews on the book before this in the series (Iced) but I read that in January and enjoyed it. This book returned to Mac's storyline, and I loved it. For those of you who don't know about these books; this is book number 7 in the Fever series. This series is urban fantasy set in Dublin, with a lot of adult content. I wish the next book was already here!

Firelight, Moonglow and Winterblaze by Kristen Callihan

 I read these books on my kindle very quickly. They are a steampunk urban fantasy series set in Victorian London, and are the first three books in The Darkest London series. I had had Firelight on my To Be Read list on Amazon for a while. They are quite light-hearted and serious at the same time. They are a fun, quick read. These first three books are told from the point of view of three sisters (one sister per book) who encounter supernatural events in London. There are at least two more books, told from points of view of characters who are NOT in the family, but are introduced by Winterblaze. 

The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory

I love a good Philippa Gregory book. The Other Boleyn Girl (about Mary Boleyn ) is one of my favourite books ever, and I have read all of her Tudor Court books (my second favourite is The Constant Princess, about Katherine of Aragon). The Red Queen is the second book in The Cousins War series, and is the third one in the series that I have read. Perhaps it is more accurate to call them a 'collection' because these books don't really have to be read in chronological order. My favourite in this series so far (there are at least 2 I haven't read, although I have at least read the first three in collection) was The Lady of the Rivers - not least because I found out my family tree can be traced back to her! Anyway, I enjoyed this book because it added to the immersion in the rest of the series, taking into account the point of view of a character mentioned in The White Queen. Perhaps it might be useful to break down who each book centres on?

The Cousins War

• The Lady of the Rivers -  Jacquetta Woodville mother of Elizabeth Woodville (Lancaster House, then York House)
• The Red Queen - Margaret Beaufort mother of Henry Tudor (Lancaster House)
• The White Queen - Elizabeth Woodville mother of Elizabeth of York (York House)
• The Kingmakers Daughter - Isabelle and Anne Neville (I have not read this yet)
• The White Princess - Elizabeth of York wife of Henry Tudor and daughter of Elizabeth Woodville (I have not read this yet)
• The Kings Curse - Margaret Pole. (I have not read this yet, but it overlaps, timeline wise, with the Tudor Court series,

The Tudor Court

• The Constant Princess - a young Katherine of Aragon
• The Other Boleyn Girl - Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne Boleyn
• The Boleyn Inheritance - Jane Boleyn, sister in law to Anne and Mary, set during Jane Seymour/ Anne of Cleves/ Katherine Howard time period. Katherine Howard is also a pov character, if I remember correctly. She links to the Boleyns because the Boleyn family is a branch of the Howard family.]
• The Queens Fool - a jewish girl living in court as a Royal fool, during Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I reigns.
• The Virgins Lover - Elizabeth I, Robert Dudley and Amy Dudley.
• The Other Queen - Mary Queen of Scots (I don't think I've read this)

Delilah by Eleanor Jong

This book is about Delilah, of Samson and Delilah fame. It centres on her character and imagines Delilahs reasons for the betrayal of Samson. I liked this book, but it is not one I would reread.

The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon

This is the sequel to The Bone Season, a urban sci-fi/ fantasy book set in futuristic London, if London had taken a very different path at the end of the 19th century. I really enjoyed the first book, and this did not disappoint, ending on a massive cliffhanger. I feel like these books are a good step between YA fantasy, and adult (I hate calling things adult as there is really no such thing) fantasy. The characters were interesting, the plot really exciting, and I love all books centred on London!

I also reread Fire by Kristen Cashore this month. I love that book, and all the characters, so much. If you have not read the Graceling series, do so now.

Clair's 2015 Reading Challenge:

• A book you read in a day - Dreamfever/ Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning (3rd January 2015)
• A book with magic in it - The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare, Maureen Johnson and Sarah Rees Brennan (9th January 2015)
• A book written by someone under 30 - The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon (21st February 2015)
• A book with a colour in the title - The Red Queen by Philippa Gregory (18th February 2015)
• A book that takes place in your hometown - The Darkest London series by Kristen Callihan (February 2015)
• A book set in a different country - Delilah by Eleanor Jong (15th February 2015)
• A book with nonhuman characters - Burned by Karen Marie Moning (February 2015)
• A book with a female author - A Crown of Midnight by Sarah J Maas

~to be added to as time passes~

Review: Rivers of London and the Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch

Although I am (again) in a car I thought I’d write a book review for the Peter Grant series by Ben Aaronovitch.

This series is about a young policeman called Peter, who works in Central London. Without any prior exposure to the supernatural world he stumbles into a case involving a ghost in Covent Garden. The series of books follows his continued progression into the supernatural division of Scotland Yard, and his relationships with various people who are a part of this community.

The plot of the books is fast paced, exciting and interesting, but what I love most about it is the combination of humour and serious plot progressions. There are so many references to Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings that after each book I could die a happy nerd. What is clear from this series is that the main character (and the author!) is an unabashed fan of all things deemed ‘nerdy’. I loved the Harry Potter references (by Peters cop friend) that Peter should be embarrassed because Dumbledore could drink him under the table, and this type of humour carried on throughout the story. However, serious issues were also addressed. Peter himself is a back Londoner, with parents from Sierra Leone, and there are referrals to the prejudices he faces as a black british man. Because of this I not only found the stories laugh out loud funny, but also engrossing. Throw in the supernatural elements (river Goddesses and Gods, ghosts and the fae) and I was in heaven. There’s also  bit of romance thrown in for those (myself included) who enjoy it, but the love story, whilst benefitting the plot, definitely does not lead the way. Peter is a fun character who you really care about, without having to learn an entire back story about. As a reader I effortlessly fell into the story, taking on his perspective of the story and routing for him. 

In case you hadn't already noticed, the covers of the books are also rather fantastic. They are all maps (of London, except for the final book), and in fact in one of the books I can even see the place I live. The maps are all covered in small labels, with information about the local area. They're really interesting and tell you a lot about the area, which I love.

If you're interested in learning more about the series, check out http://www.the-folly.com/

The first book is called Rivers of London in the UK, and Midnight Riot in the USA.