I'm a sucker for a subscription. I like getting mail. I like getting books. So when I saw the Book of the Month Club featured on the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog, I had to check it out. Now, as you can imagine, I read mostly romance since that is my first love and what I write. The second most read genre for me is probably YA. But "big books", those deemed "books of the summer" that seem to be on all the front-facing shelves at bookstores and Target, those typically aren't what I gravitate toward. Part of it is the rebel in me--I don't want to read what EVERYONE is reading, lol. The other part is I just have so many romances I want to read that I don't have room on my docket.
But lately, I've been making a point to step out of my comfort zone. It started with the Push Your Boundaries reading challenge and this is the next step. As a writer, I'm always afraid of my writing becoming too "incestuous". I don't mean in a Flowers in the Attic kind of way, lol, but I mean that there's input (books I read, movies & TV shows I watch, experiences, etc.) and output (what I write). If there's not enough variety in the input, then my books (output) may start to sound the same or be too similar to others in my genre. I think what makes writing good is gathering up influences and inspiration from all different realms and then letting it mix up in the creative part of your brain so it can make new connections and generate stories you wouldn't have thought of otherwise.
So, I've been reading a little all over the place genre wise lately, which you may have noticed in my recent post: My Summer Reading So Far. That's why this Book of the Month Club appeals to me. You get to pick from five selections each month and can add more if you like more than one. And the choices seem to be a mix of mystery/suspense, lit fic, women's fic, memoir, and scifi. It's a good variety, which appealed to me. I also like that it's a highly curated list with judges selecting the best of the best of all they read that month.
Here are some of the details and how you can get 50% off a 3-month subscription:
1. "Tastemakers" select five new release hardback books per month for you to choose from.
2. You pick one during the first week of each month (included in your subscription price) and can add more for 9.99 each (which is about 5 bucks cheaper than you can get the books on Amazon). Shipping is free.
3. You can skip a month if you like.
4. You can try it for cheap (you'll get 3 months/3 new release hardcover books for around 25 dollars) if you use my referral link and the code REFER50. If you'd prefer to get a free tote bag and sunglasses and 30% off, use SUMMER30 code instead. (That's what I did.)
To give you an idea of the kinds of books they choose, here are this month's picks. (And if you sign up before July 6th, you can get one of these.)
I read through all the descriptions and the testimonials by the judges and decided to get two. I'm getting Love That Boy because it's about his journey with his son who was diagnosed with Aspergers. My son is on the spectrum, so this is a topic near and dear to me. But from what I saw in reviews, it's relatable to all parents, not just ones with children who have special needs. Then, the second I chose was Sleeping Giants because I loved the fervor of the recommendation and the premise sounds like a blockbuster movie. So these will get shipped to me next week. I'll be sure to report back!
Let me know if you decide to give it a try. Has anyone else ever been part of a subscription book club/service? I'd love if they had something like this for romance. :)
*As noted above, this post contains referral codes. All that means is you get half off and I get free books if people sign up. I haven't been asked to feature this. I signed up and paid for my own subscription. Just wanted to pass along the savings if any of you are interested. :)