I don't have to state here that I'm a book nerd. There's not much I love more than a new book. But recently I realized that there is something super comforting and nostalgic about certain book acquisition methods.
First one that clearly comes to mind is going to the library. I would venture to say that most of us who love books discovered this love in the library first. We were the kids who would beg to go pick out new books every week or two. I can still remember browsing the shelves and desperately hoping they had the next installment of the Wrinkle in Time series but then also finding three other things I HAD to have too. I still get that warm fuzzy feeling walking through stacks in the library.
Next is bookstores. I grew up with Waldenbooks and B. Dalton like I'm sure many of you did. No trip to the mall was complete without a trip to the bookstore (and the record store, lol.) And I still love walking through a B&N or small bookshop. It's just comforting to be surrounded by so many books.
But in addition to library visits and bookstores, I realized this week when kidlet came home with his Scholastic Books flyer from school that those book orders were where I first fell in love with book mail. I would skim through all those colorful pictures of new books and want them all. My mom would always buy me something even when I know her budget had to be super tight, and then I'd have that lovely wait until they came in. They used to stack the orders on the teachers desk but wouldn't give them out until the end of the day. I can remember being so excited that one of those packages was mine. New books!
Book mail was special. It was the promise of new stories, new worlds, new adventures.
And though I get book mail constantly now with my Amazon Prime membership, that doesn't feel the same. I still get excited when a book arrives, but it's packed in there with my Lara bars and coffee filters or whatever, lol. It's less of an experience, more of a utilitarian method of receiving something.
But then I discovered the newly revamped Book of the Month club. It's been around for almost 100 years but was recently acquired by someone new and they changed a lot. Instead of mail order catalogs, everything is handled online with a very simple and streamlined process. I saw it mentioned on a blog somewhere and they had a discount code for a trial period. Even though it was books that are normally outside my typical reading zone and I rarely buy hardcover books, I thought--what the hell, I'll try it out.
And you know what? I LOVE it. It's brought back some of the ritual of book mail for me. You get to anticipate which books they're going to select each month (there are 5 picks each month and you can also choose from previous picks). It's like--ooh, it's the first of the month, I get to see what they've selected! And then you choose your book (or more if you want, which you get at a significant discount) and then they arrive in lovely packaging with a notecard from the judge describing why they selected it. Usually there's some little extra in there, too--a curly straw for summer, a wine koozie, etc. It's special. And I realized it has brought back that book mail feeling I used to get from the school orders. Plus, I've discovered this new love for hardbacks. Weird.
Here are this month's picks. I chose the Amy Schumer book and I added All the Ugly and Wonderful Things from the previous month because I've seen it recommended by a few people and need to read it.
Now, if you're interested in this, I do have a referral link that will get you a 50% off discount. I'm passing that along. If you want to get in for the September selections, they let you choose up until Sept. 15. Here are the details:
As a BOTM member, you'll choose from 5 new literary gems each month - powerful, immersive books that you might not have heard of otherwise. We'll deliver your choice right to your doorstep. Use invitation code REFER50 for 50% off a 3-month membership. Join today and discover a better way to read.
And yes, that is a referral link which earns me extra books, but as I've mentioned before, I don't promote anything here that I'm not genuinely enthusiastic about. Plus, this one is a win-win because you get a great discount. :)
So now I want to hear from you. Anyone else nerd out about book mail? And what rituals/memories do you have near and dear to you about getting books? I'd love to hear them!
*In case you missed it, I have a new release this week! Grab your copy of Loving You Easy! :)