bookboxaddict

[bookboxaddict]

OwlCrate really seems to knock it out of the park with Limited Edition box items. I noticed the same thing with the 2023 advent calendar — the items were so much better than their usual monthly boxes!

I remember the book-only version was something like $80 (USD) less, so it’s like… $10 per item and $110 for the books, before shipping and taxes.

OwlCrate Unboxing

Into the Grishaverse Limited Edition

What a box! Three books and eight items?! Amazing!! BUT, it was $190, plus shipping! Yikes!! I sat around waiting for this so go on sale, I was so determined to get hold of it, but it didn't sell out for months, so I needn't have worried - the book-only option sold out really quickly, so I guess most people aren't as into the goodies as I am!

The books are the original Grishaverse trilogy, by Leigh Bardugo: "Shadow & Bone", "Siege & Storm", and "Ruin & Rising". I'm assuming they'll release the rest of the books in the future, and I'm hoping they also do full goody boxes for those. These editions have exclusive dust jackets, interior jacket artwork, foiled endpapers, ribbon bookmarks, stencilled edges. and foiled hardcases. (Scroll down to the bottom for photos of the covers and edges) The only downside is that these books aren't the same size as every single other Leigh Bardugo I have on my shelf! So I can no longer keep all my Bardugoes together! I only have fancy editions of these books, so these are the first copies of books 2 & 3 that I own, since they didn't do collector's editions of them.

The first item is a tea mug! I love this item! It's glass, with a wood-effect handle and lid, and it has a glass strainer that sits inside. There's a gold "Little Palace" design on the outside. I love mugs with strainers, because loose leaf is my preferred tea brewing method, and I've already tried this one out!

The second item is a blanket! It's black and white, and has the Grishaverse map on it. I'm always a fan of a blanket, although I have no idea where I'm going to put it - I have way too many. This is probably the smallest blanket I've ever seen! But it's gorgeous.

The next item is an embroidered book pouch, based on Alina's blue Kefta! They call this a book sleeve, but it's way more than that! This is like a full-on book bag! It has a popper close, and a huge main section big enough for at least two books, and about five little pockets for bits and bobs. I love this item!

Next is a set of two necklaces. These are based on the Saint Tokens in the books, one inspired by the Darkling, and one by the Sun Summoner. One is silver, one is gold. These are kind of clunky, but actually I really like these, so I'm sure I'll wear both of them!

And there's a tin of loose leaf tea. This is designed to look like a celebration of Nikolai's coronation. I tried this (in my new mug!) and it's pretty bland. But it's drinkable, and I appreciate that this is clearly marked for allergens, and is actually safe for me to drink!

Next is a set of enamel pins. These are huge, and so, so heavy. There is no way you could ever lug one of these around on a jacket or bag, it would weigh the fabric down so much! They're really pretty, though, and feature the Darkling, Alina, and Mal. They're in a foiled velvet presentation case, so it's an item worth having just for the box - I'll hold on to these as a keepsake, even though I won't wear them.

There's also a passport holder. Normally I wouldn't be fussed about this, but I just happen to be going on holiday this year, for the first time in almost a decade! This is a brown leather-effect "Ravkan Passport" holder, and it also has a zip pouch and card slots, so I can probably just use it as a wallet when I'm not on holiday.

The final item is a set of three bookmarks. This is the disappointing item - I guess there's always one. These feature the three amplifiers from the books, and the designs are nice, but they're on transparent plastic bookmarks which I hate, because the design gets totally obscured by whatever is behind them, and they look a mess. Maybe there's a way of backing these on something white, to make them look better?

This is a really, really good box. I don't think it's actually worth $190, since a similar box with one book last year was only $65. That means they charged $125 for the two additional books! It seems absolutely extortionate, but I guess with such a popular series, they can kind of charge whatever they like.

Keep scrolling for pictures of the books.

#owlcrate #unboxing #limited edition #grishaverse #shadow and bone #leigh bardugo

[bookboxaddict]

👀

(My grishaverse box arrived today! Get ready for an unboxing post soon!!!!!)

[bookboxaddict]

Day 2

Day 2 was one of their trademark candles. This one was meant to smell like Calcifer’s hearth. At first I didn’t agree, because I didn’t think that’s how it would have smelled… but I think it might actually fit movie!Calcifer. It smells like apples, mostly; rather cozy, but also kind of bright and fresh in a way I don’t really associate with book!Calcifer, who I thought might smell more like bacon or sausages and woodsmoke. It’s really nice, though! My space is a disorganized mess right now, but I definitely NEED to make space so I can light this before it fades!

#book box review #book merch #timeless tales #advent calendar #12 days of christmas #christmas 2023 #owlcrate

[bookboxaddict]

Timeless Tales Advent Calendar Day 1!

On the first day of Christmas, Oswald gave to me…

..a Fae beanie!

Traditionally, the “Twelve Days of Christmas” referred to Christmas and the eleven days after Christmas, not before. In keeping with that tradition, I’m opening Owlcrate’s “12 days of Christmas” box starting on the 25th. There are 12 items inside, with one meant to be opened each day.

The presentation of the box is EXCELLENT. I love the fact that each item is individually wrapped, with a fancy little sticker indicating which day they’re meant to be opened on. They come in various shapes and sizes and it makes me SO curious. I also love that the box itself is much fancier than usual. The spoiler card has these extremely fun gold things that you can scratch off to see what each date’s gift is. I really like the green and gold color scheme, and the scratch-to-reveal reminds me of those lotto tickets you can get at grocery stores. Unfortunately the gold isn’t printed on perfectly, but that’s a very minor error.

Day 1 came in a slim box to the side, and was a knitted beanie with a sword design in front of it entwined with holly branches. I’m not sure which fandom specifically this comes from, but I don’t recognize it from the 1.5 ACoTaR books I read; so I do hope it’s from something else. Like a Holly Black book, or just a non-denominational Fae item. It’s actually very perfect, since it is now cold enough to need to wear some kind of knitwear or soft hood, and I couldn’t find my grey beanie anywhere. I’m not quite sure what to pair it with, clothing-wise — I don’t really have any black overcoats, and it looks odd with white — but it shouldn’t need to match too strictly. I do have a sweater that’s in almost the same shade of green, but not quite; hopefully if I wear them out on a cloudy day, no one will notice the discrepancy.

5/5 so far; hopefully the rest of the box stays strong!

#book merch #book boxes #book box review #owlcrate #advent calendar #12 days of christmas #Books #fandom #bookblr

[bookboxaddict]

Bingo!

#Barely!!! #bingo #books #readblr #bookblr #games

[bookboxaddict]

Alchemy of Us

So I DID actually get the FairyLoot November box. It arrived recently, and… it was a bit of a mixed bag.

The first item I saw when I unboxed it was a set of hanging pouches. This was actually a SUPER nice item — I’ve been eyeing OwlCrate’s organizer for a very long time. I desperately need more things to maximize my room’s storage space. And I did like the alchemical designs on it, though it feels… like the designer maybe didn’t understand East Asian culture; the spoiler card said it was inspired by the featured book, but I didn’t fully get that vibe from it. The art style just feels… off, and a lot of the alchemical depictions seem very western. Where are the five elements? Their relationships to one another in a pentagram?

That said, I’m really glad I got this item. I hung it up immediately and have been putting things into it. Admittedly right now it’s just a temporary placeholder location for some of my odds and ends; I can’t utilize it efficiently until I categorize all my tlotchkes and figure out locations for each category. Which WILL happen! …Someday!!

The next item was a lanyard and card carrier. It’s inspired by Vampire Academy, and it feels a little… young? I was actually happy when I heard there’d be a VA fandom item; I haven’t read the book yet, but I got the ebook on a discount, and the first couple of chapters are interesting so far. And vampire things tend to have gothic aesthetics with red and black, which are colors I look good in, so accessories in those shades would likely match what I wear. But I can’t see myself wearing this lanyard around my neck…

Then again, I recently got a phone case that doesn’t have room for ID cards or anything, and I don’t like carrying a bag around (too femme), but I don’t want to just stick a credit card in my pocket, either. So maybe I’ll use the case. It still feels a little… tacky, though. It’s not made from the best quality material, either, though I suppose I shouldn’t expect it to be, at this price. I’m also not sure what it has to do with alchemy, although maybe I’ll have to finish the book to find out.

Another disappointing item was the hidden book, except… this was less disappointing than I’d thought it would be. When I heard November would have a hidden book, I considered if I wanted to skip it instead of October (the theme reveal was early this year), but I really wanted the featured book of the month. I already have too many books, though; the last thing I need is a fake book taking up space a real book could be occupying. But! This one is actually super lightweight, and could fit on the precarious top of one of my flimsier shelves, where I’ve put a bunch of non-book items. And since it’s hollow, I can store tlotchkes in it. So maybe it’ll be useful after all. It’s designed like an alchemy textbook, which I appreciate, since it’s in keeping with the theme.

The last item was a Sarah J Maas calendar. I have a strange relationship with Sarah J Maas, where her stuff occupies the same niche as Taco Bell for me — yes, I know it’s terrible; yes, I see all the flaws and ways in which it’s not at proper Mexican cuisine. Yes, it’s garbage. But sometimes I want garbage. It’s hard to explain. Anyway, her stuff is just the right kind of bad for me to enjoy when I want to read something bad. I don’t know how I’ll feel about the calendar, but if it has nice art, then I’ll probably appreciate it.

Finally, the book! This single-handedly made me glad I’d gotten the box, regardless of how I feel about the items!!! I’d been so excited for it when I heard the announcement, and it DID NOT DISAPPOINT.

This month’s book was The Scarlet Alchemist, an Eastern fantasy set during the reign of Empress Wu Zetian. The author is clearly writing from a place of knowledge and cultural immersion, though I do have a bone to pick about referring to Chinese languages as ‘dialects’. They are LANGUAGES. Anyway, the cover is beautiful, I love the gold foiling on the hard case, and the EDGES!!! They’re painted with an image from the cover! It’s BEAUTIFUL. A+ customizations. I picked it up and thought I’d maybe read the first page, but accidentally devoured the first seven chapters immediately and had to commit to cutting myself off after chapter ten. It was SO good. And very nostalgic, of the China that I’d never been in and that never actually existed, but that I always thought I’d come from. I also really love that there’s so much more eastern fantasy in YA these days; it’s about time! The genre had been so white for a very long time. It is bittersweet, though; every time I see a new one I’m reminded that I could be adding to the ranks of Eastern fantasy novels, and instead I’m… writing things that anyone could write.

This month also had two nice tarot cards, but there was nothing that said who the characters were. It’s very annoying — surely the cards are more valuable as collector’s items if the fandoms are known?

Overall, I’m a little disappointed in the other items (especially since there are only four! The five-item boxes feel richer…), but VERY glad for the pouches and the book. This was maybe a solid 3.5/5 box.

#book boxes #book merch #fairyloot #the scarlet alchemist #november #Alchemy of us #Vampire academy #sarah j maas #book box review

[bookboxaddict]

October FairyLoot box thoughts

I’m honestly kind of devastated that I missed this one! Part of me wishes I’d gotten it and skipped the December box instead — I skimmed part of the preview of What The River Knows, and I wasn’t too interested. While The Mummy is a cinematic masterpiece, the book inspired by it was underwhelming initially, and the male love interest seemed… annoying. But since I’ve used up my skips for the year, I’ll be getting it anyway, so I’ll give it a chance.

The book was The Forest Grimm, and it’s a fairytale retelling with a GORGEOUS redesigned cover and a design on the painted edges. I love when they have images on the edges! I’m also a sucker for things about woods done in forest green, and I’ll have to talk myself out of trying to get it during the restock sale next year. I already bought a copy of the standard hardcover; I don’t need two copies!

The box contained an embroidery kit, which I don’t believe I’ve received in a book box before. Admittedly I’ve only gotten FairyLoot boxes so far, with two Rainbow Crate boxes and one Owl Crate box to break up the streak. But I would have LOVED that; I love doing easy work with my hands, and I really need more analog activities that are reasonably short; I desperately need to cut down on my screentime. I haven’t seen it in completed form, but if any of you have done it, feel free to post pictures of the completed project!

The book also has a mushroom spoon, a sort of… tiny spoon with a mushroom on the end? It’s very cute, but… what is it for? Stirring tea? Is this something British? I’m an American and sadly do not know what customs they have across the pond.

There was a photo album. Normally I’m not into these, but this design was so pretty that I regret not having gotten it! It’s blue and looks sparkly. And I really need fewer book-like objects, as I probably am already out of space and just don’t know it because I haven’t unpacked all my books yet; but I’ve heard that these albums actually let you store all the nice spoiler cards and art prints from book box subscriptions, which would be very useful. We’ll see if I receive another one from a different subscription!

There’s an Emily Wilde overlay set. I actually had no idea what an overlay set was, and had to look it up, but once I did — I am SO jealous of everyone who didn’t skip this box. I need this in my life!

Finally, there’s a set of bag clips. This would have come in handy — I do buy too many snacks in bulk and then need a way of closing their bags to make sure they stay fresh. I use gallon zip log bags sometimes, but that’s inconvenient, and then I have to wash them if I want to reuse them… ugh, these would have been so good. I’m so salty I missed this box. They’re Alice in Wonderland-themed, too, and the designs look lovely.

The box also came with tarot cards. I really wish the site would say somewhere which characters from which book the cards represent. It’s not on the box details or the tarot card descriptions in the Fairy Trove. This is a bit frustrating.

I love that this box had five items. Sadly, it seems that every time I skip a box, it’s a five-item one. I need to stop doing that!

#book boxes #book merch #fairyloot #what the river knows #The forest grimm #fairy tale retellings #Enchanted forest #october #salt

[bookboxaddict]

I loved reading these and being on this journey with you and am SO glad I didn’t pay for anything in the Kickstarter! I know it must have been frustrating to receive, but. Well. It was VERY fun to read.

A Year of Sanderson End-of-Year Wrap-Up

When Brandon Sanderson announced his kickstarter for a year-long subscription box, I was so excited! But it's been the biggest let down ever. It was really expensive, and we really didn't get much for our money. I feel so ripped off. And more than that, it doesn't feel like there was a lot of thought put into the items. It was just a way of making a lot of money fast.

At the beginning of the year, I made this post: Guesses, Wishes, Hopes, Dreams..., in which I detailed the kinds of things I was hoping for from this subscription.

Firstly, the books. I said that I wanted the books to work as a set, so that they looked good lined up together. They half managed this. The books were clearly designed together, they're similar in style. But they don't work as a set. For a start, there are two blue books right next to each other. The spine layout is different on the third book as well, which is annoying.

The other thing I wanted was premium book features. Artwork endpapers, ribbon bookmarks, fancy foiling, gilded edges, slipcases. I got almost none of these. The covers were foiled, and there were decorative endpapers, although only the last book had full artwork papers. The only book with sprayed edges was the last, which had plain black edges. The were no ribbon bookmarks, no slipcases, and nothing to set these apart from any other special edition you could buy in a bookstore.

As for the goodies, or as he termed it, "swag"? A total waste of money. This subscription was so, so expensive. Even before shipping, these were more expensive than any of the other boxes I subscribed to.

In other boxes, you get an exclusive book, plus four to five items. In this subscription, you got a book or the items each month, not both. So honestly? I was expecting at least seven or eight items in the "swag" boxes. We got three. And the quality was lacking.

Box 1: Hoid For this box, I had no specific wishes. The only request I had was that it be "imaginative". On that, they failed. We got a t-shirt, some post-it notes, and some stickers. Essentially, promotional business supplies.

Box 2: Cytoverse This was the only non-Cosmere box, so this was the box I was looking forward to most. I asked for a slug plushie, a special edition of Defending Elysium, and some DDF attire. What we actually got was a pack of playing cards, an ice cube tray, and a little model spaceship. The model was good quality, so was probably good for memorabilia collectors, but didn't interest me.

Box 3: Mistborn I wanted a Mistcloak, and a Soonie Pup (I specified "like the ones in the newspaper clippings" because they were so cute!). I got a Soonie Pup, it's true... but instead of a cute plush toy, it was like, an arcade grabber prize? Gross! We also got bookends and stickers. The bookends are really nice, and one of the few items I'll be keeping. The stickers were a bit rubbish.

Box 4: Sel I didn't have any particular wishes for this one, which is good, because I'd definitely have been let down - I couldn't have predicted these ones. There was a wax seal and rubber stamp kit, but they were super low quality, so I didn't keep them. And some... magnets...? For some reason? And some plasters, or "band-aids", as the Americans say.

Box 5: Cosmere I have no idea why they did a "Cosmere" box, when most of the other boxes were also based around the Cosmere. I thought this might include a map, and I said that I'd be disappointed with a poster. This was probably the best box. We got a wash bag, a luggage tag, and some postcards. I like all these items, but it still doesn't seem value for money.

Box 6: Warbreaker I wanted a Nightblood letter opener, and that is what I got! It's sadly boring in appearance, but it's very practical, and kind of elegant, I guess. There were also some glass coasters, which were hideous, and didn't seem to have anything to do with the theme. And some... breath mints. Yeah.

Box 7: Stormlight I love Stormlight, so I was looking forward to this box. I was hoping for a set of pens shaped like various Shardblades, and a set of glass gemstone Spheres with LEDs inside so they glowed when charged, like in the books, and an axehound plushie. We got a Shardblade keyring, but it is way too big to be practical. And a mini figurine, which I very specifically didn't want to get. The last item is an over-the-shoulder bag. It's a really quality item, and I want to love it, but it's just so... nerdy. I know, I know, it's fantasy... of course it's nerdy. But this is too much.

Box 8: Sanderson Fan After this subscription, I am no longer a Sanderson Fan. I was hoping for something "Reckoners" and something "Firstborn", and I was expecting a 2024 calendar. We didn't get any of those. We got a notebook and a pair of socks. I also was hoping for another book. We did kind of get another book - we got a short story. However, it's left a bitter taste in my mouth, as this book has already gone on general sale, for only $12, or free as an eBook! So why did I pay all that money for these boxes?? What a rip off!

There has, since the kickstarter, been loads of amazing merchandise released on Brandon Sanderson's shop, loads of which looks really good, and which I would love. Instead, we mostly just got cheap tat.

And to make it even worse. We were offered, as a "thank you" gift, a set of pins. This was like, their version of a stretch goal. But when the boxes started arriving, they tried to pass it off as part of the "cost" of the box, like it was one of the actual items. This was especially aggravating, as the pins were the ugliest things ever.

Overall, the only things I'm actually keeping from the "swag" boxes are the bookends, the wash bag, the postcards, and the book. I cannot emphasise how much of a waste of money this kickstarter was.

[bookboxaddict]

Seconding the Owlcrate recommendation. Illumicrate is… they seem to have the best book customizations, but shipping is very expensive if you live outside the UK, and they don’t let you bundle shipping. If you only want a monthly subscription and absolutely nothing else, that’s fine; but if you ever want to order a couple of their older books from previous months, you have to order each one separately, and pay full shipping for each one.

Rainbowcrate is a wonderful startup with a good support team who genuinely care about what they do (providing more visibility to indie queer media). I also like that they provide rep and trigger warnings upfront with each book.

I’ve heard good things about Bookish Box, but never tried it — it’s absurdly expensive, but it does have more items than boxes usually seem to. They have a “new adult” fantasy one and an adult romance one.

LitJoy is so unfortunate because I really love their model. At first I thought maybe they just had a lot of HP merch left over from back when they had a partnership deal, and needed to offload it; but it does seem like they’re continuing to get new HP merch from somewhere. I love the idea, though, of choosing which piece of merch you want, and upgrading your pledge if you want multiple options, and paying in points instead of one lump sum per month.

Some of the FairyLoot adult books look gorgeous, but items are too good, alas.

Hope you find something you love!

Which boxes would you recommend the most? I'm considering cancelling fairyloot honestly. (I have also subscribed to rainbow crate and I love it, but it's a book only subscription)

Oooh what a question!

The short answer is OwlCrate and Illumicrate.

The exclusive books are usually better in Illumicrate, and there's a bit more variety in the book choices, as they can be fantasy or sci-fi. They're normally YA, but occasionally you get an Adult book. The items are usually high quality. I especially like the ceramic items which are fairly common with Illumicrate. The book pots are a classic, but I've also had mugs, teapots, bowls, plates.

OwlCrate's books aren't normally as impressive (although there have been some notable exceptions), but the items are a bit more varied. The books are always fantasy, and always YA, so you definitely know what you're signing up for. The items can be hit and miss (but probably more hit than miss), and they love doing collections. OwlCrate also do really fantastic limited edition boxes that are totally worth looking into. The downside is that they only have a US fulfilment centre, so shipping can be pricey if you live elsewhere.

I have to say, I personally hated the Rainbow Crate subscription! The items (back when they did them) were terrible. But also, I find it so odd that you can get absolutely any genre or age range in this box!! That said, their non-subscription exclusive editions are so, so good! I love that they do fancy editions of self-published books, and will definitely keep buying those!

I've also tried Obsidian Moon Crate, and FaeCrate. Obsidian Moon Crate is a really nice idea, featuring less popular fandoms, but it's super expensive for quite a low-quality box. FaeCrate is the worst book subscription going, and they basically just rip people off for as much money as possible, while providing as little as they can in return. Do not order from FaeCrate, you will regret it!

I've tried a few one-off items from LitJoy, which are good quality but very expensive. But I'd never consider subscribing to their boxes, because, despite claiming to support trans people, they don't back this up with their actions - they continue to feature HP very regularly in their boxes.

Other than that, I've only tried book-only subscriptions. I didn't stick with FairyLoot Adult for very long. I wasn't inspired by any of the book choices, and I really do like getting the items, so it didn't seem like very good value for money. Book-only isn't for me. I'm subscribed to Evernight at the moment, which is Illumicrate's horror subscription. It's quarterly, which is better for me, but I still won't stick with it much longer. I haven't tried the OwlCrate Adult option.

I'm always looking for more book subscriptions to try out, so if there are any notable companies I've missed, someone let me know, so I can try them!

#fairyloot #owlcrate #illumicrate #rainbow crate #book boxes

[bookboxaddict]

it’s a bookshelf organized by book color rather than anything else.

Bingo!

[bookboxaddict]

I thought I wouldn’t recognize the couples either because I never recognize anyone from fanart, but actually…

#6 (second from the top on the right) looks like Reylo, so it might be one of Ali Hazelwood’s books. The bottom right is DEFINITELY Miryem and the Staryk Lord from Spinning Silver. I’m guessing that’s the December image, which is… honestly so perfect? The one above it vaguely reminds me of Nathaniel and Elizabeth from Sorcery of Thorns, but the silver streak in Nathaniel’s hair is his most distinctive feature and it’s missing here, and afaik he doesn’t wear glasses so it probably isn’t that couple. Every book box seems really into ACoTaR for some reason, so I’m guessing one of the couples is Feyre and Rhysand — probably top left, but could be the one under it (unless that’s Nesta and Cassian?) (but I would like to believe it’s actually the guys from The Cruel Prince or something better than ACoTaR). But the top left dude has a Moon, which might be night court imagery?

Top right is Bridgerton; not sure why I took so long to notice. Specifically the first book, The Duke and I. I’m conflicted on how I feel about all depictions of Simon being Rege-Jean Page — on the other hand, he’s obviously gorgeous and the diversity in art is wonderful; on the other hand, Julia Quinn wrote a basically exclusively white cast in all her books, and made some excuses for her lack of diversity that were honestly a lot worse than the omission; and I don’t like the idea that Shonda Rimes’s excellent casting choices ended up giving Quinn all this unearned credit.

It is also driving me nuts that they called this an ‘undated’ calendar. I hope someone can solve the mystery >:/ as well as the mystery of the other 7 couples.

Illumicrate Unboxing

Better Together December 2022

So, I switched back to the full box! I emailed Illumicrate after my October book, asking to switch, knowing there was normally a waiting list. I actually only waited a month before they had a slot available for the December box: "Better Together".

It was great timing, as well, because we didn't get a calendar delivered this year at work for the office (budget cuts, go figure) and this month's box has a calendar in! But disaster! It's a desk calendar, not a wall calendar! I didn't even consider the possibility.

The featured book is "The Red Scholar's Wake" by Aliette de Bodard. It sounds pretty interesting, although not quite my cup of tea. The cover is a very, very slight recolouring, I believe. The hardcase is foiled, but simply. It has blue-to-purple ombre sprayed edges, which look really cool, and absolutely gorgeous endpapers.

The first item is a jewellery case. I've now had one of these from each subscription company, and there's only so many travel jewellery cases a girl needs. This one is nice, it's inspired by "House of Earth and Blood", and it's red with gold detailing, with a very pretty design.

Next is a mug, featuring Achilles and Patroclus from "The Song of Achilles". I love a mug, and I love the book. The design is ok, but it looks a bit washed out on the mug.

Next is a chain pin, inspired by "The Jasmine Throne". I like this a lot, although not sure I'll wear it! I'll try to find an occasion for it.

The last item, the one I thought was going to be oh-so-useful, is the desk calendar. Honestly, I'm not sure it'll actually be useful to work since it's not a wall calendar, but I'll take it in anyway, just in case. The spoiler card says it's "undated", but I don't understand how, since it very clearly does have dates? It features twelve literary couples, but I only recognise one!! Pictures below - if anyone can figure out who they're meant to be, do let me know!!

#illumicrate #better together

[bookboxaddict]

I love the concept of postcards for fictional locations!  I actually like the pin, but agree -- stretch goals are NOT part of the product, ugh. 

Sanderson Unboxing

08 - Cosmere August 2023

I'm still waiting on my July book - although they now seem to be dispatching on time, the courier they use doesn't actually bother to deliver half the time, and instead they sent this one straight back to the sender.

The theme for the August box is "Cosmere". I wasn't sure why a 'cosmere' box was necessary, considering we already have boxes for all the individual series.

This is quite easily the best box I've had so far, the items are much better than the previous boxes - but there were still only three items, so this is still awful value for money.

The first item is a set of postcards, based on locations from the various Cosmere books. These are beautiful pieces of art, and if they were poster size, they'd look great framed on a wall.

The next item is a "worldhopper" luggage tag. It's actually really good quality! I mean, I'm probably not actually going to use it, since I go on holiday roughly once every decade, and I've never actually needed a luggage tag...

The last item is a toiletry bag. This one I actually like! It's also "worldhopper" themed, and it's really nice quality! It has lots of different interior pockets, and custom patterned lining. It also comes with a little matching pouch. I only use a toiletry bag on my afore-mentioned ten-yearly holiday, because for weekends in the city, etc, I travel very light. But I'll at least get one use out of it.

This month's pin is "Khriss". I don't remember who Khriss is? Like, at all? I really hate the design of these pins, and once again, I’m fed up of them being passed off as one of the box’s “items”. These were an extra, as a thank you “gift”. They should not be trying to include it in the box’s value. I'll say this until I'm blue in the face.

#other people's boxes #book box #book merch #book box review #praediti #a year of sanderson #brandon sanderson

[bookboxaddict]

🌈 Hey Rainbow Readers! It’s Monday and time for some Shop Updates! Q: How do you like to arrange your bookshelf? Shops Updates: -May boxes are on track to ship late this week/early next week! -Single purchases of The Sun & the Star will ship early-mid June! -Address changes for the May box must be emailed no later than Thursday May 25th at 11:59 PM EDT! -July book teasers begin tomorrow! -The April photo challenge starts today! 📷: Thank you to @/SherlockReads_ on IG for the lovely shelfie with a variety of our past items displayed! ID: A photo of a white bookshelf focused on six of the shelves. The left side is half as wide as the right. Each shelf has a variety of items in front of the books. To the left is a pair of lightsabers hanging on the wall. At the top is a white desk light clipped to the top of the shelf. End ID.

#So pretty #i currently organize half my shelves by acquisition date #other half by vibes

[bookboxaddict]

Today’s obscure sorrow:

Being sad that Rainbowcrate doesn’t do massive boxes of items anymore and only ever has one magnet and one item now :(

#alex reads #rainbow crate #book boxes #obscure sorrows

[bookboxaddict]

I’m not tagging any of these with more popular tags until they’re ready to be seen by the larger world, so for now this will be more of a book journal; at least until I’m ready to start doing chapter-by-chapter commentary on anything.  

Throne of Glass should be coming up soon, though; I have some very strong Opinions about it.  

#alex reads #bad books (so you don't have to)

[bookboxaddict]

When they first announced the December 2022 theme for FairyLoot, I thought the book was going to be The Bones of Ruin.  On the one hand, I’m glad it wasn’t because now I have two new books on my TBR; but on the other hand... so far, TBoR seems a lil more intriguing than Cruel Illusions.  I’ll have to do a compare/contrast post at some point.  

#Alex reads

[bookboxaddict]

Random pet peeve: when authors describe internal narration of first-person POV characters as if that was actually what was going through the narrator’s mind in real-time, so that other characters notice and are like “why were you spaced out for so long? 🤨” I don’t think anyone really wonders how the narrator managed to think all that in the time they had; you don’t have to try and justify it.

#alex reads