I’ve been a long-term subscriber to the Books That Matter feminist subscription box, plus have also started the Brave Girls Book Club boxes for my 10 year old daughter.
I’m always pleased by the books and treats thoughtfully put together in these boxes but I have to say that April 2021 is an absolute gem!
Warning: spoilers ahead! If you are waiting for your own box delivery, you might not want to read on.
Continue reading Books That Matter – April 2021 Subscription Box ReviewRegular readers of the blog will know I’ve been a subscriber to the feminist book box, ‘Books that Matter’ for quite a while now.
This £20 (including postage) box – featuring a book and other treats – has been one of the better things to happen to me over lockdown and is a monthly lift!
For those still trying to get their hands on the January box, there are spoilers ahead…
The January Box
The (newly reinforced) box arrived and was as beautifully presented as usual.
This month, the box’s theme was ‘You Are Your Best Thing’ and contained the following:
My Review
I’d like to say up front that I’m totally on board for talking about mental health issues and the importance of self care in these tricky times. That said, I’m not sure whether this box is perhaps not really hitting the spot for me.
The book – ‘Skin’ by E M Reapy – is absolutely in-keeping with the feminist message from ‘Books that Matter’ and looks like an intriguing read. It is about body image and features a protagonist who is struggling with her own relationships with her body and food.
The sleep balm is great. So great that I’ve pretty much lost it to my kids who love the smell and say it helps them sleep. I just wish it had been a bigger tube!
The bookmark and teabag will be used – although (not for the first time) I question whether there could have been more teabags!
The self care prompt cards and calendar are perhaps less up my street. As an *ahem* more vintage buyer of this box, I don’t need ideas on how to look after myself – I need someone to take over the childcare, housework and work that gets in the way of me actually being able to do it! Still, I guess in the absence of a fairy godmother who is going to grant me the gift of time, I appreciate the sentiment of the items in the box. I just probably won’t use them.
As always, the booklets are interesting – the one by Rachel Edwards is particularly well-produced and looks fascinating.
My Verdict
This is a mixed box for me, probably more so than usual, although the items are entirely appropriate and good quality.
I still wholeheartedly recommend this subscription box, but I’m hoping for something that strikes more of a chord with me personally next month. I prefer the more ‘fun’ boxes and this one is a serious one.
The December 2020 Books That Matter feminist subscription box has arrived! Warning – spoilers ahead for those of you waiting on your delivery.
The Box
The December box is themed ‘We glow through what we go through’ – nope, I’m not entirely sure what that really means either!
As usual, it is beautifully wrapped in pink tissue paper and features a range of gifts and a book of the month. This month’s contents are:
My Review
The book this month is one that I haven’t heard of, but it looks absolutely brilliant. I love the idea of the 1930s setting and the focus on the women involved in the film industry.
The journal isn’t one that I’d really use, but my daughter will so that is fine. It is beautifully produced and has lots of prompts for reflection. It is excellent quality, but just not really my thing.
The bookmark and keyring are lovely and will be used. The keyring in particular is lovely quality – made of a heavy metal and featuring the box theme.
The Teapigs tea is nice, although one tea bag feels a bit mean!
I really couldn’t get on with the popcorn – I’m not a fan of mixed sweet and savoury flavours – and I couldn’t even palm it off on my children, so this one isn’t a winner.
The booklet, produced by ‘Books That Matter’ and giving a bit of background information to the book and gifts featured in the box, is fine – it was interesting to flick through it but it is only a few pages.
The Verdict
I really love the book choice this month and it is something that I am interested in reading. However, the gifts don’t all hit the spot this time round which is a shame – but very much down to my personal preferences.
Overall, I still think this is worth the £20 a month (including postage) and it does feel like a treat every month.
I subscribe to the monthly Books that Matter feminist book box (you can see my review of the November box here) so I was on the mailing list when they were looking to launch the Brave Girls Book Club, a similar offering for girls.
My daughter is 10 and not the keenest reader, so I thought it would be worth a shot.
The first box arrived this week and my daughter got to it first so there are no nice unboxing photos… The wrapping is the same as the Books that Matter box anyway so let’s go straight to the contents!
The November Box
The theme for the box was ‘Girls Who Read, Lead’ and the contents of the box were:
My Review
The book looks excellent – it is one that I wouldn’t have thought of to buy my daughter (I hadn’t heard of it) but she likes the look of it. Whether she actually reads it will be the true test!
The pencils are really nice and are already in use, as is the keyring which has been attached to my daughter’s school bag. The bookmark is nice and the sweets were very much appreciated in the three seconds they were in the house!
The patch is cute, but I’m not sure what we will do with it – I think attaching it to something will involve sewing which is very unlikely to happen! I think a pin badge would have been better and more likely to get some use.
The activity booklet is quite thin but I think my daughter will like the wordsearch and might do some of the other activities. Time will tell if she uses the reading journal but I am ever the optimist!
My Verdict
I think this is a lovely box for girls aged between about 9 and 12 – the book looks a good reading age for my daughter and it is nice to have a story that is both diverse and has positive messages about friendship.
The other items in the box were well chosen, good quality and I think this box is reasonable value.
We’ll certainly be giving the December box a go!
I’m always keeping an eye on subscription options – this month, I’ve been debating the Orenda Books subscription from Bert’s Books because I’ve heard such great things about that publisher.
However, for now, I’m with Books that Matter, the feminist subscription box- this is my 7th month with them and I’ve also signed up for the brand new Brave Girls’ Book Club subscription box for my daughter which I’ll review when it arrives.
Spoilers ahead, for those of you who haven’t received your box yet…proceed with caution!
The November ‘Books that Matter’ box:
Hallelujah! They’ve changed the packaging! Instead of getting a crumpled box, I got this smarter, tougher one. It’s only a little thing, but it already made me feel better about this box!
Opening the box is the usual lovely experience – everything is wrapped and placed beautifully and the contents looked great. This month’s offering is very brightly-coloured and themed around the topic of ‘Hear Her’, using your voice to achieve what you want.
The contents of the box were:
My Review:
It’s another lovely selection from the team at ‘Books that Matter’.
I love the fact this is a 2-book month as this isn’t the norm. I’m intrigued by ‘The Inland Sea’ as I hadn’t heard of it and I like the fact it has a historical dimension, plus the Greta Thunberg book is one that I have felt I should read for a while now.
The notebook, postcards and bookmark are good quality and will definitely be used and I like the accompanying booklets with these boxes which showcase the artists, writers and other creatives/female-led businesses who have been involved in putting the box together.
As much as I wish it weren’t true, the face mask will also get a lot of use as England begins its month-long lockdown and I am required to wear a mask at work.
My Verdict:
Every time my wandering eye fixes on another subscription offering, Books that Matter seem to pull another blinder out of the bag! I’m really pleased with the November box and very much looking forward to seeing what this team have to offer for my daughter in her forthcoming Brave Girls’ Book Club box.
I’ve been a subscriber to the ‘Books that Matter‘ feminist subscription box for about 6 months. I have to admit, a couple of other subscriptions have caught my eye recently (namely Bert’s Books and The Capital Crime Club), so I was keen to weigh up the options!
This month’s box arrived slightly less squashed than usual – always a bonus as the packaging box can be a bit flimsy (although the contents are usually just fine).
The theme of the box is ‘Season of the Witch’.
This month’s contents were:
My Review
This is another great box from ‘Books that Matter’!
I absolutely love the book choice – I have actually read this book on NetGalley and adored it (you can read my review here) but it is great to have a proper copy. And it is beautiful – look at that pink cover!
Hairbands, bookmark and eye mask gratefully received – I will use them all and I am impressed with the quality of all these items.
The ‘Season of the Witch’ booklet is interesting and will be worth a browse.
The only item I’m not that excited about is the Wellness Planner as I can’t imagine I’ll use it. It is pretty and good quality, but just not for me.
My Verdict
Another excellent subscription box – my subscription is safe for another month and the others will just have to wait…
My only observation is that £20 (including postage) feels a bit expensive if there is one of the main items that I won’t use. Still, ‘Frankissstein’ has won me over this month.
Regular readers of this blog will know that I have been a subscriber to the Books that Matter feminist book box for a few months.
Although I do generally like the books (more hits than misses so far), I was weighing up whether to continue with the subscription at £20 a month (including postage) as a lot of the things included were posters and leaflets that I didn’t really have much use for.
Has this month’s box changed my mind…?
My Review
This is a great box from Books that Matter!
Despite the usual gripes about the packaging (the outer box always looks squashed and a bit worse for wear), the contents were beautifully packed and put together.
The theme this month is ‘Strong Female Lead’ as a collaboration with Penguin Books whose distinctive design elements are evident throughout the box contents.
This month, the box contained:
Firstly, I’m really pleased with the book – I saw Elif Shafak interviewed at the Hay Festival a few years ago and have meant to investigate her work for quite a while. This book, about an extended Turkish family, looks excellent and I love the ‘bonus’ book containing an essay by the same writer.
The wax melt smells a bit sweet for my personal taste, but my daughter loves it so it has found a happy home.
I love the pencils – they look so smart and sassy!
I’ll absolutely use the tea bag, bookmarks and have already enjoyed a flick through the Books that Matter booklet. The art cards are pretty and – while I can’t immediately think what to do with them – appreciated.
Overall, this is a fabulous month for Books that Matter and I’ll definitely stick with my subscription.
*SPOILER ALERT* Do not read if you are awaiting your own subscription box for this month!
This is my 4th month with ‘Books That Matter‘, the feminist subscription box that delivers a book and other treats to your door for the princely sum of £20 a month (including postage).
I’ll admit that I was sceptical about whether I’d get books I actually wanted to read (especially as I buy so many books) but 3/4 have been hits so far.
The Box
August’s box arrived, as they all do, having been well squashed by the postal service – the boxes are a bit flimsy, but the contents are usually just fine. As usual, everything is beautifully packed and opening the boxes is becoming a monthly treat.
Each of the monthly boxes is themed and this month is ‘Women of the World: Celebrating Women in Translation Month’ – a fab theme, I think, as I definitely am trying to read more from outside of my home nation, the UK.
August’s contents are:
My Thoughts
I’m really pleased with this month’s book choice. I’d not heard of the book or the writer before, but it looks absolutely brilliant. Reading the opening pages has definitely made me want to read more and it is on an area of the world (Argentina) that I know very little about – another excellent reason to read on.
I love the design of the patch and postcard, but I’m really not sure what use I have for it. Maybe if I was younger and more rebellious, it would be perfect – as it is, I’m a 40 year old mum and teacher who can’t really wear patches with naked women on! I can only think it would be too distracting for my pupils and my own kids…
Let’s face it, cookies are always welcome!
As for the rest of the box, I can only say it is very papery… the items are well-designed and the booklets interesting. I can definitely always find a home for a bookmark and sticker, although I will struggle to know what to do with the booklets once I’ve glanced through them and the poster isn’t something I’d want to put up. All very interesting, but probably not items I’d want to keep longer term.
The Verdict
A fabulous themed box with a great book choice. Worth the subscription fee although, for me, not all the items quite hit the spot. I’ll definitely keep subscribing next month!
