September is upon us! I’m not mad about it because this means cooler weather and my birthday month! Even better is that since I’m a Book of the Month BFF, I get a free add-on credit in both of my boxes this month. Yippeee! I’m excited can you tell. I wasn’t super stoked when I saw this month’s picks though because I had all the ones I wanted. But there were a bunch of add-on’s I wanted so I decided to pick a book that I wouldn’t have normally picked, so I could use my birthday credits!
Also our August Bright Cellar box finally came in and you can bet that we’re going to be pairing these with our September BOTM picks. I’ll keep you updated on the best pairing! If you’re interested in using Bright Cellar use my link below to get a $45 credit on your first box! https://www.brightcellars.com/?rn=AllisonSpeakmon
September Picks
The Last Story of Mina Lee
A story to fill the generational gap between mothers and daughters, sprinkled with mystery, self-discovery, and love. This book is filled with social issues and nonlinear timelines. I’ve actually already read this book, thanks to Park Row books and will have a full review up later this week. Until then just know it has a super slow buildup.
Transcendent Kingdom
This book is a heavy read, and I mean heavy. A push-and-pull between science and faith, as a child of Ghanaian immigrants copes with loss and unanswered questions.
Winter Counts
A debut pick, following a twisty path of vigilantism in this gritty crime novel set on a Native American reservation. This is a police procedural and I’ll have my review for it up this week. Huge thank you to Ecco Books for my copy.
Caste
A look at racism and caste, in America and abroad, that goes beyond what you learned in history class. While this is critically acclaimed, it is over 400 pages, and is an in-depth historical look into racism and caste. This is for those really looking to learn about the history and not looking for a historical fiction read.
Anxious People
Fredrik Backman’s newest novel. Of all the ways to botch a bank robbery, this one takes the cake. Cue the hilariously flawed hostages. This is said to be emotional and quirky.
Add on Options
A Rogue of One’s Own
The second book in the League of Extraordinary Women series by Evie Dunmore. I adored Bringing Down the Duke (see my review HERE!) so I’ve been excited for this one since last year.
Betty
I have been seeing this book everywhere and I really want to read it. Another Native American story, but this time following the devastating account of a Cherokee woman’s life is an ode to the beauty and power of storytelling. Trigger warnings for violence and assault.
One by One
A tech-fueled mystery in a glamping-worthy locale. It’s the entertaining puzzle you need to lose yourself in. This is a mix between the classic And Then There Were NoneI and Lucy Foley’s The Hunting Party. See my review for One by One HERE.
Piranesi
This is for fans of Circe, which I loved. Enter a strange, magical, curious world that feels like a dizzying dream you won’t want to wake up from.
I was way more excited for the new add-on options this month. I honestly thought that the add-on options were going to be the main picks but oh well. Like I mentioned it’s my birthday month so I wanted to make sure I used it. Winter Counts, The Last Story of Mina Lee, and Transcendent Kingdom were all on my list of most anticipated reads. I already received advanced copies of Winter Counts and The Last Story of Mina Lee, which left me with just originally adding Transcendent Kingdom to my box. But I have two boxes and in order for me to use both of my birthday credits, I needed to pick another main book. I honestly was not a huge fan of A Man Called Ove when I read it back in college, but I decided to give Backman another chance and picked Anxious People.
Lastly, I had already really wanted Piranesi, Betty, and A Rogue of One’s Own so I made sure to add those. Plus two of those were my birthday credits! Yay! I already have a copy of One by One and I have a full review up HERE, but it wasn’t one of my favorite Ruth Ware books.
I hope this helped you to narrow down your options for your Book of the Month Box, or just gave you some new reads to add to your list. Comment below or head to my instagram @speakingof_books and tell me what you put in your box!
WHAT IS BOOK OF THE MONTH?
For those who haven’t heard of Book of the Month club or BOTM, it is a subscription program, similar to audible or other box subscription services, where you get (you guessed it) a new book every month. Each month members are given 5 different books to choose from. BOTM generally focusing on debut and emerging writers, and is known for having helped launch the careers of some of the most acclaimed authors in American literary history. In an attempt to read more books outside my favorite genres without having to siphon through all the duds, I decided to sign up for the monthly subscriptions. It costs me $14.99 per month, I choose 1 of the 5 books on the first of every month, and it’s delivered straight to my door. You can skip any month or roll your credits over to the next month, at any time. Since I started getting BOTM in 2018, I’ve really enjoyed some of the new authors I’ve been exposed to. If you’re interested in joining BOTM, I’ve added my referral code to the bottom of this post, which if you use, you’ll be able to get a discount on your first month (book)!
Interested in joining Book of the Month?
Get your first book for $9.99 using code May5 when you sign up using my link! Either click HERE or enter the url into your browser: https://book-of-the-month.ixmz.net/kvzez https://book-of-the-month.ixmz.net/c/1803400/761424/9782
As always I appreciate the comments.