We all know that Book of the Month is a monthly subscription service where you are suppose to pick one book a month. We also know this does not usually happen, because they generally have some awesome add-ons! I’ve seen a lot of folks asking for guidance when picking add-on both via Facebook and Instagram, so I wanted to take some time to highlight some of my favorite add-ons.

As a note I generally get three books in my box each month. Mainly because an add-on is an additional $9.99 and when getting newer books this is a steal. However, for some older books or classics, you can generally find them cheaper at Amazon, BookOutlet, Book Depository, or available at your local library.

Most of these books I have full reviews of and I’ll be linking them if you want to see my full thoughts on a particular book. Feel free to reach out to me to on Instagram @speakingof_books or by commenting below to ask me more questions around Book of the Month Add-Ons.

If you’re interested in joining book of the month click HERE to sign up and get your first book for $9.99.Advertisementshttps://c0.pubmine.com/sf/0.0.3/html/safeframe.htmlREPORT THIS AD

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Add-On Recommendations

All recommendations are listed in no particular order other than by genre!

Last note before I get into the picks, these are the picks available as of July 27, 2021. There will be additional ones added at the start of August that I have not included. I do my best to post updated articles every few months. All books recommend are books I have read and there may be other books available that I cannot recommend simply because I have yet to read them! You can see my recommend post from March 2020 HERE , September 2020 update HERE, and January 2021 update HERE

Thriller

Thrillers are my bread and butter. Because I read so many of them I tend to be extremely picky about my thrillers. These are some of my favorites I’ve read in the past few years. You’ll notice some extremely popular picks are not on this list. The Silent Patient and The Maidens while some people really enjoy then, they’re just not my cup of tea. I have a review for The Maidens which I have linked below. Reading is completely subjective and you might enjoy them, but they just didn’t do it for me.

Both Razorblade Tears & Winter Counts are a bit grittier. I feel they’re aimed more at a male audience, though don’t discount them for that. They’re wonderfully written and dive into some difficult topics.

The Blinds is one of the books I hear the least about. Which is a huge shame as it’s a fantastic thriller/mystery. I highly recommend it if you’re looking for a fast read.

Reviews: RAZORBLADE TEAR | WINTER COUNTS |

THE CHESTNUT MAN | THE LAST FLIGHT | THE MAIDENS

Mystery

Let’s talk mysteries. One of my all time favorite mysteries from BOTM was Long Bright River. With a focus on addiction, this is not your typical mystery as it really is a mixture of contemporary fiction and mystery. It’s an excellent read and I highly recommend it.

The Survivors is for readers that enjoy a slow burn mystery and actually has a great audio narrator if you’d prefer to listen to it. This one is less about suspense and more about the characters. Definitely recommend.

Reviews: LONG BRIGHT RIVER | THE SURVIVORS |

WHEN THE STARS GO DARK

Romance

Romance is my least read genre, but I have found quite a few I’ve enjoyed from BOTM. As a women in tech myself and a Texan, The Boyfriend Project is the perfect afternoon romance. With just enough spice to keep it interesting while also tackling issues women of color face.

Get a Life, Chloe Brown and the rest of The Brown Sister books are steamy, inclusive, and laugh out loud funny. I enjoyed Chloe’s story the best but all three are stellar reads.

Katherine Center and Emily Henry both put out wonderfully written romance that while they may not be super steamy, they are filled with lots of life lessons and are just plan fun to read.

Lastly, if you’re looking for humor than Evie Dunmore’s League of Extraordinary Women series is for you. These Regency era romances are filled with women fighting for women’s rights, quirky humor, and just enough steam. Very much hoping for book 3 Portraits of a Scotsman to be a September pick.

Reviews: BRINGING DOWN THE DUKE |

THE BOYFRIEND PROJECT | A ROGUE OF ONE’S OWN |

PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION | BEACH READ

Horror

Personally, I don’t think BOTM dabbles too much into the horror genre. While there are a handful of options, none of those currently available under the genre are what I would truly classify as horror though I did enjoy Alex North’s writing.

If you’re in the mood for some non-BOTM horror stories give these a look:

Reviews: THE WHISPERMAN |THE SHADOWS | THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP

Historical Fiction

Besides Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical Fiction is my second most read genre. I enjoy learning pieces of history while being immersed into a story that may be a bit embellished. I particular enjoy historical fictions that either have a little bit of magical realism mix in (such as in The Library of Legends & The Night Tiger) or cover a time period or person that isn’t widely known.

I’m a huge Taylor Jenkin Reid fan, but The Seven Husbands of Evelyne Hugo will also be my favorite with Malibu Rising coming in second place for me. Daisy Jones was enjoyable but it’s just not one of my favorite, however I think if I listen to the audio I may change my mind.

Kristin Hannah is another big repeat author for BOTM. The Great Alone was one of the first BOTM books I ever picked and it covers domestic abuse during the 80s . This book actually opened my eyes to quite a few women’s right issues that were still occurring during the 80’s. The Four Winds on the other hand tackles the Great Depression in a way that will rip your heart out.

Lastly, The Hearts Invisible Furies is hands down a story I would recommend for everyone. The story is broken up into 7 year segments and follows a gay Irish Catholic boy during The Troubles in Northern Ireland. It spans his entire life and dives into hard topics such as the AIDS epidemic. I promise you that while the start might be slow, the second half of the book will make it all worth it.

Reviews: malibu Rising | The Vanishing Half | The Library of Legends | The SEven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo | The Hearts Invisibile Furies | Circling the Sun

Contemporary Fiction

By far the Contemporary Fiction genre has the most options, and I’ve read 17 out of the 57 options currently available. So there are probably more great ones to recommend, I just haven’t personally read them so cannot recommend them. The only book in the current list I would not recommend is The Removed. It’s just not my cup of tea, and if you are a plot driven reader than don’t even attempt this one. If you prefer more atmospheric and/or gothic type novels than you may enjoy this one, but it was a huge miss for me.

On the other hand, Nothing to See Here is a quirky fast read with a touch of magical realism. Highly recommend if you want something light or if you’re not sure what you want to read.

Bonus: What Comes After, We are the Brennans, The Last Story of Mina Lee, A Women is No Man, and Beyond the Point are all DEBUT books. So if you’re looking to finish you’re challenge give one of them a try.

Reviews: nothing to see here | Beyond the Point | The Mothers | We are the brennans | What Comes After |THE REMOVED

Literary Fiction

I always have the best intentions of reading more literary fiction, but these books tend to stay on my TBR shelves longer than I anticipate. I probably have half the Literary Fiction options available waiting to be read, but I have to be in the right head space for literary fiction otherwise I zone out. Of the ones I’ve read I would not recommend Lucky You or Goodbye, Vitamin. Lucky You, was one book I barely finished. While Goodbye, Vitamin is a sweet story, it’s sad, slow, and entirely character driven.

The Knockout Queen and The Animators were mediocre reads that are probably not for everyone. The below four are the only ones I would highly recommend reading, though I do have The Death of Vivek Oji, A Ladder to the Sky, Black Buck, Transcendent Kingdom, What’s Mine and Yours, and The Prophets, all still on my TBR.

Reviews: Goodbye, vitamin | Lucky You | Valentine | The Water Dancer

Fantasy

I will never stop recommend Sourdough. It’s such a sweet and short story about a women in tech finding her way in life all with the help of a magic sourdough starter. Fair warning eat a snack while you’re reading this.

I currently have not read either Half Sick of Shadows or The Invisible Life of Addie Larue so those are not on my recommendation list. However, for my Greek Mythology fans, Piranesi, Circe, & Ariadne are all excellent choices.

Ninth House is a great start to a 5 book series, but book 2 doesn’t even have a title yet, so don’t start if you need a complete series out.

Sourdough is back in stock and if you need a quirky quick read, this is a perfect story for you.

Lastly, Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic are a must for fall this year. Especially since Hoffman’s newest and final book in the series is releasing in October.

reviews: Ninth House | Circe | Sourdough

Sci-Fi

Science Fiction is such a broad genre. If you want something fun An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green is for you. Something a little more spacey than The Martian is a great pick. Or if you prefer you sci-fi to be filled with magic than The Power will fit the bill.

Non-Fiction

I’ve combined all the non-fiction options since there are less options available than the other genres. While I read less non-fiction than anything else, there are still some really great options from BOTM.

True crime wise Killers of the Flower Moon is an eye opening exploration into the Osage Tribe and the murders’ surrounding them. Notes on a Silencing is a timely piece about sexual assaults’ on campus’. While it explores the authors particular experience, this is a story that is being repeated by other survivors story.

Happy Reading

I hope you found a book that you are truly excited about in this post and enough to fill your little blue boxes! Let me know which other BOTM books you love by commenting below or by messaging me on Instagram @speakingof_books. Don’t forget to follow me to get weekly updates and new reviews!