The Bookish Box is a book-inspired subscription box from the online shop, Appraising Pages. Unlike other book boxes, this one doesn't come with books. Instead, it includes unexpected gifts for book lovers!
Each month, The Bookish Box sends a t-shirt and other fun finds for literary types like you!
My Subscription Addiction paid for this box. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: The Bookish Box
The Cost: $29.99 plus shipping (Shipping to PA was $4.50)
The Products: Every month you’ll receive a shirt by Appraising Pages Shop and 3-5 feminine home, beauty, and fashion items.
Ships to: US and Worldwide!
Check out all of The Bookish Box reviews and the Book Subscription Box Directory!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
This month's theme is (drumroll, please) Literary Ladies! Awesome! As a lady, myself, I was very excited to see this on the info card, alongside a quote from Jane Austen. Though, come on, Jane! Being a literary lady is about so much more than romance. Luckily, the ladies featured in this box prove that point on their own!
The flip side of the info card lists out all of the items to expect in the box. Let's dig in, shall we?
"You Could Rattle the Stars" Throne of Glass Bookmark by LexyOlivia - Value $8.00
This 2x8 inch bookmark features a quote from Queen Elena Galathynius from the Throne of Glass series. The YA book series is kind of like... a medieval fantasy Hunger Games might be the best way to describe it. And it focuses around a powerful female protagonist named Celaena. Cool right?
This bookmark is made of the kind of thick, lightly textured watercolor paper. I like the galaxy-inspired design—the color palette is really pretty. The $8.00 price tag felt a little steep, but this piece was designed specifically for Bookish Box (LexyOlivia has done some cool designs for Bookish Box in the past, too) and painted and lettered by hand.
Highlighter and Pen Combo - Value $1.00 (based on similar items)
If you're the type to mark up your margins and dog-ear pages to death, this next treat will be right up your alley. This black ballpoint pen has a tiny highlighter on its opposite end, meaning you can write, circle, scribble, and call out passages in your favorite books (or notes!) with ease. It's not the fanciest pen, but it is definitely a clever, practical combination.
Matilda Quote Sticky Note Set - Value $1 (based on similar items)
And if you really, really like marking up your books, or keeping (literal) tabs on other aspects of your life, you'll love this booklet of sticky notes. The rainbow of notes inside are the long, skinny "flag" type—great for helping you find a memorable page at a glance. The holes on the front of the booklet line up with the different colors so that you get a cute peek-a-boo spectrum when it's closed. Here's the quote from Roald Dahl's Matilda that's printed on the front: "All the reading she had done had given her a view of life that they had never seen."
Kimmy Schmidt "Females Are Strong As Hell" Pin-Back Button - Value $1.00?
Bookish Box says this is by a company called Jar of Buttons, but their site shop isn't live yet to check the typical pricing. Most little buttons like this are about $1.00, but please note, that's just a guesstimate!
I don't know that I'd call Kimmy Schmidt a literary lady (if you don't know, she's from the popular Netflix show The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). However, I do love me some Kimmy Schmidt—and that saying—so I'm not complaining!
Katniss Arrow Pen and Highlighter Holder by Nonie's Custom Creations - Value $9.00
Holy cow, there are SO many items in this box! When I first pulled this one out, I'll admit I thought it was a headband. The vinyl faux-leather arrow has some headband-quality elastic attached at either end. And it probably would be a pretty sweet headband, if you wanted to rock it that way! But uh, yeah it's a pen holder. My bad, haha!
The arrow has a pocket that runs the length of it so that you can tuck your pen or highlighter (or highlighter-pen combo, eh?) into it while you read. And that elastic I thought ran around your head is actually meant to loop around the back of your book, holding the page open (like the elastic band that some journals or notebooks have). Handy, cool, nods to one of the biggest female protagonists of our day... yep, this is a pretty neat find.
Pride and Prejudice Tea from First Edition Tea Co. - Value $2.50
Pride and Prejudice is such a classic, but this tea is a totally new, exciting twist on your typical brew. It's sweet, fruity, and full of character—the perfect pairing for an engaging afternoon of reading. I appreciate that this is a full-size (10g) packet, too!
J&Co Jewelry "LeviosA" Earrings - Value $12.00
Okay, so I don't think these silver feather stud earrings were made with Harry Potter in mind, but they are definitely awesome. They're pretty chic—super dainty and subtle—and I could see them work their way into a lot of outfits.
Don't You Tell Me What to Do, Harry Potter T-Shirt by Appraising Pages - Value $20.00
This burgundy tee is super soft and comfy. At first, I wasn't sure if the illustration was supposed to be Hermoine (who says this quote), but I suppose it is. She does have quite the hair, doesn't she?
Sneak Peek of The Call by Peadar O'Guilin - Value ?
This is an excerpt from a recently released YA novel that's a riveting, darker blend of the survival-challenge themes popularized by The Hunger Games. And yes, there is a kick-butt female protagonist. Reading material isn't guaranteed to appear in the Bookish Box, so this sample of a story was a happy surprise. And thank goodness you can find the book in its entirety on Amazon, so you don't have to be left hanging too long!
Book Summary from Amazon:
You have three minutes to save your life . . .
THREE MINUTES
You wake up alone in a horrible land. A horn sounds. The Call has begun.
TWO MINUTES
The Sidhe are close. They're the most beautiful and terrible people you've ever seen. And they've seen you.
ONE MINUTE
Nessa will be Called soon. No one thinks she has any chance to survive. But she's determined to prove them wrong.
TIME'S UP
Could you survive the Call?
A genre-changing blend of fantasy, horror, and folkore, The Call won't ever leave your mind from the moment you choose to answer it.
Verdict: There was so much to enjoy inside The Bookish Box! I love the out-of-the-ordinary items, like the tea and the pen holder, that let you flaunt your bookish side in the least expected ways. The value of the items totaled $54.50, which is much more than the $29.99 price you pay for the box. It did have a very YA, mainstream slant, so if you're not a fan of blockbuster book series, this might not be for you. But if you are an avid reader of these fan favorites, this box is a great way to help celebrate the stories you love so much!
Was your favorite literary lady represented in the September The Bookish Box?
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