Powell’s Books Indiespensable is a book subscription box that ships every 6 weeks. So many readers recommended this box that I had to sign up!
FYI – this subscription is currently sold out, but they open it up every month or so. (If you want an email alert when the waitlist opens, you can sign up for the news alerts at the bottom of this post!)
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
The Subscription Box: Powell’s Books Indiespensable
The Cost: $39.95 a shipment (every 6 weeks)
The Products: Exclusive books and extras
Ships to: Worldwide
Check out all of my Powell’s Indiespensable reviews and all of our Book Subscription Box reviews!
The box comes with a little booklet that details the items in the box, why they were chosen, and includes additional exclusives, like an interview with author:
Now time for the actual book:
A Doubter's Almanac by Ethan Canin - Retail Value for just the hardcover (not the case) is $28
Book Summary from Amazon:
Milo Andret is born with an unusual mind. A lonely child growing up in the woods of northern Michigan in the 1950s, he gives little thought to his own talent. But with his acceptance at U.C. Berkeley he realizes the extent, and the risks, of his singular gifts. California in the seventies is a seduction, opening Milo’s eyes to the allure of both ambition and indulgence. The research he begins there will make him a legend; the woman he meets there—and the rival he meets alongside her—will haunt him for the rest of his life. For Milo’s brilliance is entwined with a dark need that soon grows to threaten his work, his family, even his existence.
Spanning seven decades as it moves from California to Princeton to the Midwest to New York,A Doubter’s Almanac tells the story of a family as it explores the way ambition lives alongside destructiveness, obsession alongside torment, love alongside grief. It is a story of how the flame of genius both lights and scorches every generation it touches. Graced by stunning prose and brilliant storytelling, A Doubter’s Almanac is a surprising, suspenseful, and deeply moving novel, a major work by a writer who has been hailed as “the most mature and accomplished novelist of his generation.”
The value for the hardcover I listed is based on the hardcover copy alone, not including the exclusive slipcase. It also doesn’t factor in that this is a signed first edition:
And every Indiespensable box also comes with an extra - sometimes it is food, sometimes it is Powell's related. This month it is:
Powells Mathematics Nalgene Bottle - Value $12
I have someone in mind who will love this - it should be a perfect gift!
Verdict: I'm always a little disappointed when this subscription only sends one book - it makes the box feel a little light in value. And it seems like Powell's no longer does the exclusive book printing with the exclusive book cover, but now it is just the cover plus a signed first edition. Still awesome - but I preferred the original way. I think A Doubter's Almanac sounds interesting, and I'm excited to read it, so no real complaints here - I'm not cancelling this subscription anytime soon!
What do you think of Powell’s Books Indiespensable Vol. 58?
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