Hello Book Lover Subscription Box Review – September 2016

Hello Book Lover is a monthly book subscription box. With this subscription, subscribers get to pick from one of two books selected for the month. You will be sent an email with the book choices for the upcoming month on the 15th of the preceding month. You have 3 days to choose, or you can opt to be surprised.

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

The Subscription Box: Hello Book Lover

The Cost: $28 plus shipping

The Products: Each month your box will include one book (your choice out of two), and two or three surprise items. The types of items you can expect to receive include: stationery, office supplies, beauty supplies, candles, specialty food items and more!

Ships to: US Only

Each box comes with a card detailing the theme of the month. The September box theme is "Make it Happen!"

Better Than Before by Grethen Rubin - Retail Value $16 (On Amazon for $10.76)

Book Summary from Amazon:

Gretchen Rubin's answer: through habits. Habits are the invisible architecture of everyday life. It takes work to make a habit, but once that habit is set, we can harness the energy of habits to build happier, stronger, more productive lives.

So if habits are a key to change, then what we really need to know is: How do we change our habits?

Better than Before answers that question. It presents a practical, concrete framework to allow readers to understand their habits—and to change them for good. Infused with Rubin’s compelling voice, rigorous research, and easy humor, and packed with vivid stories of lives transformed, Better than Before explains the (sometimes counter-intuitive) core principles of habit formation.

Along the way, Rubin uses herself as guinea pig, tests her theories on family and friends, and answers readers’ most pressing questions—oddly, questions that other writers and researchers tend to ignore:

• Why do I find it tough to create a habit for something I love to do?
• Sometimes I can change a habit overnight, and sometimes I can’t change a habit, no matter how hard I try. Why?
• How quickly can I change a habit?
• What can I do to make sure I stick to a new habit?
• How can I help someone else change a habit?
• Why can I keep habits that benefit others, but can’t make habits that are just for me?

Whether readers want to get more sleep, stop checking their devices, maintain a healthy weight, or finish an important project, habits make change possible. Reading just a few chapters of Better Than Before will make readers eager to start work on their own habits—even before they’ve finished the book.

This tagline got me: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits--to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life.

Yes to all those things, please!

I'm about halfway through this book and I've been impressed so far. Sometimes I get frustrated with self-help books that are too general or preachy. This one gets into specifics and I found some new ways of looking at habits. (For example, she lays out different motivation types, and figuring out what motivates you should help you follow through on habit-setting.)

Letter C Design Hand Foil Stamped Pencils - Value $3

These little heart stamps are adorable! And these pencils go perfectly well with this next item:

Veronica Foley Design Notepad - Value $6

This motivational to-do list is on point for the theme and book!

This box also came with a coupon for 15% off your first order from Veronica Foley Design:

Washi Tapes - Value $3?

I will never turn down washi tape in a subscription box, and these patterns and colors are cute, too!

Verdict: This box has a value of about $23 (that's with the Amazon sale price of the book.) I would like to see a higher value from a book box that includes additional goodies - hopefully, future boxes will have a value closer to the $28 cost.

Monetary value issues aside, I have found a great value in this book so far, so this month's cost is definitely worth it to me!

What do you think of Hello Book Lover? Do you have any books you recommend on forming good habits?