Literacy Lounge is a monthly book subscription box that highlights Black literature. Each month, you'll receive a book and 2-4 quality book-related or relaxation products—everything you need to chill out and indulge in a new read. The books are by Black authors and the products are related to the theme of the book.
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
About Literacy Lounge
The Subscription Box: Literacy Lounge
The Cost: $38.98 a month. Save with 3- and 6-month subscriptions.
The Products: One Black piece of literature and 2-4 book-related items
Ships to: The US for free
Literacy Lounge October 2019 Review
Included in the box is an info card introducing the book of the month, the month’s theme, and a quick overview of the self-care items included in each box. With the seasons changing, it is the perfect time to do a mental health check-in. Literacy Lounge provides an awesome book by an author that has experienced mental health challenges and cute little goodies to help us cope with the changing weather.
I'm Telling the Truth, but I'm Lying: Essays by Bassey Ikpi – Retail Value $15.99 (found here for $9.99)
Book summary from Amazon:
“In I’m Telling the Truth, but I’m Lying Bassey Ikpi explores her life—as a Nigerian-American immigrant, a black woman, a slam poet, a mother, a daughter, an artist—through the lens of her mental health and diagnosis of bipolar II and anxiety. Her remarkable memoir in essays implodes our preconceptions of the mind and normalcy as Bassey bares her own truths and lies for us all to behold with radical honesty and brutal intimacy.”
I'm Telling the Truth, but I'm Lying is a raw, intimate, and honest look into the mental health challenges faced by author Bassey Ikpi. Her story of just trying to live a “normal life” is heartbreaking and emotionally draining. Many of her struggles with parenting, difficult family situations, and simply navigating the world as a person of color are incredibly relatable. The book will leave you vulnerable yet inspired to take a closer look at your own mental health and self-care.
Literacy Lounge READ Print
This print features “READ” made of pretty flowers. The flowers are a perfect mix of summer and fall flowers, vines, berries, and varying colors of leaves and stems. It’s very pretty. I can see this framed in a comfy reading nook.
Literacy Lounge Pencil
This navy blue pencil with silver text reads:
Grow through what you go through
Practice radical self love
You deserve to take up space
These are intended to be simple reminders to get you through your day. The last of which is the perfect complement to this month’s book.
Herb’N Eden Soap in Oatmeal Honey, 1 oz – Retail Value $ 2.25 (Buy the full 4 oz size for $6.00)
This all-natural and affordable soap is great for anyone suffering from irritating skin conditions like eczema, acne or psoriasis. Herb’N Eden says that their herbal soap not only cleans your body, it also helps to restore skin health. The oatmeal and honey in this soap soothe skin. Oatmeal softens dry and sensitive skin is a natural cleanser and moisturizer. Honey seals in moisture and hydrates skin.
At first, it was difficult to get the soap to lather but once lathered this soap felt amazing on my skin. It's thick and moisturizing and left my skin feeling incredibly soft. I wish I had more than this small sample size.
Literacy Lounge Branded Bookmark and Sticker
As a bonus, Literacy Lounge boxes also include a Literacy Lounge branded bookmark and sticker. The sticker was missing from my box. I’m familiar with it from last month’s box. It has the blue and white Literacy Lounge logo. The bookmark has a quote from Kofi Annan: “Literacy is the bridge from misery to hope”.
Verdict: This Literacy Lounge box offers another great book selection! After reviewing this and last month’s box, I feel that this is the biggest benefit of this box. Both this and last month’s book choices were top-notch. The products, however, leave something to be desired. The READ print was cute but simple, the pencil is standard, but the words are powerful, and the soap was amazing but just a tiny sample size. The sticker and bookmark are a nice touch, but the sticker was missing. Overall, I enjoy the book but have mixed feelings about the other items in the box.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today?: No, order now to receive the November box.
Value Breakdown: This box costs $38.98 and the largest items, the book and the soap, account for less than half the value of the box. My value assessment is based on the curation of the box and the quality of the contents. While I think the book is great, I don’t think this box offers a great value.
Check out our other Literacy Lounge review, and for more book options, take a look at our list of the best book subscription boxes!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
What do you think of this Literacy Lounge October box?
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.