Book of the Month is a monthly book subscription box. Each month, 5 curators pick out their favorite new hardcover books, and you can choose which one you want to receive on the first of the month. You can also add up to 2 additional books for only $9.99 each. (This box was named one of the best subscriptions under $15 by MSA readers in the 2020 Subscription Box Awards.)
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
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About this Box
The Subscription Box: Book of the Month
The Cost: $14.99 a month
The Product: Subscribers get to pick from a selection of hardcover books each month. Skip any month you aren't interested in. Add up to two additional books for $9.99 each.
Ships to: The US for free
Book of the Month September 2020 Review
These are the five book choices for subscribers this month.
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman - Retail Value $28.00 (found here for $17.31)
I loved the author's style of writing. The way that he introduced information in a somewhat cheeky way that helped to lighten the tone of the more serious events and themes in this book was really engaging. I also thought it was so interesting and somewhat captivating the way he chose to reveal important information. He would discuss a character or an event and then finish each mini-story or description with a little bomb of information that you didn't see coming. It made you feel as though the author was just toying with you. While I really enjoyed his unique style of writing, I really had some trouble getting into the story, maybe because it was a bit wordy in some parts or maybe it just wasn't the type of book I needed this month. I tend to fly through some of the mundane parts of books to get to the good stuff, but with this book, I felt like I had to focus on all of the details in order to grasp the full story here and I just couldn't get my mind to concentrate! There's no particular reason why, but for some reason, this book just wasn't working for me this month.
Book Summary from Amazon:
Looking at real estate isn’t usually a life-or-death situation, but an apartment open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes a group of strangers hostage. The captives include a recently retired couple who relentlessly hunt down fixer-uppers to avoid the painful truth that they can’t fix their own marriage. There’s a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else and a young couple who are about to have their first child but can’t seem to agree on anything, from where they want to live to how they met in the first place. Add to the mix an eighty-seven-year-old woman who has lived long enough not to be afraid of someone waving a gun in her face, a flustered but still-ready-to-make-a-deal real estate agent, and a mystery man who has locked himself in the apartment’s only bathroom, and you’ve got the worst group of hostages in the world.
Each of them carries a lifetime of grievances, hurts, secrets, and passions that are ready to boil over. None of them is entirely who they appear to be. And all of them—the bank robber included—desperately crave some sort of rescue. As the authorities and the media surround the premises these reluctant allies will reveal surprising truths about themselves and set in motion a chain of events so unexpected that even they can hardly explain what happens next.
Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” (Shelf Awareness), Anxious People is an ingeniously constructed story about the enduring power of friendship, forgiveness, and hope—the things that save us, even in the most anxious times.
Each month, Book of the Month includes a bookmark.
If you picked this book this month, please let me know what you think of it!
Verdict: My Book of the Month pick this month is one that I struggled to get into for some reason. I love the premise of the book and I enjoy a tale where the characters are somehow interconnected, but even with the interesting and unique style of the author, I just could not get hooked. I think this is one of those books that I'm going to have to put aside and try again at a different time (perhaps when my kids are away? haha). Do you ever feel like your mind just has to be in the right space for certain books? That's kind of how I'm feeling right now. Did anyone else read this one? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this book if you sign up today? No, but it may be available as an add-on next month!
Check out all of our Book of the Month reviews and see what other book subscriptions made our favorites list!
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