Have you ever taken on a month-long challenge on a whim? No? Why would any person do this?

Well, I have. Kind of frequently, to be honest. And this month, that challenge-on-a-whim has been Blogtober2021. One post per day for the entirety of October, with or without prompts for each day, depending on who you ask. 

One week in, I’m asking myself whether trying to come up with book-related content for 31 days was a good idea. That remains to be seen, but I will say that I’ve been enjoying following along with other writers who are taking on the challenge.

Since it’s Friday and I’m gearing up for one of the busiest weeks of my teaching semester (individual paper conferences for all 20 of my students), I’m cheating just a bit today in that I’m writing about… book mail! That’s code for “I’m going to post some pictures of shiny new books and bookish goodies and call it writing.” 

(Full disclosure: Book links are affiliate links, which means Your Book Friend may earn a small commission if you choose to purchase. Book of the Month links are referrals codes which earn you a discount if you sign up, and earn me a free book next month. Thanks in advance for the support!)

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Book of the Month

The first of every new month means it’s time to select my monthly pick for Book of the Month, the club that nearly everyone on Bookstagram seems to belong to. 

I’m a bit of a picky reader in that I generally stick to a few main genres most of the time (romance, memoir, and women’s fiction). What I love about Book of the Month is that I get to choose which title to receive and can even skip the month if nothing speaks to me. 

This month, I nearly skipped, because the only book that spoke to me was Erin Sterling’s The Ex Hex, which I had already preordered because I’ve not yet learned to hold for the new month’s picks before going on a book-buying spree elsewhere. 

But then I noticed I had earned a free pair of book socks for completing the 2021 reading challenge and I am nothing if not a sucker for cute socks. The socks would only ship in my next book box, and so combined with the allure of that special BOTM edition, I selected The Ex Hex for this month. 

My copy arrived shiny and sleek in its blue box complete with the coveted socks, and I can’t wait to dig in to the book that so many people are reading right now, it’s sold out on BOTM and Amazon. 

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Introverts Retreat Box

My other book subscription of the moment is a service called Introverts Retreat. This one comes complete with an “I prefer not to people” themed candle, soap, and bath salt along with some coffee and a snack. 

This month’s introverty theme is “My Favorite Hobby is Avoiding People” which is, quite frankly, the truest truth for me like 90% of the time. Previous themes have included “My Best Friends are Online Friends” and “Love Me Enough to Leave Me Alone.” 

Like BOTM, you can choose your book month to month. Unlike BOTM, the books featured tend not to be the titles that everyone’s heard of, which I enjoy about the service. The books are usually paperback and are always written by women, both qualities I prefer in my books. 

This month I picked Girl Upside Down, a YA title with a super fun cover that combines illustration and photography. 

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So much for using pictures to get out of writing a longer post, am I right? Turns out I had more to say about my book mail than I thought! 

One of the first things my fiancé learned about me when we moved in together is that I am weirdly in love with getting the mail, so I guess no one should be surprised I had this much to say about the week’s haul. 

Do you subscribe to any book boxes? I’d love to hear about them if you do!

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As always, thanks so much for reading and supporting Your Book Friend! If you want to stay up to date, give us a follow here and/or on Instagram. If you’re not a Medium member yet but would like to join, you can support me and YBF by signing up here. 

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