For the longest time, I figured people either identified as readers or not, and I definitely fell into the “not” category the last year or so. I would rather watch YouTube videos and listen to music in my spare time, not force my brain to work when I’ve finally shut it off. I enjoy books, of course, but I declared myself as a non-reader who just couldn’t find the time unless I was sitting on a beach vacation or curled up with a cup of tea.
Well, obviously, our entire lives have shifted the last six months, and my whole “not reading” thing flew straight out the window, down the street, onto the highway, and into some ditch. I started reading more and more with all the extra time on my hands, but I needed to diversify my authors, both in terms of reading books by and about BIPOC and LGBTQ+ people but also in genres and ideas (trust me: I love a good thriller as much as the next gal, but I also love ghost stories and retellings and literary fiction and romance and nonfiction!). Then, I stumbled upon Book of the Month. And let me tell ya, BOTM has become my new favorite way to find books.
Book of the Month is the fastest-growing book subscription service in America—and you’re about to hear why. They promote new and emerging authors every month, selecting five amazing new releases to choose from (read on for a look at some of July’s!). As a subscriber, you choose one of the five and it’s sent directly to your door. The titles range all genres (sci-fi, romance, thriller, historical fiction—you name it, they’ve got it), and they’re even beginning to incorporate nonfiction titles as well.
As I was getting back into the world of reading once again, I was inundated with recommendations for authors and titles, almost to the point of not knowing where I should start. Book of the Month made it so easy. Pick your titles, and as soon as they arrive, you’ll likely get started on them right away. I was so motivated to read my BOTM because they’re all up-and-coming titles and authors you’re bound to start seeing everywhere. Last month, I read The Vanishing Half, and the day after I finished, it made the New York Times’ Best Seller list. I’ve never had that happen before—a book I’d already read and loved become a best-seller just before my eyes. You get early access to books that are about to become major hits, so you can read and get ahead of your book clubs! Oh, and I wanted to finish it right away so my plate would be clear by the time my next BOTM arrival came in a month.
On my journey to become a bigger reader (will I start a BookTube channel? The jury’s still out), I struggled a bit with cost. $15 here, $25 there. Before you know it, you’ve spent the equivalent of a week’s worth of groceries on a couple of books. And if you read quickly, you’re basically done for. Book of the Month not only cut down how often I had to research books, but it cut my costs too. Using code EVERYGIRL, your first book is $9.99 (yeah, seriously—less than a coffee and a breakfast sandwich!)—then it’s still only $14.99 a month afterward (which is still an incredible deal for hardbacks). Not loving the selections one month or just not in the budget? No worries, you can skip whenever and won’t be charged. Love to read? You can select an add-on book every month from BOTM’s large selection of titles—including tons of books you’ll likely see made into movies and TV shows in the future. This month, I added Riley Sager’s Home Before Dark—a spooky thriller about a haunted house. (BRB, lighting my fall candle and wishing it was Halloween!)
Wondering what new titles are up this month? Here’s a look at the two of the five books I’m most excited to read for July:
Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close
This book sounds like a necessary read for women everywhere. Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, co-hosts of the popular podcast “Call Your Girlfriend,” explain what it takes to really have a friendship for the long haul. We all know that friendships take work, but to really keep someone close for a long time isn’t an easy feat. These two BFFs share the ups and downs of their friendship and how they’ve gotten to where they are today. I can’t wait to read this and cry, laugh, and call my best friends. This is the book I’ll be choosing for my personal subscription—if you couldn’t already tell.
The Beauty in Breaking
This is Michele Harper’s memoir, following her career as a Black emergency room physician, a profession that is widely male and white. She attended Harvard after leaving an abusive childhood in Washington, D.C., and just before moving to Philidelphia to work in a new hospital, she and her husband split up. So, she’s in a new city, a new job, and newly single (something many of us might be able to relate to). This book follows her journey to self-healing, realizing that she must heal herself while she’s working as a doctor healing others. The book has tons of praise for being moving, inspirational, and educational—something we all could use right now.
Whether you’re reading a couple of books or week or get excited when you finish one a month, Book of the Month is truly the easiest way to get a new book in your hand every month without doing much work.
This post was in partnership with Book of The Month, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everygirl editorial board.
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