Saturday 25 June 2016

Book and a Brew (book subscription box) - initial impressions

A couple of years ago I stumbled upon the idea of 'subscription boxes' whilst shopping for Christmas presents. Whilst the box I gifted wasn't a book subscription (it was a very well received Curry Night subscription box from The Spicery) it did pique my curiosity enough to see what else was out there. I was somewhat amazed to discover that you can buy subscription boxes for all sorts of things including cheese (?), socks (??), scarves (???), geeky gear (????) and, yes, books (hoorah!). 

A number of companies offer book subscription boxes that deliver to/within the UK and each of them offer something slightly different. I'm not going to describe the differences here but a list of some of the companies that offer this type of subscription is given at the end of this blog post in case you'd like to check them out for yourselves. After having a bit of a look around I decided to take the plunge and subscribe to Book and a Brew for 2 reasons:

1) Their choice of books each month seemed quite intriguing - they were titles that I was generally unfamiliar with but that sounded genuinely interesting,
2) I drink a lot of tea!

The subscription costs £12.99 a month and for that I receive a hardback book and a 'drinkable delight' (to quote their website!). Boxes are sent out from the 15th of each month and, sure enough, my first box arrived on the 17th (I think).



Here's my first box. It arrived safe and sound courtesy of the postman. The contents were all well packed - and i loved the fact that they were wrapped neatly in tissue paper which was secured by a cute 'Book and a Brew' sticker.  So, let's talk about the contents. First of all, the book - The Incorruptibles by John Hornor Jacobs. Now, this is definitely not a book I had come across before but I was immediately drawn to it's simple, almost monochrome cover which suggests something of a journey into the unknown. I love the woodcut-style of the cover illustration and the use of the colour gold to highlight the fire, the shooting star and the title. Does its use suggest themes of hope (the star) or danger (the fire)?

Another intriguing little detail is the inclusion of the latin phrase 'in girum imus nocte et consumimur igni' on one of the first few pages before the start of the novel. Not being an expert in latin (I recognised the words 'night' and 'fire') I undertook a quick Google search and discovered that:

a) the phrase is a palindrome - that's to say it's a series of words, numbers or characters which reads the same backward and forward.

b) it means 'we go wandering at night and are consumed by fire'.

This seems to fit really nicely with the cover illustration and left me eager to find out what the book is actually about!

Here's the blurb:

In the contested and unexplored territories at the edge of the Empire, a boat is making its laborious way up stream. Riding along the banks are the mercenaries hired to protect it—from raiders, bandits, and, most of all, the stretchers, elf-like natives who kill any intruders into their territory. The mercenaries know this is dangerous, deadly work. But it is what they do. In the boat the drunk governor of the territories and his sons and daughters make merry. They believe that their status makes them untouchable. They are wrong. And with them is a mysterious, beautiful young woman, who is the key to peace between warring nations and survival for the Empire. When a callow mercenary saves the life of the Governor on an ill-fated hunting party, the two groups are thrown together. For Fisk and Shoe—two tough, honorable mercenaries surrounded by corruption, who know they can always and only rely on each other—their young companion appears to be playing with fire. The nobles have the power, and crossing them is always risky. And although love is a wonderful thing, sometimes the best decision is to walk away. Because no matter how untouchable or deadly you may be, the stretchers have other plans.

After my initial positive thoughts about the book cover and the mysterious little latin phrase i am glad to say that the blurb has only increased my anticipation! I am most definitely looking forward to reading this book!

On to my impressions of the second part of the subscription - the tea!

Included in this month's box is a pack of Teapigs Chilli Chai tea which, according to the information sheet included 'is a twist on traditional chai. Alongside assam tea, cardamom pods, chunks of ginger, cinnamon and vanilla there's added flakes of chilli to give it quite the kick.' I don't know about you but, being a bit of a chai fan, this sounds amazing to me! I also love the simple Teapigs packaging, which includes the image of a fire extinguisher :) as well as the fact that they call their teabags 'tea temples'. Cute! I am also seriously considering trying the pack's suggestion to try one of the 'tea temples' as a latte. Yum yum indeed.

To sum up, I think I can safely say that I am very pleased with my first Book and a Brew box and I am glad that i took the plunge and subscribed.

NB: as promided here is a list of some other companies who offer book subscription boxes to customers in the UK

The Willoughby Book Club

Bookishly
The Beautiful Book Company
Glenogle and Bell
Daunt Books

Mrs B's Reading Year
Persephone Books




2 comments:

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  2. Hi,

    Thanks for sharing such a great article.Book for love is another level of hobby. I got book subscription for kids and get amazing books monthly.
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    book gift box
    children's book subscription

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