Suzanne Humphries
With increasingly chilly temperatures outside, now is the perfect time to curl up with a book. But with many bookstores still shuttered due to COVID-19, it might just be easier to get new books delivered right to your doorstep each month. Luckily, these book subscription boxes will do just that.
The best book subscription services are a good value, offering you at least two books per month for a fair price and maybe a little something extra as well. Some pick books for you at random, thus ensuring no two readers get the same box, while others offer a highly curated selection of literature, including classics and newer award-winning picks. There are book subscription boxes for all kinds of readers, from casual readers to avid book collectors. Happy reading!
Update, 8/25/21: Checked all picks for accuracy; removed Powell’s Indietastic as it’s going on temporary hiatus.
Great for Popular New Releases: Book of the Month
Physical and Digital Books: Fresh Fiction Box
The Classics Alongside the New: Boxwalla Book Box
For Reading and Relaxing: Peace & Pages Box
Best for Previously Loved Picks: Used Books Monthly
Great for Popular New Releases: Book of the Month
For $14.99 per month, Book of the Month sends you one new book from a selection consisting of early releases, debut authors, newly released titles, and fresh perspectives, and it has featured titles like Chloe Gong’s These Violent Delights, Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, Ash Davidson’s Damnation Spring, and V.E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie Larue. You also have the option to add on a second book each month for the same cost.
With Book of the Month, you can pause the service if you need to get caught up and resume it whenever you’re ready to start up again. The service also has a fun Bookclubs feature that sends the same book to everyone in your group for $15.99 a pop (though it’s still up to you to organize the monthly meetings, brew some coffee, and start an engaging discussion).
Book of the Month
Get 1-2 new books each month from the latest, most popular titles.
Physical and Digital Books: Fresh Fiction Box
Fresh Fiction Box is the best bet for avid readers and book collectors alike. The service costs just $35.95 per month and in each box, you’ll receive three to five new fiction titles and one to three ebooks. The box focuses on bestsellers as well as new authors and pulls from genres like romance, paranormal, mystery, suspense, adult books, and others. It’s an easy way to keep your reading list stocked.
Sometimes, the service even sends you advanced reader copies, meaning you’ll have access to a book a month before it’s publicly released. The other fun thing about Fresh Fiction is that books are picked at random, so each box is unique. Along with a good mix of genres, the box also mixes up book formats, from hardback and trade size to PDF and EPUB. The service also has a skip button, which lets you take a month off whenever you need to get caught up.
Fresh Fiction Box
Fill your book collection with bestsellers and titles from new authors across multiple genres.
The Classics Alongside the New: Boxwalla Book Box
The Boxwalla Book Box is a great choice for serious lovers of international literature. For $29.95 per month, Boxwalla will send you two books in every shipment. Titles from great writers around the world are selected, and you’ll see classics as well as Nobel Laureates and brand-new books. Each box also includes a book-themed extra like a pin or stickers.
Past boxes include Hwang Sok-yong’s At Dusk (from South Korea), Mercè Rodoreda’s Garden by the Sea (Spain), Mercè Rodoreda’s Garden by the Sea (Spain), and Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (U.S.).
Boxwalla Book Box
Love the classics as well as newer titles? This subscription box sends you both.
For Reading and Relaxing: Peace & Pages Box
For some people, reading is as simple as grabbing a book and finding a comfortable chair. For others, it’s a whole experience. It’s how they relax and unwind from the day, and escape from their troubles. And for those people, Peace & Pages is the obvious choice. This subscription box embraces how relaxing reading can be and offers books as well as calming goodies.
Peace & Pages offers a variety of box options, starting at $25.99 per month. The Basic Monthly box includes a book, a full-size bath product, and a full-size aromatherapy product. Other boxes offer additional things like a bath and body product, a book accessory or gift, and a gourmet snack or drink item. The service has a bimonthly delivery option as well, so you enjoy a relaxing reading experience that fits with your schedule.
Peace & Pages Box
Have a relaxing night in reading an amazing new book with this monthly or bimonthly box.
Best for Previously Loved Picks: Used Books Monthly
If you don’t mind gently-used books, Used Books Monthly is a wonderful subscription box worth your consideration. The service believes in circulating books once they’ve been read instead of letting them waste away on a shelf forever. Used Books Monthly starts at just $6.79 per month, making it a budget-friendly option for lovers of sci-fi, romance, young adult fiction, and more.
The subscription box offers three plan options: One Book Monthly, Two Books Monthly, and Four Books Monthly. From there, you’ll select your favorite genres, so selections are tailored to your specific reading preferences. Books are chosen at random, but the Two Books and Four Books plans also give you a space to describe your reading preferences in more detail. This doesn’t guarantee a specific book but may help the service find books that are a better fit for you.
Used Books Monthly
Used books deserve love too! Give some a good new home with this monthly box.
