September OwlCrate: Darkness

I was going to post about this later in the week, but the box was SO GOOD that I literally cannot wait. So you get it today.

Behold, lambs... my September OwlCrate!

Can we all just take a minute before we rub all of the things inappropriately?

Just kidding- rub all the things!

The read this month is from Kendare Blake, Three Dark Crowns, which looks amazing. We also got a signed bookplate, letter from the author and a paper fortune teller from the author. The book itself sounds interesting:

.. a tale of three sisters, each blessed with unique powers, and each cursed with the need to fight the others to their death in order to claim the crown of their kingdom. But things are never what they seem, are they?...

So excited to get to this book!

The rest of the box was equally great and included:

• A small candle from The Melting Library inspired by the Throne of Glass series. It's vanilla based, so that's instant migraine for me, so I'll be gifting this to someone. 
• The large black item is a cool zippered pouch inspired by Miss Peregrine's School for Peculiar Children, in time for the movie. 
• I am so excited about the Fortune Telling Bomb bath fizzer from Da Bomb! I am mostly looking forward to it because it means I'll obviously be in the tub, alone, in the quiet, for some time. I can hardly wait. 
• We also got a bookmark from Evie Bookish, a cool button, a passport coloring book, and it looks like a second book called ReMade, A Serial in 15 episodes. I've never read anything like that, so I'm intrigued already. 

October's box is themed "Once Upon a Dream" and is going to feature an item from Whosits and Whatsits, so I'm looking forward to that box already!

OwlCrate: Fast Times at YA High

So I'm going to apologize but you won't get detailed photos of my box this month because I couldn't find my camera, and my phone.. yeah. Just be happy that I got the one.

What did I get this month? Let's break it down:

• A decomposition notebook: normally I'd be disappointed in this because who doesn't have a crap ton of these little things laying around, but considering I'm losing my mind and having to write things down, this is perfect for me. 
• Hogwarts button: I'm too old to be doing the button thing anymore, so I gave this to my sister in law, who is a big Harry Potter fan! 
• A necklace of the Eleanor & Park cover and that's adorable so I kept that. 
• A print of the Harry Potter trio which... not sure what I'm going to do with. I've got a stack of these prints now and no idea what to do with them. 
• We also got an adult coloring book courtesy of Blue Star Coloring and I gave that away because I'm now in the process of letting things go and not keeping them for the sake of keeping them. My sister in law got that, too. 
• The book this month is P.S. I Like You by Kasie West, who also gave us a signed bookplate, letter, and colored pencils (seemingly to go with the coloring book). I kind of love the signed bookplates and letters- I always keep those in the front cover of my books. Anyone who borrows the book from me after get to read the letter, which is always kind of a cool touch from the other. I'm nerdy like that. 

The theme for September's box is DARKNESS, and they tease that we'll receive a "spooky and peculiar new item from Out of Print", and they show an image from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, which I still have not read. 

I KNOW. 

The movie is coming and I am grossly unprepared. I'm going to get my crap together soon, I swear. I super swear. I'm on it, lambs. 

Owlcrate: Good vs Evil

I got my Owlcrate this weekend and are you amazed I'm getting this post out so soon? Usually I'm weeks late but here I am, Little Miss Efficient!

The theme this month was Good vs. Evil and you had no idea what box you were going to get and you didn't get to pick, basically. I have to think pretty much everyone wanted an Evil box but wouldn't you know it, I got a Good.

LAME.

Ugh.

So here is the box contents this month. The big tease this month was that we would be getting a POP Figure, which is becoming increasingly popular in book boxes and I'm not not against that at all- these look adorable on my book shelf.

The good boxes got Luna Lovegood and the evil boxes got Dobby. So there's Luna. She's chillin' next to Dumbledore on my shelf. The sticker was hand designed by OwlCrate and made by Drop And Give Me Nerdy, and it's a nod to Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. The sticker is beautiful but I have to ask myself, WHY?? Why send stickers? What are people doing with these? I'm not 12, I'm 34 and I'm too damn old to be sticking stickers on my laptop or on my walls. so it just sits. I'm sure I have a bunch of stickers just hanging out in a drawer somewhere waiting to eventually be tossed. 

We also got a Millennium Falcon necklace from Vector Engraving. Actually, I wasn't sure what it was, I had to confirm with my husband that it was a Star Wars things and he looked kind of ashamed that I didn't know. He tried to get me to watch Star Wars on a first date and no. I'm not lame. So this is going to go to my sister in law because she likes this kind of thing. We also got an Alice in Wonderland magnetic bookmark created by Jane's Tiny Things. Which, you know I love me some Alice in Wonderland but I'm kind of over the bookmarks. I literally have hundreds and these do not hold up well at all and this one has already torn the top of the page in my new book. I am not pleased about this.

Another thing we got was some weird adult coloring book (which, not really a book, more like a booklet) of YA covers that we can color. Which.. *sigh*. I'm so sick of getting stupid shit in these boxes, let's be honest.

The book this month looks SO GOOD, though. It's This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab and it sounds so much like something I'd read from Becca Fitzpatrick, and you know I love her, so I'm excited. We also got a signed bookplate and a letter, both of which I always store in my book.

This box is always so 50/50 on the swag. It's cool stuff, but a lot of it seems pointless to have (like the stickers, crap bookmarks, coloring book, etc). When there is the POP figure and/or jewelry, it's fun. The books ARE always newer releases and interesting, so I don't know. I'm torn on whether I'll keep subscribing.

The theme for next month is...

The teaser for this is that we will receive an exclusively designed piece of jewelry inspired by Eleanor & Park.. so we'll see. This could be a really amazing box or more crap. I'm on the fence.

Owlcrate: Royalty (June 2016)

I wish I had my life more together to get you these book box unveiling posts quicker but alas, it's just not meant to be, lambs.

The theme for Owlcrate's June box was Royalty, and I honestly thought we were going to go maybe a Beauty and the Beast direction, perhaps in a Maleficent direction, but no. We went a really kind of... odd/half assed direction.

So here are my box contents all spilled out. Admittedly, it feels like less than normal?  The main component of the box is obviously the book so this month we got My Lady Jane by Brodi Ashton, Cynthia Hand, and Jodi Meadows. It's supposed to be kind of a play on Princess Bride, so we'll see. We also got a handwritten note from the authors, very cool, and a paper crown, totally stupid and pointless. Even my one year old thought it was dumb. It's definitely not a book I would have picked up while looking at shelves in my beloved book store but I guess it's always a surprise. It'll get read eventually, it's not on the top of my list though.

They did partner with Funko again and each box got a different Mini. I happen to get the chick from the movie Brave, and I hated that movie, so I was pretty damn disappointed. I actually mailed it to a friend who has a daughter who would love it. We also got a really beautiful handmade bracelet from Rich Love Shoppe and it's inspired by the book Cinder.  Easily my favorite thing in the box for sure. I also loved the print inspired by the book Red Queen, which was created by Evie Bookish. This one I'll likely find a cool frame for my office.

Oh yes, a close up of the bracelet so you can see the actual design.

The box teaser said we'd be getting something fun from Craftedvan, and I'm a fan of their stuff so I was pretty excited. Turns out, just another set of magnetic bookmarks I won't use because they are kind of the shittiest type of bookmark you can have. I don't know about anyone else, but I always get little tears on the top of my pages from them and meh.. I usually toss them.

The theme for July is Good versus Evil and we don't know if we're getting a good box or an evil box. I hope over everything in this world that I get an evil box because I have HIGH HOPES for it. The teaser card said we would be receiving a full sized POP figure from Funko, so again, I want an evil box! Please, please, please! No more of this princess bullshit. Just sayin.

Owlcrate: May Steampunk

It's another month and another book box subscription review!

Full disclosure, I am not a fan of steampunk books and stuff in general and the only reason I didn't skip this month was because one of the teasers said if I liked The Infernal Devices (which I did) then I would really be super excited for this box. Sadly, that didn't actually ring true because this box was pretty much a dud for me.

Everything I got in the box. I'll give them points for having everything kind of match/coordinate together really well, so there's that.

It's a little hard to tell but this was a metal ring made by Elope. They sent out five different pieces, my sister in law said she got a pin but it's incredibly huge and really, nothing that you'd actually wear. This ring is ridiculously huge so I gave this to her.

The one piece I did really love was the skeleton key pendant necklace by Crystal Compass Designs. I have another piece of jewelry from them and I adore it, so this one will get a lot of use.

Inside our box was also steampunk themed nail wraps by Espionage Cosmetics. Honestly? I've used these nail wraps before and they are not even close to quality as Jamberry Nails, plus this design isn't anything I'd wear ever, so these got tossed.  We also got some gold temporary tattoos which ugh... we're god damn adults, folks. Adults. I'm not rubbing a fake tattoo on me like I'm 16 and trying to be cool. Into the trash they went.

Oh yes, the one piece that was supposed to be inspired by The Infernal Devices. Now, Sparks Emporium has GORGEOUS jewelry. The teaser photo was one of their rings that looked like gemstones/crushed up gemstones and was stunning. Honestly? I was hoping for one of those but we got this one, that has a butterfly like angel in it. I don't know. It's not something I would buy if I saw it anywhere and I was pretty disappointed in it, especially because I know what stunning work Sparks Emporium offers in their shop online.

We also got an art print from Creative Daffodil Studios and I'm going to say it- I'm over art prints. The first couple were fun and unique and now I'm like, what the hell am I going to do with all of these?? I don't live in a dorm room so it's not like I'm going to tape them to my wall like a teenager. I think I threw it out, actually.

The book we got was Everland by Wendy Spinale. It's supposed to be a re-telling of Peter Pan of sorts (hence the Peter Pan themed art print) and it's not one I would normally purchase because I read Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen which is and forever will be my absolute FAVORITE re-telling of Peter Pan and I don't care what anyone says, Peter Pan is a nut job and I can't stand him. Cannot, folks. I will say we also got a letter from the author talking about the book and I will say, that's one of my favorite things about Owlcrate, the personal note with (most, not all) of the books. I usually keep them in the front cover of the book just for fun.

Sigh.

The theme for the June Owlcrate box is...

The teasers have said that if you liked The Red Queen then you will likely love this box. I haven't gotten to that book yet so I don't know. This could go south real quick or it could be absolutely amazing. If it doesn't have shiny things in it, I will consider it a total failure because the first thing you think of when you think royalty is fancy balls, jewelry, and crowns. Don't let me down, Owlcrate.

Owlcrate April - Dystopia

I know, I feel like such an asshole for continuing on with book subscriptions. But I literally cannot quit, I'm a junkie, and I'm kind of a fan of Owlcrate even though I haven't loved every single book.

Now is probably a terrible time to mention I signed up for LitCube again only because the next box (which ships May 15) is Through the Looking Glass themed and I freaking love Alice in Wonderland. and I can't quit. I basically have no self control and at this point? I'm not even sure if I should try to reign myself in.

When I saw that the April theme for Owlcrate was going to be dystopia, I wasn't totally excited. I'm not a huge fan of dystopia and basically the only thing I really liked was The Hunger Games. It's not a go-to genre for me and I basically only read something once it's super popular and everyone is raving about it.

Yes, I am totally that person. It's rare that I'm ahead of the game. HA! But here's what I got in my box:

• WICKED decal from The Maze Runner by Shailey Ann Designs: I haven't put it anywhere, not sure where I will put it, but you know.. it's pretty cool. Shailey Ann Designs also included a 20% off coupon for her store, so I'll be taking a little look around. 
• Mockingjay Bracelet from The Geeky Cauldron: I absolutely LOVE this bracelet. This bracelet is basically what made this box for me- I'm a fan of fun jewelry, especially if it's book related! We also got a 10% off coupon for The Geeky Cauldron, which is so great. 
• A small notebook with artwork from 1984 by George Orwell. I always carry a notebook around in my purse because I never know when I'll need to write something down, and this is a great size for just that. 
• A Hunger Games style magnet. Admittedly, not super excited about this? I think I actually threw mine away. Whoops! 
• An Evie Bookish designed coaster based off of Shatter Me. I'm going to use this on my desk because it's usually covered in books and book related things. It seems like an appropriate place for it! 
• Our book of the month is Flawed, and we also received a letter from the author as well as an exclusive mini poster. The book itself sounds interesting: it's about a society that "believes obedience is of the utmost importance, and any rebellion is strictly prohibited. Failure to comply with the rules will strip you of your rights and leave you branded as a 'flawed' citizen. Celestine North is a model citizen trying to live a perfect life, until one day she makes an instinctive decision which in turn could cause her to lose everything." So.. it almost sounds a little like Divergent and The Hunger Games, right? So we'll see. I'm hoping to get to read this soon. 

The next theme for Owlcrate is STEAMPUNK. Which again, isn't necessarily a genre I go to but I am a huge fan of The Infernal Devices and an early teaser told us if we were a fan of that series we would love this box so.... you know I'm all in. My broke ass is all in. 

Book Box Update, Owlcrate & Bookworm Box

I have so totally been slacking on showing you what I've gotten from both Owlcrate and The Bookworm Box. I have two months of each to show you and some thoughts from each.

First up, let's talk about the February "Sci-Fi Love" Owlcrate box. I'm not a fan of sci-fi so much and I was going to cancel, but this was the one I was getting for free because I had enough referrals, so I figured if it was super shitty, I'm only out the shipping.

Which was nice because it's kind of shitty. The books aren't ones I'd ever pick up in a store, the bag was lame because I didn't read that book and I donated it, and the Dr. Who wooden pin is going to be shipped to my friend who really likes Dr. Who (it's coming, Kim- I SWEAR). Overall I was pretty disappointed and the books are just on the shelf.

The very next day I got my February box from The Bookworm Box. You know I've been on the fence about this box since the start, and here I am, legs dangling over the fence, ready to jump off.

I have to say that the books look promising, and they have always been on point. The swag in this box is absolutely terrible and it makes me angry to essentially throw away all of the bookmarks and postcards each month. Oh, and the highlighter that doesn't work? Yeah, that was awesome.

I actually forgot to cancel my Owlcrate for March because for whatever reason, at age 34 I cannot wrap my head around the fact that February is the shortest month and it screws me up. So that arrived and I didn't hate it.

I'm not sure how I feel about the book because I haven't gotten a chance to read it yet, but the swag this month was GREAT. I love the banned books socks, the cool little buttons, the feather pen (that writes SO WELL), and the bonus mini book 642 Tiny Things to Write About is next to my laptop and I hope to use that as blog inspiration. So I'm kind of happy that I didn't cancel because I would have been bummed to miss this stuff.

The Bookworm Box has switched how they mail our boxes out so apparently we don't get any kind of shipping notification this is coming, which is frustrating since this box is notorious for being really late. So imagine my surprise when this showed up to my house on Tuesday.

I hate to be a bitch about a box that donates the proceeds to charity. I hate to be that person because I love charities and helping causes out.

BUT.

This box is almost $50 a month for me after shipping. And when you break down the value of your almost $50 to what you're getting, it's not even close. Every other book box out there you know that for your $30-40 a month you are getting well over that in stuff in your box. That's the fun little perk. The best part about The Bookworm Box is that you get two books every month versus one so that makes you feel like you're really getting something.

So yesterday, after throwing away a sticker, a weird cleaning cloth thing, a rubber bracelet, yet ANOTHER FUCKING PEN, and a pile of bookmarks and promotional materials, I'm left with two books. That's it. For almost $50. I decided to look on Amazon to see how screwed I'm really getting, because that always makes you feel better, doesn't it? Well Thizz is actually free on Kindle (if you have the unlimited, but $1.99 if not) but $11.99 for the paperback and One Pink Line is $9.99 for paperback, otherwise $3.99 for Kindle. Oh, but you can also buy One Pink Line for $1.02 used on Amazon if you aren't picky.

So at best, my books brand new cost what, $22? So over half of my money is literally being flushed down the toilet. Every month. And that's really disgusting to me because the idea of this box is genuinely good and I want to support it. It's just that they aren't really selling it. I certainly can't be the only customer feeling like we're being ripped off.

Which led me to finally cancel my subscription to The Bookworm Box. Which really sucks because it was my first, it was the one I was the most excited about, but jesus it really sucks. It has really become an awful waste of money. I'll keep my eye out and maybe if enough people complain it'll get better. I get that everything that goes into the box is donated by authors and whoever works for them to promote their stuff, I get that. But how is it that every other box is out there making a profit and still mailing out phenomenal boxes? It's like The Bookworm Box needs someone who is 100% dedicated to making this great versus an author who does this on the side while trying to write and promote her own stuff.

Owlcrate: Magic

Yikes- I am so behind in updating you on my subscription boxes! If it makes you feel any better, I haven't read any of the books in my Owlcrate or Bookworm Box yet, but I wanted to share with you what I got anyways.

The theme for January 2016 Owlcrate box was MAGIC. Now, I knew that could mean a whole bunch of themes but we were given the spoilers that we'd have a Harry Potter themed item AND a Funko figurine, which are kind of *the* thing to have now. So when my box came I was pretty excited!

I only took one kind of terrible photo (sorry) but you get the idea of what we received:

• A Harry Potter Funko character. They sent out five different characters, but everyone I know (including me) ended up with Dumbledore. Which... whomp whomp. I was hoping for Snape but hey- that's how it rolls. So Dumbledore is hanging out on my bookshelf. 
• We also got a second Harry Potter item, a Patronus Lip Balm from Geek Fire Labs. It's a mint and white chocolate scent, which I admittedly have not opened yet because white chocolate scent usually triggers a migraine so we'll see. But it's a cute little chapstick. 
• Evie Bookish created two super cool art pieces for us in this box. First is a book mark based off of Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven Cycle (I love that author, LOVE HER) so that's pretty cool. Secondly we got an art print insired by Sarah J. Mass' Throne of Glass, which I haven't read but I love this piece. 
• Lastly the book we got was Worlds of Ink and Shadow by Lena Coakley. I wanted to start this the weekend I got my box but then I looked at my calendar and realized I have a LOT of review books I need to be working on. So this pretty will have to sit on the shelf a bit longer. We also got an exclusive letter from the author (which I've been storing in the inside cover of my book) and a paper doll kit. Which, if we're being honest- I threw out because who has time for that shit? I certainly don't. 

I have to tell you, Owlcrate is easily one of the most reliably great book subscription boxes currently out there. The books are always new releases, most of the time they are hotly anticipated new releases and the items you get are super fun and unique. If you are looking to try Owlcrate, head over HERE and sign up, even just for one month. If you don't like it, cancel by the first and you're done. It's a box of happy mail every month- who couldn't use that?! 

Owlcrate: Get Inspired Box

I know I'm late in posting this and I'm sorry. The fact that I even am getting around to it is a big deal. Like, I don't think I took pictures of my last Bookworm Box, so don't expect that post. Unless I saved them somewhere weird, but I don't think I did. *sigh*

I'll get it together eventually, folks.

But this month for Owlcrate the theme was "Get Inspired", which got me excited because if there is anything I need in my life right now, it's to be inspired to do anything.

So here's a quick peak of the box contents, and remember, this box costs $29.99 plus shipping and handling. The contents included:

• One of two reading journals from both Penguin and Chronicle Books. I don't know which company mine came from but it's a small notebook with elastic closure that will easily fit into my purse. My plan is to use it as books I want to read and take it with me when I go shopping and I can flip through the pages to see what I want to read. 
• A soy candle from Frostbeard Studio, along with a 15% off our first order. I didn't love the candle and actually gave it to someone else because it was a mix of coffee and chocolate. I pretty much hate coffee anything. The only scents I can really tolerate without getting a migraine are fruity, citrus scents and then cinnamon. Everything else is blech. 
• We got the COOLEST to-do list notepad from Boy Girl Party. I absolutely love writing out to-do lists and these have a reading octopus on them. Pretty awesome. 
• We also got a little magnet from Sandra Vargas, which is on my fridge. 

Here's a better picture of the reading journal and notepad. Super cute!

Then of course, the point of the box, is the book. The book this month is Da Vinci's Tiger by L.M. Elliott. The quick description reads as, "This historical fiction novel takes place during the Renaissance, and follows our heroine as she discovers a world of artists, philosophers, and other creatives. When she meets a young Leonardo da Vinci her life changes forever as she learns about her inner desires and creative voice." So, not something I would normally pick up, but I'll probably get to it later this spring, if we're being honest. I have a LOT of review books in my pile right now so it might be awhile until I get to this, but my sister in law is reading it so we'll see what she says about it. The book also came with it's own magnet set so you can make your own poetry. Which is also on the fridge and Olivia is mostly playing with.

Overall? I love this subscription box. I feel like for the $35 I pay after shipping and handling, I am getting my money's worth, easily. The theme for January is "Magic" and the teasers keep saying if you like Harry Potter, you are going to love this box so I am so excited for it!

A Madness So Discreet

I can't even remember what month I got this in my OwlCrate box, but I am so annoyed with myself that I didn't break into it right away. Absolutely stellar book.

A Madness So Discreet - Mindy McGinnis

Grace Mae knows madness.

She keeps it locked away, along with her voice, trapped deep inside a brilliant mind that cannot forget horrific family secrets. Those secrets, along with the bulge in her belly, land her in a Boston insane asylum.

When her voice returns in a burst of violence, Grace is banished to the dark cellars, where her mind is discovered by a visiting doctor who dabbles in the new study of criminal psychology. With her keen eyes and sharp memory, Grace will make the perfect assistant at crime scenes. Escaping from Boston to the safety of an ethical Ohio asylum, Grace finds friendship and hope, hints of a life she should have had. But gruesome nights bring Grace and the doctor into the circle of a killer who stalks young women. Grace, continuing to operate under the cloak of madness, must hunt a murderer while she confronts the demons in her own past.

In this beautifully twisted historical thriller, Mindy McGinnis, acclaimed author of Not a Drop to Drink and In a Handful of Dust, explores the fine line between sanity and insanity, good and evil—and the madness that exists in all of us.

The book takes place in 1890 in Boston, and we begin in an insane asylum. Quickly it's obvious that while some of the people in the asylum are there for legitimate mental illnesses, but most of them are there for things that are easily absurd. The story centers around Grace, who finds herself in the asylum, and we can infer from other people's observations about her that she comes from a seemingly wealthy family, and presumably one with a high social status because she's to be treated better (kind of) than other patients. Grace is also pregnant, which is what lands her in the asylum- to be pregnant out of wedlock with a bastard child in 1890 goes against every social and moral standard, so she's to spend her pregnancy locked up. Her baby already promised to a caregiver in Grace's ward, and her future uncertain.

Grace has taken to not speaking because the road that's she been on to get to this point is pretty horrible (which we find out more about who the father of her child is later on). There is a point in the story where, after being sexually propositioned basically, Grace loses it and stabs a man with a fork. That sends her to essentially one of the worst "treatments" I have ever read and the ending result of the treatment hardens Grace in a way that we all see coming but man... it's so hard to read. So hard.

Anyways.

So then she finds her non-compliant self down in what is basically a dungeon basement and she "meets" a pillar of support, Falsteed. Falsteed warns her of Dr. Thornhollow, who performs "procedures" on the worst, non compliant patients and it leaves them quiet and docile. Grace longs for this because she just wants to not remember her past, the traumas she's been through, and her losses. After meeting Dr. Thornhollow, she is interested in his work and he finds her interesting and peculiar and from there they hatch a plan to rescue Grace from her current asylum and she would assist him on his study of serial killers.

Fast forward and Grace finds herself in a much better asylum in Ohio, where she meets a group of friends who are kind to her and she finds this a much nicer living arrangement than in Boston. She goes on "adventures" with Dr. Thornhollow and they become friends though some suspect them of more. The second half of the book is like a beginning look at the study of serial killers, like profiling 101 if you will. We also learn about vengeance and how maybe the justice you want isn't always the best.

Some notes about the book:

• I want SO much to talk about the relationship between Grace and Dr. Thornhollow but everyone will think it's a spoiler but ugh... I want so much more. SO MUCH. 
• When Grace is in Ohio, she has a friend who is in the asylum because she suffers from small pox. It had been awhile since I looked up small pox and holy hell- don't do it, friends. DON'T DO IT. Especially during lunch. 
• One of my favorite passages in this book which made me burst out laughing is on page 201 and reads, "Grace's throat itched to join them, but it was not only subterfuge that kept her mouth firmly shut. Emotions had welled close to the surface, and she thought her heart had never felt so full as it did standing next to the defiled grave of a whore while lunatics sang the national anthem." Just the visual of this? I felt like I shouldn't laugh but I really couldn't help it. 

Overall? This book is absolutely stunning. It's a beautifully written, absolutely horrifying, amazing book. It starts out as a punch to your gut and you are immediately filled with an immense sadness for not only Grace but the general treatment of mentally ill people but also people who were locked up for petty reasons, and you don't know if you are going to make it to the end. But it's like a slow break in the clouds as you read this book and you are left feeling hopeful for not just Grace but for the rest of the cast of characters. 

You can find a copy of A Madness So Discreet on Amazon but also on Barnes & Noble. It would be a great thing to purchase with a Christmas gift card! 

Owlcrate: Myths & Legends

Hello! So today we're going to talk about what is... my third Owlcrate box? I'm pretty sure it's my third. The theme for this month was "Myths & Legends" and somehow I had missed that announcement in all of their posts on Instagram and Facebook.

But what is super cool is they now have a referral program, so once three people join Owlcrate with my referral link (THIS ONE RIGHT HERE) I can get a free box. So if you were ever on the fence about this, totally do it now. ALSO, if you join now, use the code NEWMEMBER and you get 10% off your first box. Totally cool promotion for you to see if you love it and you're helping me out at the same time. The theme for December is "Get Inspired", so that sounds pretty darn exciting.

*fist bump, lambs*

So let's talk about the nightmare it was to get my box this time. It comes 3 day priority mail, so that's pretty amazing, once you get your tracking information, your box comes quick! Unless you have a moron mail carrier like I do, who delivers your package to the wrong place. The tracking told me it was delivered. It most certainly wasn't. I call, they have no idea where it is. Turns out, he delivered it to the college campus dorms over two miles away. The address is no way similar. Who even knows what he was drinking in the morning. But finally! I got my box.

 Hello, you beautiful box of happy.

We got Richelle Mead's new book Soundless and while Richelle's other books are so great and every other book I have ever gotten from Owlcrate has been absolutely amazing.. I'm a little worried. Right away anything with Chinese lore usually bores the hell out of me, but I'm going to give it a try because I am a fan of the author.

Also in our box was a really gorgeous castle locket from The Geeky Cauldron- it's a pretty stunning piece, actually. We got a bracelet from The Colorful Geek, which I don't have pictured because I threw it away, it was one of those rubber ones everyone uses to fundraise for a cause and I don't like them. We also got a mermaid pocket mirror from My Clockwork Castle. The large box is fairytale tea from Adagio Teas. Now, I can't stand tea. I don't drink tea (or coffee) so this is going in someone's Christmas bag of goodies for me. We also got coupon codes for The Geeky Cauldron and The Colorful Geek, which is kind of nice because I know a few people who would like a few things on each website for the holidays.

Overall, not my most favorite box but I'm certainly in the minority because others are raving about it. I will tell you that my other boxes have been AMAZING and Owlcrate is still my favorite box for value and what you get for that price ($29.99 plus shipping). You can gift a box as well, if you have a reader friend that would love this kind of thing, and in the words of Eddie Griswold (if you don't know who that is, you are dead to me), "That's the gift that keeps on giving, Clark!".

Owl Crate Spooky Box!

Of all of the book subscription boxes I'm in on (three, no shame lambs, no shame), this is maybe my favorite?

The theme for October was "Spooky" and it had all kinds of fun things!

First and foremost, we got A Madness So Discreet  by Mindy McGinnis. My inner nerd loves that the books come wrapped in plastic. I don't know why I love that, but I do. The book is getting amazing reviews and I had been eyeing it up so I'm happy to have gotten it. The quick and dirty is that it's about insane asylums. Along with it, we got a letter from the author about the book and a mini poster.

Also, we got some sugar skull erasers, not sure what I'm doing with those but they look pretty. The only weird "why do I want this" item was scented beads with a vampire scent. It's from Adventure Scents and I'm not a fan of scenty things gifted to me because I'm pretty sensitive and weird things will trigger a migraine so these are going to someone else.

We also got an Edgar Allen Poe canvas bag. I'm actually going to use this in my purse to hold all of the chapsticks I feel I need. (Seriously, I probably have 12 in there right now).

Overall? Very cool little box. I'm so excited about the book- watch for a review on that one eventually!

OwlCrate #1

Don't even tell me I am out of control with the book subscription boxes. (I'm looking at you, Shirley) because these have become the greatest part of my month. Honestly, I wish they were all spread out over the month so my absolute joy is not limited to the last week of the month. The high is over before I know it, lambs.

This month the theme for OwlCrate was "leading ladies" so I thought, OK- this really could go anywhere.

I have obsessively stalked their Instagram page and when they said they had openings (I was on a wait list), I jumped on it!

FINALLY, the box came. And it was... it was so great.

I got.. what is obviously going to be my "I'm too good for a traditional diaper bag" diaper bag- it says "The Brave and Fearless- Dauntless" and really, that's kind of a great parenting motto. We got a cool Game of Thrones key chain, $5 off at Whoviandrea.com (which, I don't know what that is, but here's hoping I can find something cool?) a couple of post card type things I'm actually going to frame and have on my bookshelves because I like fun things on my shelves.

A close up of my keychain!

The book in this box came WRAPPED IN PLASTIC, which was... for a book nerd, it's exciting. But we get the book Dumplin, which is a YA book (OwlCrate is a YA box) and it looks so good. We got a sticker and letter from the author to go with it, always fun!

After unwrapping my box and then fangirling on the Instagram page for OwlCrate, I discovered I didn't have a necklace everyone else had. I then dug through my garbage thinking maybe I threw it out in the packing material or something. OF COURSE, we had spaghetti for dinner that night so I'm digging through the spaghetti trash looking and after 15 minutes decided that it just wasn't there.

So I comment on their post and immediately they tell me to email them. So I do and they have the GREATEST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER. No questions, just an apology and a tracking number for a new necklace.

No, I am not kidding. I was blown away and that alone keeps me for another month.

I got my necklace a few days later and it is gorgeous!!! It's a total shout out to Katniss from The Hunger Games and I am in love. It's, quite possibly, my favorite necklace. So if you are looking for a book subscription box.. this might be the one for you. It's a solid box of fun stuff, so I highly recommend it!