I have been a paying member of Book of the Month for 9 months and I love it. But is it “worth it” for you?
Why BOTM is Worth It
I enjoy having physical copies of books in my house; it makes me feel calm. Ordering 12 hardcover books a year from BOTM Club currently doesn’t contribute to my house’s clutter. I actually order many more books than what I get from BOTM Club, so the physical accumulation of books isn’t a concern of mine right now.
You pick between 5 books which are normally rather limited in genre and are almost always catered toward women’s interests. If you like just some of the books they select, you can easily skip a month. You can look at past month’s options on their website or on their Instagram.
Different curators each month choose the book and explain why they picked the book they did. They are normally cheaper than buying the hardcover on Amazon so you are always on top of current reading trends. There is a large community of readers that interact with their Instagram so you can find other readers.
It comes with just the book, and a bookmark and no other fluff stuff. Having just 5 books to choose from introduces me to books and genres I wouldn’t normally have chosen before.
Why BOTM Isn’t Worth It
You wouldn’t want to join BOTM if the books aren’t your preferred genre. It’s as simple as that. BOTM is a fun, low-cost substitution service that is great if you like Contemporary Fiction, Memoir and Thriller novels.
BOTM make special copies of the books so they aren’t the same as what you’d order on Amazon. They don’t have the normal binding of the original book and have BOTM logos on both the binding and the paper cover. This is fine except if you want to re-sell.
If you are an avid reader, I think having BOTM would be a great addition to your normal reading. If BOTM isn’t for you, you could follow a book club podcast or sign up for your local library’s email list to get new book listings.