Subscription Box Post: Books That Matter – February 2020

I will be honest: I thought I was ordering Books That Matter’s January box.

Let me back up.

For my birthday, I gifted myself a book subscription box.

I chose Books That Matter, a UK-based feminist subscription box company that sends readers books written by womxn.

What I did not realize:

• I ordered my box too late to receive the January Retold Fairytales box
• Boxes take 2-3 extra weeks to reach US subscribers

The box I ordered at the beginning of the year (January 3rd) for my birthday (January 16th) ended up arriving last Thursday (February 20th.)

Whoops.

In spite of the long wait, I was completely thrilled with my box and wanted to share it with you all.

Books That Matter – February 2020

Theme: Banned Books

I’ve only ever ordered from Owlcrate before, so I expected similar packaging (i.e., sturdy cardboard.)

My Books That Matter box arrived in a mail bag with a slightly flimsy, somewhat squished cardboard box.

Luckily, none of my items were damaged.

The box wasn’t anything like the last Owlcrate box I ordered.

Boxes like Owlcrate and Fairyloot tend to stress me out because of the number of items they contain. As much as I love the included items, I don’t need a new hat, a new mug, and a new keychain any month.

By contrast, I received the following in my Books That Matter box:

• a Banned Books tote bag
• two Banned Books posters
• an embroidery kit
• a bookmark
• a bag of tea
• a paperback copy of The Color Purple

This is the perfect number of items to receive in a subscription box. I’m all for it.

Now to the items.

 

Banned Books tote

I’ve been lugging my laptop around in a slightly-too-small backpack for months.

Now I can carry my laptop in my brand-new TOTE!

This tote fits my laptop, my charging cord, and a paperback, and still fits over my arm!

Also, it looks classy and tells people that I read banned books.

AM I COOL YET?

 

Banned Books posters

I gave one to my friend and kept the other for my bookshelf.

For authenticity’s sake, I took a tally of banned books that I’ve read.

I’ve read at least fourteen.

I’M A REBEL.

 

Embroidery kit

I don’t sew and I hate buying craft supplies.

LUCKILY, this kit comes with thread, backing, a pattern, and a needle! I don’t have to buy anything!

Also, the final result is R A I N B O W. Very on-brand.

 

Bookmark

The bookmark is purple.

It’s the color purple.

GET IT??

 

Tea

This inclusion really underscores the box’s British origin.

I sometimes drink tea while I read, so I found this addition very thoughtful.

And – AND – it was CAFFEINE tea!

Perfect for my emergency stash! (Just kidding, I already drank it.)

 

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Before Thursday, I’d never read The Color Purple before.

I assumed this book was a “slave novel” like Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

It…is not that.

I finished this book in two days and I loved it.

It completely holds up.

Also, I’m loving the UK cover.

This is a new favorite and I’m so glad Books That Matter sent it to me.

Would I order from this company again?

Absolutely.

A single-purchase subscription box runs for 20 GBP/32 USD, which I consider fairly reasonable.

The only downside was the long wait.

I ordered my box at the beginning of January and didn’t receive it for almost two months.

What I got was completely worth it, though.

With these adjusted expectations, I would order another box sometime in the future.

Order from Books That Matter! They are very cool!

I’m keeping their website in my favorites for future consideration.

I’m also contemplating single-purchasing Fairy Loot’s March box (thought this is another UK company, so there’ll be a wait.)

I’ll see if there’s room in the budget.

Happy reading, fam.