Unboxing The Book Drop

Looky looky what arrived in my mail box today….

 

That, my friend, is The Book Drop YA Box. It’s a subscription book box run by the folks at Bethany Beach Books. They also have a box for children, and two different boxes for adults. Here’s what they have to say about The Book Drop:

Our mission is to spread the love of reading by exposing people to really amazing books. We all have busy lives and unless you are surrounded by books all  day (like us lucky folk), it’s a bit overwhelming to pick out one REALLY  good book when there are so many options. That’s what we are here  for… to pick out the best of the best and mail them your way, to be dropped on your doorstep or mailbox.

We understand that you can get a better deal on that site-that-shall-not-be-named, but this box isn’t about getting the cheapest price, it’s about having a small independent bookstore hand-select the perfect book and sending it your way once a month. It’s about helping people discover fantastic reads and putting marvelous books into the hands of readers, books they probably would never have discovered  otherwise. If you’re looking for the cheapest box or the cheapest book,  then this box isn’t for you… we don’t deal in cheap, we deal in fantastic, fabulous, & marvelous books.

The Book Drop is a subscription for those who would choose a local indie bookstore over Barnes & Noble. It’s for readers who love to hunt for a hidden gem in the stacks, but may not have the time to do so. That’s what The Book Drop is for–to seek out those fantastic reads that are flying under the radar, and deliver them straight to your mailbox. If you want more information on who they are, and how they select their books, look here. Now for the unboxing!

Upon opening the box, I was greeted with a gorgeous, brand-new paperback. This month’s selection is Girl Out of Water by Laura Silverman. Here’s the synopsis:

Anise Sawyer plans to spend every minute of summer with her friends: surfing, chowing down on fish tacos drizzled with wasabi balsamic vinegar, and throwing bonfires that blaze until dawn. But when a serious car wreck leaves her aunt, a single mother of three, with two broken legs, it forces Anise to say goodbye for the first time to Santa Cruz, the waves, her friends, and even a kindling romance, and fly with her dad to Nebraska for the entire summer. Living in Nebraska isn’t easy. Anise spends her days caring for her three younger cousins in the childhood home of her runaway mom, a wild figure who’s been flickering in and out of her life since birth, appearing for weeks at a time and then disappearing again for months, or even years, without a word.

Complicating matters is Lincoln, a one-armed, charismatic skater who pushes Anise to trade her surfboard for a skateboard. As Anise draws closer to Lincoln and takes on the full burden and joy of her cousins, she loses touch with her friends back home – leading her to one terrifying question: will she turn out just like her mom and spend her life leaving behind the ones she loves?

I can’t wait to dive into this book. It looks like the perfect book to take with me to the pool. Or maybe the beach.

I pulled the book out, and underneath was tucked a small pamphlet with tons of suggestions for books to read over the summer. All of the recommendations come with a short endorsement from employees at various indie bookshops around America.

Inside the book was a bookmark, a signature from the employee who packed my box, and a short note from Amanda Zirn, the creator of The Book Drop, talking a little bit about what the book is like. Very nice–I like the personal touches.

 

While this may not be the cheapest book box, and while it may not have the newest releases, it’s definitely still worth considering. What makes this subscription stand out from the rest is its loyalty to hidden gems. The Book Drop is dedicated to promoting books that are worth reading, even if they haven’t made the bestseller list. They actively select books that you could only find in an indie bookstore, or by talking to a fellow book lover. It’s all about the book community, not the book business.

If you’re a fan of unusual authors and independent book stores, then The Book Drop is for you. I highly recommend looking into this one.

 

Cheers!

*A HUGE thanks to Amanda Zirn and the rest of the folks at The Book Drop for sending me a complimentary box to review!*