PageHabit Book Subscription Box

In November I entered the THANKSgiveaway contest from PageHabit, a book subscription service (thanks NetGalley for the heads up/email!), thinking it was going to be just another contest I wasn’t going to win (looking at you, Goodreads). But, and you can tell from the existence of this very post, I received an email from PageHabit that said because one of the 500 winners did not claim their prize, a spot was open for me. Now that I’ve received the box – you may have seen it on my Insta story – and have had time to go through all the goodies, I’m going to share the items and my thoughts on this service with you (this is not a sponsored post).

PageHabit caters to just about every book lover. The hardest part about using their service is choosing which box to order (you can order more than one). From Literary Fiction and Young Adult Fiction to Mystery, Fantasy, Romance, Historical Fiction and more, it is likely you will find a box that satisfies your interests. Did I mention the books are new releases, AND annotated by the authors? But wait, there’s more! When you purchase a quarterly or monthly PageHabit box, PH makes a donation in support of children’s literacy around the world. Each month they partner with a different organization to “help get books into the hands of children everywhere.”

As a winner of the contest, I was eligible for free shipping and a new release hardcover with the purchase of a box. The total cost was $29.99, and it was well worth it. Here is what came in the box:

November donation: Liberia. “For the month of November, 2017, PageHabit has chosen to work alongside Books for Africa and the Saclepea-Mah Development Association (SAMDA) to donate books to Liberia.” Please click those links to learn more, and consider donating and/or getting more involved.

PageHabit Tote. How did they know I needed another bookish canvas tote? This one is quite charming. And while I like PH, I appreciate that they didn’t plaster their brand name all over the place. In case you can’t see it in the image, that girl is headed to the PH Library. Pretty clever.

Bookmark Magnifier. I love a good bookmark, and this one is terrific. First of all, it is sturdy, it has a decorative red ribbon attached, and its 3x magnification Fresnel Lens makes me feel like a regal academic with a child’s spirit (the bookmark is only 5″ long).

Light Box Keychain. This little accessory lights up and spreads messages of love, spite, humor, wisdom, or whatever else I may feel like portraying with the included sticker letters.

PageHabit Bookmark. This is a “standard” bookmark. It has a magnet-like heft and colorful imagery, as well as a quote by science fiction and fantasy author Diane Duane: “Reading one book is like eating one potato chip.” Superb. I also want to say that the size of this bookmark is just about perfect. At 6″ long, it will fit in tall books and short books without getting lost or sticking out from both ends of the book.

The Magician and the Maid and Other Stories by Christie Yant.
This short story – yes, just one, it seems, despite the title – was commissioned from Great Jones Street Press, which “publishes short fiction for the mobile lifestyle.”
They publish exclusively on their app, which is full of stories from the science fiction, crime, mystery, erotica, fantasy, lit, and horror genres. It’s free to login and to register, and when you’re in you can share stories, chat with writers and GJSP people, and purchase short stories ($0.99). If you would like to try it out first before purchasing anything, you can check out their Facebook or homepage for a free story. I’m new to the app so I can’t say much more, but I’m excited to utilize it.

Infinite Ground by Martin MacInnes. This is the free book I received with my purchase of the PageHabit box. A debut novel and winner of The Somerset Maugham Award it is a work of fiction that mixes mystery and psychological thrill. Also, the book itself (under the jacket) is my favorite shade of green.

The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty. We have reached the PageHabit November selection for the fantasy box. I have been seeing this recently published novel e v e r y w h e r e (it’s even a December choice for The Book of the Month Club!). The book is as hot as the imagery on the cover, and I have an edition annotated by the author. Ooh, I have goosebumps. Anyway, if you are not familiar with this book, it takes place in eighteenth-century Cairo, and follows Nahri, a palm reader, healer, and powerful woman who accidentally summons a dark warrior during a con. This warrior tells Dara of a legendary city of brass full of magic and resentments, “to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.” This is a debut novel, the first in a trilogy, and I have an edition annotated by the author. Okay, that was my second-to-last brag.

A note from S. A. Chakraborty. Yes, handwritten to me [and other subscribers who chose this box]. It’s just so delightful when you can hear the passion in an author’s writing outside of their novel.

So that sums up my PageHabit box contents. I have to say I was pretty excited to get this book mail, and pretty happy with all of the extras inside. If you’re thinking about signing up for a book box subscription, or want to give someone a special gift, I highly recommend this service. Plus, PH gives back (and by doing so, spreads the word about special causes and organizations related to children’s literacy), which is always a plus.

[If you get a PageHabit box, make sure to share your unboxing on social media and use the #mypagehabit tag – PH will donate an additional book to a child in need if you do. And to see these photos in full, head over to my Instagram.]