Skip to main content

Box Tales

gift box with string tying it together and a tag hanging from where the strings connect

In seeing the proliferation of book boxes that are available online and in sharing about The Baby-Sitters Collectors Club subscription that I had as a child on Instagram, it made me wonder if some of the popularity of these boxes may be harkening back to childhood when we used to receive letters and packages from pen pals. You know, the items other than bills and the junk mail that seems to be so prevalent now. Even after a while, the packages that arrive from online shopping tend to be associated with stress (at least for me), where I am wondering if anything has been damaged inside, whether it'll arrive in time, or any other thoughts that I definitely didn't have when this service wasn't as readily available.

Part of it is that I wonder if I've become so blasé about receiving things that the joy and wonder have been taken out. At the end of the day, there really isn't much mystery involved when I know that I'm receiving a certain something, and I—unfortunately—act with more expectation than I do with gratitude. Thinking back a few decades, I remember how marvelous it felt to receive my first books in the mail; now, it feels like such a commonplace occurrence that I usually think about how deliveries affect my schedule instead of what I'm actually getting. This makes me thankful that the act of unboxing is alive and well, where it is such a nice experience to see others' excitement rubbing off on others.

I've also been pondering the element of surprise and whether that influences the amount of anticipation we have in opening such packages. It's probably for this reason that I've been tempted to sign up for a book box subscription, mostly for the sheer delight of feeling like others are picking out gifts for me. At the same time, this has likely kept me from signing up as I fear that I'll receive something I won't want or something I already have. I've probably flip-flopped on this where on the one hand, it would be nice to know what I'm getting so that I can prepare for it. On the other, there's something to be said about not having a clue about anything when opening up a package.

With that in mind, I have been considering what would entice me to sign up for a book box subscription (providing that shipping to Canada isn't so outrageous that it's the same cost as the subscription!). I'd probably want to enjoy the following things:

  • Curated or vetted Christian books
  • If it's fictional, the option to omit genres that I wouldn't read
  • If it's non-fictional, the option to omit certain topics or authors
  • Book paraphernalia that is useful (although I do already have a lot of bookmarks 😄)
  • The option to skip a month or two
  • The option to pick themed book boxes where everything in the box is connected to each other (there are some immersive options that I've seen!), such as for the holidays or if the book is about a particular topic
  • Products that support local businesses rather than mass-produced items
  • If food is involved, a way to avoid allergens
  • Fun and simple things, like handwritten notes, behind the scenes information, and more - nothing too expensive or difficult to procure
I didn't think I'd be that picky, but I suppose I am based on this list 😂 I'm also the type where I prefer to get books on sale where possible, so I have to admit that the overall price of these subscriptions has also kept me away. It's still something I'd consider under the right circumstances, especially if I know that I'm helping a small business, but it might be a while yet—we shall see!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Review: The Pursuit of Character

Classical education has always appealed to me in that reasoning and fruitful living that contributes to society are meant to be admirable and achievable goals. Reflecting a world where cardinal virtues are esteemed, I love that The Pursuit of Character by Matthew Arbo arrives at this vision from a Christian perspective, providing a compelling case for why Christians need to recover this framework and way of life. Many thanks to Baker Books for providing a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. Book Synopsis What does it mean to live a good life? Know what makes for a good life Pursue character and meaning Recover the virtues that have guided Christians before us In today's fragmented world, we are encouraged to define for ourselves what is good. But this inevitably fails to satisfy. In The Pursuit of Character , Matthew Arbo argues that we can learn how to live a good life by recovering the virtues that have guided Christians before us....
Post a Comment
Read more

More Than Books

I have to give credit to Joomi Kim, a secular BookTuber, for first alerting me to one of her challenges with contemporary novels (see timestamp starting at 22:25 ) where she notes that many of the books she has read are about authors or those in academia. While I found her entire video to be thought-provoking regarding contemporary literature, I seldom read enough secular books to be able to comment on them as a whole, so this isn't a commentary on what she has presented. The secular books I read are ones that usually serve a cultural purpose or are interesting enough for me to pick up, which is more rare when my TBR of Christian books keeps expanding. I've also chosen not to focus on those books on my blog or social media; although I try to keep up-to-date with broad trends on my own time, I'm not well-versed enough to add my perspective to that discussion on here. Rather, this is a springboard into the one point that she raised about authors writing what they know. It see...
Post a Comment
Read more

Christian Book Review Programs

Over time, I've been on the hunt for Christian book review programs that readers can join. As a result, I've been able to compile the following list which may be of interest if you are seeking review copies of Christian books. This list mostly applies to print and ebooks, although some publishers offer audiobooks as well. If further information is available for any of the publishers below (or any missing publishers), please let me know as I am happy to update this list—thank you! Please note that you can also search for these publishers on NetGalley and other review sites in case there are no review programs available or you don't qualify for one 😊 List last updated: June 4, 2026 Christian Publishers 10ofThose Availability: US, Canada, and UK residents Format: Only books published by 10ofThose qualify for review requests so as to avoid impeding with other Christian book review programs Genre: Christian non-fiction, children's books Email for availability and eligibilit...
10 comments
Read more