OwlCrate September 2015 “Leading Ladies” Book Subscription Review

OwlCrate is one of the top YA book subscriptions available. I think they do a great job with book choices and have excellent taste when it comes to bookish goodies. I really enjoy reading and it’s something I do every day. I love the YA genre and I think some YA books are better than a large portion of the adult books out there. But part of that is because I really, really enjoy Fantasy/Adventure, etc. I read for fun, to get away from my own world and immerse myself in someone elses.

I think OwlCrate would be a great idea as a gift for an older teen and for yourself if you’re looking to add to your physical library. I have to admit that my Kindle has really taken over my life when it comes to books. I have shelf after shelf of books that I’ve read and re-read, laughed and cried over. Some are so old they’re falling apart and when I look at them I can remember the time of my life when I first read it. That’s the fun part of physical books. You can’t do that on a Kindle but the convenience can’t be denied.

The Cost: $36.98/month to the US (OwlCrate also ships within Canada and Internationally).

What You Get: Every single crate comes equipped with a top notch, newly released YA novel alone with lots of goodies geared towards bookworms. Goodies consist of jewelry, bookmarks, stickers, prints, toys, accessories, and all sorts of wonderful randomness!

Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy– I have never heard of this book or author but I’m excited to dig in. I love female protagonists. I don’t know much about pageants but this should be interesting.

From Amazon:

“Dubbed “Dumplin’” by her former beauty queen mom, Willowdean has always been at home in her own skin. Her thoughts on having the ultimate bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. With her all-American-beauty best friend, Ellen, by her side, things have always worked . . .  until Will takes a job at Harpy’s, the local fast-food joint. There she meets Private School Bo, a hot former jock. Will isn’t surprised to find herself attracted to Bo. But she is surprised when he seems to like her back.

Instead of finding new heights of self-assurance in her relationship with Bo, Will starts to doubt herself. So she sets out to take back her confidence by doing the most horrifying thing she can imagine: entering the Miss Teen Blue Bonnet Pageant—along with several other unlikely candidates—to show the world that she deserves to be up there as much as any twiggy girl does. Along the way, she’ll shock the hell out of Clover City—and maybe herself most of all.Whoviandrea Divergent-inspired Tote Bag– Totes seem to be de rigueur for book boxes. I’m getting quite a collection. I don’t mind though because I live in a city that banned plastic bags and you have to pay if you want a paper one. Sure, I love the planet but ugh, what an awful rule. Especially for people who are passing through and don’t realize it. It does mean that I have a large (and growing) collection of tote bags.
Also, totally check out Whoviandrea because they have some cute stuff. I want the pillow that says “Why sleep when you can Read?”
Value: $17.50

Hermione Photo Print by Megan Lar– I put the photo in a frame for this picture. It’s printed on photo paper and I love it. It’s going somewhere prominent. I just have to figure out where. You can get a much bigger print for $8 if you want one, she’s selling them on DeviantArt.
Value: $4

Funko Pop! Pocket Keychain Game of Thrones Daenerys Targaryen– I had to rescue this from the jaws of my dog. I have no idea why he wanted to nom Daenerys so much but I am so glad I noticed what he was doing before he ruined her! The box is toast however. Well, I suppose Daenerys is a leading lady and shes definitely full of personality but… she’s not really my favorite person. However, I say that not having ever watched the show and only having read the first three GoT books. Which I quit reading because they were so so so depressing and I was tired of crying when people and animals died. Things never got better! And I get really emotionally invested in my reading material so I had to stop.
Value: $8.99

Crystal Compass Arrow Necklace– This is a bronze arrow almost two inches in length with a 16″ chain. It’s pretty

VERDICT: If you’re looking to save some money but still discover new books, you should definitely subscribe to the OwlCrate newsletter and follow them on your favorite form of social media. That way you’ll see what they’ve been choosing each month and you can purchase the book yourself or get it from the library.
However, doing it that way means you miss out on the fun collectibles. OwlCrate really excels in curating the bookish goodies, I have to admit. I think they might be the best. The other box I like is Uppercase box. They’re both pricey (in my opinion) but their book selections are great. Sign up for both their newsletters and get double the book recs!

If you would like to sign up for OwlCrate, guess what!? They are moving everyone off the waitlist for next month. Which means you probably won’t have to wait! They charge on the first of the month. The September box is sold out so you’ll be in for the October one, if all goes smoothly.