In 2019, my husband gifted me a subscription to The Strand’s The Book HookUp. We’d visited New York City for the first time the previous Christmas in 2018, stopping in at The Strand bookstore, of course, so it was the perfect gift. What I love about this subscription is that it’s quarterly, so not a huge commitment.

• Boxes ship out in March, June, September, and December.
• The box comes with two books—typically one is a signed currently hyped book and the other is an advanced reader copy.
• It also includes other bookish and local goodies.

Unfortunately, this is my first Book HookUp box of 2021. My box in March never arrived, despite being told by the bookstore that it had shipped. I was bummed because I found out the March boxes contained a signed copy of Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley. So I was excited for my June box and when it didn’t arrive by July either, I figured it might be time to give up on this subscription box. This time it was our error, though. Our credit card expired and my husband forgot to update it. Oops.

Happily, my fall-ish September box arrived and had some items I was very excited about.

Let’s wander in!

My box is a young adult box, but you can choose from a variety of boxes, including fiction, classics, and sci-fi. However, the prices differ for some of the boxes. There’s also a spoiler link on the website where you can see what the main title will be in your next box. I can never resist a peek!

What I found inside:

The Books

(Link to Goodreads synopsis through book title.)

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The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith (Due to Covid-19 restrictions, it included a signed book plate instead of a signed copy of the book). And an advance reader’s copy of Very Bad People by Kit Frick. I’ve read one other book by Kit Frick and I enjoyed it, so I was happy to see this one.

Synopsis:

An instant New York Times bestseller!

The Last Magician meets The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy in this thrilling and atmospheric historical fantasy following a young woman who discovers she has magical powers and is thrust into a battle between witches and wizards.

In 1911 New York City, seventeen-year-old Frances Hallowell spends her days as a seamstress, mourning the mysterious death of her brother months prior. Everything changes when she’s attacked and a man ends up dead at her feet—her scissors in his neck, and she can’t explain how they got there.


Before she can be condemned as a murderess, two cape-wearing nurses arrive to inform her she is deathly ill and ordered to report to Haxahaven Sanitarium. But Frances finds Haxahaven isn’t a sanitarium at all: it’s a school for witches. Within Haxahaven’s glittering walls, Frances finds the sisterhood she craves, but the headmistress warns Frances that magic is dangerous. Frances has no interest in the small, safe magic of her school, and is instead enchanted by Finn, a boy with magic himself who appears in her dreams and tells her he can teach her all she’s been craving to learn, lessons that may bring her closer to discovering what truly happened to her brother.

Frances’s newfound power attracts the attention of the leader of an ancient order who yearns for magical control of Manhattan. And who will stop at nothing to have Frances by his side. Frances must ultimately choose what matters more, justice for her murdered brother and her growing feelings for Finn, or the safety of her city and fellow witches. What price would she pay for power, and what if the truth is more terrible than she ever imagined?

8/31/21

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Synopsis:

In this dark academia young adult thriller for fans of The Female of the Species and People Like Us, a teen girl’s search for answers about her mother’s mysterious death leads to a powerful secret society at her new boarding school—and a dangerous game of revenge that will leave her forever changed. 

Six years ago, Calliope Bolan’s mother drove the family van into a lake with her three daughters inside. The girls escaped, but their mother drowned, and the truth behind the “accident” remains a mystery Calliope is determined to solve. Now sixteen, she transfers to Tipton Academy, the same elite boarding school her mother once attended. Tipton promises a peek into the past and a host of new opportunities—including a coveted invitation to join Haunt and Rail, an exclusive secret society that looms over campus like a legend.

Calliope accepts, stepping into the exhilarating world of the “ghosts,” a society of revolutionaries fighting for social justice. But when Haunt and Rail commits to exposing a dangerous person on campus, it becomes clear that some ghosts define justice differently than others.

As the society’s tactics escalate, Calliope uncovers a possible link between Haunt and Rail and her mother’s deadly crash. Now, she must question what lengths the society might go to in order to see a victory—and if the secret behind her mother’s death could be buried here at Tipton.

4/5/22

A Book Tote

I was excited to see the Modern Witch Tote Bag in my box. It’s perfect for the fall and very nice quality, thick and heavy duty, just the right size to carry.

Munchies

Mustache Munchies “Cheddarish” Crackers

Tea Sample and Coupon Code

Kanchanjangha Noir Nepal Black Tea Bag and a coupon code for more tea.

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Our newest kitty Gansey has been making book pictures challenging. If only I could get him to pose and stay put. 😂
What’s your favorite book subscription box? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!