A Book Box Delivery

In September I received my first ever book subscription box. A book subscription box is basically a box delivered to your door, like most internet shopping, where the main content is one or more books along with paraphernalia and bookish goodies and maybe a candle.

I chose the My Bookish Crate box and received it in September 2016 – the theme of the month was Harry Potter House Pride, and since I consider myself to be a Ravenclaw, I chose the blue box. I was waiting anxiously as I was incredibly excited to see what wonders this box would bring me.

When I finally received it, I was thrilled with the thought of all the Ravenclaw stuff I was about to unpack, but I was slightly disappointed to find out just how little Ravenclaw was actually in the box. Nevermind that I thought, it is just a theme after all, and there were some cool things with it.

The contents were:

• Harry Potter and the cursed child, the British hardback edition
• A tote bag with a unique Ravenclaw design by @tjlubrano
• A little Dobby mini Funko Pop
• A scented candle
• An acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, with my name on it
• A picture with a quote by Luna Lovegood
• A little cut-out of the Ravenclaw crest (which I now use as a bookmark)

All in all I was pleased to see so many House themed objects. But to be completely honest, I have no use for a card with a quote on it, as I don’t use such things for decorative purposes, and so I’ve featured it a couple of times on my Instagram account instead. It’s a nice quote and all but it felt like filling to me. The cut-out of the crest is at least useful as a bookmark, but the quality of the print was lacking and not really a gorgeous end-product, it would have been nice to have the image be clearer as the pixels are quite visible, and that’s a shame, also for the artist behind it. The same goes for the acceptance letter, that seemed to have been made fairly simple, on a computer and with a few minor errors. Seeing as the box was a bit delayed, this should have been avoided – it was of course, wonderfully thoughtful and nice to include it but I had expected a little bit more when you know the box will include a ‘personal item’ – the price didn’t match the effort for me in this matter.

The book was in really good shape when it arrived – they know how to package things, that’s for sure!

The tote bag with the Ravenclaw baby-animal on it is nice – good quality, great size and the print is so cute and printed in a good quality as well, so it’s very clear and easy to see. Thumbs up, I use it frequently and I feel a bit special as I know they were for this box only, which means that only those who purchased the Ravenclaw box, will have one similar to mine.

The Funko Pop and the scented candle, I’m guessing, are the other two more expensive items included, apart from the book itself. The Funko Pop figurine was a surprise and was randomized throughout boxes – I got Dobby, which I’m okay with because I like the character. It is my first (and only) figurine of such, and I intend to keep it, although I really have no idea what to do with it, except I’ve included it in some of my Instagram photos that include books. Hence why it felt very “teenage” to me, as I haven’t collected things like that and I suspect the younger audience would have appreciated it more. I just didn’t need it. The candle smells nice, if you’re into scented candles, and it’s even blue and had glitter on top of it when I first opened it. I like candles that give off a pleasant smell, and it’s being used frequently – although it doesn’t exactly smell like I imagine the Ravenclaw Tower to smell like, but that’s up for interpretation really.

All in all, it was a fun experience, and I really liked the box and the contents, but next time I’m buying such a box, I might go for one with a different set of contents that are more targeted towards adults – without funko pops and other such decorative stuff. Maybe just some good tea, more than 1 book, a pretty bookmark or 2, some book-paraphernalia like a piece of jewelry or a scarf/bow and a facial mask. That might be more my thing.

I recommend trying a subscription box if you are into surprising yourself with a gift in the mail, but make sure the contents in general are up your alley, as you don’t want to pay for things you don’t need/want – I was happy with My Bookish Crate overall, as they were good at keeping contact and establishing trust with me as a buyer. So thumbs up for good service!

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