The Book of the Month September 2020 selections are here! Decide which of the five books you want to add to your subscription box.
Book of the Month is my favorite subscription box. Every month, I choose between their five book selections, and voila! A blue box arrives at my door carrying one (or two or three) new books for me to read.
This year, I’ve decided to run a monthly Book of the Month post. I’ll highlight the five books chosen each month and let you know my thoughts on the chosen titles.
Even if you don’t have a Book of the Month subscription (yet), I think you’ll find value in looking at a curated list of new releases.
Take a look at the five books this month:
- A mother-daughter immigrant story
- A woman balancing science and faith
- Vigilantism on a Native American reservation
- Nonfiction look at race and caste
- A highly flawed bank robbery
Keep scrolling to see all the details about the Book of the Month September 2020 selections and to find out which one I’m adding to my subscription box.
What is Book of the Month?
Book of the Month is a monthly subscription book service highly popular among the book community. Trust me, once you try it, you’ll be hooked.
How it Works
Each month, a panel of judges chooses five books for you to choose from. The Book of the Month selections cover different genres and are always special edition hardcovers. Often, the chosen books haven’t been published yet, so you get to be one of the first people to read it.
At the beginning of the month, you choose one book to add to your box and shortly thereafter the little blue box arrives at your door. If you aren’t loving any of the selected books, you just skip that month and your credits will just roll over to the next month. On the other hand, if you want more than one book, you can add-on up to two additional books at a discounted rate. These add-ons can be from the current month’s selection or be favorites from previous months.
Pricing
Book of the Month runs two different pricing plans. On the monthly plan, you get one credit a month for $15. If you are willing to pay upfront, the yearly plan gives you 12 credits for $150, which averages out to $12.50 a book. For a hardcover of a new release, both prices are a steal.
Even better, when you include additional books into your box, they are only $10 each!
Book of the Month also offers 3, 6 and 9-month gift cards if you are considering purchasing it as a gift.
For new subscribers, Book of the Month’s homepage almost always has a special offer to get your first book for $10. But I can do you one better. If you are interested in joining, you can use my Book of the Month Club referral link to get your first book for $10!
Bonus Features
But wait, there’s more. Once you’ve chosen your 12th book from Book of the Month, you join the BFF club and get a special Book of the Month tote.
After that, you’ll get a free add-on every year for your birthday month. Plus, when the end of the year rolls around, you get one of the top 5 Book of the Month selections from the year for free. That’s an additional two books each year for no additional cost.
What are you waiting for? Join Book of the Month and get your first book for $10!
September 2020 Book of the Month Selections
The Last Story of Mina Lee
Nancy Jooyoun Kim
Margot Lee has always struggled to understand her mother Mina, a Korean War orphan and undocumented immigrant. After Mina’s suspicious death, Margot begins to dig into the life of her single mother. Contrasting Mina’s first year in Los Angeles with Margot’s present-day discoveries, The Last Story of Mina Lee tells the dramatic mother-and-daughter story of immigrant life in America.
Transcendent Kingdom
Yaa Gyasi
In her fifth year studying neuroscience at Stanford, Gifty is determined to find the cause of suffering, studying depression and addiction in mice. The further she dives into the science, the more her childhood faith seems to call to her. Can faith or science alleviate the suffering she sees in her family of Ghanaian immigrants struggling with depression, addiction, and grief?
Winter Counts
David Heska Wanbli Weiden
On the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota, everyone turns to vigilante Virgil Wounded Horse when the police or tribal council can’t help you. When Virgil’s nephew is framed for drug possession, Virgil and his ex-girlfriend take on the drug cartels that are dumping heroin into the reservation.
Caste
Isabel Wilkerson
When you think of castes, India’s strict caste system likely comes to mind. Isabel Wilkerson argues that America has its own hidden caste system, a hierarchy that has influenced the United States both historically and currently. Using fascinating stories, Wilkerson points out that on top of race and class, our understanding of caste systems must also change if we are to better ourselves as a nation.
Anxious People
Fredrik Backman
After a failed bank robbery, a banker robber on the run accidentally ends up with a room full of hostages at an open house. After letting all of the hostages go, the police storm the apartment, only to find it empty. Now the police must interview the dysfunctional group to figure out what exactly happened. Backman purposely plays on your assumptions and uses an unusual narration style that gives the story an allegorical feel (which I didn’t love).
September’s New Add-Ons
Recently, Book of the Month has started including a few new releases on top of their five monthly selections. Once you have picked your main selection, you can choose to add-on one of these new releases (or any past release) to your box.
September’s New Books:
My Pick
Immediately, The Last Story of Mina Lee got my attention. I love family drama stories, and with the additional element of life as an immigrant in America, I have high hopes this will be a great book to read.
Every month I like to guess which books Book of the Month will choose, and this month I was hoping One by One would be among the selections. With my new-found love of skiing and my appreciation of Ruth Ware’s other books, this seems like the perfect choice for me.
Since I’m a bit book crazy, I always choose three books for my monthly box. I debated about my final choice, but I’ve decided to go with Jennifer Weiner’s Big Summer. It was on the New York Times bestseller list for 11 weeks this summer, so I’m curious to see what I think. Maybe I’ll love it, or maybe it’ll make my next Read This Not That list.
Which of the Book of the Month September 2020 Selections Are You Going to Pick?
What books can you not wait to get your hands on this month? Or are you skipping this month’s selections? As always, let me know in the comments!
More New Book Releases:
