Book of the Month is a subscription box in which members choose up to 5 hardcover books to receive each month.
You can sign up here to get your first book for $5.
This month, Book of the Month (BOTM) chose five main selections and one initial add-on.
Main Picks | Add-Ons | Predictions | My Choices
Main Picks
Interesting Facts about Space
Emily Austin
Follow one quirky, true crime-obsessed woman on a delightful, heartwarming journey of vulnerability and self-discovery.
Contemporary Fiction | Early Release
The Fury
Alex Michaelides
From twist-master Alex Michaelides, a gripping new thriller about a glamorous trip to Greece that takes a bloody turn.
Thriller | 3peat Author
Mercury
Amy Jo Burns
Brimming with family drama and small-town secrets, a touching ode to a struggling but resilient blue-collar America.
Literary Fiction
First Lie Wins
Ashley Elston
Who is Evie Porter? Definitely not who she says she is…but her past is catching up with her, which spells trouble.
Thriller
The Bullet Swallower
Elizabeth Gonzalez James
Hold on to your hat, cowboy, the bullets whiz freely and magic hides within everything in this epic family border saga.
Literary Fiction | Early Release
Add Ons
Northwoods
Amy Pease
A struggling deputy sheriff finds himself in over his head when a local teen is murdered in his lakeside small town.
Crime Fiction | Debut
More: A Memoir of Open Marriage
Molly Roden Winter
Follow one woman’s messy and emotionally riveting navigation of open marriage towards self-discovery and acceptance.
Memoir | Debut
Family Family
Laurie Frankel
In this warm, wise novel about the many forms family takes, an adoptive mom and rising Hollywood star speaks her truth.
Contemporary Fiction
Predictions & Thoughts
There are five main and one initial add-on Book of the Month (BOTM) selections for January, including one debut, two early releases, and one book by a repeat author. The two early releases are both January releases. Later in the month, BOTM added two additional add-ons, one of which is a debut. BOTM has again dropped a number of books during the month. All four of the mid-month add-ons were included in my predictions.
I predicted 7 out of 8 books correctly in my January predictions. The book I did not include in my predictions, Northwoods, was one of the books I mentioned debating whether to include. The rest of the books either seemed like obvious BOTM selections or within the realm of possibility.
To me, Mercury seemed like the most obvious contemporary fiction pick. I would have waivered a bit more about including it in my predictions before a few months ago, when it looked like BOTM was no longer working with Celadon Books.
The app hints clearly pointed to The Fury and The Bullet Swallower as selections. Both of which I would have included in my predictions regardless. While I am not a fan of Alex Michaelides and wonder when BOTM will stop featuring him, I am happy to see an experimental book like The Bullet Swallower be a selection.
I wish I knew how BOTM chose which books are main selections and which are add-ons. It seems kind of crappy to me that The Fury, which is from a known author, is a main selection while the only debuts this month are add-ons.
I also want to talk about a few gripes I currently have. Before last year or 2022, BOTM never labeled a book published within the month an “early release”. Now, books that are published later in the month are somehow “early releases.” This drives me crazy, partially because it is a change in policy and partially because it is false to call a book that publishes in January an early release when it is dropped in January. Second, why all of a sudden two months ago is BOTM adding a slew of books after the initial drop? Are they trying to get people to not mail their boxes on drop day? This month, I am strategically ordering only one main selection and my birthday add-on in one box. I am waiting to get the other main selection I am interested in reading in my second box later in the month when I think they will drop additional books.
Finally, let’s talk about the books that were not in the drop. I am a little surprised not to see Holiday Country. It seems like an obvious BOTM pick from the synopsis, but it is always difficult to be certain without reading a book. This is now the second time Rachel Hawkins has released a new book (The Villa and The Heiress) and it has not been a selection. This seems to signal that BOTM will no longer be featuring her books (which I am fine with).
Note: I include mid-month add-ons as selections for the month in which they are posted online. So any books that were added in December prior to the January drop, I include in the December selections post.
My Choices
With so few books dropping today, I found making my choices pretty straight forward and easy this month.
First, I really want to read First Lie Wins after seeing so many glowing reviews. I am happy to see that it is a choice. Because I want to see BOTM once again feature primarily debut authors, I am also adding Northwoods to my box. January is my birthday months, so it is free.
While I have read very positive reviews for Mercury, I think I am going to skip it. The synopsis actually turns me off the book when it mentions that she marries one of the brothers and becomes a surrogate mother to the others. It gives me the ick.
I read Emily Austin’s debut novel, Everyone in This Room Will Someday Be Dead, and liked it. I am debating whether to add Interesting Facts about Space to my second box. It sounds intriguing, but I am not sure if I would read it anytime soon.
Instead, I think I will add The Bullet Swallower to my second box. It is a book I do not mind waiting a few weeks to read, since I am not going to mail my second box until later in the month when more add-ons may drop.
While I am not a fan of Alex Michaelides, I was sent an early copy of The Fury, which made me laugh. I actively despised his last book, The Maidens. Regardless, I do not need a copy from BOTM.
In regards to mid-month add-ons, I am hoping to see River East, River West and The Clinic. I was crossing my fingers for Here in Avalon, but that seems unlikely since it is a January 2nd release.
Update: As I mentioned, I waited to send my second box until mid-month when more books were added. I filled it with Interesting Facts about Space and More. I debated waiting even longer, but I believe the 21st or 22nd of each month is the cut off date.
What books did you choose for your January BOTM selections? Let me know in the comments!
