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 7 main selections and 5 initial add-ons.
Main Picks | Add-Ons | Predictions | My Choices
Main Picks
Seek the Traitor’s Son
Veronica Roth
She doesn’t care about glory. But when a prophecy enlists her to save the nation, she has no choice but to lead.
Dystopian
Our Perfect Storm
Carley Fortune
When her wedding is cancelled, her best friend joins the honeymoon instead. Was love right in front of her all along?
Romance
Dissection of a Murder
Jo Murray
When your client won’t talk, and opposing counsel is your husband, can you win the case without losing it all?
Legal Thriller | Debut
Canon
Paige Lewis
Absurd, earnest, and fresh, this fantastical epic with prophets and battles is unlike anything you’ve ever read before.
Literary Fiction | Early Release
Good Joy, Bad Joy
Mikki Brammer
This warm-hearted novel proves that age is but a number when it comes to living the life you’ve always wanted.
Contemporary Fiction | Repeat Author
The Last Contract of Isako
Fonda Lee
A fabled female samurai. A terraformed colony with a secret. A shocking murder mystery. Retirement will have to wait.
Sci-Fi
The Burning Side
Sarah Damoff
When their house burns down, a crumbling couple must rebuild their entire understanding of what home really means.
Contemporary Fiction | Repeat Author | Early Release
Add Ons
Homebound
Portia Elan
Blending ‘80s nostalgia with far-future dystopia, this sci-fi epic shows we’re more connected than we’d think.
Literary Fiction | Debut
The Shippers
Katherine Center
Getting wingmanned by your childhood best friend proves to be no smooth sailing in this heartwarming nautical rom-com.
Romance | Repeat Author | Early Release
Red Belly Crossing
Candice Fox
Two estranged brothers. One dark truth. Will it bring them together or tear them apart for good?
Mystery
Delusions
Cazzie David
Thirty, flirty, and thriving? More like thirty, worried, and over it, says Cazzie David in this essay collection.
Memoir
Happiness and Love
Zoe Dubno
No one’s safe from the biting commentary of an anonymous narrator in this literary debut about the NYC art scene.
Literary Fiction | Debut
Predictions & Thoughts
There are seven main and five add-on Book of the Month (BOTM) selections for May, including three debuts and three books by repeat authors. There was also a new Centennial edition of Brideshead Revisited this month.
This month, I predicted all of the main selections as well as four of the five add-ons. Red Belly Crossing was not on my radar, so I did not include it in my predictions. I was not surprised to see several repeat authors of past books that made it among those voted best of the year. I was surprised to see Delusions among the books since it published in early March. Similarly, Happiness and Love was released this past September (and included in my predictions for that month).
Let’s talk about what books were not among the picks. Personally, I was really hoping for Honey by Imani Thompson and Returns and Exchanges by Kayla Rae Whitaker. I know a lot of other subscribers were hoping for Broken Dove and Tapestry of Fate since BOTM carried both the first books in their series. I will cross my fingers that both of those will be mid-month add-ons so people can have editions that match. (I have essentially stopped buying books that in announced series from BOTM, because they no longer reliably have the entire series.) Three other books from past BOTM authors that are not in the initial drop are We Burned So Bright, Caller Unknown, and The One Day You Were My Husband.
My Choices
My choices this month were pretty easy and quick. I have been reading a lot more dystopian and fantasy recently. So, I know I will eat up Seek the Traitor’s Son shortly after receiving it. I was curious about Canon when I added it to my predictions and always like to buy litfic from BOTM to encourage them to have high quality literature among their picks. Those two were effortless additions to my box.
I have yet to read anything by Carley Fortune, as a result the verdict is still out on whether I like her writing. For now, I am going to skip checking out Our Perfect Storm. In the past year, I have read less and less mysteries and thrillers, because so many plots just feel recycled or done poorly. I am going to hold off on Dissection of a Murder until I hear more reviews for it. I am very curious about The Last Contract of Isako; however, I am going to wait to get it as well until a general consensus is reached about the book. I still have not read The Bright Years or The Collected Regrets of Clover, despite having copies of both. I have been pretty good about sticking to my rule that I must read the books I have by an author before purchasing additional novels by them.
In terms of add-ons, I have an ARC of The Shippers that I am currently reading; so I do not plan on purchasing a copy unless I love it. As I mentioned, I am approaching mysteries and thrillers cautiously (and I prefer fast-paced to slow and meandering). For the time being, I am going to skip Red Belly Crossing. I have read a lot of strong early reviews for Homebound. Because it piqued my interest and sounds unique, I added Homebound to my box. Since I have not been reading a lot of memoirs recently, I am going to skip Delusions for the time being. And honestly, Happiness and Love sounds like a bunch of other books BOTM has featured in the last year or two. It also sounds like it may come off a bit pretentious, so I do not plan on reading it.
