Review of Books That Matter subscription box

 

I've been looking for a good book subscription box for ages, but I could never seem to find one that was quite right. I was moaning to my mum about it and she found me a list of the top book subscription boxes in the UK. Obviously, it was the first entry on Google, but for some reason I'd never taken notice of it before, but I'm glad I have now!

Books That Matter is run by women who want to provide enriching literature written by women to their subscribers. As well as a book, each box comes with at least three gifts created by independent female creatives, all of which fit whatever that month's theme is. At £17 plus shipping, it isn't the cheapest subscription box out there, but it's also far from being the most expensive, and as the box on the list that appealed to me the most, I thought I'd give it a go.

The box I received was the January box, and it was themed all around self love, which is a fitting theme in a month where we are so used to being bombarded with "new year, new me" crap about getting fit and healthy and changing our lives for the better. The theme felt particularly fitting as we entered another lockdown, as self love and self care are essential to helping many of us through these trying times.

The book in the box was Skin by E.M. Reapy, a beautiful book in shades of pink and purple which I can't wait to read. It's a book about learning to love the bodies we are in, and I can imagine it will be a wonderfully empowering read - I'll report back when I've read it! 

The first of the gifts was a gorgeous 2021 calendar designed by Recipes for Self Love which you can see above. I love the simple design and how each page has a quote to guide you through the month - the one above says "Question coping mechanisms that no longer serve you", which I think is a powerful message for us to carry through into the new year!

The second gift was an essay by bestselling author Rachel Edwards titled Break The Glass. In her powerful essay, she discusses mental health and the stigma that used to exist around it, using her experiences to remind us all to break the glass and to share our feelings and fears with a trusted person, as well as encouraging us to indulge in self care and reprioritise our mental health. It is a wonderful essay, and one I will go back to whenever I feel a little down. It also comes in a beautiful little book, which I now have on display on my bookshelf as a daily reminder to look after myself and my mental health.

The other little gifts were a delicious-smelling sleep balm, which you rub on your pulse points to help you sleep; a bookmark with Toni Morrison's quote "You are your best thing"; and a set of self care prompt cards from which you choose a card at random each day and it will give you an idea for 5 minutes of self care for that day, working to remind you to take time for yourself.

All in all, I was really happy with the contents of my box! Although the price point seemed a little steep before I ordered, I think the contents of my box were well worth the price (provided the book is a good read!), and I'll definitely be ordering again.

9/10