Top 5 Wednesday: Bookish Things I've Changed My Mind About

Hi all! It's another Wednesday and I'm about to head into a super busy week. Finals week starts today and I also am working over 40 hours at work this week. However, for some reason I'm not stressed? Anyway, today's prompt is bookish things I've changed my mind about. These can be anything from tropes in books to merch to other things. Let's go ahead and dive in!

1. The first bookish thing I've changed my mind about is book subscription boxes. As much as I love some of the items I've gotten in boxes, I did a destash this month and there's a lot of items I get in boxes that I never use and they just sit around. I'd prefer to buy specific merch pieces that I know I'll love rather than pay $40-$60 to get random merch for a book I potentially haven't even read. Image from Cratejoy. 

2. I used to not like contemporaries at all. All the ones I had tried to read were boring and I couldn't bring myself to buy more. However, lately I've discovered some newer released contemporaries that actually sound interesting. I've also read a few contemporaries lately that I've enjoyed more than the ones I read a few years ago. I'm still super picky with contemporaries, but I don't automatically shy away from them anymore. Image from Boulder Writing Studio. 

3. I've also changed my mind about ebooks. I went through a span where I read a lot of stories on Fanfic.net and Wattpad but when I got back into reading I refused to read ebooks over physical books. Even though I still prefer physical books over ebooks, I read a lot more ebooks than I used to. I'll be reading more ebooks especially with study abroad coming up when I can't bring physical books with me. Image from American Libraries Magazine. 

4. I also make more strict TBRs now. I used to make small TBR's with one or two books I'd want to read but I've found that if I have a big TBR list not only am I motivated to read more books throughout the month, but that I don't get into a hole of finishing a book, not knowing what to read next, and then not reading for two or three days. Image from Epic Reads. 

5. Though there are many more bookish things I've changed my mind about, the last one I'm going to discuss is unhauling books. I used to think that if I owned a book I needed to keep it. This stemmed from wanting to have huge bookshelves filled with all of these gorgeous books. But I've unhauled more and more books lately of books that brought me more stress than happiness to have on my shelf. If I don't think I'll ever read it or if I didn't like a book, I'm not going to keep it around just for the sake of owning books. 

Well, those are my top 5! I have a few others that I've changed my mind about, such as hardcovers vs paperbacks, dog-earing pages and annotating, and lending books to friends but I feel as if the ones I talked about in depth worked best for my top 5. Have you changed your mind about any of these things? Let me know down below! 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Unboxing: Beacon Book Box's "Spellbound Stories"

Hey guys! I'm here to bring you another exciting unboxing. Today, I'm showing you Beacon Book Box's January box which was themed "Spellbound Stories." This box was full of exciting goodies and, not one,  but two books so I can't wait for you all to see what was included. If you like what you've seen, you can use my discount code BOOKSHELF5 for a discount on your order! February boxes are sold out but they have a past items shop and a waitlist for March! But, without further ado, let's go ahead and dive into the unboxing now! 

When you open the box, you're greeted with the spoiler card with that month's art on it. As I said, this month was themed "Spellbound Stories." The first item that I noticed was a jar of Molly Weasley's Homemade Hot Chocolate. I'm not a big tea or coffee drinker, but I do love me some hot chocolate so this will definitely be getting used! 

The next item was a Caraval themed candle that smells absolutely divine. This was created by Novelly Yours and smells like "sea mist and magic." I cannot wait to use it in photographs! After that we have a set of ACOTAR-themed postcards. These have a painting of Feyre and Rhysand with the stars in the background and I'm absolutely in love. They're so beautiful.

Then we have a signed bookmark from Olivia Wildenstein for A Pack of Blood and Lies, which was also the bonus book that was included this month. This book comes out in April so it's pretty exciting to be getting it so early. It was also exciting to get a signed bookplate with it! 

 

Then we had this beautiful snowflake booksleeve. It's pretty durable quality and it's a good size for smaller hardbacks and paperbacks, which I'm excited about. There was also a gorgeous tapestry themed after The Winner's Curse which I'm super excited about. I'm just wondering if I can find a space for it on my walls! 

The book of the month was Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer which came with a signed bookplate and a letter from/Q&A with the author. This one sounds pretty interesting and, though I haven't heard much about it, what I have heard has been good feedback. 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here. A brand new giveaway will be posted soon!

To get more awesome content like this post, click the follow button to the right!

Beacon Book Box: use the code BOOKSHELF5 for a discount on your order or subscription! 

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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Unboxing: Fairyloot's "Unbreakable Bonds"

I was super lucky this month to get another one of Fairyloot's boxes! This month's theme was Unbreakable Bonds and it was such an epic box. There's not much more I can say so let's just go ahead and dive into the unboxing!

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On the top of the box we have the spoiler card with this gorgeous art on one side. At the bottom, we also had the monthly bookmark with the same art as the spoiler card and this month's Fairyscoop, which includes a Q&A with this month's author as well as a hint at next month's theme. There were also two bonus postcards.

The first item that I pulled out was this gorgeous Will and Jem candle that was inspired by The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. It smells so clean and wonderful. The art is also super gorgeous! Following that was a motley crew headband inspired by Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.

The next item that was included was this little Lia and Pauline tin full of salted caramel hot chocolate inspired by The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson. I've only read the first two books in this trilogy and I don't remember who these characters are, but the hot chocolate itself is already super exciting! I cannot wait to use it. Next is this Jules and Arishone lip balm inspired by Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake. I already tried it and it smells so good! I cannot wait to use this.

The next item was this gorgeous double-sided pillowcase inspired by The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater. As pretty as this pillowcase is, I didn't enjoy TRB that much so I'm going to try and pass this onto someone who will appreciate it more than I will. Then there was this Lord of the Rings inspired woodmark! I absolutely love this and think it's so gorgeous. The colors are beautiful! I cannot wait to use this.
The next item is one of Fairyloot's bonus items that's included in every box now as part of a collectible series: Feyre and Azriel tarot cards! This is the second month they've included tarot cards and I think they're absolutely gorgeous. I cannot wait to get a full set! The cards I have so far now are Cassian, Amren, Feyre, and Azriel.

The book of the month for this month was Circle of Shadows by Evelyn Skye which came signed and with these gorgeous sprayed light purple edges. I absolutely love sprayed edges and I've been dying to add a purple copy to my collection. This book also sounds amazing! It also came with this art print of two of the characters and a letter from the author.


Overall, this box was amazing! I loved how we didn't get a million paper items like sometimes happens and I am so excited to use all of these items. I'm already thinking of making that hot chocolate when I get back from class this afternoon.

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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You can follow my bookstagram here. A brand new giveaway will be posted soon!

To get more awesome content like this post, click the follow button to the right!

Beacon Book Box: use the code BOOKSHELF5 for a discount on your order or subscription! 

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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Unboxing: Fairyloot's "Beautiful Deceptions"

I got my first Fairyloot! I'm so excited! I've been following this company since they put out their first box two and a half years ago and I've wanted one ever since. This month, I finally got one! The theme was Beautiful Deceptions and contained so many amazing goodies and one of my most anticipated releases of the year! Let's go ahead and jump straight in.

So on top, we have the beautiful spoiler card print. On one side it has this month's artwork and on the other side it has a list of all the items in the box as well as shop names! At the end of the box, we also got a bookmark with the month's theme on it as well as our monthly Fairyscoop. 

The first item on top was a set of 3 Grisha pins. I will admit I haven't read the Grisha trilogy, but I have read Six of Crows, so I have a vague understanding of what the different orders are. And along with these pins, further in the box we got this beautiful SoC themed beanie. I love Fairyloot beanies because they're the perfect thickness for my taste and they're always so cute. 

Next, we got a set of playing cards themed after The Cruel Prince. The different face cards all have a different character on them with the normal numbered cards just regular black/red and white. The backs of the cards also have this pretty beetle on them. Unfortunately, as pretty as these cards are, I actually really hate The Cruel Prince so I will be giving these to one of my friends.

After that, we got this gorgeous keychain themed after The Winner's Curse. It's so beautiful and I know I'm too scared of ruining it by putting it on my keys so it will just sit pretty on my shelf next to the trilogy. We also got this pair of socks inspired by Red Queen. I haven't opened them yet but the crowns continue on each of the socks. Hopefully they'll help keep me warm during this undoubtedly chilling winter. 

My favorite item in this box besides the book is the Aelin inspired candle that we got! As I'm sure you know, Throne of Glass is my favorite series and I am beyond thrilled to have another candle themed after it. I cannot wait to use it in photographs. 

We also got two bonus bookmarks from the publishers. One is for Sawkill Girls and the other is for The Poppy War. I am super excited to read both of these books soon and I will definitely be using these bookmarks when I do. 

The final item we got was a bag of tea themed after the book of this month, which was Girls of Paper and Fire by Natasha Ngan. I've been eagerly anticipating this book's release and I'm so excited to have this exclusive, signed edition with sprayed edges in my hands! It's soooo gorgeous! The book also came with a postcard of the original cover and an art print inspired by two of the characters! I cannot wait to dive in! 

Overall, I thought that Fairyloot nailed this box. I know for me personally, subscription boxes can be hit or miss since they sometimes include things I won't use or books I'm not interested in, but Fairyloot seems to nail it on the head. I cannot wait until I can get another one! 

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Follow my bookstagram here. New giveaway will be posted very soon!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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Unboxing: Owlcrate's "Lost In a Bookstore"

Hello everyone! I sure hope your month has been good so far. Mine has been going great! I've read so many books, written so many blog posts, and am doing well in my courses. Today I'm here with a super exciting blog post: my October Owlcrate Unboxing! I haven't gotten an Owlcrate in over a year but when I heard their theme for this month, I knew I had to get it! I snagged one just as they sold out..woohoo! Anyway, it was definitely hard to avoid spoilers since a lot of people I follow had gotten theirs already and I have little self-control once I'm made aware of the fact that I can go ahead and sneak a peek. However, I made it through and am so excited to be unboxing this for you all today! 

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So we start off opening the box to this view. On top we have the spoiler card. This is a beautiful print that follows the monthly theme and on the back has a listing of all the items and vendors that are included in the box! Very informative for bookstagrammers like me who like tagging the vendors in my pictures! Later on, we had this beautiful monthly pin that matches the spoiler card. At the very bottom of the box, we also have the little magazine which includes interviews with authors and vendors, information on photo challenges, puzzles, and more!

The next item is this gorgeous pair of socks from Out of Print and Underlined. I got an Owlcrate box a couple years ago and they included a pair of socks from Out of Print so I'm super excited to have another pair! These have open books all over them and they spell out BOOK NERD on the soles of the feet. I can't wait to wear these when I'm in my cozy chair reading the rest of this fall.

The next two items were a bag of tea and a heart and arrow shaped tea strainer. I cracked the tea open just to smell it and oh lordy does it smell amazing. I'm not a huge tea drinker but I've been getting more and more into it lately, so I'm pretty excited to get to try this blend. The strainer is also pretty cute, although I'm wondering how I'm going to effectively clean it whilst living in a college dorm. The tea was from The Tea Spot whilst the strainer was created by Team Owlcrate.

Following, we have a gorgeous Mirror of Erised, Harry Potter themed print. There's something so simplistic and beautiful about this print and I can't wait to put it on my HP shelf next to all my other merch. This print was designed by Michelle Gray, who also had input on the tea strainer!

This month's box included two books, which was a huge reason that I resubscribed this month. The first book was Pride by Ibi Zoboi, a Pride and Prejudice retelling set in Brooklyn. Not only was this cover an Owlcrate Exclusive, but the book itself was signed by Ibi and came with a letter from the author and matching bookmark.

The second book this month was Shadow of the Fox by Julie Kagwa, a newly released fantasy inspired by Japanese folklore and culture. This book also had an Owlcrate Exclusive cover, was signed by the other, came with a letter from Julie, and came with a matching bookmark.

The last item was actually underneath the books but is probably my favorite item in the entire box: a canvas clutch purse designed by Bookworm Boutique. I love all of Bookworm Boutique's designs and this time is no exception. The quote is awesome and the purse is sized to be able to fit most books. I can't wait to use this!

On the very bottom was the theme reveal for next month's Owlcrate: Rise From the Ashes as well as a sneak peek at one of the items: a wax seal set. I, unfortunately, am not getting next month's box because I already know what the book will be and I don't need two copies as well as the fact that I don't have a way of fitting this box into my budget for the next few months. However, I'm super excited to see what they come up with next and I hope that you'll all consider subscribing! If you do, use this link and the code BKWORM10 for a discount on your first box!

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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Follow my bookstagram here. New giveaway will be posted very soon!

I am a "BookishTextDesign" Influencer! Use my code LAUREN10 for a discount off your bookmark purchases! Check out the shop here

Subscribe to Owlcrate using this link and use code BKWORM10 for a discount on your first box!

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link

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