Book of the Month: August 2020 Selections

After my massive July reading blitz, my to-read stack is looking a little sparse. Just in time to add some more books from Book of the Month!

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.

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:

• The Rise and Fall of a Pop Star
• Mindbending Science Fiction Debut
• A True-Crime Podcast Thriller
• A Cold War Spy Love Triangle
• A Nigerian LBGTQ+ Heartbreaker

Keep scrolling to see all the details about the Book of the Month August 2020 selections and to find out which one I’m adding to my subscription box.

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.

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!

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!

First off, let me say that you should choose The Night Swim. I’ve already read it, and it is captivating from start to finish (and what a finish!).

When I first saw August’s five choices, I immediately knew I would pick The Death of Vivek Oji. I’ve been seeing lots of rave reviews praising Akwaeke Emezi’s exemplary writing and social criticism, and I’m dying to read it for myself.

With comparisons to Daisy Jones & The Six and Everything I Never Told You, two of my favorite five-star books, I could not resist also getting The Unraveling of Cassidy Holmes.

As is my habit, I’m also picking up a third book this month. For my second add-on, I’m choosing another novel set in Nigeria – Abi Daré’s coming of age tale, The Girl with the Louding Voice from the February picks.