I have been following Book Riot – both on Twitter and reading the Rioters’ posts – since its inception (after they worked out whatever bugs were causing my computer to crash every time I fired up the site in its early days).  I love the mix of whimsy and insightful commentary that the site provides, and some of my favorite weekly posts are those in their “Book Fetish” series, in which they showcase a few fun book-focused goodies that readers can purchase from other websites (often Etsy, but not always).  So I was intrigued when they rolled out their Quarterly subscription – a mystery box that arrives every three months on subscribers’ doorsteps, chock-full of treats selected by the Riot staff.  Each box costs $50, but the Riot promises that the value of the goods within will always exceed $50 and will also include something special and unique that can’t be found anywhere else.  I was interested, but not sure I wanted to commit $50 for each box, especially since I was in the process of leaving my job in DC for a move to Buffalo and a temporary gig as a stay-at-home-mom.  I saw the flurry of blog posts and tweets about the contents of the first Book Riot Quarterly box (“BKR01”) and didn’t feel like I was missing much – the chosen book was one I’d already read.  The second Quarterly box, though, got me a little bit jealous – especially the “banned books” mug that was included and the copy of Parnassus on Wheels, which I ordered for myself after seeing so many pictures of its pretty orange cover.  So once I went back to work and had some disposable income again, I signed up for the subscription.  BKR03, which arrived on Saturday, was my first mystery box.  Let’s unpack it!

The first view of the box looked very promising.  This time the Rioters went with a theme – the three types of books that readers typically report shying away from: sci-fi/fantasy, YA, and romance.  They selected one of their favorites from each genre, and included a handwritten note from N.K. Jemison, the author of The Killing Moon (the fantasy choice, which looks incredible) and a flow chart from A.S. King, the author of Please Ignore Vera Dietz (the YA choice), all about her writing process.

And then there was A Rogue by Any Other Name, the romance offering.  I’ve never read romance, and while I’ve seen Rioters raving about this series on Twitter, I can’t say that I’ve been tempted to pick it up.  But I now own a copy, and okay Book Riot, I’m going to trust you on this one.

Also included: a set of literary playing cards, an “I Read YA” tote bag and matching button, and a library card pouch from Out of Print.  I like the tote and button, but I actually already own the library card pouch, in the same color, so I’ll probably gift this new one to another reading buddy.

All in all, #BKR03 was a bit of a mixed bag (mixed box?) for me.  I am intrigued by the books and will read all three of them very soon.  (I’m going to start with The Killing Moon, because it looks so good.  And I’ll probably pick up the romance novel before too long, just because I’m interested to see what it is about this book that got Rioters so excited that they actually included it in the Quarterly box.)  I’m not much of a card player, but the literary playing cards are pretty neat.  I’d be really excited about the library card pouch if I didn’t already have it, and I do really like the tote bag (you can never have too many bookish totes, amirite?) and button.  By far, though, the best part about #BKR03 was the excitement of waiting for the box to arrive, and the fun of tearing into it to see what kind of surprises lay within.  Now I can’t wait for BKR04!

Anyone else subscribe to the Book Riot Quarterly box?  What did you think of the goodies this time?