Book Nerds Across America

This is the 3rd volume of the Once Upon a Book Club's 12 Days of Book-Club-Mas. Last year it was a single story that was broken up into 12 chapters. Similar to their subscription boxes, there was a section in each chapter that instructed the reader to open the corresponding gift.  

This year each chapter was an independent story by a different author. The author was given a gift that they needed to incorporate into the story for the reader to open. I really enjoy the Once Upon a Book Club concept of bringing a book to life. The issue that I have with this company is that some of the gifts seem cheap and in other cases aren't practical or useful. The cost of the box was $89.99 + $12 shipping within the US. I did enjoy the fact that there was an adult AND a YA version of the box this year. I read mostly YA and will definitely enjoy the books selected for the YA version better than the adult selections.

Below is a link to a nice YouTube Unboxing that I found for the YA edition of this year's advent calendar.

My favorite gifts from this year's box are the 4 books, the winter hat, and the Shhhh I'm Reading pillow case. The rolling bag with small plastic wheels and the camp stool are two of the gifts that I do not see lasting. I am smaller than average and would not even consider trying to sit on that stool. The wheels on the rolling bag also do not seem very sturdy or durable. I understand there is a budget for each gift, but a standard tote bag without the gimmick would have been far more practical. In addition, the steering wheel cover is not something I would ever consider using. My skin cream roller arrived broken and I received a $7 refund for the cost of that item. The blanket as she mentioned is very thin. I received a blanket recently in an Owlcrate box that also had a book quote, but was considerably higher quality.

Overall, I really enjoyed the 12 stories and the concept of opening a bookish gift each day for advent. The YA books that were selected all sound like books I will enjoy, so I was very pleased with that. I just wish some of the other gifts were more useful. A candle, tea, bookish socks, etc. would have been more my speed. It was a fun experience, but after trying it for two years, I probably will not purchase next year's advent calendar. I will be interested in watching the unboxing, however, to see if they improve the quality of their gifts.