As I’ve shared many times, I’m an avid reader. I am always on the hunt for new reading material, which is why I often share book releases here on Wondermom Wannabe to help you find books you’ll like too. My very favorite way to find new books is through monthly book club subscriptions.
There are so many different types of monthly book club subscriptions to choose from that it’s easy to find one tailored to my reading taste. Plus, it’s a good way for not-so-avid readers to stick to a reading schedule of one to two books per month.
Bookspan
I have two go-to source for monthly book club subscriptions. The first is Bookspan, not because it’s better or worse than the second one I’ll cover, but because it was the one I first discovered years ago.
Bookspan offers 12 different book clubs:
- Book of the Month – For readers who want to go beyond bestsellers to find the hidden gems in the world of books.
- Mystery Guild – For lovers of mystery, crime fiction, and suspense.
- Crossings – The choice for Christian readers who are interested in spiritual growth.
- Crafter’s Choice – If you love to craft, this is the club for you. You’ll find books on everything from quilting to Mod Podge.
- The Literary Guild – For readers with broad interests, wanting the best of books from unknown authors to bestsellers.
- History Book Club – The name says it all; for readers captivated by monumental moments in history.
- Children’s Book Club – If you’re having a hard time finding reading material for your kids, this is the club for you (and them).
- One Spirit – If you’re looking for the same peaceful enlightenment you’d get from doing yoga without having to strike an awkward pose, this is the club for you. Books are selected from all over the world that help inspire and encourage inner peace.
- Doubleday Book Club – If you’re a poolside reader, these are the books for you; fast plots and lots of drama in quick and easy reads.
- Science Fiction Book Club – All the best books in the science fiction and fantasy genres.
- The Good Cook – You’ve probably guessed that this club includes cookbooks, but it also has many other books to help you with all areas of homemaking.
- Military Book Club – My husband’s favorite. Books in this club cover everything about the military and military history from current times all the way back to ancient times.
How Bookspan’s Monthly Book Clubs Work
The book clubs above operate in two different ways. Some of the book clubs are true “monthly” book clubs. Those clubs are:
- Mystery Guild
- Crossings
- The Literary Guild
- History Book Club
- Doubleday Book Club
- Science Fiction Book Club
In these clubs, the membership works like this:
- On the 1st of each month you’ll receive a Featured Selections e-mail highlighting the best new books available in your club
- You receive 2 member credits each month for your subscription rate (amount varies for each club) which is enough to purchase one book.
- You may use your credits to select a book or save your credits to use later.
- You can also skip the monthly purchase of new credits by visiting the book club site and selecting that option.
Benefits of these memberships are:
- No commitments – you can cancel anytime
- No automatic book shipments – you bank credits you don’t use or you can opt out of purchasing them at all on a month-by-month basis
- Free shipping when you buy 2 or more books at one time
The Book of the Month Club is similar to the monthly book clubs discussed above with one important difference. When you join the Book of the Month Club, you choose a membership term (1-month, 3-months, 6-months, or 12-months). The longer the term of your membership plan, the lower your monthly subscription rate. You still have the option to skip months when you don’t want to make a purchase, but the months you skip are added to the end of your subscription date so that if you have a 6-month membership, you will pay for 6 months even if it takes you 12 months to meet the requirement.
How Bookspan’s Membership Book Clubs Work
The other clubs are membership clubs rather than monthly book clubs. These clubs are:
- Crafters Choice
- Children’s Book Club*
- One Spirit
- The Good Cook
- Military Book Club
In these clubs, the membership works like this:
- Get 4 books for $1 when you join (*Children’s Book Club is 6 books for $2)
- Every 3 weeks you’ll receive a club catalog that highlights a featured selection. You have 10 days to reply via phone, online, or by mail to decline or select another book. If you do not reply, the featured selection will be mailed to you.
- You must purchase a minimum number of books (2 or 4, depending on the club) at discounted prices during the next year to fulfill your membership agreement.
Benefits of these memberships are:
- Bonus points – You earn bonus points for each book you purchase priced at $7.49 or higher (does not apply to Military Book Club), which can be used to purchase additional books
- Free shipping for orders over $35 (does not apply to Military Book Club)
- Discounts – Many of the available books are up to 25% off (30% for Military Book Club) publishers’ edition prices.
Cratejoy
Cratejoy is my newest go-to source for monthly book clubs and I’m SO happy I discovered it. Cratejoy is a subscription box company for ALL interests from cooking to gaming.
Book subscription boxes are just one of their many categories, but boy do they cover it well! They have book subscriptions for kids, teens, and adults.
Many of their monthly boxes include fun items in addition to books. Since there are over 200 options available, I’ve pared the list down to give you a sample of the wide variety that are available.
Book Subscriptions by Genre
Several of the monthly boxes are tied to a specific genre:
- My Thrill Club: horror, mystery and thriller
- My Sci Fi Club: science fiction and fantasy
- Love This Story Book Box: signed romance books
- Magical Reads: young adult fiction for adults
- Mystic Box: dark, mafia, taboo and erotica
- Chicklitology: women’s literature
- Managerine Female Leaders Book Club: leadership development and business
- The Delilah Box: Christian novels featuring women of the Bible
- Call Number: contemporary Black literature
- The Wordy Traveler: travel
Others combine a love of reading with other special interests:
- Coffee and a Classic: each box includes a classic novel, something to sip on (choose coffee, tea or hot chocolate), book-related items and a bookmark
- Bubbles & Books: each standard box (premium boxes are also available) includes one new-release novel, 5 romance eBooks and 3-5 luxury bath and body items
- The Intoxicated Intellectual: each box includes a classic book and everything you need to make a related classic cocktail
- Culture Carton: each box includes a book and themed accessories just for men
I’m a big fan of the subscriptions that include small indulgences or treats and Cratejoy has several:
- Unplugged Gift Box: each box includes one new release plus 4-6 products, activities to help you unplug and focus, plus self-care and gratitude tools
- Coloring and Classics: each box includes an adult coloring book, an adult activity book and a hardcover book from your preferred genre
- Enlightened Warrior Book Club: each box includes a variety of inspirational fiction and nonfiction books, an item to gift to someone else and items to help you relax
They even have low-cost boxes that provide gently used books:
See all of the Cratejoy book subscription boxes here.
Now that you have so many great monthly book clubs to choose from, how do you come up with book club questions to help guide your group discussion? These 50 Great Book Club Questions for a Meaningful Discussion will help.
Thank you for your time preparing this. It was very informative. Have you ever written a book and presented it to one of these clubs? I was just curious how they choose their books. Thank you.
Hi Lisa, although I have published a couple of books it never occurred to me to try and submit them to any of the monthly book clubs! Brilliant idea. Wish I had some insights to share with you, but this is a new idea to me. I’ll look into it and if I find a good resource, I’ll share it here.
I’ve only ever used Book of the Month, so it’s good to know about some others. Thank you!
You’re welcome! I hope you enjoy discovering new books from the other monthly book clubs.
I have had two months taken out of my account
$15.89 on 3-25-2021 and $15.89 on 4-24-2021. I have not received any book and will like to have a refund and to cancel my membership.
I would like this as soon as possible.
Thank-you
Julia M Stone
You will need to contact the book club directly to cancel your membership. Your book club membership isn’t through me.
Would like 2 join would like catalogs
Hi Sharon, since I don’t personally run the book clubs, you’ll need to click through one of the links in the post to sign up.