The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.I get why Kindles are popular and the convenience they offerdigital natives and people who travel a lot, but I haven't been able to get into e-readers myself. There's something about holding a book in your hands and seeing how much progress you've madeand what pages you've dogeared that a Kindle can't quite replicate.The only book that almost made me convert to an e-reader was Donna Tartt's "The Goldfinch," and that was because the hardcover version weighed 2.4 lbs and was a pain to carry to and from work.If you share a similar love ofhardcovers and paperbacks, I can't recommend aBook of the Month membership highly enough.Founded in New York City in 1926, Book of the Month has been around for more than 90 years and has a long history ofhelping avid readers discover the best books of thetimes, having selected "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway in its first year, "Gone with the Wind" by Margaret Mitchell 1936, and "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger in 1951. In an effort to stay relevant in an increasingly digitalworld, BOTMrelaunched online in 2015 toreach a new generation of book lovers.Isigned up for a three-month membership in December 2015, and it's easily my favorite subscription box I've tried. It's also the only one I consistently renew.Here's how it works:On the first of each month, BOTMannounce five book selections that have been carefully chosen byrecurring and celebrity guest judges ' like Anthony Bourdain, Ariana Huffington, and Allison Williams from "Girls"'who are passionate about books.The judges curate and select the best new hardcover titles for members from a broad range of genres and offer a mix of both fiction and nonfiction titles.Member have until the sixth of the month to choose which books they'dlike to receive, or they can opt toskip the month if theyprefer. Then on the seventh of the month, BOTMships members their boxes.Members can thenread and participate in BOTM'sdiscussion forum as a group. This isn't a feature I use a lotsince I also have a Goodreads accountthat I use to keep track of my books andread reviews, but it's definitely a nice-to-have.One book per month is included in the membership fee, and members can purchase up to two additional books each month for $9.99 per title ' which, when you do the quick mental math, is actually a fantastic deal. Most new hardcover releasescost about $15 on Amazon, give or take a few dollars.The service is fun, affordable, and easy to use, but all that wouldn't matter if their book selections weren't also excellent. Many of theselections since BOTM's relaunch have gone on to become New York Times best sellers and winners and finalists ofmajor literary awards (Lauren Groff's "Fates and Furies"was selected as a BOTM in October 2015 and chosen as a finalistfor the 2015 National Book Award. It was also one of President Obama's favorite books of 2015, and it is probably my favorite selection to date).Some monthsBOTM even surprises its members with fun "extras." In May 2016, everyone got a Ring Pop in their box to celebrate the release for Curtis Sittenfeld's modern retelling of "Pride of Prejudice," "Eligible."In January 2017, my box came with a free hardcover copy of "Gone Girl" author Gillian Flynn's latest short story, "The Grownup." It's small touches like these that keep its members coming back, and it's why the service gets Insider Picks' stamp of approval.Book of the Monthoffers threestandard membership plans: 3-months for $14.99 per month, 6-months for $13.99 per month, and12-months for$11.99 permonth. All memberships automatically renew, but you can cancel yours anytime. They also occasionallyhave special offers for new members.Sign up for a Book of the Month membership here >>SEE ALSO:The 5 best e-readers you can buyDON'T MISS:This is the work bag professional women everywhere have been looking forJoin the conversation about this story
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