BookCase.Club is a monthly book subscription box offering different genres: Children’s, Young Adult, Mystery/Thriller, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Romance, and Historical/New Age/Contemporary Fiction. Each box contains 2 hand-picked books, except for the Children’s box which includes 3 books. It costs $9.99 per month, making it one of the most inexpensive book subscriptions out there.
This is the review of Surprise-Me Fiction, a new offering that includes two engaging debuts and stand-alone fiction titles which may include historical, family saga, new age, literary, and contemporary.
DEAL: Save 50% on your first month! Use coupon code HELLOSUB501M. OR Get 10% off your entire order! Use coupon code HELLOSUB10.
When you sign up, you’ll pick the genre.
There’s a holiday-themed card on top.
The books were wrapped with a tissue paper featuring the BookCase Club logo and social media handles.
This month’s Surprise Me Fiction book picks are This I Know by Eldonna Edwards and Miller’s Valley by Anna Quindlen.
Everything in my box!
This I Know by Eldonna Edwards ($13)
Eleven-year-old Grace Carter has a talent for hiding things. She’s had plenty of practice, burying thoughts and feelings that might anger her strict Evangelical pastor father, and concealing the deep intuition she carries inside. The Knowing, as Grace calls it, offers glimpses of people’s pasts and futures. It enables her to see into the depth of her mother’s sadness, and even allows Grace to talk to Isaac, her twin brother who died at birth. To her wise, loving Aunt Pearl, the Knowing is a family gift; to her daddy, it’s close to witchcraft.
Grace can’t see into someone’s thoughts without their permission. But it doesn’t take her special talent to know that her small community is harboring its share of secrets. A young girl has gone missing. Within Grace’s own family too, the cracks are widening, as her sisters Hope, Joy, and Chastity enjoy the normal life that eludes Grace. It’s Grace’s kinship with other outsiders that keeps her afloat—Lyle, a gentle, homeless man, and Lola, a free-spirited new girl at school. But when her mother lapses into deep depression after bringing home a new baby, Grace will face a life-changing choice—ignore her gift and become the obedient daughter her father demands, or find the courage to make herself heard, even if it means standing apart . . .
This coming-of-age historical fiction left me in awe because of the beautiful storytelling and the young yet inspiring main character named Grace!
The synopsis was printed on the inner flap of the book. It might sound heavy and depressing, but don’t let it discourage you from this great read!
There’s so much to learn from Grace, from kindness to resilience to generosity. There are quite a lot of heartwarming and tear-jerking parts that we really loved!
The story also had good pacing and just the right amount of thrill. It also has some elements of magical realism that makes it all the more interesting!
Miller’s Valley by Anna Quindlen ($11.77)
For generations the Millers have lived in Miller’s Valley. Mimi Miller tells about her life with intimacy and honesty. As Mimi eavesdrops on her parents and quietly observes the people around her, she discovers more and more about the toxicity of family secrets, the dangers of gossip, the flaws of marriage, the inequalities of friendship and the risks of passion, loyalty, and love. Home, as Mimi begins to realize, can be “a place where it’s just as easy to feel lost as it is to feel content.”
Miller’s Valley is a masterly study of family, memory, loss, and, ultimately, discovery, of finding true identity and a new vision of home. As Mimi says, “No one ever leaves the town where they grew up, even if they go.” Miller’s Valley reminds us that the place where you grew up can disappear, and the people in it too, but all will live on in your heart forever.
Praise for Miller’s Valley
The second book is also a coming-of-age historical fiction, this time told from the point of view of a girl named Mimi, from she was 11 until she became an adult.
Just like other books, the synopsis is printed on the flap of the dust jacket. Just a little tip: prepare tissues when reading this one!
It started a bit slow, but we didn’t mind. It gets more emotional in the last few chapters, which makes up for that slow start.
The characters and their relationships are also quite realistic and relatable. It’s the kind of book that you wouldn’t want to end!
BookCase.Club most recent genre offering, Surprise Me Fiction, is quite promising. This month’s book picks are packed with great lessons and superb storytelling, which we all loved. If you’re also into historical fiction, this one’s for you. If not, they have romance, sci-fi, and mystery/thriller as well! They send the books straight to your door monthly, so all you have to do is to wait for them and enjoy devouring the books!
Have you tried BookCase.Club? What are you currently reading?
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