The Big Book Box

What's in the box: Two newly released books, often UK hardcover editions, plus three bookish items such as bookmarks, author letters, art prints or character cards.

The Big Book Box is a monthly book subscription based in India that focuses on new releases. Each box has two recently published books and three pieces of bookish merchandise, so you are unlikely to get titles you have already read. The company says its hardcover editions come from the UK with exclusive elements, which will appeal to readers who like special editions. Extras can include bookmark sets, letters from authors, art prints and character cards made by illustrators. You can subscribe for one, three, six or twelve months, and you keep everything in the box. The advertised price is 1599 with an asterisk, so check what it covers before you order. Book bundles are also sold separately from the subscription boxes. Community is a big part of the offer. Subscribers can join readalongs, unboxing challenges and giveaways through the Big Book Box Society, and the company says it has more than 80,000 members. The site shows a 4.7 rating on Google, and the service has been running since at least 2017. The main drawback is that the company picks the books for you. The site does not say which genres it covers or whether you can set reading preferences, so readers with narrow tastes may get books they would not have chosen.