Time To Read

What's in the box: One surprise book a month chosen by the Time to Read team, with a personal note, alongside app access to reader recommendations.

Time to Read is less a classic book box than a phone app with a monthly surprise book attached. Its main idea is that recommendations should come from people, not algorithms or bestseller lists. You describe what you are in the mood for, and up to ten readers who have finished the same books as you are meant to reply within the hour, each with a short reason. There is also a daily feed of ten suggestions drawn from your reading history, each with a line explaining the choice, and a monthly pick that comes with a note from the team. The site talks about waiting for the envelope, which suggests a physical book by post. Setup looks thoughtful. You list the genres you actually finish, set hard rules for what you never want, such as horror or very long books, choose your reading languages, and import a public Goodreads shelf with ratings. The site also mentions book clubs and meeting readers in your own town. The service is currently signing people up for early access, and the site does not state prices, delivery areas or how the monthly book is matched to your profile. The concept is appealing for readers tired of generic picks, but it depends on enough active readers answering, which is hard to judge at this stage.