Strand Book Hook-Up Unboxing

I only did one quarter of the Strand to try out. It's a bit pricey but has little extras and two books (one hardback, signed). They also unveil their main book pick for the quarter--which is nice because you still get a surprise book but (in my case) it's good to know if its the type of mystery I want to read. 

They also have different genres (NINE total), including 'mystery and suspense', 'fiction', 'Young Adult', 'sci-fi and fantasy', and 'political and nonfiction'. I choose the 'Mystery and Suspense' because that is my favorite genre and the book they unveiled looked pretty good. 

For 'spoilers' for all genres, click here 

For past books in the Mystery and Suspense, click here

For the main Strand Book Hook-Up page, click here

I ordered at the end of this (July's) quarter and the box shipped VERY fast after they closed it up. The model is a quarterly model, so there are four boxes each year. You can do annual or one-offs or a recurring payment plan. I'm not sure there's any discount for annual to be honest, it's $200 or $50 each. 

​I know it's weird to put up a picture of the "newspaper" that was the stuffing but it's all "Strand" newspaper! Plus it's way more exciting than the little paper worms that escape and get all over the floor and that I'm still finding even though I super cleaned my house. 

​I hate the paper worms. 

Included in each "Mystery and Suspense" box are two books. One is a new release that is hardback and signed by the author. The second book is a paperback that isn't signed. 

For the summer quarter, both books I received were new authors to me. I thought that was pretty awesome as I kinda wasn't sure what I was going to get for the second book. They also both seemed really interesting and like something I'd want to read. 

Lana Stone has never considered herself a stalker--until the night she impulsively follows a familiar face through the streets of New York's Upper West Side. Her target? The "anonymous" egg donor she'd selected through an agency, the one who's making motherhood possible for her. Hungry to learn more about her, Lana plans only to watch her from a distance. But when circumstances bring them face-to-face, an unexpected friendship is born.

Katya, a student at Columbia, is the yin to Lana's yang, an impulsive free spirit who lives life at the edge. And for pragmatic Lana, she's a breath of fresh air and a welcome distraction from her painful breakup with her baby's father. Then, just as suddenly as Katya entered Lana's life, she disappears--and Lana might have been the last person to see her before she went missing. Determined to find out what became of the woman to whom she owes so much, Lana digs into Katya's past, even as the police grow suspicious of her motives. But she's unprepared for the secrets she unearths, and their power to change everything she thought she knew about those she loves best...

The "extras" for this quarter were a mix of stationary, food items and a game. All were new to me and there was a cat. 
​

• "I'm Reading Right Meow" postcard
• "Don't Be Creepy" pin
• Mike's Hot Honey
• ​Dangerous Experiments for After Dinner Game

The bookcovers are gorgeous. Which is not how you're supposed to pick books. 

But it's how I pick about 40% of my books. Maybe more. I like pretty covers. I'm kinda digging next quarter's Fantasy selection. It has a pretty cover too. 

There's a good chance I'll switch it around and do one subscription every once in a blue moon (or full moon) depending on the releases. Also, as long as my TBR pile is going down.