Riot Read Monthly Book Club Subscription Review #RRD03

ByLiz CadmanDec 10, 2014 | 16 comments

Riot Read Monthly Book Club Subscription #RRD03

First things first – I do not recommend this subscription if you are looking for a good retail value. The goal of the subscription is to get you a new great book every month, but Book Riot and Quarterly can’t compete with Amazon, so you are paying a premium to get a monthly curated book sent to you each month. It’s not for everyone – but it does seem to be for a lot of people – it’s the 8th most popular subscription on Quarterly, and they are launching a YA and Nonfiction version soon!

My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).

Riot Read Monthly Book Club Subscription Review #RRD03 Items

The Subscription Box: Riot Read – Book Riot’s Monthly Book Club

The Cost: $30 a month

The Products: 1 new book (released within the past few weeks) selected by Book Riot.

Ships to: US (free shipping), Canada ($10 shipping), Worldwide ($15 shipping)

Check out all of my Riot Read reviews!

Riot Read Monthly Book Club Subscription Review #RRD03 Letter

Each Quarterly box comes with a letter from the curator detailing their selections. The Riot Read team discussed why they picked Lucky Us this month, gave a brief synopsis of the book, and also reminded readers that on October there will be a live chat with author Amy Bloom on the Riot Read site.

Riot Read Monthly Book Club Subscription Review #RRD03 Amy Bloom

Lucky Us by Amy Bloom - Retail Value $26 On Amazon for $15.60

This book was actually on my Amazon wish list, so that worked out nicely for me!

Verdict: The big issue with this subscription is value. I know a lot of readers were disappointed that there weren't more exclusive extras to make up for the price difference in what you would save buying the book from Amazon each month. It seems like Book Riot heard that feedback, and they now have a Riot Read members only Goodreads group for subscribers. I probably will end up canceling my subscription because of the value issue, but I just haven't brought myself to do it yet - I love getting a surprise book each month!

What do you think of the members-only Goodreads group? Does that add to the value of the subscription for you?

Posted in Subscription Box Reviews

Liz Cadman

Liz is the founder of My Subscription Addiction. She's been hooked on subscription boxes since 2011 thanks to Birchbox, and she now subscribes to over 100 boxes. Her favorites include POPSUGAR Must Have, FabFitFun, and any box that features natural beauty products!

Read More By Liz Cadman >

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16 comments

Sheryl

Quarterly just reduced the price of this subscription to $25.

Madeline

I am in the same boat, Liz! I really want to cancel it, but I just can’t bring myself to do it…. Maybe I’ll start Indiespensibles and then ease my out of Riot Read. 😉

Liz Cadman

I think I’ll do the same thing! 🙂

Ashley (PiqueintheBox)

Another good subscription for books is “Just the Right Book.” They send your selections based on a profile you fill out… love it!

Amanda

Tracey/Keri,

I tried this subscription and got 45: Orfeo. I wasn’t too thrilled with the extras, so I stopped the subscription. Have they been sending out books as extras now? Also what were the books for 47 and 48 if you don’t mind sharing?

tracey

Oops, I responded in my other response 🙂 Yes, they normally send out other books. Orfeo I think was my first one that didn’t include a second book, and I can only assume that was a cost point issue with the publisher, but I don’t know for sure. I put the other indie descriptions you asked about in the thread below my original response for you 🙂 I would definitely try it again if you see a release that sounds interesting to you!

Amanda

You are awesome, thanks for all the information. I hope you enjoy Bone Clocks, David Mitchell is one of my top 5 contemporary authors!

Tracey

Have you tried Indiespensable through Powells Bookstore in Portland OR? They send out every six weeks, and include an signed first edition with a transcribed interview with the author in a small booklet, plus other surprises which are usually one to two additional books (usually trade paperbacks, sometimes advance reader copies!!), and sometimes a sweet or snack from Portland, and sometimes a swag gift from the bookstore (tee, water bottle, coffee mug, etc). It’s my favorite subscription, and an amazing value, especially if you appreciate new books headed your way on a regular basis. They do announce the main book before shipping so you have time to opt out after you read the description. Soooo good. Highly recommended to those looking for a book sub box.

Meg

Alright, this is driving me nuts: how do I subscribe to this? I can only find the page about the subscription and it sounds amazing! 😀

Tracey

Ah, the current book that just shipped sold out, so it looks like you have to wait until the next book is announced to subscribe 🙂

Amanda –
Indie#47 was “All the Light We Cannot See” by Anthony Doerr, and it came with a book called “The Empathy Exams”, as well as a charcoal/drawing like thing in the shape of a human heart. (Sounds weird, but it was pretty cool looking. The main title was an phenomenal read.

Indie#48 was “The Great Glass Sea” by Josh Weil. This came with a powell’s water bottle (which I love… all the ounce increments are listed in authors), as well as some organic tea samples.

Indie#49 (just received last week) was “The Bone Clocks” by David Mitchell, and came with another book which I am not remembering off the top of my head. They are both in my TBR pile.

It’s too bad you didn’t get the one before Orfeo, which was the Blazing World, and came with an amazing advance reader copy of “We are not ourselves” by Matthew Thomas which was just released a week or two ago finally… it was fun to have an ARC so many months in advance. I think some of the independent publishers have different costs associated with the book, so the amount of goodies varies by month. I always think it’s a great value though, and being able to cancel before shipment online is helpful as well.

I think my favorite indie so far was their release of The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt… such a good read. But regardless, I appreciate their interviews and having every edition signed by the author. I really need to get back out to Portland, this is my favorite bookstore… could easily spend a day there wandering through all the rooms and of course the rare book section. Someday, I’ll get back there! Only 2,500 miles or something away.

Keri S.

Tracey,
I couldn’t agree with you more. I LOOOOOOOOVE Indiespensables. The value is amazing!! I think I was here complaining after my second round of disappointment from Book Riot Quarterly and someone mentioned Indiespe

Keri S.

Ok, sorry. I hit the wrong button. Anyway, just wanted to finish my sentence. I learned about Indiespensables from someone here (probably you, Tracey). I immediately subscribed and haven’t looked back since. I recommend it to everyone, especially those that appreciate the planning and preparation involved in each edition. The only bad thing is that the book presentation is almost too pretty to read!
The next edition is #50. I’m sure it will be extra special.

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Riot Read Monthly Book Club Subscription Review #RRD03

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