According to a recent study, reading may actually help you live longer. Winding down with a book is a great way to release some stress of living in the busy city, whether you pull it up on a long subway ride or flip through a few pages before bedtime. But navigating the jungle of books can be just as stressful as navigating the concrete jungle that is the city. With so many books coming out every week, and even more that you don’t even hear about, Downtown tried out Book Of The Month to help figure out what book to read next.
Book Of The Month is an online subscription-based book club that lets you pick out a new book out of five suggestions every month and sends them straight to your door. Convenience is key with a stocked schedule and its online platforms lets you interact with like-minded readers on the go or from the cosiness of your home. They’ve been doling out books and bringing literary aficionados and free-time readers together since 1926, but after its relaunch are now available exclusively online.
“When we relaunched in late 2015 we started from scratch, building an entirely new membership literally from zero, and we’ve grown rapidly since then. We seem to have struck a chord amongst readers hungry for a new way to discover great books,” explained John Lippman, CEO of Book Of The Month.
Every first of the month, they release five new books for its members to choose from selected by its panel of judges consisting of authors such as Cynthia Sweeney and blogger Maris Kreizman. And each month the panel also consists of a special guest judge. This month Girls‘ Allison Williams has picked out Circling The Sun by Paula McLain, but some of its earlier guest judges include David Sedaris, Roxane Gay and Ellie Kemper who helped bring on some great book choices.
“We look for people who have a true passion for great books, and also have experience sharing and articulating their opinions with a broader audience,” said Lippman about how Book Of The Month chooses its judges and added about the guest judges: “It’s rewarding to have a platform that allows well known people to share a favorite book with a broader audience.”
For those of us who like to talk about books — not just reading them — Book Of The Month tries to make its forums as lively as possible, encouraging members from all over the country to use them to discuss the books and share their thoughts.
“The discussion forums allow members to discuss their thoughts, questions and views with each other. It’s powerful since we have a large group of people reading the same book at the same time. We often ask the judge who selects a particular title to kick things off with a couple of discussion topics,” said Lippman.
August picks also include The Woman In Cabin 10, Dark Matter, Siracusa and All The Ugly And Wonderful Things. If you sign up before Aug. 14, you can still choose from one of these books.
One thing is for sure; we at Downtown can’t wait to get out, soak up the sun and read our next book! You can find out more about Book Of The Month’s membership, prices and terms on its website: www.bookofthemonth.com.
