I'm calling this "Tea Tuesday" as it references tea. But it's a very different Tea Tuesday than previous ones and only barely mentions tea, so it's not getting the pretty header.
I've suddenly become the subscription box queen.
Well, maybe not "queen." Maybe a second-alternate of a lady in waiting, based on the number of subscription boxes I see the "big name" bloggers talking about. However, I've started doing a small number of different types of subscription boxes to see if they can expand my horizons, as it were. Well, Barkbox is just for the dogs. No horizon-expanding there. But the other ones I do for me are giving me the opportunity to try things I normally wouldn't try, so that's fun.
This one is about books.
In an effort to expose myself to different authors or genres than I tend to lean towards, I started looking into book subscriptions. However, I know I've got limited time and, frankly, I don't read actual print books all that often anymore, so I didn't want to subscribe to anything that would overload me with stuff I'd never get to. After a little bit of exploring, I happened upon The Wordy Traveler club. It sounded like it was right up my alley and definitely a manageable subscription!
The box is beautiful!
The Wordy Traveler is a book subscription in which you receive one to three books every quarter (depending on which level you choose) focused on a particular area of the world. You will then also receive a bag of tea and a few little accoutrements related to that theme.
(See? I mentioned tea. That makes this a legit Tea Tuesday post.)
And here's what really got me: They donate a portion of the subscription fee to organizations supporting women and girls. I'm in.
I got my first box within a few days of subscribing. I took all my "reveal" pics at night in our dining room which has fairly subtle lighting so I apologize for them being a little off, but you should get the idea!
I subscribed to the "Backpacking" edition, which is only one book every quarter, rather than the "Full Suitcase," which is three books. I also thought this would be a good way to test it out for a few boxes before committing to the full-on subscription.
This first box's theme is Russia. It came with a nice little card giving some background to the theme.
There was also a very attractive bookmark (nice, since I don't have many bookmarks hanging around these days as they're not particularly necessary for a Kindle), a small "art print" of a Russian landmark, and a postcard thanking you for supporting women and girls through your subscription.
I'm not entirely sure what I'll do with the art print. Maybe I could start a gallery in my office/sewing room to show where I've "traveled" through my reading?
The tea included this quarter is Keemun Grand, described as a "malty black Chinese tea." I'm not sure why they chose this particular tea: There was no explanation as to how they felt it fit this quarter's theme. There are Russian teas out there, but maybe they couldn't find a cost-effective wholesale distributor or something. I haven't tried the tea yet, but I'll definitely get to it. That may be a future "Tea Tuesday" post!
One of the two gifts included was this very pretty little Russian-style painted wooden egg. I've put it in a stoneware bowl on the bookshelves in my living room, where I have a collection of wooden Robin's eggs (near a couple of pudgy bird figurines which you had to know I would own). It adds a nice touch.
The second gift is an antique-y looking necklace with a Russian doll depicted in the pendant.
I didn't think I'd ever wear this and was debating if my oldest great-niece was quite old enough for this necklace yet. But then I got dressed yesterday morning and realized it would actually look kind of cute with my outfit of a bright pink tshirt and a denim skort. I threw on a couple of hammered-gold hoop earrings and it actually all worked. Go figure.
Still, it'll probably end up being gifted to a great-niece eventually. But it's fun to wear it until then.
Finally...leaving the main piece for last...the book.
Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich is a prize-winning literary "documentary," of sorts. Alexievich interviewed hundreds of Russians about life in Russia after the fall of Communism to nearly present day. In interviews spanning 1991-2012, it chronicles the hope or disillusionment, and harsh economic and political realities, as experienced in daily life by regular people.
I'm about 50 pages in already and am finding it utterly fascinating. I remember seeing on the news many of the events referenced in the book, but only know about them from the perspective of how we experienced them in the United States, as well as how we assumed those in Russia probably experienced them. Most of the interviews in the book, however, are showing me a very different reality than what I had imagined. It's extremely well done.
However, it's also a kazillion pages long and in very, very small print. Reading this book is an undertaking. The first 50 pages have gone pretty fast but I'm a little concerned about my staying power when I get 200 pages in. Still--I love really well-done nonfiction books and this definitely is a really well-done nonfiction book! It's done in a different style from anything I've read before so, at the moment, color me intrigued. I'll let you know how it goes.
So that's this first quarter reviewed. I'm not 100% sold on this whole book subscription concept yet as I'm definitely paying more per quarter than I would if I just bought the book and tea outright. On the other hand, this book wasn't even on my radar, nor had I ever heard of the tea, and I'm learning a lot from the book; so if my horizons get expanded and my brain is stretched (cute wooden eggs and necklaces notwithstanding), and I'm helping women and girls to boot...that's worth the cost of the subscription to me!