Once Upon a Book Club is a unique, interactive online community that offers a monthly subscription service where readers will receive a monthly box in the mail containing a newly released book to read for the month, along with 3-5 individually wrapped gifts. These gifts are curated by the Once Upon a Book Club team to enhance the reading experience.
They kindly sent us this box for review.
Subscription Details
You can choose between a Young Adult (ages 14+) or Adult (ages 18+) subscription when signing up. Boxes cost $49.99 for a monthly subscription. You may choose a month-to-month, 3-month, 6-month, or annual subscription with savings for longer term subscriptions.
Each Once Upon a Book Club box contains the book of the month, 3-5 individually wrapped gifts with page numbers from the book, a 5×7 quote print featuring a quote from the selected book, and a booklet with discussion questions and read-a-long dates for live discussions with fellow Book Club members.
Reset by Sarina Dahlan
“After the Last War destroyed most of the world, survivors form a new society in four self-sustaining cities in the Mojave Desert. In the utopia of the Four Cities, inspired by lyrics of ‘Imagine’ and Buddhist philosophy, everything is carefully planned and controlled: the seasons, the weather – and the residents. To prevent mankind from destroying each other again, its citizens undergo a memory wipe every four years in a process called tabula rasa, a blank slate, to remove learned prejudices. With each new cycle, they begin again with new names, jobs, homes, and lives. No memories. No attachments. No wars.”
“Aris, a scientist who shuns love, embraces tabula rasa and the excitement of unknown futures. Walling herself off from emotional attachments, she sees relationships as pointless and avoids deep connections. But she is haunted by a recurring dream that becomes more frequent and vivid as time passes. After meeting Benja, a handsome free-spirited writer who believes his dreams of a past lover are memories, her world is turned upside down. Obsessed with finding the Dreamers, a secret organization thought to have a way to recover memories, Benja draws her down a dangerous path toward the past. When Metis, the leader of the Dreamers, appears in Aris’ life, everything she believes falls to pieces. With little time left before the next tabula rasa, they begin a bittersweet romance, navigating love in a world where names, lives, and moments are systematically destroyed.”
Book Club Kit
The book club kit contains an interview with the author, read-a-long-dates with other book clubbers, and discussion questions for the book club’s Facebook group. This month’s kit also contains step by step instructions to make an origami crane! How cool is that.
Book Quote
This month’s book quote print reads “We all have the freedom to author our own souls.” I always love the quotes chosen, and usually include them in my journal. There is also a signed bookplate by the author.
This month’s Once Upon a Book Club contains 4 individually-wrapped gifts. Readers will open the gift when they reach the particular page indicated on the gift wrap to fully experience the box. This whole interactive experience makes this subscription so unique and different from other book subscriptions.
Page 19 – Silver Bangle
On page 19, a council official puts a silver bangle on the arm of an angry man to dissipate his rage.
Page 53 – Desert Painting
On page 53, Benja gifts Aris a desertscape painting he finds at a gift market because he remembered her love of hiking in nature.
Page 73 – Candle and Origami Crane
On page 73, Aris lights a lavender candle to heat up the blue paper of an origami crane in order to reveal a secret message. Note: inside the lid of the box, it says to hover the origami crane over the candle flame to reveal a secret message. I stupidly gave the crane to my dog to toss around (and destroy) before seeing the instruction on the lid, so I never got to see what the message was.
Page 263 – Book Light
On page 263, Metis opens a book to read a passage, and bright light shines up from the book.
Once Upon a Book Club Review June 2021 – Final Thoughts
This month’s Once Upon a Book Club book is for the sci-fi lovers out there. I am generally not a fan of books set in dystopian societies, but this book sounds so intriguing I can’t wait to read it. The origami crane theme reflected throughout the box is so pretty and charming! The gifts are thoughtfully selected as usual. The silver bangle is such a pretty and eye-catching piece. The candle comes in such a gorgeous jar, while the painting will be such a pretty decorative piece. The book light is such a unique piece too! It will definitely be a conversation starter. I loved the whole experience with this box! This is definitely a subscription to consider for the book lover in your life. I think it will make such an amazing gift!
Toby & Rocket – http://www.tobyandrocket.com