As I lay here in bed, cozy with my family all tucked into their warm beds, my mind can't help but drift to the trans kids who aren’t as lucky. Whether they’re stuck under the roof of unsafe people, trapped in a family that won't accept them, living on the streets, in a country hell-bent on demonizing them—these kids aren’t safe. They’re not warm, they’re not happy, and that just devastates me.

Earlier today, I posted a video with one book for the Trans Rights Readathon because, frankly, I don’t have the spoons to get into it with all the trolls and bigots on these apps. Instagram’s a dumpster fire, TikTok’s gone through more transformations than a changeling, and let’s be real—the thing that was supposed to be a safe space for millions is now quietly shifting gears to help the billionaires. But tonight, as I lie awake thinking about my trans neighbors, I know I have to dig deeper. I must find the spoons, even if they’re buried under the weight of it all. Because here’s the thing: this is how it always starts. Nazis didn’t just go after Jews—they came for trans, gay, and disabled people first.

I’m terrified. Not just for trans people, but for all of us. The thing that terrifies me most isn’t just the rise of hate, but the silence from people who won’t stand up until it directly affects them. By the time it does, it’s already too late. That’s the road to ruin, and I refuse to walk it.

So, I’m vowing right now to find the spoons. To dig deeper. To fight tooth and nail, because, quite frankly, this is the only thing that matters now. Not my survival—but everyone’s survival.

Fighting the Good Fight: The Trans Rights Readathon

And in that spirit, I’m throwing my full weight behind the Trans Rights Readathon. If you haven’t heard of it, it’s an annual call to action for readers to uplift books written by or about trans, nonbinary, 2Spirit, and gender-nonconforming authors and characters, in honor of Trans Day of Visibility on March 31st. From March 21 onward, the goal is to read, amplify, and, of course, raise funds for causes that support the trans community. This year, I’m aiming to raise $400–$500 for , an amazing organization that provides financial support for trans folks in need of health and wellness care.

If you want to join me in this mission, subscribe to any of my paid tiers this month, and all of my proceeds will go directly to Point of Pride. After this month, you can drop back down to the free tier—I get it, times are tough right now.

Privilege, Self-Care, and the Fight for Marginalized Voices

I want to take a moment to acknowledge my privilege. I’ve got a job that feeds my family comfortably, and trust me, I don’t take it for granted. (And let’s be real, this job is thanks to DEI initiatives—yep, white women benefit from affirmative action the MOST.) This platform, though, this is my side gig. My hobby. My self-care. It’s where I can channel all the rage and frustration and do something to push back against the hate machine. Everything I make from this goes right back into promoting marginalized authors. Sometimes that’s buying books by marginalized authors to read and review, and sometimes it’s donations to other Bindery creators like @michael.laborn and @fromthemixedupdesk. One day, I hope to fund a marginalized sci-fi author’s audiobook or help with marketing costs. This month? It’s going to Point of Pride.

The Fight for Independent Bookstores and More

As an extra incentive to subscribe this month, EVERY subscriber, both paid and free, will be entered into a giveaway for a $50 gift card to , an online bookstore that supports independent booksellers—the true rebels fighting for their lives against the Amazon empire. If you’re not down with the corporate machine, this is where you want your book money to go. (Or if you're an audio nerd like me, is a great resource!)

Read for Trans Rights, Read for All of Us

Trans people are people. It’s as simple as that. If you’re not reading books by trans, queer, disabled, Black, Brown, and Indigenous authors and featuring those characters all year long, what the hell are you doing? Reading about people who aren’t like you expands your world. It helps you see things from their perspective, helps you walk a mile in their shoes. And guess what? That’s the real reason people want to ban these books. They can’t stand it when we normalize the humanity of trans, queer, and marginalized folks. They need us to stay divided, to dehumanize, and they need it to feel powerful. And they need to convince you that queer people aren’t real people so they can justify their bigotry. Because the billionaires are making them feel powerless and those billionaires know it - so they create media to point the hate of the weak minded at the marginalized.

But we see through it. We know better. So read, keep reading, and lift up these voices. We’re not just reading for the plot—we’re reading for justice. We’re reading to smash the system that thrives on hate.

As always: FUCK NAZIS, fight the system, and be the revolution. Read books by trans authors, with trans characters. Keep pushing back against the machine. This is our fight, and we’re not backing down.

K thanks, byeeee. ✌️

So you've seen the photos and unboxings on social media, and you want to know what the hype is with all of these book boxes! Let me just tell you that there is an entire can of worms to open when you ask someone this question. As a self-proclaimed "book influencer" (aka the only kind of influencer whom it's considered bad to pay for their time and effort, but that's a whole other blog,) I've tried almost every book box out there in the past, and I'm ready to spill the tea!

First, let's start with the three types of book boxes.

1. The monthly subscription book and merch box: usually includes a signed or bookplate included hardcover with maybe an author letter, perhaps some sprayed edges, some cover embossing, or a reversible dust jacket with fanart. Includes several "merch" items usually from various fandoms.

2. The Special Edition Box. Sounds the same but it's not. This box will either include a special edition book from a very popular author that people are happy to preorder, like Babel by RF Kuang, the next in a popular series, or a set of books that's already complete. Most of the time these come with a couple of merch items exclusive to that book/series.

3. The Book Only box. Some companies, like Illumicrate, offer the option to get the monthly Special Edition book without the merch. And other companies like Book of the Month offer just the book, no merch at all.

Now a list of popular book boxes (not all inclusive!!! There are tons more!)

Friends of AK Press - indie nonfic social justice

Beacon Book Box - monthly subscription book and merch box

Bookish Box - Special Edition Box only, used to have Adult and YA monthly subscription boxes.*

Book of the Month - monthly book only, hardcover editions that are not signed, choose one of several monthly choices

The Broken Binding - Special Edition Signed Numbered Book Only - they do mostly series.

Fairyloot - YA monthly subscription book and merch box, Adult book only, Special Edition boxes

Faecrate - monthly subscription book and merch box

Fox & Wit - monthly subscription book and merch box

Goldsboro - Special Edition Signed Numbered Book Only - Premier (various genres) or GSFF (sci-fi/fantasy)

Haymarket Book Club - indie nonfic social justice

lllumicrate - YA monthly subscription book and merch box (or book only), Afterlight Quarterly (romance book only) and Special Edition Boxes.

Lavender Books - Mystery book box with 3-5 merch items featuring LGBTQIA+ characters

The Librarian Box - monthly subscription book and merch box

Litjoy Crate - YA monthly subscription book and merch box, Special Edition boxes

Owlcrate - YA monthly subscription book and merch box, Special Edition boxes

Rainbow Crate - LGBTQIA+ monthly subscription book and merch box

Satisfiction - Highlights sci-fi & fantasy novels written by BIPOC authors

This can be very overwhelming. Which should you choose?! Well, that depends on where you are and what you want. These boxes are based around the world, so depending on where you are, shipping can be expensive!

And as for what you want? Well first I'd suggest checking the backlog for the books these companies have already produces, and make sure that they align with your taste! Someone at each of these companies is receiving and reading ARCs to decide upon which books to carry, and their decision maker's taste may not align with yours.

If you're a collector, if you've heard of Subterranean Press or GrimDark Press, you're probably going to want to choose Goldsboro or Broken Binding, whose books almost always increase in value the minute they become unavailable.

If you just admire pretty books or have a sprayed edge obsession, Fairyloot and Illumicrate are your best bets. I haven't seen either put out a book without sprayed edges in a couple years.

If you want the merch, well frankly most of these companies put out the same items over and over, and there's only so many candles and pins one person can need, and there are tons of resale groups dedicated exclusively to book boxes because of the sheer amount of offloading people do with all that merch. For very useable items you won't resell, Fox & Wit in my opinion is the best. Her book taste also leans slightly more contemporary. For resale value on items Illumicrate and Fairyloot items tend to do the best.

Some of these companies have fucked around and found out, and I have the details! Let me spill the tea...

The Owlcrate Cup Saga

Owlcrate collaborated with artist Cara Kozik to create Harry Potter mugs (unlicensed merch), which they released one at a time in boxes every few months. They were going to do one for each book, but then JKR just kept opening her mouth. Half the fandom was done but the other half was die hard. Owlcrate posted on social media that due to the demand they decided to keep producing the cups. The outcry was furious, and many people cancelled their subscriptions. Owlcrate was so devastated that they quickly changed their minds, posting that they would not produce the cups. But people had already ordered them and were very upset they weren't going to get them (Owlcrate did refund them.) And the side that was upset they had decided to go ahead with producing them was not mollified at all, citing that it was pure greed that had caused Owlcrate to change their minds, not a change of heart. From what I've seen, Owlcrate has still not recovered from the loss of those subscribers. (I feel it important to mention here that Litjoy does Magical Crates and has been unapologetically producing HP merch for years, and nobody is really complaining about it. I think the difference is that they advertise that's who they are as a company - you know what you're getting going in.)

LitJoy and their commitment to JKR (making money)

LitJoy Crate's ENTIRE bag originally was these quarterly magical crates filled with nothing but licensed Harry Potter merch. They did a monthly subscription too with YA Fantasy picks and associated YA merch. They tried collectible cards like Fairyloot, except they went with a 52 card playing card deck instead of the Tarot cards. But when JKR lost her ever loving mind and decided to take out her righteous vengeance for being abused by men on trans people, LitJoy stayed committed to her, using the whole "support the art not the artist" excuse. And for the uneducated masses that worked for a while. But eventually, as JKR's financial backing of policies actually have become deadly to our trans besties, LitJoy finally let go of the fandom. They very much had to be dragged kicking and screaming away from it by their customer base, and they've never really recovered from the vast majority of us who saw who they really were and never went back. They're not a people over profits company, and much like Target, they've proved it, and we won't forget any time soon.

Fairyloot Crashes

Fairyloot's website is notorious for going absolutely nuts during special edition sales. To be fair, Illumicrate's isn't much better. They've added things like queuing systems over the years, but it's still an absolute cluster every time they have a sale for high demand items. And for people in different time zones who have to wake up early or in the middle of the night for a sale, it can be devastating to spend an hour trying to load the page only to have the item sell out before you can make it through checkout.

The Book Boyfriend Box Soapgate

None of this stuff used to be licensed, and nobody really cared, until Soapgate. The Book Boyfriend Box released an A Court of Thorns and Roses inspired box with several items including a fanfic entitled "A Court of Smut and Wingspans" and a bar of soap, shaped like a penis. No, I'm not describing that right. It was not a phallic shaped soap, it was literally a purple veiny circumcised penis soap. Now first, this box's primary audience was YA, and at the time ACOTAR was considered (unwisely IMO) a YA book - it's since been moved to fantasy, but again, that's a whole other story. When I say people lost their minds, I mean that that company is no longer in business and SJM allows no merch to be produced that isn't licensed anymore.

Faecrate and Bookish Box Shipgate

Ok, creative license on this one because nobody is really calling it this, but I think they will. I have never subscribed to Faecrate because they have a terrible reputation for taking your money and then sending you, instead of your items, endless excuses about why you haven't gotten them. Cancellations never seem to go through, and the customer service apparently could not give two shits if you ever receive your things. This has gone on for years, but because of the rarity of the items, the resell value stays high, and the company has stayed in business. Are they reselling their own items? I just don't understand how anyone still subscribes, but maybe that's just me?

The Bookish Box

The Bookish Box pulled the same stunt. I've even heard it referred to as a Ponzi scheme, selling new things in order to cover the cost of the things they already owe people. Having seen many businesses fail due to this exact thing, I personally don't believe it's a scheme, but more of just poor accounting and not knowing how to run a business.

And when the shit really hit the fan, instead of taking accountability the owners threw an employee under the bus and tried to gaslight their entire customer base. It was so ugly they heavily filtered and deleted anything negative from their comment sections, including valid and even polite requests for information on WHERE PEOPLE'S STUFF WAS. They survived it, but I really don't understand how.

We've seen many book boxes go out of business, including Baecrate, Fabled Merch, and Shelflove, and while some handled it well and made sure people got their money back, most of them did not.

So what do I recommend? I've learned from my mistakes over the years, and I've learned that the only merch I'm ever going to use is a bookmark, a mug, and the occasional candle. And I've resold hundreds of items with a cabinet at my house still absolutely full of crap that's been listed on Mercari forever. That narrows me down to book only. I spend less money purchasing the merch items I fall in love with from the resale market.

I've been a fan of some of Goldsboro's GSFF's choices, which veer more High Fantasy and Hard Sci-fi, but lately they seem to show preference to certain authors that I just don't love, and their commitment to diversity is shaky at best.

Illumicrate has a new sci-fi subscription called Starlight (they are YA but leaning NA and lots more sci-fi choices and lots of inclusiveness), and I occasionally purchase a special edition box from them or Fairyloot. So I may try that.

I'm on a Quest with a capital Q to read more nonfic, to educate myself in this political climate where every politician and news station wants to take advantage of the uneducated or uninformed. The best two places I've found for this are and . Both have several monthly subscription options and varying price points starting at just $15. Both give you a 30%-50% discount on everything they carry once you're a subscriber, which is a hell of a good deal! They even have some fiction and graphic novels by diverse authors! I've received some of my favorite titles from them, like

• We Grow the World Together: Parenting Toward Abolition

• Grievers by adrienne marie brown

• 101 Changemakers: Rebels and Radicals Who Changed U.S. History

But your reading preferences may be different, so choose accordingly. Find a list of books they've done and do a simple calculation. In the last 2 years, take the 24 books a box has put out and count how many you read or want to read. If the percentage is higher than 50% go with that one. Most boxes allow you to skip months!

Be wary that sometimes some of these monthly subscriptions release the same book, so if you don't mind a spoiler check out a Facebook spoiler group. If you find that two of your subscriptions have the same book, you can skip a month.

I also recommend that if you preorder books or order book boxes, that you keep a running list of what you've ordered in order of publication or release date, so that you don't order duplicates, you can update any shipping delays, and you know when you should have received something but haven't. I personally use a checklist in the Evernote app for this (the free version is fine,) because I can access it from my phone or computer.

A word on the resellers market: it's a controversial topic to be sure, but many people subscribe to these boxes and purchase special editions solely for resale purposes. Every single company will limit purchases to one per customer, but of course there are ways people get around that. What people seem the most upset about is having to pay a higher price for something that it's original value. But we live in a capitalist society, and if people are able to make money, they usually will. People may be paying for a car to be fixed or an unexpected medical bill or just trying to survive, nobody is getting rich from reselling books or merchandise. They're not making money off of life saving insulin, they're reselling a high demand book that nobody NEEDS but lots of people WANT. They're not evil or mean or your enemy, they're just trying to survive like you.

And beware of shipping. Of the companies I listed, only Goldsboro and Broken Binding claim to be collector's editions. Therefore they package and ship them that way, like a delicate egg packed in a ton of bubble wrap. Goldsboro even includes the mylar protector on every book. The other book subscription boxes make no claims about collectability, and they usually pack their books in a thin fabric sleeve with a bunch of merch on top and some grass corrugated cardboard. So if your book has a small flaw, they may not replace it. Read their replacement policy and keep your expectations in check.

I hope that's enough info for you to make a decision. There is no ethical consumerism in capitalism, so remember that instead of buying a subscription, you could always wait until you see an edition you REALLY want and buy it on the used market, Mercari and are great options! Buying from each other is a great way to reduce our consumption and support small businesses.

And if you have more book box tea to spill, drop a comment, ya girl wants to hear it!

The Penguin Clothbound series is a collector's dream. Full of classics that everyone should read, hardcovers designed by the famous Coralie Bickford Smith, and a large number of titles. They release a few of these a year, so once you start it's easy to keep up. Tracking down some of the older releases can be a bit more challenging, especially the Indian Special Editions, and that first edition of Crime and Punishment. May the odds be ever in your favor!

This collector needs to warn you that these editions are extremely fragile. The covers are cloth with a vinyl embossing that tends to rub off easily, especially if stored in any kind of humidity or if your shelves are too tightly packed. Keep this in mind when deciding which collectors set is for you! I like this set because of the diversity of titles, and I'm just a big Coralie Bickford Smith fan.

2008

Note that the fist editions of the titles published this year are numbered, 1-9 I'm sure of but don't know about Dorian Gray!

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert:

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens:

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë:

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen:

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell:

Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen:

Crime And Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky: 

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë:

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde:

2009

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott:

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins:

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle:

The Odyssey by Homer:

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson:

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll:

Emma by Jane Austen:

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence:

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens:

The Sonnets and A Lover’s Complaint by William Shakespeare:

2010

A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings by Charles Dickens:

Inferno: The Divine Comedy I by Dante:

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift:

India Special Editions

The Qur'an by Tarif Khalidi: 9780670084173

The Ramayana by Valmiki, Arshia Sattar: 9780670084180

The Mahabharata by John D. Smith (Translator): 9780670084159

The Bhagavad Gita by Juan Mascaro (Translator): 9780670084166

2011

Dracula by Bram Stoker:

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens:

Middlemarch by George Elliot:

Bleak House by Charles Dickens:

Hard Times by Charles Dickens:

Persuasion by Jane Austen:

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen:

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen:

2012

Jabberwocky and Other Nonsense: Collected Poems by Lewis Carroll:

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo:

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas:

2013

Vanity Fair by William Thackeray:

Moby Dick by Herman Mellville:

Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley:

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer:

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy:

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain:

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe:

2014

Metamorphases by Ovid:

The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling:

Paradise Lost by John Milton:

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens:

The Pearl by John Steinbeck:

Love and Freindship by Jane Austen:

The Portrait of A Lady by Henry James:

The Illiad by Homer:

2015

The Travels by Marco Polo:

2016

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy:

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte:

Villette by Charlotte Bronte:

Naked Lunch by William S Burroughs:

Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys:

Orlando by Virginia Woolf:

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole:

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh:

The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham:

Remembrance of Things Past: Volume 1 by Marcel Proust:

Remembrance of Things Past: Volume 2 by Marcel Proust:

Remembrance of Things Past: Volume 3 by Marcel Proust:

2017

Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea by Jules Verne:

2018

Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes:

The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy:

The Ring of the Nibelung by Richard Wagner:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle:

Crime And Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (second edition reprint):

The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells:

2019

Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy:

Tales from 1001 Nights:

Sandition by Jane Austen:

2020

Around The World In 80 Days by Jules Verne:

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf:

The Aeneid by Virgil:

Grimm Tales by Philip Pullman:

2021

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell:

Animal Farm by George Orwell:

Monkey King by Wu Cheng’en:

The Lonely Londoners by Sam Selvon:

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

2022

Ulysses by George Orwell:

On the Road by Jack Kerouac:

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James:

The Outsider by Albert Camus:

2023

The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman by Laurence Sterne

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

2024

Pnin by Vladimir Nabokov

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré

The Brothers Karamazov: A Novel in Four Parts and an Epilogue by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

2025

My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin 9780241718599 (August)

I will start this post by noting that I am not a subscriber, I am an avid subscriber. But Goldsboro usually gives GSFF subscribers first dibs on any premier books they will be getting extras of, such as The Court of Miracles. I have compiled this list with help from Premier subscribers.

In June of 2020 Goldsboro changed it's Book of the Month Club to PREM1ER. The changes included added exclusive articles and author interviews, exclusive member login, priority access to special editions, and 15% off all Goldsboro purchases. Goldsboro's Book of the Month Club has been in place since 2005! I collaborated with Goldsboro to make sure this list is complete and correct.

2025

January - by Lucy Rose

February - by Roisín O’Donnell

March - by Clare Leslie Hall

April - by Amelia Ireland

2024

January - by Araminta Hall

February - by Jennie Godfrey

March - by Katherine Arden

April - by Robert Rutherford

May -  by Samuel Burr

June - by A.J. West

July - by Sarah Brooks

August - by Rosanna Pike

September - by Claire Wilson

October - by Gareth Rubin

November - by Clare Whitfield

December - by Layne Fargo

2023

January - by Heather Darwent

February - by Laura Shepperson

March - by Alice Winn

April - by Shelley Read

May - by James Hynes

June - by Essie Fox

July - by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

August - by Anita Frank

September - by Gareth Rubin

October - by Ray Celestin

November - by Sandra Newman

December - by Katrín Júlíusdóttir

2022

January - by Rosie Andrews

February - by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo

March - by Peng Shepherd

April - by Brian McGilloway

May - by Graham Bartlett

June - by Sean Lusk

July - by Victoria Selman

August - by Jenny Tinghui Zhang

September - by Hernan Diaz

October - by Kate Atkinson

November - by Rachel Joyce

December - by Noel O'Reilly

2021

January - by Robert Jones Jr.

February - by David Fennell

March - by Elizabeth Knox

April - by Anna Bailey

May - by Greg Buchanan

June - by Ragnar Jonasson

July - by Caroline Day

August - by Virginia Feito

September - by Alison Macleod

October - by Ruth Ozeki

November - by LR Thorp

December - by C.J. Farrington

2020

January - by Liz Moore

February - by Andrew Hunter Murray

March - by Colum McCann

April - by Jennifer Rosner

May - by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir

June - by Kester Grand

July - by Laura Imai Messina

August - by Alex Pavesi

September - by Richard Osman

October - by Clare Whitfield

November - by Will Maclean

December - by Frances Quinn

2019

January - by Un-su Kim

February - by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

March - by Taylor Jenkins Reid

April - by Bev Thomas

May - by Joanne Ramos

June - by S.K. Vaughn

July - by Adrian McKinty

August - by Mary Paulson-Ellis

September - by Lara Prescott

October - by Stephen Chbosky

November - by Anita Frank

December - by Adam Hamdy

2018

January - by Amy Lloyd

February - by Stuart Turton

March - by Zoe Gilbert

April - by Olivia Kiernan

May - by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar

June - by M.W. Craven

July - by Noel O'Reilly

August - by Ane Riel

September - by Matthew Crow

October - by Daniel Mason

November - by Søren Sviestrup

December - by Gareth Hanrahan

2017

January - by Ali Land

February - by E.O. Chirovici

March - by A.D. Swanston

April - by TA Cotterell

May - by Imran Mahmood

June - by Anna Smith

July - by Matt Haig

August - by Rachel Joyce

September - by Gabriel Tallent

October - by Laura Purcell

November - by Tom Hanks

December - by Simon Lelic

2016

January - by Fiona Barton

February - by Hideo Yokoyama

March - by Harry Parker

April - by Sylvain Neuvel

May - by C.E. Morgan

June - by Beth Lewis

July - by Mercia Blakewood

August - by Mark de Jager

September - by Blake Crouch

October - by Sam Wilson

November - by Adam Hamdy

December - by G X Todd

2015

January - by Paula Hawkins

February - by Peter Swanson

March - by Belinda Bauer

April - by Sara Taylor

May - by Ragnar Jonasson

June - by Ryan Gattis

July - by Katarina Bivald

August - by Virginia Baily

September - by Petina Gappah

October - by Anthony Horowitz

November - by Karine Tuil

December - by Ragnar Jonasson

2014

January - by Brian Payton

February - by Audrey Magee

March - by Phil Hogan

April - by Jason Hewitt

May - by Joël Dicker

June - by Adam Brookes

July - by Rebecca Levene

August - by Karen Maitland

September - by Fredrik T. Olsson

October - by Rachel Joyce

November - by L.C. Tyler

December - by Jane Smiley

2013

January - by Mackay Malcolm

February - by Hugh Howey

March - by Walter Tevis

April - by Stuart Nadler

May - by A.J. Macey

June - by William Ryan

July - by Neil Gaiman

August - by Richard House

September - by Christopher Yates

October - by William Boyd

November - by Diane Setterfield

December - by Nick Stone

by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)

2012

January - by M.R. Hall

February - by Lloyd Shepherd

March - by Rachel Joyce

April - by Anna Raverat

May - by Laurent Binet

June - by Ros Barber

July - by Toni Hill

August - by Peter Heller

September - by Ferdinand Von Schirach

October - by Lee Child by Andrew Child

November - by John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard

December - by John Gwynne

2011

January - by Simon Lelic

February - by Robin Blake

March - by Brian McGilloway

April - by Chris Morgan Jones

May - by SJ Watson

June - by Alice Albinia

July - by Alan Hollinghurst

August - by Daniel Polansky

September - by Pittacus Lore

October - by Anna Funder

November - by Mons Kallentoft

December - by Robert Lyndon

2010

January - by Simon Lelic

February - by Johanna Moran

March - by Patricia Duncker

April - by Jaspreet Singh

May - by William Ryan? 500?

June - by Gerard O'Donovan

July - by Miguel Syjuco

Aug - by Emma Donoghue

September - by Pittacus Lore

October - by Robyn Young

Nov - by Kate Morton

Dec - by A.D. Miller

2009

January - by Matthew Hall

February - by Charles Elton

March - by Jonathan Littell

April - by Karen Maitland

May - by Mikkel Birkegaard

June - by Briona Kita

July - by Claire Letemendia

August - by Sean O'Brien

September - by Victor Lodato

October - by Ryan David Jahn

November - by Laleh Khadivi

December - by M.R. Hall

2008

August - by Chris Cleave

September - by Sam Savage

October - by T.J. Middleton

November - by Peter Cotton

December - by Janice Y.K. Lee

2005

by Kate Mosse

If you, like me, have been avidly fascinated by Chels () who talks about romance novel covers and their history, you might find the topic of science fiction book covers a whole other beast. But equally fascinating I think. While your run-of-the-mill contemporary paperback might showcase a happy couple in front of a sunset (yawn), sci-fi covers have the audacity to feature sandworms the size of skyscrapers, robots with more feelings than you, and dystopian landscapes that look like someone spilled neon paint all over a decaying city. Seriously, it’s like the genre’s motto is “Go big or go home,” with the big being some weird alien overlord and the home being a planet on the brink of destruction.

But here’s the kicker: While these covers were once crafted by actual artists (remember those?), now the shiny future of science fiction covers involves... AI. Yes, you heard that right. Instead of talented, living, breathing humans, AI tools are being handed the reigns to create cover art. And if you’ve ever wondered what happens when you give an algorithm access to the entirety of the internet, the answer is terrifying. But before I dive too deep into my existential rage about the dehumanization of creativity, let’s take a nostalgic stroll through the actual science fiction covers that made this genre legendary—because, let’s face it, those robots didn’t create themselves.

The Early Days: Frankenstein and the "What Even Is a Cover?" Era

Let’s kick things off with Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. First, Mary is the mother of sci-fi. Mansplainers begone. Now, we know the 1931 Boris Karloff film version of the monster had some serious visual impact, but the first edition of Frankenstein in 1818? Nah, no fancy illustrations for you. That first cover was about as exciting as a bag of stale chips—literally what does this cover even have to do with the story?! But as time went on, the covers slowly became as dramatic as the story itself—complete with ghastly depictions of a stitched-together monster. If you ever feel like your life is falling apart, just remember—at least you're not a misunderstood monster who can't catch a break, right?

Here's a sideline shot of my favorite Frankenstein cover btw, it's not even technically collectible, you can find it anywhere, but it's so bold and pulpy and can't you just feel his ANGST?! We've really come a loooong way since 1818!

The 1900s: The Golden Age of Sci-Fi Covers (Sort of)

Fast forward to the early 20th century, and suddenly, we’re really getting somewhere with sci-fi covers. H.G. Wells and other legends were cranking out some wild, futuristic adventures, and the artists were truly flexing their creative muscles. A lot of early science fiction was initially published in pulp magazines like Amazing Stories (launched in 1926), which featured colorful, eye-catching covers to capture the imagination of readers. Artists like Frank R. Paul were pioneers in illustrating futuristic cities, rocket ships, and alien creatures. These covers were often dramatic and otherworldly, capitalizing on fantastical elements.

The 1950s-1960s: Where Things Got REALLY Weird

Enter the pulp era, where covers started going all-out. No more “meh” art; now we had space ships the size of planets, aliens with tentacles, and robots with far too much personality. The covers didn’t just sell you a book—they entranced you into entering a completely new reality. Gone were the days of minimalism. Now it was all about that wow factor.

"The Stars My Destination" (1962) by Alfred Bester
Here, the cover was a glorious mess of sci-fi goodness, with space pirates, bold colors, and the sense that everything was about to explode—because it was. This cover set the tone for the space opera genre: gritty, dangerous, and so over-the-top, you couldn’t help but love it.

"Dune" (1965) by Frank Herbert
Oh, Dune—that verbose behemoth of science fiction. The first edition cover featured a terrifying sandworm emerging from the desert, giving readers the immediate “yep, I’m about to be blown away” vibe. The novel has since earned some of the most iconic covers in sci-fi history. If you don’t see a sandworm and think "I need this book"—are you even human? The content of the book is another story - but that's a post for another day!

The Present Day: AI Ruins Everything (Sort Of)

Now, here comes the 21st century, where things start to get... interesting. As if movie feature book covers weren't bad enough already, enter: AI. Yep, that’s right—artificial intelligence is now churning out science fiction covers, and honestly, it’s as terrifying as it sounds. AI doesn’t know how to capture the soul of a story or the uniqueness of an author’s voice. Instead, it grabs some random data from across the web, spits out something that looks vaguely like a scene from a fever dream, and calls it a day.

But because authors are desperate for some cool art without breaking the bank, and publishers are greedy and don't want to pay real artists, AI covers are becoming a thing. And let’s be real: when you see an AI-generated book cover, do you really think, “Ah yes, this is a masterpiece created with love and care,” or more like, “Hmm, this looks like it was designed by a malfunctioning vending machine.”

AI-generated covers often lean heavily on abstract landscapes, neon glows, and creepy visuals that are supposed to evoke the “alien” or “futuristic” elements of the genre, but they often miss the soul of what makes sci-fi so good. I mean, I get it—AI can spit out an image faster than you can say "cyberpunk dystopia," but come on, this is the genre that gave us *epic covers of giant space monsters and mind-blowing worlds—are we really going to settle for robot art that looks like it was created after too many cups of coffee?

*If you're wondering why I used this specific image in this post, source material here:

Wrapping It Up: The Glory Days vs. The AI Takeover

As much as I love the idea of science fiction authors getting super creative with their covers, there's something deeply unsettling about letting an AI decide the fate of your book’s visual identity. With the new information coming out that not only does AI attempt (badly) to put real, creative humans out of creative jobs but also has an astoundingly bad impact on the environment, let's be reminded again—real, human artists gave us some of the most iconic and jaw-dropping covers in history. They captured the weirdness, the chaos, and the beauty of otherworldly concepts in ways that no machine ever could. HUMANS SHOULD BE MAKING ART, NOT AI, FULL STOP.

So, until AI learns to feel and think, let’s just agree that when it comes to book covers—especially sci-fi ones—nothing beats the human touch. Except maybe a few giant sandworms. Those are always a win.

What do you think? Have AI covers won you over, or are you side-eyeing them like I am? Let me know, and don’t forget to check out these covers that are way cooler than anything an algorithm can produce.

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I work a job where I drive around all day. In a car, by myself. If I didn't have audio books, I would feel much more stressed about "wasting" that time every day. My anxiety would spiral with all that time my brain had to go nuts with remembering that one time I passed out in front of my high school locker after donating blood and a guy that bullied me had to carry me to the nurse, and then spent the rest of the year believing he was my hero *shudder*. So I'm a huge fan of audiobooks. If you're not, that's fine, but don't hate. Some of us love them. This post is for the lovers, not the haters!

Audio books can get EXPENSIVE! Without a subscription, they run in the 30's and 40's, and even with it, $17-18 a pop when you go through them as fast as I do is not an option. So I've discovered some ways to get them for free and for cheap.

Hoopla & Libby

Did you know that your local library probably rents digital audiobooks? FOR FREE! All you have to do is download an app (Hoopla or Libby,) enter in your library card number, and then put the books you want on their wait list. When they are available, you can listen on the app, no trip to the library required!

Audible Daily Deal

I do have an Audible subscription. I did the 2-year plan paid in advance, which yeilds about $10 per book at one per month. This allows me to grab a new release or Audible exclusive that I would have had a hard time finding otherwise. This also entitles me to 2 free books a month from their selection. They usually have 5-6 books to choose from of various genres, and I usually only want one of them. But sometimes there are two I like, and hey, they're free!

Audible also comes with the benefit of a "Daily Deal," which is a book every day that is only $3-5. They change up the genre and sometimes it's the first book in a series to promote sales, but I got Priory of the Orange Tree on a Daily Deal, and it was amazing! To sign up go to your Account Details page on the desktop site and click on Notifications on the left-hand side. Check the box next to Audible Daily Deals, you'll start receiving emails right away.

Chirp

Chirp is another audio book library, but you don't have to be a member to get their daily deal, because no subscription is required! Their deals can be from $0.99-$5. I subscribe to their notification email to make sure I don't miss a deal.

FOR REVIEWERS ONLY *you don't have to be a social media creator to be a book reviewer. Writing well written reviews on books you read are enough to receive advanced reading copies friends!!!*

Libro.fm

Libro.fm is another audio book subscription service. But they also have a reviewer program for ALC's, advanced listening copies! They have 5-6 a month that you can choose from to listen to and review. If you're a Bookstagrammer or a reviewer, email support@libro.fm to find out more about their ALC program. I am not sure what their follower count requirement is, but I have under 1500 followers and I qualified, so they aren't too stringent!

Netgalley

Did you know that Netgalley has audiobooks??? Yes, they do! When I log in, they're right at the top of my Find Titles page. If you're new to reviewing, there are even "available now" options. The more you leave reviews on Netgalley, the better your chances are at getting approved when you request popular titles!

Audiobx

Audiobx is a Facebook group that I am a member of in which writers can give out free codes to their audio book for review. There are rules involved - you'll have to claim the book that day and only have a certain time to read it before you're required to post a review, so you have to be committed. And you have more direct contact with the writer, so if you are afraid of writing a bad review and having an author actually see it, this may not be for you. But it's a great resource for readers, and writers who want more reviews posted for their books!

So there you go. You don't have to break your budget to make your hands-free time more enjoyable. Go out, grab an audiobook, and share the love! And if you have more resources, share the love in the comments!