Ever wondered why our readers pick us? We decided to ask our readers themselves. Our beloved subscriber Rachael (@a_journey_through_fiction) shares 5 reasons, why she decided to open an ABoS box and we’re sure she will convince you to open one yourself! Excited to know what she has to say? Keep scrolling!
1. Try something new
“Unless you open yourself up to trying new things, you can’t find what you love.”
– Anonymous
The beauty of A Box of Stories is that you get to discover potentially undiscoverable authors! ABoS sources amazing books that did not receive the marketing budget they deserved or needed to make it to the Bestsellers list. There are several examples of authors who have been rated highly on Goodreads, by booklovers around the globe, although not many people have read or discovered their work yet. For instance, You Only Live Once by Jess Vallance. The cover of this book states ‘for fans of Geek Girl’; a highly popular and well-marketed YA novel. Comparing the two books on Goodreads makes for interesting reading. Geek Girl scored an average of 3.78, with 19,101 ratings. You Only Live Once, a book similar in style, scored very closely to Geek Girl. However, You Only Live Once only has 143 ratings! This shows how there are titles available which are just as good as the best sellers - simply waiting to be loved! How many books are out there that you would, should, and could cherish, but haven’t been put in front of you…until now!
2. Reading is food for the brain
“Reading Is To The Mind, What Exercise Is To The Body”
- Joseph Addison
Reading has been scientifically proven to ‘light up’ the brain. Many studies have used MRI scans to observe what happens when people read for pleasure. When analysing these MRI scans, researchers found that as various events in the story took place, different levels of brain activity were observed accordingly. Even more remarkably, these changes in brain activity have been found to remain in place for days following reading.
Reading has also been shown to improve both the memory and attention span of the reader. There have been various studies which have shown reading is an effective tool in slowing down the cognitive decline of older people.
3. Surprise!
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get”
– Forrest Gump
Ask yourself this: What tastes better; a box of chocolates you bought for yourself, or a box gifted to you? What feels better; a bunch of flowers bought for yourself to fill that empty vase, or a bunch of flowers arriving unexpectedly one sleepy Sunday morning?
Surprises have been scientifically shown to activate the reward centre in the brain. Surprises make us feel good. Surprises motivate us to learn and explore.
The only thing that is not a surprise is that you are guaranteed to receive high-quality books. These books are expertly and lovingly hand-picked by the team who scan thousands of books which have been reviewed by fellow book lovers. It is also guaranteed that you will not receive the same book twice and you can link your Goodreads account to ensure you don’t receive duplicates from your own reading lists.
Receiving A Box of Stories is exciting, rewarding and damn right addictive - I should know! It’s the same reason the ‘random acts of kindness’ are so popular on bookstagram. You could easily buy your own books, but receiving a book, not knowing which one it is, well that’s a whole new level of excitement.
Ask yourself, booklover, what is more exciting than bookmail?
Nope, nothing?
Exactly!
So, life is indeed like A Box of Stories; you never know what you’re going to get!
4. Reading actually makes you smarter!
“Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for a while.”
- Malorie Blackman
Smarter? How!? Well, not only does reading help to improve your memory, concentration, vocabulary and comprehension, it also helps to build emotional intelligence. We grow to care about the characters we invest so much time in. We are able to put ourselves in the shoes of others. When we finish a book we love, it stays with us. The choices of those characters, good and bad, remain in our brains as would memories of our own past experiences.
5. Reduces stress
“Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.”
– Mason Cooley
Lockdown. We are just tentatively emerging from what has been for some people an incredibly difficult and stagnant year. No travel. No new experiences. No connections.
One form of escapism is simple. Reading. Books allow us to travel to places, smell new things, meet new people. Explore, ride, dive, search, find. You name it, you can live it through a book.
Books, and that feeling of being able to escape, have been proven to lower a person’s heart rate and release tension in the muscles. This has even been proven to work better than other methods, such as listening to music!
So, for now at least, let books take you to places where we can no longer go.
2 comments
After reciving my first box of books, I opened it, quickly scanned the synopsis of each book. Then closed it so I could get that anticipation and joy of opening it again.
Brilliant review, 5 very excellent reasons to indulge yourself by receiving and reading new books. Books open up unknown worlds to us, and require imagination.