Tag: book box

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Boxwalla’s Lavanya Krishnan on the politics of our pleasure reading picks

Every month, I interview an author I admire on his literary firsts–except this month, I’m interviewing a book subscription box creator.

There’s something strangely enticing about book subscription boxes. Sure, you can buy the books on your own, but you won’t get all the pleasures of having someone buy them for you — the expected yet unexpected package in the mailbox, the joy of unboxing a prettily-wrapped gift, the discovery of books you didn’t pick out for yourself.

With Boxwalla Book Box, you get all that plus the chance to expand your literary horizons by discovering writers from around the globe. Each book box comes with two international reads that’ll put you in touch with cultures foreign to you and human emotions that feel intimately familiar.

I got a chance to interview, Lavanya Krishnan, cofounder of Boxwalla, who revealed her tips for successfully recommending books and her perspective on many Americans’ insular reading choices.
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Siel: What inspired you to start a subscription book box?

Lavanya: As immigrants ourselves, we were surprised to discover that the readers, of a nation of immigrants, do not engage with literature from the rest of the world.

In the U.S, unlike in other parts of the world, readers are obsessed with their own literature. This is possibly a good thing, but only to an extent. The lack of curiosity, about literature from outside of the U.S., is actually quite disturbing. Most people in the U.S. do not read writers from outside the U.S., and they do not read translated literature. And this is reflected in the fact that only 0.7% of all the books published in the U.S. comprises translated fiction and poetry.

The Boxwalla Book Box is our attempt to change that, since there are amazing books being written all over the world, that American readers are largely unaware of, or even resistant to. And so we decided to scour the literary landscape, so to speak, to bring the best books from all over the world, to whoever wanted to read them.

One of the things we have observed, is how the insular reading choices of even the more erudite American reader, is actually symptomatic of events that manifest itself outside the literary landscape.

Let me illustrate this point. When Trump emerged as the President, he was portrayed as being representative of a particularly conservative segment of American society, something that most erudite American readers believe they have nothing in common with. But as it happens, the process of democracy always throws up a leader who accurately represents a very unique characteristic of that society. A characteristic that represents the entire society, even if the society fails to recognize it as such at the time. In this case, Trump represents the self obsession, the indifference and the disinterestedness in deeply engaging with the rest of the world, that is a very peculiar characteristic of the American society, regardless of people’s political affiliations. And this indifference is reflected, among other things, in the reading choices of even the more well-read American readers.

So, if you step back and think about it, the serious American literary reader actually has quite a bit in common with President Donald Trump. We would rather not have that be the case. Hence our valiant attempts. 🙂

How do you go about selecting the books for your box? What comes first — the theme or the books? Is there a specific process you go through for each box?

The books definitely come first. We have a list of books that we’ve read and that we think deserve to be read. The theme is based on which books we decide to pair together, The pairings depend on which books might work well when read in a sequence (both within a box and across boxes), or might complement each other in some way (without being tediously similar).

I’m curious what your own reading habits are like. Does your reading list resemble the selections you make for Boxwalla — or does it range more widely?

Initially, when we started the Boxwalla Book Box, we focused on living writers, so the list was a subset of what we read. But recently, we’ve switched to showcasing both dead and living writers, so as to be able to showcase both forgotten greats as well as contemporary greats who aren’t as well known as they deserve to be. So now it is a closer reflection of what we read.

Of course, there are several well known writers, whom we love as well, who may not feature in our box, but only because our subscribers have probably already read them (Flaubert, Tolstoy, Hemingway, Faulkner, Pamuk, George Eliot come to mind). But our selections for Boxwalla do reflect our tastes, as well as our personal attempts at reading outside our comfort zone (but still within the realm of great literature).

Any tips or best practices for how best to convince friends and strangers to read a book you’ve read and loved?

Ah – that’s the tricky thing to achieve – to convince someone to read a book you’ve loved.

We have found that people are very particular whom they will take reading advice from. Everybody has limited time to read, so for somebody to read something you recommend, requires a certain leap of faith, or a recognition of kinship in terms of reading tastes. So something like, ‘oh, I see you loved Book A. I loved it too. If you loved Book A, I think you will love Book B’, could work.

It becomes easier once somebody takes that leap of faith and likes something you’ve recommended. Then they are more likely to be convinced to read that second book you recommend…. 🙂

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Enter to win a Boxwalla Book Box by signing up for my newsletter. Already joined up? Then you’re already entered. Good luck!

Earlier:

* Boxwalla: A Book box for world literature lovers
* The TNB Book Club: Get literary gems delivered to your door for under $10
* The Book Drop: Handpicked reads delivered from an indie bookstore

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Boxwalla: A Book box for world literature lovers

If you want to read more international writers, but don’t know where to start, try a Boxwalla Book Box. This subscription box service promises to send you two new reads at a time — featuring writers from all over the world.

Boxwalla’s picks seem pretty idiosyncratic and, in general, lesser known. “All of them are must-read but not as widely read as they deserve to be,” claims the website. A recent Boxwalla Instagram post highlighted the writers from Asia featured so far, ranging “from the classicism of Tanizaki, to the experimental fiction of Can Xue and to the deceptively simple poetry of Ko Un.” I hadn’t even heard of any of these writers!

Was I missing out? Out of curiosity, I tried out a Boxwall Book Box earlier this year.

The first thing I discovered when it arrived: Though called a Book Box, there is no actual box. Instead, the two books are simply slipped into a drawstring bag, along with a letter insert with an intro to the month’s theme, authors, and the books.

The theme for my box was “Language and Identity,” and featured Armenian writer Zareh Vorpouni’s The Candidate and Jewish-American writer Cynthia Ozick’s The Puttermesser Papers. I’d never heard of these writers before either!

My favorite of the two was The Candidate, which follows a young Armenian expat in 1929 Paris, reeling from the sudden suicide of his friend. The poetic work covers a lot of ground — the Armenian diaspora, racism, writerly ambition, poverty. It made personal the international aftereffects of the Armenian genocide and combined it with the beautiful listlessness of artistic life in 1920s Paris —

I wasn’t as taken with The Puttermesser Papers, stories that follow a woman called Ruth Puttermesser through her odd little foibles, highlighting Jewish myths and traditions. Though it got great reviews and was nominated for a National Book Award, I ended up abandoning this book about half way in — It just didn’t hold my interest.

Overall I’m touched with Boxwalla’s mission to highlight books that deserve more attention. Each month’s selection takes you to a new place, so I imagine longer-term subscribers would become much more aware of world history and cultures over time.

A subscription costs $29.95 a shipment, and you can sign up now to get the December box — or more accurately, bag. Boxwalla also offers Green Beauty, Artisanal Food, International Film boxes — which appear to arrive in an actual box.

Earlier:
* The TNB Book Club: Get literary gems delivered to your door for under $10
* The Book Drop: Handpicked reads delivered from an indie bookstore

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The TNB Book Club: Get literary gems delivered to your door for under $10

A couple weeks ago, I got home to find a little, nondescript package at my door — a cardboard fold-up marked only with my and the return addresses. Which made me wonder: Who is Fat Possum Records and why did they send me mail and could it be anthrax?

Of course, I immediately opened the package — and out came a copy of The Sarah Book by Scott McClanahan. That was all that was in there. There wasn’t even a packing slip!

Who sent me the mysterious book?

It took me a while, but I remembered that I’d signed up for The TNB Book Club a week or so earlier. TNB stands for The Nervous Breakdown (so yes, the book club is The The Nervous Breakdown Book Club), a literary website that publishes fiction, book reviews, and funny self-interviews where authors ask themselves questions then answer them too. I joined the book club on a whim, partly because I’m a fan of TNB founder Brad Listi’s literary podcast, Otherppl, and partly because I’m a fan of book subscription boxes in general.

That said, to call The TNB Book Club a book subscription box is a bit of a stretch. First of all, the book came not in a box but on an efficiently folded up piece of cardboard (Although does folded up cardboard qualify as a box? What is the definition of a box these days?). Second, it contained just the book — no letters from the author or signed bookplates or other tchotchkes. And third, although I was surprised due to my general absentmindedness, the book pick wasn’t actually a surprise for the subscribers. Books-to-come are listed on the TNB Book Club webpage long before they’re shipped — so you won’t see any unpackaging videos by ooh-ing and aah-ing bookstagrammers on Instagram stories.

But at $9.99 a month, you can’t beat the price on this book subscription!

And you get variety. Book picks might be hardcover or paperback or even advanced review copies. They might arrive pre-publication or post. They might come from big presses or tiny presses. They might be novels or memoirs or translations or biographies or something else — so joining this book club will likely make you read outside the genres you usually pick.

Past picks range from Jonathan Safron Foer’s much anticipated novel Here I Am to The Reactive by Masande Ntshanga, out of a small indie press called Two Dollar Radio. The Sarah Book also came from a small press called Tyrant Books.

And I loved The Sarah Book.

This novel is a crazy ride — a mostly true story about Scott and his relationship (and the end thereof) with one Sarah — starting off with his alcoholism and her bulimia and related chaotic antics — like living for days in a Walmart parking lot and destroying a computer with a ten pound sledge. It’s so messy and honest — I seriously couldn’t put this one down.

I wouldn’t have known to pick up this book on my own, so I’m glad it came my way. And while the book arrived on my doorstep alone, TNB has a review of The Sarah Book and Otherppl has a podcast interview with Scott McClannahan.

I’m already looking forward to the August book: One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter by Scaachi Koul. You too can sign up to get this and future books at $9.99 a month! Just don’t be surprised if it comes in suspiciously nondescript packaging with a mysterious return address.

Earlier:
* The Book Drop: Handpicked reads delivered from an indie bookstore
* 5 best literary podcasts in Los Angeles

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The Book Drop: Handpicked reads delivered from an indie bookstore

If you’re like me, you love reading shelf talkers at independent bookstores — You know, those handwritten notes from the booksellers recommending books they love. These shelf talkers often pique my interest enough to pick up books I’ve never heard of before — and more often than not, I end up loving those books too.

Now, you can get those little notes — along with the recommended books — delivered to your doorstep, thanks to The Book Drop.

The Book Drop’s a monthly book subscription box program run by Bethany Beach Books, a little independent bookstore that’s been in business for over 25 years in Bethany Beach, Delaware. Each month, bookseller Amanda Zirn curates a new set of boxes, sending out books she loves to readers all over the world along with a little shelf talker-like note.

I got the June box earlier this month — and I have to say there’s something thrilling about getting mystery bookmail, where you don’t know what novel’s in the box. I ripped it open to find Hemingway’s Girl by Erika Robuck!

Hemingway’s Girl follows Mariella, a young maid hired to work for the Hemingways when Ernest and Pauline lived with their sons in the Key West. I’d never heard of this book before, which was perfect; I wanted the subscription box to introduce me to books I didn’t even know I longed to read. I’ve always liked Hemingway’s work but knew only tidbits about his real life, so I liked getting this window into Hemingway’s time in the Key West — via a fictionalized but mostly historically accurate tale.

The box also came with a couple letters: A personal note from bookseller Amanda Zirn about why she picked the book, and a letter from the author Erika Robuck in which she talks about her first trip to the Hemingway House in Key West. Plus there were a few fun extras: a signed book plate, a Bethany Beach Books bookmark, and an Indie Next List brochure with more book recommendations from indie booksellers.

These cute book boxes clearly have a lot of fans, because The Book Drop’s July boxes are already sold out! August boxes will be available starting tomorrow though — so you can sign up then. There are actually four different boxes to pick from. The box I got was the Jane Box, described as “Historical & Contemporary Fiction with a little sprinkling of literary fiction,” for $16 a month. But you can also pick from the Ernest (“thrillers, mysteries, and a little bit of non-fiction”), YA, or Children boxes.

I still love going to my L.A. independent bookstores, but I really liked being surprised by The Book Drop’s pick! Now, I hope to visit Bethany Beach Books in person one day. What does one do in Delaware though, besides shop for books?

More: 11 best bookstores in Los Angeles for writers