Tag / Lit-Cube

by PerfectlyTolerable

Lit-Cube March Reveal!

This Month’s Theme:

Canada

Lit Cube has been undergoing some changes.  They reduced their price by $10 and they started shipping in envelopes instead of boxes.

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The Book:

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The Goodies:

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Overall:

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Sooooo, yea. This was a lame box 😦 I was already debating switching subscription boxes and this one finally pushed me to do it. I like the decal and the koozie but they aren’t what I want from a book box.  I have canceled my subscription to Lit Cube and signed up for Owl Crate!  April will be my first box, keep an eye out for the reveal post!

by PerfectlyTolerable

Lit-Cube February Reveal!

This month’s theme is:

New Orleans

When I got this box I was a little worried about how small it was (scissors for size reference)

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But it was packed very full:

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First up was a Praline candy thing.  I haven’t tried it yet but it sounds good.

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Next was a drawstring backpack.  I own so many of these and I don’t need anymore, but I love the fabric! Its got great texture!

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Next was this super awesome book-holder-opener-thingy. (Thats the technical name) Since I have gotten it I have only read hardcover books and while it works, I think it would work better with paperbacks.

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Then we had some Bubble Salt.  It feels cool, but I still need to use the bath bomb I got last month.  (I don’t take a lot of baths)

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Last but not least, this months book is The Feathered Bone.  I probably won’t read this.  It sounds like it will be a thriller or depressing or both.  There are too many other books I want to read that I don’t think I will get to this one.

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Even though the box was small and I don’t like the book, I still liked the box.  The book-holder-opener-thingy is super cool!

 

I was disappointed that there wasn’t a sticker again.  This is the second box in a row that didn’t have a sticker.  The first passport themed box had a sticker and a note saying to save all the stickers because one of the boxes will contain a “passport” for you to put them all.  I really liked the idea and the collector in me was excited to have been there from the beginning so I could collect them all.

Last month when I asked for a replacement book, I also asked about the sticker and they said they were just too busy and didn’t get around to adding it.  I have been thinking of switching boxes (I love the goodies in this one but I want more YA books) but the idea of collecting all the stickers was one of the reasons I was sticking with it.  But now that they aren’t doing the stickers, maybe its time for a change?  I don’t know what to do!  I will see what next month’s box contains and then maybe make a decision?

 

 

If you are interested in subscribing to this box, use this link to get 15% off your first box! (I get $10 off my next box if you use it!)

by PerfectlyTolerable

Lit-Cube January Reveal!

I know I missed doing the December reveal 😦 I was just too busy.  It was Paris themed and if you really want to know you can see a picture of the contents here.

Now on to January! This month’s theme is:

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This is the first lit-cube box that has come in a plain brown box:

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The book this month is The Viking’s Chosen:

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This sounds really good and right up my ally!

Unfortunately something went wrong with the printing so the pages are upside down and off center.  I can’t read it because some of the words are cut off 😦 I contacted Lit-Cube and they were super nice and are going to replace it 🙂

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The goodies were good this round!

First up was a signed bookmark:

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Then a super cute magnet:

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A cool, macaroon shaped container:

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A Chocolate bar:

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An awesome wolf Necklace:

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A bath bomb (that I am afraid to use because blue stains sometimes?)

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And (I saved the best for last!) a coloring book!

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This box is my favorite so far! I am super excited for the book, and the coloring book is awesome!  I have already worn the wolf necklace and I really like it!

The only thing it is missing is the sticker? In the first passport box there was a sticker and a note saying to save all the stickers because one of the boxes will contain a passport for you to put them all.  I have saved all the stickers so far, but this one didn’t have one?

Next Week’s theme is:

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While not as cool as Scandinavia, the New Orleans box should be fun!

If you are interested in subscribing to this box, use this link to get 15% off your first box! (I get $10 off my next box if you use it!)

by PerfectlyTolerable

Lake of Destiny

Lake of Destiny

by Martina Boone

***** (5 out of 5)

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Amazon | Goodreads

Disclaimer: All Amazon Links are affiliate links.  If you purchase any of these books through one of my links I will get a small commission! All the thoughts/opinions in this post are mine and in no way influenced by Amazon.

I received this book in my November Lit-Cube box.

I am not gonna lie, if I saw this in the store I probably would not have picked it up.  The cover is not super appealing.  But, based on the synopsis, it sounded like a good book, and I liked it.  This is a classic case of “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Though, in my defense, there are so many books to choose from that you have to start somewhere and 1st impressions always start with the cover and the title. (This is a discussion for another time, so I am going to leave it at that)

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I love the Scottish Romance trope.  I don’t know why, it just makes a great setting for a love story.  Usually the Scottish Romance books I read are steamy romances.  This is not one of those.  I have seen a lot of posts lately about “Clean Romance” books, and this definitely falls into that category.

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My favorite part of the book was actually not the romance.  It was the theme of the struggles involved in raising and protecting children.  Connal struggles with a balance of protecting his child without restraining her nature.  Anna struggles with her own upbringing and a mother that doesn’t understand her.  Their struggles collide as Anna tries to make Connal understand the mistakes he is making, while realizing maybe her mom had reasons for her own mistakes.  All the issues were very well written and realistic, and added a solid anchor to the story.

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The love story was good too! It was fairly realistic, if not rushed, but that is common in books.  It seems people always fall in love instantly.  There is a little bit of magic involved.  The mythical Scottish “sighting” where you see your true love in a vision is used to explain the quick attraction.  The mythical aspect was minimal, so it definitely wan’t a fantasy book.  In the aspect of “just a little magic” this book reminded me of The Simplicity of Cider.  While the stories are completely different they are both clean romances with just a hint of magic.  They also both involve the dad already having a child.  The more that I think about it there are a LOT of similarities, but they are still two completely different stories.

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I know that this book would technically be considered “Romance”, “Contemporary Romance”, or “Clean Romance” but if I were to give it a genre it would be “Hallmark Movie”  Its a feel good love story with a happy ending.  They could make it into a Hallmark movie and no one would think twice about it.  So I am giving it 5 starts, because I like that kind of thing, but I don’t recommend it if you aren’t the Hallmark Movie type.

by PerfectlyTolerable

Lit-Cube October Reveal!

If you read my September reveal you might remember that I was missing a couple items.  After contacting Lit Cube, they rectified the error and sent me my missing items! It was a candle and some lip gloss:

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Both of them smell amazing!!! The candle is Apple Cinnamon Donuts.  Think Sugar Cookie smell meets Apple Cider smell.  The Lip Balm smells straight up like Apple Cider.  I am super glad I realized I was missing items because I really like both of these!

Now for October’s box:

Here is the theme reveal e-mail I received:

Theme

First Impressions?  Its October, of course they are going to do a Halloween theme.  This one sounds pretty cool, and I am glad it is not a horror theme because I don’t do scary stuff.  I’m disappointed to see that the book has a Picture of Dorian Gray vibe because I hated that book.  Overall I’m excited for the box.

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Last month I complained that the inside of the box was designed to be “Apple Spice and Everything Nice.”  I said I would rather they spend their time and money on the items inside the box and not the box design.  I need to re-tract my statement because the box is the same this month as it was last month.  I apologize for my brash negativity.

The first thing in the box was a card:

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I made the mistake of reading the back of the card before looking through the box.  The card is just a list of what is in the box and what everything is worth.  If there was one of these in the September box I didn’t get it.  It would have been nice because then I would have known what I was missing.

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Going in the order of the card, first up is the book:

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This doesn’t sound quite as bad as The Picture of Dorian Gray but I’m not sure I will like it.  I will attempt to read it and will write a review. (I know, I know I still owe you September’s review.  I’m about halfway done with the book and liking it a lot so far!)

Next are the bookmarks:

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These are super fun, but I don’t know how well they work … they barely stretch to cover a regular size paperback, and it kind of bends the book.  I think they will work better for a romance novel size book, or maybe if I keep using them with bigger books they will stretch out a little?

Next up is a necklace:

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I like it but I don’t wear a lot of jewelry, and I don’t really have an occasion to wear this.  It doesn’t fit my normal style but I am going out tonight; maybe I can find a shirt to wear it with?

The final two items go together:

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The wax melter thing is super cute, but I am a little confused to its purpose.  You need a t-light in order to heat and melt the wax, but I thought the point of melting wax was so that you didn’t have an open flame?  The wax melts are shaped like sugar skulls.  I couldn’t smell them through the packaging and don’t want to open them until I go buy a t-light to try it all out.

Finally there was a Kit Kat and some other piece of candy I haven’t tried yet.  Here is the full loot:

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Overall I like the box!! Can’t wait for next month’s! I will try to take cool pictures like everyone else does haha.  I realize my pics are kind of lame.  Next Month’s theme is “Passport to Scotland” which sounds super cool!

I found out that I can get a $10 referral reward if I get anyone to sign up! So if you want 15% off your first box, and if you don’t mind me profiting from it, then pretty please use this link:

http://i.refs.cc/W7DwxFYE

Thanks!

by PerfectlyTolerable

Lit-Cube September Reveal!

Hi all! Its been a while.  My September was a whirlwind of activity and I didn’t have time to write.  But I am back now, and things should settle down for a bit!  I will write more about my whirlwind later, but I wanted to get started with this long overdue post.

Back in August I wrote a post about Book Subscription Boxes and at the end I decided to order from Lit-Cube.  As promised here is my big reveal! (And Yes, I know, its October and I am just revealing the September box, I will do better next time I promise)

September’s theme was:

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This theme does not make a great first impression.  It sounds weird and not book related at all.  What kind of book is going to fit in with “Apple Spice & Everything Nice”? A Cookbook? Better Not be.  Even though I am skeptical about the theme I am still super excited to find out what is in the box!

The box itself is mint green and very nice looking.  Though, honestly, I could care less what the box looks like,  (It will most likely end up in recycling)  I care more about whats on the inside.

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P.S. My cats refused to stay out of the pictures so meet Logan (Bottom Right) and Kaylee (Top Left).

Inside, the box is nicely packaged so the items aren’t crashing around.  There is a cute design on the lid that goes along with the theme.  (Again I don’t really care about the box.  I would rather the creator put more effort into what goes into the box rather than designing the box itself)

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And finally there were three items in the box:

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Item 1: Baked Crunchy Apple Chips by Bare.

Holy Cow these are delicious.  They taste more like apples then apples do! The only ingredient is apples, which is awesome.  I googled it and you can buy these at both Walmart and Target so I will definitely be buying more.

Item 2: Finger-less Gloves

At first I wasn’t too sure about these.  They are super cute, but most of my wardrobe is black based so they don’t match anything I own.  But, they are also super comfy, like little sweaters for your hands.  Not uncomfortable like most gloves.  I realized these are perfect for work.  My office building is FREEZING.  I wear extra layers and have a personal heater but my hands still get cold.  I can’t wear normal gloves because I type all day, so these should work perfect.  (Because I don’t care what I look like at work as long as I am warm!)

Item 3: The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert

Here is the back of the book, so you can see what it is about:

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This book sounds like the perfect book to curl up with on the couch and, drink some hot cider, while watching the leaves change.  Its got cozy written all over it.  I will start reading it just as soon as I am done with this post!

Overall I really liked all three items, but I was a bit disappointed that there were only 3.  Yes, they are all quality items, but I thought I would get more.  Plus I already knew I was getting the gloves because they were revealed in a “teaser” email.  I thought it was weird that they would reveal the gloves when the only other items are the book and apples, so I went back and re-read the e-mail.  I found this little tid-bit:

Included in this box will be:
1. Beautifully written women’s fiction book!
2. A pair of lovely fingerless gloves! Pictured below (you will receive a different colored pair, not the red ones pictured!)
3. Something scented & made exclusively by a wonderful small business!
4. Something exclusively made for Lit-Cube by a fabulous bath & body business!
5. Something yummy to snack on while you read!

So it seems that I didn’t get items 3 and 4.  I e-mailed Lit-Cube and within a couple hours I received a response saying that I was indeed missing 2 items, and that they would get them sent out pronto!  Lit cube gets an A++ for customer service, pending on me actually getting the missing items.

I will update you when I get the items and will post a review on the book soon.

Keep an eye out for next month’s reveal! The theme is:

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And this is the “Teaser:”

Featuring a brand new YA novel not even out yet. This book has a witchy “Picture of Dorian Gray” vibe! Unique, well-written, & an award-winning novel.
Included in the box will also be some fabulously “witchy” items
to enhance your reading experience!

I HATED The Picture of Dorian Gray, but I was pleasantly surprised by September’s box, so I am still looking forward to Octobers!