Prudence and the Crow Review: February 2015

If you're looking for a really unique subscription box, you can't do better than Prudence and the Crow. This is a book subscription service from the UK, although they do ship internationally.

Basically the way it works is simple. You answer a questionnaire about your life and your interests, specifically about reading habits. You can choose a specific genre or select random. Each month, they will select a vintage book for you based on your preferences.

This was my first month and I love the idea. The problem, though, with a subscription like this is that when I filled out the survey, it was about two months ago. Between waiting for a month for the next shipment and then another few weeks for Royal Mail, my reading habits have changed a lot. When I filled it out, I was on a mystery kick. I'd been reading a bunch at Christmas, but I'm kind of less interested in mystery at the moment. Because I'm an avid reader, no book is really a bad selection for me (outside of romance), but I ended up a little disappointed. Mostly because I'm now on a fantasy and classics kick. What I think is best for me with this service is to order a one-time delivery when I'm feeling random, rather than a subscription just because I read so much but then my moods change.

Anyway, that's me - and if you don't read as often or change genres as much, I really think this is something special and recommend a subscription. I am definitely going to order again a few times a year when I'm stuck for what to read next. (I love old books just for being old, too, so it's perfect.)

Prudence (Abigail Shaw) and the Crow (Peggy Seymour) started working together online about 15 years ago and they decided that this would be the perfect delivery subscription service. 

In addition to the book, you get a couple snacks, a book sleeve, and an old-fashioned library card stamped with your subscription number and the date. I love having the bookmark essentially, along with the sleeve. 

In some of the reviews I've seen of Prudence and the Crow, subscribers had a note explaining why the book was selected. I would have preferred that, because I have no idea why they chose this book for me. They also got my name wrong on my mailing label, so I'm lucky that the order made it through customs and to me. 

I still believe this is one of the best and most unique subscription box options out there, although I ended up disappointed in my book. Since I shop at old bookstores and flea markets for books regularly, it ends up not being something that makes sense for me each month. Like I said, though, I will probably do it again in a bit with some more specifics about my interests. I think I was too vague, because I really do love reading and will enjoy almost everything. To get the right "special" book, though, I think I need to give them a bit more to work with.