Ninja Book Box Unboxing – February 2017

This week I received my second Ninja Book Box. I was one of many book lovers who supported Ninja Book Box via their successful Kickstarter campaign last year with their first ‘Slightly Surreal’ themed box released in November. Ninja Book Box is a quarterly subscription service with the emphasis being on promoting books from independent publishers of all genres, and including associated gifts from local suppliers.

Without further ado, here is what was inside February’s Ninja Book Box, the theme of which was ‘Shakespearean Mystery’

This quarter’s book was The Bookman’s Tale by Charlie Lovett published by Alma Books. Here is a little about the book from the blurb:

‘After the death of his wife, Peter Byerly, a young antiquarian bookseller, relocates from the States to the English countryside, where he hopes to rediscover the joys of life through his passion for collecting  and restoring rare books. But when he opens an eighteenth-century study on Shakespeare forgeries, he is shocked to see a Victorian portrait strikingly similar to his wife tumble out of its pages, and becomes obsessed with tracking down its origins. As he follows the trail back to the nineteenth century and then to Shakespeare’s time, Peter learns the truth about his own past and unearths a book that might prove that Shakespeare was indeed the author of all his plays.’

As with the book chosen for the November box, this is a book and publisher I hadn’t come across before. It certainly sounds like an intriguing read and I like the idea of a bookseller searching through the works of Shakespeare. Also included with the book is a review from Ninja Book Box along with recommendations for further reading.

Each month’s box features gifts appropriate to the book which were individually wrapped. These included a pack of ‘Shakespeare’s Flowers’ playing cards from Heritage Playing Cards. These featured beautiful illustrations along with quotes from Shakespeare’s works. I liked that these were supplied with a card detailing a couple of Shakespearean games that you can play with the cards, and I liked the artwork so will have to try them out with one of the games.

 

Next up there were three sachets of tea from the Rosie Lea Tea Company. These were different varieties and each one was named after a Shakespeare play and features a quote from the play on the package. They were titled Twelfth Night, King Lear and Much Ado About Nothing. I have received a few different bookish teas now so will make the effort to try them at some point!

 

 

 

Then we had an item which was created exclusively for the Ninja Book Box. This was a mini notebook by Hey Katie Designs which features the quote ‘I like this place and could willingly waste my time in it’ which was also supplied with a pencil. I am a fan of stationary and a hoarder of notebooks so this will be a welcome addition. Also pictured is a quote postcard and this month’s Ninja Recipe which was for mini apple pies!

 

And finally there was the charm which is included in each box relating to the theme. This was an ink bottle with quill which was presented in a miniature book shaped box which I thought was adorable!

I really liked the February Ninja Book Box. I appreciated the way all of these items fitted into the theme and the level of effort that has gone into putting all the little components together. It is clear that a lot of love and attention has gone into putting the box together which gives it more of a personal touch. The theme for the May box has yet to be revealed but I am looking forward to finding out what is inside!

If you would like to find out more about the Ninja Book Box, you can check out their website here