Ninja Book Box Unboxing – November 2017

This week I received my fifth Ninja Book Box. The November ‘Into The Future’ box marks the 1^st anniversary of Ninja Book Box, and I received the very first ‘Slightly Surreal’ box back in November 2016 following the Kickstarter campaign. 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. I pre-paid to be an ‘Annual Ninja’ so have received all four of the main boxes for 2017.

This quarter’s book was 2084, a short story collection published by Unsung Stories. Here is a little about the book from the blurb:

’15 predictions of the world, 67 years in the future. These stories envision what our world could become.

See the flooded metropolises of the future, trek the wastelands of all that is left. Steal across the borders of a future Europe, and watch as another species goes extinct. Say goodbye to your body, as humanity merges with technology, or say goodbye to your freedom as the state takes control. Step inside your television, or live to preserve yesterday’s ghosts. All of these things may come to pass.

Warnings or prophesises? Paradise or destruction? Will we be proud of what we have achieved, in 2084? ’

I was familiar with this book as I had been meaning to back this project on Kickstarter. It certainly sounds like it could be an interesting read and I like that Ninja Book Box included a book which was published with the help of Kickstarter, which was a platform they used to help create this box. Also included was the regular leaflet featuring a review from Ninja Book Box along with an interview and recommendations for further reading.

Each month’s box features gifts relevant to the book and theme. This month we had some storytelling dice from Ignite Imaginations. This includes three dice featuring different pictures which you can roll to make up different stories based on the images. This is a good idea to help with creative writing or even to help children create stories. I have a similar set of these cubes so may pass these onto a friend. Another handmade item in this box was a book string made by Esther Fairbairn. This was like bunting and featured little books of different sizes. This is a cute item and would look good as a decoration for a bookshelf.

As this box is an anniversary box there is an item included which is a reworking of an item included in the very first boxes that went out to Kickstarter backers. This was a mug from Tea Please which features the quote ‘The future belongs to those who prepare for it today’ along with the Ninja Book Box logo on the reverse. The quote fits in well with the theme and it ties in nicely with the anniversary theme. There was also an item from Geeky Clean who are a familiar company to me as I have received a few different items from them in the past. This was a ‘Futuristic Foam’ soap which is a citrus scented soap with glitter – I am looking forward to trying this!

There is always a handmade feel to this box and the November box was no exception. It included the regular Ninja recipe card which was for some festive star biscuits which is appropriate with Christmas approaching. There was also the regular charm which for this box was a planet, and there was even a handmade ninja mask!

I liked the November Ninja Book Box with the book and the soap being my favourite items. As always with Ninja Book Box I really like the fact that the box has a personal touch and that a lot of love and attention has been put into it. The next box is due in February, if you would like to find out more about the Ninja Book Box, you can check out their website here!