Smelling the pages of musty library books is one of the greatest pleasures in life, but that hasn’t stopped readers from branching out and discovering books in new ways thanks to the internet.
Due to the pandemic, more and more bookshops are closing down or, as Books Actually has done, moving online, which means that purchasing books is no longer a simple matter of plucking a title off the shelves and paying for it at the checkout counter.
Book subscriptions offer a convenient way to get your hands on new reading material by making sure a curated collection of books gets delivered to your doorstep on a regular basis. What’s more, in light of the pandemic, books received in this way are more hygienic and almost certain to be virus-free.
6 book subscriptions in Singapore for kids & adults
| Book subscription | What you get | Subscription fee |
| NLB Little Book Box | 8 books for 21-day loan | $10.70 a month |
| Josh & Cherie | 2 to 4 picture books | $33.90 to $53.90 a month |
| One Happy Book | 2 to 4 books | $19.90 to $45.90 a month + $3.90 per delivery |
| The Moon’s Blue Moon | 1 to 2 books, merchandise and paper goods | $32 or $65 per box |
| SCRIBD | Unlimited ebooks | US$9.99 ($13.43) a month |
| Storytel | Unlimited audiobooks, e-books and series | $12.98 a month |
NLB Little Book Box ($10.70 a month)
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Trying to drag your kids away from the iPad or Nintendo Switch? The Little Book Box gives you a chance to do just that by delivering a collection of eight curated and age-appropriate books to your home every month for three consecutive months. The programme is for children between 4 to 6 years old and 7 to 9 years old.
The books will come from the National Library Board’s collection and may be kept for 21 days, after which you can return them to any NLB branch via Bookdrop. The subscription fee is $10.70.
Note that registration for the next subscription round of Little Book Box is on 1 January 2021, and the pilot service ends in July 2021, so sign up while you still can.
Josh & Cherie ($33.90 to $53.90 a month)
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Receive a box of hand-picked books every month through this book subscription for kids aged 0 to 7 years. Josh & Cherie offers several plans based on age groups, as well as a sibling box if you’ve got two kids who are toddlers or pre-schoolers.
Children aged 30 months and under will receive three picture books with hard cardboard pages. Meanwhile, those aged 3 to 7 years will receive two picture books. For an extra $10, they’ll throw in a Mandarin book. Over time, you can build up a library for your children with these deliveries for up to 30% less than retail prices.
The boxes cost $33.90 to $43.90 a month (+ $10 for a Mandarin book). You can save more per box by opting for 6-month or 12-month prepaid packages.
One Happy Book ($19.90 to $45.90 a month + $3.90 per delivery)
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This book subscription service by One Happy Book keeps your kids happy with 2 to 4 age-appropriate books delivered to your doorstep every month. They cater to a range of age groups from 0 to 7.
Prices start from $19.90 a month for a two-book box for kids up to 6 months of age, and to $45.90 for the biggest four-book box for kids aged 5 to 7 years. Families with 2 to 4 kids can save money by ordering a family bundle.
Sign up for a 6-month subscription package and receive a complimentary book in the last month.
If you opt for a 12-month subscription, you’ll receive a 5% discount off your total bill and a complimentary book in your kid’s birthday month.
Don’t want to commit to so many months? You can sign up for a 1-month trial subscription or choose a shorter 3-month plan.
The Moon’s Blue Moon ($32 or $65 per box)
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Finally, something for the grown-ups! The Moon is a bookstore, cafe and event space in Chinatown’s backpacker area and it is now offering a monthly book box, The Moon’s Blue Moon, for adult readers.
Choose between their $32 “small box” containing a highly anticipated debut novel and a collection of merchandise and paper goods, and a $65 “big box” containing all of the above, in addition to a non-fiction title and extra merchandise item.
SCRIBD ($13.43 a month)
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You might already have stumbled upon SCRIBD’s website while trying to download illegal digital copies of books on your wishlist.
SCRIBD is actually an online subscription service offering access to e-copies and Kindle files of books, audio books, magazines and even sheet music. Think of it as Deezer or Spotify for books.
Simply pay a monthly subscription fee of US$9.99 ($13.43) to gain access to their huge collection of materials. They’re offering a 30-day free trial if you’d like to check out their database for free.
Storytel ($12.98 a month)
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Think of Storytel as an e-library of over 250,000 audiobooks and e-books that you can access at will on your computer or mobile device. Its focus is on audiobooks, which for many of us is a new experience and can be suitable if you’d like to listen along while exercising or running errands.
Before signing up for an account, search for titles on their website to check out what’s available. They also offer book recommendations if you don’t know what to read or listen to.
For $12.98 a month, you get unlimited access to the entire e-library. Sign up for a 12-month subscription and your monthly fee falls to $8.25 a month. Family packages are available if you’d like to sign up as a group of two or three.
Check out its free 14-day trial to see if you enjoy the audiobook experience first.
Fancy signing up for a book subscription? Share this with fellow bookworms!