Welcome, Reader, to a book subscription that's a little bit different to the ones you're used to... For as long as I've loved reading and bookselling, I've been passionate about finding off the beaten tracks books, ones that never really get the recognition they deserve. Books that seem to coast below the radar of the bestsellers lists and the podcasts and the huge accolades, but books that, actually, turn out to be hidden gems... They're always the books I find by pure chance, whether I find them on the shelves in fellow bookshops, or they make their way in to Foster's by surprise. They're the ones that intrigue me (I've learned so much about mountaineering despite never actually going near Everest), or educate me (I could go on about the Arizona Miner's Strike thanks to Barbara Kingsolver), and always leave me feeling a little bereft when I read the last line and close the cover, finished forever. I can't tell you just how widely I've expanded my reading tastes, thanks to these underdogs that I've found by pure chance. I was brought up on horror, and read only that (or Lord of the Rings) until I was around twenty, but since opening Foster's and finding so much more choice, my shelves are filled with eclectic picks and books I never even knew existed. Because its a joy in and of itself, isn't it? To pick up a book, or be recommended an author, that you were completely unaware of, that you likely would never choose for yourself, and be surprised with a story that sits in your heart for a long time afterwards. It feels like discovering a little piece of yourself that you never really knew was there, an interest that you didn't know you had. For me, its like a feeling that you've never quite been able to describe, but all of a sudden finding the right words and the puzzle pieces fitting together. Where I used to hold Stephen King as my go-to author and would read his books on repeat, I tried and found new authors, like Willy Vlautin and John Irving, who are now staples on my book list, and books like The Reformatory shaped how I view a certain part of history, and left me wanting more stories of the people who lived through it. And I want to share them with you, in all their unseen and uncovered glory. The Bookseller's Choice Subscription will put these obscure and unfamiliar books right in your hands, and give you a fresh perspective on different genres, and help you discover something new. Now, the genres I'll be sending out as part of my Bookseller's Subscription will include pretty much a little bit of everything, and I wouldn't say this will indeed be a genre based subscription - it will be made up of books, regardless of genre and author, that have in some small way shaped the bookseller I am today. But I will say the one genre that won't be included is Romance, and that's purely because I don't read a great deal of it (mainly just when recommended) however, you might find some books with romantic undertones, but where romance isn't the entire plot. I also won't be including any that are super, very, immensely popular, because although I have loved some new releases that have been featured everywhere, I also want to try and avoid sending out anything that the majority of people have already read. My whole motive for the Bookseller's Subscription is to put new books in your hands, books you might never have heard of, much less picked up for yourself, so I'll be digging and delving into the deepest wells of my past reads to bring you one book a month that might change the way you think, and hopefully will stay with you forever. Now, the important bits! The books sent out will be predominantly brand new paperbacks, in whichever cover is currently in print. From time to time, I might treat us all to a fancy hardback (no extra charge!). They will be a complete surprise every month, with no spoilers or details shared until we're sure everyone has received and opened their parcels. Billing will take place on the same day as your initial subscription date of every month, with books shipping during the first ten days of the following month, and every month is a "set" book - the same title will be sent out to every subscriber each month. Eg, if you join on 15th May, you will be billed on the 15th of every month, and the book billed in May will ship in June - billing is always one month prior. You'll receive your book, wrapped up nicely like a little gift to yourself, along with a few words from me about the book and my experience with it, and sometimes added extras like bookmarks, whenever I come across ones that match the theme of the book being sent that month. So! After all that... Are you ready to try something new? Excellent! Your first new read awaits...
