Page 1 Book Subscriptions | Meet Your Literary Matchmakers – Page One Books

Meet Your Literary Matchmakers

Owner

Hi, I'm Michele. Page 1 Books was founded in 2017, by book lover, Brandy O'Briant, who formed the idea and started boxing subscription orders in her spare bedroom. The company flourished, survived Covid, and then I bought it because it's my fantasy business.

I'm that person who watches the Time Enough At Last episode of The Twilight Zone and identifies with Henry Bemis. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Henry, except that he lacked the foresight to stock up on reading glasses. I, too, would like to read David Copperfield at work, to the exclusion of all else. And now I can.

I was browsing descriptions of the first subscription book service started in 1926. The press predicted it would be "a bonanza to busy ladies and clubs that want 'to keep up.'  A selecting committee comprised of big names in the world literary, selects each month the book of the month which is mailed to all club members. If the book received is not really desirable it can be returned for another, selected from a list of several month's best books prepared by the committee."

We've come a long way, baby! Today, we don't want to send you the books we think best. We want to know what you like and, then, hand-select something tailor made to suit you. We're not selling you what we have. We're searching for what you want. Welcome aboard. We're glad you turned to Page 1.

Literary Matchmaker
My name is Lauren and I've been a bookworm since the moment I could read. I have a MS in Library Science, and I've been blogging and sharing books on social media for around 17 years. The cute tuxedo cat in my photo is named Charlie and he's my reading buddy. I adopted him in Fall 2019, which worked out well with Covid coming soon after. 
Here are some fun facts about me: 
1. One of my all time favorite books is The Perks of Being a Wallflower
2. I've been lucky to attend book conferences like Book Expo America and the ALA Conference
3. I got my Master of Science in Library Science through the University of Kentucky 
4. Along with books, I love Broadway musicals and my favorites are RENT and Spring Awakening
5. I've been to London, England once and I would absolutely love to go back someday 
In-Store and Online Associate
Hello! My name is Kamila and I love the literary world. My tenuous grasp of the English language improved substantially when I began reading A Series of Unfortunate Events and Percy Jackson and the Olympians in the fourth grade classroom. Since then, it’s been difficult to get a book out of my hands! (Though I've since expanded into audiobooks and e-readers as well, to get the full experience). I recently graduated from St. Olaf College with a bachelor’s degree in English, and I’m excited to put it to good use. Feel free to talk to me about works from authors like N.K Jemisin and R.F Kuang!
Literary Matchmaker

Hello, readers! My name is Oona. I am a native of NYC, growing up in Tribeca and now living in Brooklyn. Despite limited space in this city, my apartment is crammed with books.

I graduated from The University of Edinburgh with a Bachelor and Master of Arts in English and Scottish Literature. After graduation, I interned at the New Yorker and Penguin Random House, before working as a freelance writer and editor.

I am a passionate “birder”, volunteering at the New York-based, Wild Bird Fund, where I helps the rehabilitation of fowl who have fallen afoul, (pun intended,) of traffic, glass skyscrapers, and other city hazards. I love reading books about animals in both fiction and non-fiction. Currently, I am reading An Immense World by Ed Yong which is about how “animal senses reveal the hidden realms around us.” When I read My Side of the Mountain (by Jean Craighead George) as a child, I became obsessed with falcons and other birds of prey.

I am also attracted to novels that have a progressive political mission, and that are in some way addressing colonialism, capitalism, urban restructuring, and the climate crisis.

My name is Emma and I love books, cats, and coffee! I graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelor of Arts in English, and am currently back in school to become a paralegal. Reading has always been my favourite pastime; I was frequently caught reading under the covers past my bedtime when I was younger, and have frequented bookstores my whole life (my living space is packed with book piles and bookshelves). I worked for Indigo, Canada's major chain bookstore for three years, providing customer recommendations and building community rapport. 
I'm very genre-fluid regarding my book tastes, and I will read virtually anything that sounds interesting. I am very committed to finding the perfect book for readers and have put my whole heart into my choices. I am looking forward to continuing to pick the perfect book for you, from beautiful British Columbia, Canada.