Adult 2018
Home Adrift
December Box
Lights on the Sea by Miquel Reina"Unlike the others, the replica that Harold now held was not in a bottle but in an old, squat mason jar. Inside, his most treasured ship sailed defiantly across a sea of resin. It was the first he'd ever made. This ship had no detailed ornamentation, no royal crest emblazoned on her sails. It was a simple seaworthy sailing vessel, a modest boat longing for great adventures."
- an exclusively custom-designed ship in a mason jar as described in the book.
"She reached again into the basket and took out a small clay pot and a thick bundle of bandages, which she held out to Mary Rose."
- a small ceramic sugar jar and a roll of bandages.
"Without even realizing what she was doing, she removed her mitten and tenderly took Harold's bare hand, the same way he had taken hers so many years ago."
- a pair of mint green mittens.
"What he saw, or rahter, what he didn't see, made him freeze. Harold and Mary Rose weren't there. Amak was turning to leave when he saw a scrap of paper among the blankets...Amak turned the note over and on the other side was a photograph."
- a blanket scarf with the note as written in the book. On the the other side, the photo of Harold and Mary Rose was recreated as detailed in the book.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner
The Forgotten Queen
November Box
The Lost Queen by Signe Pike"Ariane put her finger to her lips and produced a small bronze mirror from her cloak. "Look, Languoreth of Cadzow. See what you have become.""
- a foldable, bronzed, antique mirror with a rose pattern on the back.
"I shook my head to cease the spinning, and had reached to accept his hand when I noticed the crest of a white-tipped feather half buried in the grass. The talisman!"
- a black and white feather pendant.
"I lifted my hand to my collarbone and let it rest there just long enough that he might spy the green ring that glinted on a finger of my right hand."
- Languoreth's emerald ring.
"On my table beside the window I found my parchment and quill. I sat and dipped the feather in ink, bending my head over the blank parchment and began to write."
- a quill pen and the letter as written in the book.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner
A Museum of the Strange and Unusual
October Box
The Impossible Girl by Lydia Kang"Cora went to her vanity and searched out a glass jar. She dipped her fingers in a gray mixture of charcoal and lard and smeared a fine film over her cheeks, chin, and upper lip."
- a jar of facial mud mask.
"She pulled the strings of her reticule. "Here. The curator gave me a list of specimens he'd like to procure. I expect he'll give you a similar one." She hadn't read it yet, but handed it to Flint."
- a custom designed drawstring bag with the list of specimens inside.
"She took the small newspaper and walked across the street...When she had caught her breath and the dizziness had settled, she began to read. The article was the third on the front page..."
- a custom printed newspaper with the article written as featured in the book.
"The maid curtsied and went on her way. Within ten minutes, she had brought out a large pot of boiled water in a warmed teapot...When the maid went away, Cora withdrew the medicines from her reticule. She sprinkled foxglove, hawthorne, and skullcap herbs into the steaming pot."
- a custom designed teapot-shaped creamer pot with mini, custom designed poison bottles as mentioned in the book.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner
Shipwrecked
September Box
The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams,Lauren Willig, and Karen White
"Reluctantly, she set aside a diamond pavé cat, arching its back, its ruby tongue caught between tiny fangs."
- a custom cat brooch inspired by the description in the novel.
"The maid opened the door of the satinwood armoirse and pulled out a small box from the top shelf."
- a box of custom designed stationary and matching envelopes.
"And there, sure enough, was Caroline Hochstetter sitting at the piano bench, poised and self-contained, rubies at her ears and throat, her ivory silk gown managing to be both refined and alluring."
- a glamourous set of red-stone earrings and pendant.
"I open the clasp and stick my hand inside. Find the stiff, delicate paper inside and pull it out. 'Oh my God, it's the same portrait, the one of Robert!'"
- a custom designed portrait of Robert.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner
A Starry Night Murder
August Box
The Space Between by Dete Meserve"But what sits on his desk-what he looks at every day-is a photo of the Perseid meteor shower he took in Indian Cove at Joshua Tree National Park."
- a custom photo to match the description in the book, in a custom designed picture frame.
"It's a polished grey-and-white stone in a silver setting on a chain."
- a grey and white rugged stone pendant inspired by the description in the novel.
"I sit beside him, and he inserts the flash drive into his laptop's USB port."
- a custom designed flash drive resembling a cassette tape.
"I drop the water bottle I'm carrying and hear it thud on the ground."
- a custom designed water bottle with a built-in fruit infuser.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner
The Secret Wine Cellar
July Box
The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah"Unwilling to disturb anything, I peered at one of the bottles without touching it. My flashlight picked out the number "1929" - an exalted vintage from France..."
- a custom 'wine bottle' containing a set of wine tools.
"Today, the tea was lapsang souchong, dark amber with smokey depths."
- a custom designed teabag rest, and packet of lapsang souchong tea.
"The letters swam before my eyes, black lines and speckles against the light-colored surface. Wait...speckles?"
- a custom designed "The Count of Monte Cristo" binder clipboard with the hidden code printed inside.
"With shaking fingers, I pulled the letter from the envelope, the sheets creased and brittle, covered with the careful loops of Helene's handwriting."
- a custom written letter inspired by the description in the book.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner
Hidden Behind Words
June Box
The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland"When I turned back to the row of books, I saw that there was a business card sticking out of the top of Jane Eyre."
- a custom-designed Jane Eyre notebook with the business card tucked inside.
""Whitby jet?" he asked, looking at my necklace."
- Loveday's necklace, a small, aromatherapy teardrop shaped pendant.
"You are cordially invited to the reopening of Lost For Words, York, Rare and beautiful books for book lovers everywhere..."
- a custom-designed 'envelope' wallet with the invitation tucked inside.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner
Caught Between Two Worlds
May Box
Between Earth and Sky by Amanda Skenandore"Miss Wells turned the ruler over in her hand, its sharp edge scratching against her dry palm."
- a custom designed wooden ruler.
"She reached into her purse and handed him a small package. "I brought you something." He peeled away the paper and twine to reveal a copy of The Return of Sherlock Holmes"."
- an exclusive, custom edition of The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
"Her eye caught on the first photo, and the breath froze in her lungs."
- a custom designed photoshop image of the class portrait as described in the novel.
"At the bottom of her bag she found the dance card from a recent gala she had attended. She folded it in half and handed it to him."
- a small, era-reminiscent purse and the custom-designed dance card inside.
""We also found this in that there dugout." The man thrust a silk ribbon up at the sheriff."
- a patterned, elastic headband.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner
Safe House
April Box
The House on Harbor Hill by Shelly Stratton"Instead, she pulled out a yellow envelope. She stared at in in bewilderment, wondering why this was in her purse, and then she remembered."
- a yellow envelope with a letter inside as written in the novel.
"Tracey glanced down at Delilah's feet. Delilah followed the path of her gaze, embarrassed to realize she was still wearing her fluffy, pink bedroom slippers."
- a pair of fluffy, pink slippers.
"I take the book from him and stare at the paperback, elated to see it again."
- a custom edition of The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton, exclusive to Once Upon a Book Club.
"...she looked almost one hundred years old with her shrunken frame and sagging skin, and with a bald head she'd tried, but failed, to hide under a pink satin scarf."
- a custom designed, pink satin scarf.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner
A Poisoned Cup of Tea
March Box
The Taster by V.S. Alexander""You may leave after breakfast," Cook said, and handed me a small gold book with few pages in it. The Reich eagle was emblazoned in black on its front cover."
- a replica of the identification papers Magda was given.
"Panic surged through me. "This spoon is dirty. I'll get a clean one." I walked to an empty sink and washed the utensil."
- the poisoned spoon, custom engraved.
""Of course," I said, and held out my hand. "But please be careful, it's very old - it was a gift from my great-grandmother." "Oh I won't touch it," she said. She grasped my fourth finger and bent down, examining the ring for several moments."
- the poisoned ring, an essential oil diffuser ring.
"She clutched the towel in her hands and absentmindedly wrung it."
- a custom designed tea towel.
"I awoke on a rickety cot in an underground room illuminated by candles."
- a custom poured candle.
images by @JStefaniAuthor and @BrittanyTheBookDragon
Finding Alaska
February Box
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah"He slipped a necklace around her throat, fumbled to clasp it in the dark. "I carved it," he said. She felt it, a heart made of bone, hanging on a metal chain."
- a white, stone heart necklace on a silver chain.
"...she finally did it, created a gulley to catch rainwater into two big thermoses. When one was full, she positioned the other thermos to collect water and then climbed back up onto the rock."
- a red and black plaid canteen thermos.
"One of them - a huge work-in-progress canvas - was propped on an easel. On it, an explosion of color; drops and splatters and streaks that somehow - impossibly - gave Leni the impression of the northern lights, although she couldn't say why. There were strange, misshapen letters in all that color; she could almost make them out but not quite. Maybe it said, HER?"
- a beautiful, custom designed canvas watercolor print with the word HER hidden among the colors.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner and @PetrichorandParchment
Wine, Windows, and Murder
January Box
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn"She slides a thumbnail into the locket; it cracks open, and she leans toward me, the locket swaying in the air...Inside the locket is a tiny photograph, glossy and vivid: a small boy, age four or so, yellow hair in riot, teeth like a picket fence after a hurricane."
- a custom designed silver locket with a photo inside as mentioned in the novel.
"I swivel the umbrella ahead of me - my secret weapon; my sword and shield - and lean over to press my hand to the knob. I turn it."
- a custom designed wine bottle that transforms into a custom designed umbrella.
"Then I see it in his fist. A bolt of silver, glinting. It's a blade. It's a letter opener. "
- a custom designed silver letter opener.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner and @TheBookElves