Adult 2022
Melody of Madness
December Box
The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano"Propped up in a straight-backed chair in one of the acute wards with a cup of warm tea beside me, I drifted into a restless half sleep between rounds. A harsh whisper cut through my dream. 'Don't drink the tea.'"
- a custom set of two glass mugs.
"A tri-folded letter lay open on the ground just outside the locked ward gate."
- a real version of the letter pulled from the novel.
"Anna cried out, sending the women scrambling to tighten the blanket and hustle her over to the side of the pianoforte. She quaked. The blanket edged down and I felt her racing heart against my shoulder."
- a custom designed fleece blanket with custom hand-painted sheet music of Moonlight Sonata by Pen and Pear
"A collection of smooth, waxy pillars was shoved into my left hand. I ran my fingertips along the length of them and felt wicks at the end. Candles."
- a set of two beeswax candles in a custom box.
Guided by Flames
November Box
Never Name the Dead by D.M. Rowell"She reached for me, pulled me in. I resisted. Poison surrounded me. I melted."
- a custom perfume bottle including the signature scent, Poison from the book. Peach, Pear, and notes of Vanilla.
"As I ran, I shifted the swinging canteen from my back and slipped the strap over my head. I swung the canteen, hitting it in it's exposed flank."
- a custom glass drinking bottle with a leather carrying strap. The lid of the bottle includes an engraving of a book.
"Grandpa tossed another handful of mixed herbs into the fire. Blue flames danced."
- a custom packet of flame coloring to be used in an outdoor fire.
Tell It To The Bees
October Box
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan"I realize he is not looking down at his wrist, like I am. He's staring at the drawing I did of Lily when he was in jail. now in a frame on his nightstand."
- a brown, wooden picture frame containing a sketch of a woman.
"Asher reaches for the bowl of ice cream and holds it out to me. 'Here, Mom, help me finish.'"
- a custom set of two bowl cozies to assist with holding cold or hot plates.
"On the table is an army of jars, filled with the second harvest of honey. I pick one up and bring it outside. Because honey never spoils. Ava takes the jar and turns it over in her hands. It will keep, until she is ready."
- a customized, hexagon honey jar with a quote from the book printed on it.
Love at the Last Stop
September Box
The Lost Ticket by Freya SampsonLibby managed to find the end of the tape and ripped off a long strip, then held up the poster against the bus shelter with one hand and tried to attach the tape with the other.
- a pink and yellow tape dispenser & washi tape roll featuring book stacks.
"Libby opened the parcel and let out a small gasp when she saw a sketch pad and a tin of pencils."
- a set of sketchbooks and tin of sketching pencils.
"The first thing they hung on the wall was a double picture frame that Dylan had given Libby for her thirty-first birthday."
- a double sided picture frame featuring a drawing and a photo inspired by the description in the novel. When removed, the frame depicts a world map and the words travel fund. The frame has a slit in the top for coins/bills to be added.
"Libby was beginning to regret wearing her thick hat, and she pulled it off, shaking out her long hair. She stuffed the hat in her bag..."
- a grey winter hat with a small patch that reads 'I'd Rather Be Reading' and a folded yellow reusable tote bag printed with a book stack pattern.
Echo From the Past
August Box
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy by Jamie FordShe took the pocket watch. The clockworks were silent. As she wound the stem, she felt tension and the spring-hinged cover popped open. Inside the watch was a photo clipped from a newspaper.
- a small gold watch inspired trinket holder, containing a small photo inspired by the book.
"Afong stepped back as the Chinese man brought forth a lacquered tray with three bowls of rice and three sets of chopsticks."
- a marble serving tray and set of three metal chopsticks. (tray should be wiped with a damp cloth to clean. Chopsticks are hand wash only)
"'What are you reading?' 'It's a study of Edgar Allan Poe...'"
- a rolled 12x18 poster of the poem Annabel Lee.
"He handed Dorothy a mug of coffee. Dorothy noticed the graphic on the mug, an armadillo sitting in the lotus position like the Buddah. Beneath the artwork was the word KARMADILLO."
- a ceramic mug with artwork inspired by the novel. (dishwasher and microwave safe)
Women of War
July Box
The War Girls by V.S. AlexanderHe left the balcony and returned to the table to find Perla. Their faces were barely visible through the airy handiwork of the lace tablecloth.
- a cream-tone, lace tablecloth. (hand wash only)
"'I have to think about it.' 'I understand,' Rita said, rising from her chair. She opened her purse, withdrew a business card, and handed it to Hanna."
- a fabric envelope clutch containing a business card.
"Phillip helped her on with her coat and held the door open. The rain beat down, puddling around her shoes. She thanked him, said good-bye, and headed for the Tube. She tipped the umbrella backward, letting the cold drops fall onto her face."
- a light pink umbrella printed with the words 'She was stronger than the rain' and button release.
"Hanna returned to her room and took the packet of documents off the bed. She brought it to the candles and saw her newly manufactured German passport."
- a dark blue passport and card holder featuring the words 'Don't look back, you're not going that way' and fake passport inspired by the book description.
The Cupcake Connection
June Box
Fake It Till You Bake It by Jamie Wesley"'Are you all right?' She couldn't get her lips to work to answer him. He grabbed her forearm and turned it over. 'Ella, get the first aid kit.'"
- a metal first aid kit.
"With August's help, she had added a few festive touches, including placing posters of books the club had read over the past year on easels all around the room."
- a rolled poster of books meant to be colored in and written on to track reading goals.
"'Does anyone need any wine?' She sighed in relief when a few women help out their wine glasses."
- a glass stemless wine glass with the words 'What are books without wine?' printed on it. (hand wash only)
"She pursed her lips. No lipstick on her teeth. She loved this shade. It was the lipstick she wore when she wanted to feel confident."
- a berry toned lipstick in a custom case.
"'See, that wasn't so bad,' Donovan said as he slid the cupcake pans into the oven."
- a set of 12 purple and yellow silicone cupcake molds in a small oven-shaped box (hand wash, air dry)
The Other Side of Neverland
May Box
Darling Girl by Liz Michalski"A folder filled with mock-ups of Pixie Dust ad campaigns rests at each place. Each folder is topped by a tiny pink glass bottle of the powder that glitters in the light."
- a small jar of edible fairy dust to be added to food or drinks. (add a small amount into drinks or onto desserts to add some sparkle to your life!)
"She finds him in the library. Dust motes drift around him, the filtered light turning them into flecks of gold. He's found the Darling treasure, a signed first-edition illustrated volume of Peter Pan kept under a glass cloche."
- a book light featuring Peter Pan details and the first page of the novel inside. USB power required.
"This time she can't help it - she does shiver. Peter sees it and smiles, then rings a little bell that sits on the table between them."
- a small, handheld bell.
"The bundle cradled in Christopher's lap squirms, opens its eyes. 'Are you going to introduce me?' 'Meet Rosie. Short for Rosemary. For remembrance.'"
- a small packet of rosemary seeds in custom designed packaging inspired by the Darling Co.
Unsolved Mysteries
April Box
The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James"She walked to the kitchen and grabbed the bottle, willing her hand not to shake. She flinched and stood at the wink, yanking the cork from the bottle..."
- a wine tool set including an air pump bottle opener, bottle top aerator, wine foil cutter, and bottle stopper. (hand wash only)
"Inside was a pack of cigarettes. Next to it was a heavy metal lighter. There was an empty ashtray on the desk."
- a custom printed ring dish featuring the first page of the novel Moby Dick printed in the trays and gold detailing. (hand wash only, not food safe).
"I didn't call her, but she heard the news anyway. The next week, I got a package in the mail: a red shawl, old and well cared for, folded neatly in tissue paper."
- a recreated Life Magazine card inspired by the novel and a sheer, red shawl. (hand wash, hang dry)
To the Moon and Back
March Box
The Oceanography of the Moon by Glendy Vanderah"She guides me out onto the wooden pier. It's unsettling to walk toward that watery blackness as if impelled down a gangplank to my death. She positions me at the end of the pier and has everyone turn off our flashlights. She tells me it takes a while for retinas to acclimate to darkness. As my eyes adjust, I'm standing in millions of stars."
- a small, USB star light that shines star patterns onto walls or the ceiling.
"While I'm running water into the tub, she knocks on the door and hands me a book. The cover art looks like a child's drawing of two people holding hands, the lines connecting stars in the night sky. The constellation is Gemini, the twins. I settle the book onto the bookrest Sachi and Alec gave me for my sixteenth birthday..."
- a faux book pamphlet including the novel A Box of Broken Stars details on the cover, plus a wooden and plexiglass bookrest. (NOTE: The bookrest has a film on both the front and back of the plexiglass. Please remove prior to using.)
"I take the rock out of my pocket and hold its cold angular shape in my fist. I'm not sure if I should give it to her."
- a black tourmaline along with the explanation of its healing properties. (NOTE: The rock can/should be washed prior to displaying to remove any dust).
"I've been too distracted to pay much attention to his necklace. The only jewelry I've seen on him is the expensive watch he always wears. It's a key, the old kind I see in antique stores."
- a gold, key pendant inspired by Vaughn's.
"I hold her against my chest. I recognize this song. It's 'Strawberry Fields Forever'."
- a QR code to listen to the song, 'Strawberry Fields Forever' by The Beatles
Write Your Own Story
February Box
The Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka"I walk into the living room, where he's spread out his laptop and contract pages into an impromptu workspace. He comes out of the kitchen carrying his coffee and sits on the couch, hardly glancing up. "Where were you?" he asks. I hold up the bookstore bag."
- a custom canvas tote bag that reads "Obstinate Headstrong Girl" including a book pocket PLUS inside a custom covered book representing a faux book from the novel, but covering the real book "Murder at Mallowan Hall" by Colleen Cambridge.
"However, Katrina is nothing if not skillful. I have to concede I'm intrigued. I sip my drink, Katrina's white flag of black coffee. Even over the scent, I can smell her hand cream."
- a custom, coconut scented hand cream called "Fiction".
"I chew my lip, peering in the store front's window, where hardcover mysteries and cookbooks stand on display. While I don't really want to admit my hesitation. I know Nathan isn't just going to walk away. "You probably introduced yourself to the bookseller,' I explained. 'They just pulled up your catalogue. 'Yes...?' He leans on the step's metal railing, in no hurry. I notice in his pocket the leather pouch in which he carries his signing pens."
- a small leather pouch containing three custom pens.
"He's grabbed the shield I've used to fend off questions I'm tired of confronting and thrown it into the ocean. I won't give him that satisfaction. I shove my bookmark carelessly into the page of the book I wasn't reading."
- a custom, Tiffany-blue, leather bookmark.
Weird and the Wonderful
January Box
Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal"Toby lifts the image from the tiny font, holds it - holds her - between thumb and forefinger. He hands it to her, then lights a match, and she blinks at the sudden flare. It cannot not be her, she thinks; this girl cannot be her. It is a trick. For years, she has avoided her reflection in puddles and panes of glass, believing she would find something ugly there. Toby pegs her image to the washing line..."
- a strand of fairy-light photo clips and a photo inspired by the story. (requires 2, AA batteries)
"Before she can change her mind, she reaches into her pillowcase and rips the seams. Notes spill out: three weeks of earnings that she has barely dented."
- a fantastical looking pillowcase with book pocket and three coins inspired by the story. (zipper closure found at the top of the case. Handwash only. Fits 20x20 pillow form)
"'I've a gift for you,' Stella said after the men were served. She handed Dash a small blue box. 'To thoroughly ensure your father never speaks to you again.' He unwrapped it carefully. Toby leaned closer. It was a gold signet ring, likely pinched from the pocket of a dead Ruskie. She had carved new initials. E.W.D."
- a gold-toned signet ring with a sticker reading the initials E.W.D. Under the sticker it is engraved with the words, She Will Become Extraordinary.
"The talk of stories makes Nell want to read. She lies against Toby, hungering to tip it into something more, but aware of the child, too, and content to be held by him. They turn the pages of Fairy Tales."
- a custom edition of Grimm's Fairy Tales, featuring illustrations by Arthur Rackham. This hardcover edition features custom end papers and patterned stenciled edges.
