Adult 2023
Follow the Yellow Brick Road
December Box
The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale by Virginia Kantra
Page 98: "I set the peas, still wrapped in the towel, on the coffee table."
The included gift was a custom 16"x24" linen cotton kitchen towel with a yellow brick road print and the words: there's no place like home .
Page 215: "I dug frantically in my bag for my wallet."
The included gift was a custom gray wallet with a pattern of red slippers and tornados.
Page 312: "She poured my tea into a to-go cup."
The included gift was a custom 24oz yellow sequined tumbler and straw, with the quote: you've always had the power my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself .
Page 351: "We sat on the braided rug, laughing and crying, holding hands, the portrait of my mother on the floor between us."
The included gift was a custom 20"x30" slate gray and white woven doormat.
Pieces of the Past
November Box
One Puzzling Afternoon by Emily Critchley
Page 151: "I finally remove my shoes and socks, taking care to keep my feet on the blanket."
The included gift was a custom-printed, round beach blanket featuring a girl reading.
Page 154: "I inhale deeply. I smell like Lucy—bergamot, lilac, and jasmine."
The included gift was a custom 100ml bottle of Reading in Paris perfume.
Page 195: "She's holding two train tickets in a faded pink: British Railways, Single 2nd, Ludthorpe to London "
The included gift was a custom-printed train ticket bookmark.
Page 215: "I touch the pendant at my neck, the tiny rose, pressing it between my fingertips."
The included gift was a silver pendant necklace with a rose.
Page 309: "I reach for a pad of paper, the pad Josie writes my shopping lists on."
The included gift was a custom green to-do list notepad with 100 sheets and matching pen.
Steer Your Own Dreams
October Box
Love of My Lives by Yamile Saied Mendez"She carefully put the infinity scarf she'd been knitting in the tote that said 'we are the daughters of the witches you couldn't burn.'"
- a custom corduroy tote with quote printed on it. Contains a knitting starter kit.
"But when she let her hair fall, internally berating herself, she saw Peter's cupped hand in front of her. He offered her a scrunchie like it was a jewel."
- an oversized white tulle scrunchie.
"'Send good vibes to the universe,' said Nadia, lighting a candle right then and there."
- a custom crystal candle, titled 'Good Vibes'.
"'My beanie,' she said, reaching out for her hat."
- a custom white, fleece-lined beanie.
Murder, She Wrote
September Box
Scenes of the Crime by Jilly Gagnon"She pointed at the tray, slightly less composed than when I'd arrived, but still beautiful."
- a solid wood serving board.
"Lydia slipped the dog-eared playing card between the pages of her book again. A faded jester's head peeked out over the top."
- a hardcover copy of "The Future of Another Timeline" by Annalee Newitz.
"My fingers closed around the corkscrew in my pocket, its cool, sleek shape growing less and less reassuring by the moment."
- an oversized, gold metal corkscrew.
"Vanessa tugged off her gigantic sunglasses to fix me with an expectant stare as I slipped into the passenger seat."
- a pair of oversized sunglasses.
Within the Garden Walls
August Box
Under the Tamarind Tree by Nigar Alam"When the film ended, Rozeena quickly slipped the shell into her purse, ready to leave."
- a custom designed clutch purse with 'girl reading' charm and seashell.
"Rozeena grabbed a pen from her desk and offered the file in her hand. Kulsoom scribbled a telephone number on it, dropped the pen on the chair, and reached for the door just as it opened."
- a custom designed set of three file folders and custom designed pen.
"She took Rozeena's hand and slid the bangle onto her wrist."
- a custom designed bangle bracelet with the words 'find your happiness' engraved on it.
"The fan whipped overhead sending the sweet scent of burning incense sticks to all corners."
- a ceramic incense holder and incense stick.
Leave No Trace
July Box
What Remains by Wendy Walker"And then I hear the voice in my ear. It reaches so deep inside me I choke back tears. 'What's happening? Elise? Elise!' I'd forgotten about the phone and the earpiece."
- a custom designed set of wireless earbuds and case.
"I slowly walk toward the counter. I don't recognize the number. There's a text message, which reads simply, 'Nice scarf.' And my heart stops."
- a custom designed, double-sided, square scarf.
"It's then that I see a pink towel on the floor, just beneath the hook behind the door where it must have fallen. I don't reach for it. I don't move a muscle."
- a custom designed plush pink bath towel.
Phones Down, Hearts Open
June Box
Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson"I raise the thin golden chain in my fingertips. The rose-embossed locket is so small you wouldn't think you could fit a picture in there, and yet- I unlatch it and sure enough, there she is."
- a custom designed miniature locket with interior photos.
"An empty coffee mug sits in the console between us, the bottom rim holding the remnants of dark-as-night liquid and a few coffee grounds."
- a custom designed set of car coasters.
"At least a hundred different shades and patterns of fabrics are sewn together, tiny eighth-of-an-inch fabric here and triangles there, when put together, form the most colorful scene I've ever seen. 'A cozy for your cozy coffee!'"
- a custom designed coffee cozy with handle.
"I turn toward the mirror and pick up the lipstick tube with the gilded number 007 across the side."
- a custom designed tube of lipstick in the shade 007, nude with just a touch of pink.
The Sleuth and the Chef
May Box
Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge"She flipped over the dough and continued to roll it with angry vigor, then stopped abruptly and looked down at the poor pastry."
- a custom printed silicone baking mat.
"Finally, I took a chance and huddled into the recessed doorway as far as I could. Gripping the key ring between my teeth, I held the flashlight by cupping my hand over the front of it to block the light."
- a custom pink motel keychain that says 'follow me to the bookstore'.
"'Oh, thank heavens! How I've missed you, dear, dear chef's knife.'"
- a custom designed knife set including a paring knife, chef's knife, and cleaver.
The BFF Pact
April Box
Happy Place by Emily Henry"I grab a loose Maine blueberry and throw it at her. At the front of the store, someone is whooping. "We Are the Champions" starts to play over phone speakers."
- a QR code to listen to "We Are the Champions" by Queen.
"Parth and Sabrina herd us toward the register. Cleo gets her mushroom book and I buy 'Death by Design', and then we step out into the cobbled street."
- a cozy mystery novel. Subscribers randomly received either Murder in the Reading Room by Ellery Adams, Murder in the Locked Library by Ellery Adams,Death Bee Comes Her by Nancy Coco, or Big Trouble in Little Greektown by Kate Collins.
"Kimmy spikes a beach ball right at us, and I dive away from Wyn, my face tingling, my smile aching, my whole body buzzing."
- a custom, sparkle-filled beach ball.
"The shower door unlatches and whines open. I hear the rasp of a towel being pulled from the hook and wrapped against skin."
- a 70"x38" 100% cotton towel.
Dangerous Fairytales
March Box
The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi"The two drinks look identical: a rich amber whiskey with a perfectly clear sphere of ice. I opened the letter."
- an ice sphere mold.
"Indigo and I sat at the dining-room table, halfheartedly piecing together a puzzle that she told me would become a door to the kingdom of mermaids if we finished it before midnight."
- a custom puzzle.
"My hands were full of treasures - the jar with the one rattle tooth, and the cassette tape - You're my favorite blue. Love, Lyric."
- a custom printed, cassette tape sponge.
"We wore no jewelry, but we dusted our arms and chests with pulverized pearls. Indigo spritzed herself with perfume."
- a custom bottle of apple scented perfume.
The Life That Got Away
February Box
Georgie, All Along by Kate Clayborn"Finally, though, I find it: a thin, brightly colored, flower-patterned robe Nadia gave me during a closet cleanout a few years ago. This is the kind of robe you put on when you've lost your job and your former teacher thinks you're pathetic, and your best friend might think you are, too."
- a custom, navy, floral satin robe.
"I can see the flicker-flame of the not-meant-to-be-romantic candle in the bright pools of her eyes, and they look full of the kind of hope I'm not used to having directed at me unless it's about repairing pillows."
- a custom, metal tinned, citronella and lavender candle. 10oz.
"But beside me, I can tell Georgie's lost her nerve. She tugs at her ball cap, looks down toward her boots."
- a custom pink, ponytail baseball hat with the words Book Nerd embroidered on the front.
"I uncap the Sharpie. I look up at her and set the marker against my skin. And I write the wish I wanted to make all along."
- a miniature black sharpie marker.
Mystery at the Grand Hotel
January Box
Her Sister's Death by K.L. Murphy"Terry pushes the calendar across the countertop and taps one of the blocks on the page, a Saturday two weeks before Sylvia died. He reads the entry out loud. 'S.M. Seven o'clock.'"
- a custom calendar for 2023 featuring twelve stunning art deco prints from artist Virginia Frances Sterrett
"There's no crime scene tape or extra lock, nothing to keep someone from entering other than a single Do Not Enter sign hanging from the door."
- a custom, round wooden sign that reads Do Not Enter Recovering from a Book Hangover.
"He picks up a paperclip and twists it into something unrecognizable."
- a small box of book shaped paperclips in gold and rose gold tones.
"Without waiting for him to comment, she ran to her door and pulled the key from her pocket. Hand shaking, she dropped it. The key bounced on the carpet."
- a custom, die cut key bookmark with tassel.
