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2017 Adult Boxes
Once Upon a Book Club - Past_Boxes_Adult_2017
Hover over the photo of the wrapped gifts to see the complete unboxing underneath!

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December Box

The Wolf Whisperer

images by @OnceUponABookClubBox and MichelleEleni

    Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance by Ruth Emmie Lang
  • Page 74
    "He pulled the item from his pocket and showed it to me. It was a tennis bracelet, diamond, the one Mama gave Emily for her sixteenth birthday."
    - a silver and crystal tennis bracelet.
  • Page 151
    "...then Weylyn handed me his business card. It had his name printed on it in plain black type and the words Assistant to Mr. Merlin, the Storm-Taming Pig! scribbled beneath it in pencil."
    - a small leather card holder with Weylyn's business card inside.
  • Page 208
    "As I drifted to sleep, Weylyn gently pulled the wet socks from my feet and carried me to bed."
    - a custom designed pair of wolf socks.
  • Page 315
    "Instead, I found a postcard with his handwriting on the kitchen counter next to a jar of honey."
    - a custom packaged jar of honey and a postcard.

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November Box

Secrets of Old Charleston

images by @AWellLovedLibrary and @PetrichorAndParchment

    A Tangled Mercy by Joy Jordan-Lake
  • Page 38
    "She reached for the blue velvet box. But as she opened it, two silver earrings tumbled onto the bedspread...herons, she realized, with their long slender necks and beaks, heads raised against the wind and lifting their wings, just ready to soar."
    - a pair of custom designed, sterling silver earrings.
  • Page 333
    "Gently, Rose untied the ribbon from the stack of pages...donning the white gloves Rose had saved from her young womanhood and offered up for their research..."
    - a pair of white dressing gloves, a piece of ribbon and a letter as written in the novel.
  • Page 365
    "Gabe collapsed, legs buckling, the Rubik's Cube tumbling down to the floor."
    - a Rubik's Cube.
  • Page 425
    "Plucking a handkerchief from her handbag, she squared her shoulders toward the harbor before dashing at her cheeks with the silk."
    - a Charleston handbag with an embroidered handkerchief tucked inside.

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October Box

Haunted Writer's Retreat

images by @MarieMcWilliamsBlog and @TheBookElves

    The End of Temperance Dare by Wendy Webb
  • Page 35
    "An envelope had been slipped under my bedcovers."
    - a letter addressed to Eleanor Harper.
  • Page 82
    "I had brought some of my favorite bath salts with me, and I sprinkled some into the water as the steam began to rise."
    - a package of bath salts.
  • Page 166
    "I looked at the clock. Four twenty-five."
    - a custom designed clock.
  • Page 280
    "And that's when I noticed the pen in my own hand."
    - a custom designed writing pen.
  • Page 308
    "I crossed the room and opened a dresser drawer, fishing out the makeup kit."
    - a set of makeup brushes in a blue travel case.

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September Box

Fairy Lies

image by @FamousTaraLee and @SoFarToHideaway

    The Cottingley Secret by Hazel Gaynor
  • Page 9
    "Opening the package she removed a folded sheet of writing paper...PS. The shop key is enclosed."
    - a letter from Olivia's grandfather and an 'antique' key bottle opener.
  • Page 112
    "...I filled the bucket from the pump, picked up my boots, and began to scrub at them with the brush."
    - an old-fashioned, wooden scrub brush.
  • Page 201
    "On the floor beside the spare pillow that had tumbled from the bed in her sleep was a single yellow flower."
    - a blue and white tree pillowcase and a yellow flower hairclip.
  • Page 378
    "The old silver picture frame sat on the desk..."
    - a silver picture frame with the photo mentioned in the novel and hidden goodies in the back of the frame as mentioned in the story.

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August Box

A Lighthouse Mystery

images by @TheForestHeir and @KMSpedden

    The Lightkeeper's Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol
  • Page 20
    "I am wearing the sunglasses Marty gave me in the summer."
    - a pair of blue, reflective aviator sunglasses
  • Page 104
    "There are two dragonflies, one slightly larger than the other. The artist has used a lot of color and bold swirling lines to create a distinctive image. The background is a complex pattern suggesting water and rocks and trees."
    - a custom designed, large dragonfly art print.
  • Page 248
    "...the child growing within her, caressing it through the fabric of her dress and the flour-dusted cotton of her ruffled apron."
    - a blue plaid apron.
  • Page 287
    "She opened the box and took out a match and turned toward me."
    - a detailed wooden box with a matchstick pen.

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July Box

The Best-Friends Forever Club

images by @LisaLostInLit and @SteffisPics

    The Saturday Evening Girls Club by Jane Healey
  • Page 26
    "I took off my turban style hat and starting smoothing out my hair.
    - a 1900's style yellow turban hat.
  • Page 65
    "My stomach churned, and I help the wooden spoon I had been using to stir the sauce so tightly it might have snapped."
    - a food safe, wooden spoon with the title of the book engraved on the handle.
  • Page 213
    "We walked in, the bells I attached to the door signaling our entrance."
    - a unique, three-tier windchime.
  • Page 228
    "We all turned, and there was Maria, running toward us with her travel bag."
    - a bright yellow, polka-dotted tote bag.
  • Page 232
    ""Oh, Caprice, there's an envelope on this bouquet with your name on it - here. I think this will solve the mystery.""
    - a message inside an extravagent envelope with a butterfly on it.

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June Box

Lost and Found Souls

images by @OasisGirlMD and @TheBookElves

    A Strange Companion by Lisa Manterfield
  • Page 11
    "I opened my notebook to a blank page, drew a big circle with two pointy earts and a fine set of whiskers, and held it up to the window."
    - a notebook with a drawing of a cat on the first page.
  • Page 95
    "She swatted at him with a tea towel in mock aggravation..."
    - a custom designed dish towel featuring the words "Hello, Sunshine".
  • Page 190
    ""Put that away," I said, pointing to the Ouija board with one hand and straightening my hair with the other."
    - a Ouija board mouse pad.
  • Page 263
    "I handed Jon the other gift I carried from Wales, the wrapped picture I'd bought at the station."
    - a green picture frame with a printed photo from the book.

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May Box

Time Travel Romance

images by @OasisGirlMD and CandaceClark22

    Love and Gravity by Samantha Sotto
  • Page 26
    "...as though the fate of the world depended on her successfully taming Andrea's hair under a wreath of pink silk flowers."
    - a hair wreath of pink silk flowers
  • Page 61
    "Andrea cracked the brittle seal and unfolded the letter."
    - a recreated letter from the book with the detailed wax seal and antiqued envelope.
  • Page 81
    "A local handcrated silver-and-glass beaded bracelet caught the sun."
    - a silver and glass, multicolored, beaded bracelet.
  • Page 119
    "A 1950s Omega Seamaster's glass face shone in the crack's light...Andrea leaned forward and learned the engraving's secret."
    - a galaxy themed watch with custom engraving on the back to match the description from the book.
  • Page 315
    "Andrea stared at the familiar miniscule handwriting on the handkerchief...he slipped his pendant out from behind the collar of his shirt."
    - a custom stamped handkerchief with a silver disc pendant wrapped inside it.

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April Box

Searching India

images by @A_Tad_Bit_Bookish and @BookstoreFinds

    The Color of Our Sky by Amita Trasi
  • Page 24
    "...her bright orange sari reflecting on her skin"
    - a bright orange scarf.
  • Page 66
    "...then dipped into his bag to get some green and yellow herbs."
    - a bag of yellow and green, citrus chamomile tea and a teapot tea infuser.
  • Page 158
    "Salim looked at the envelope, then at me, and opened it."
    - an envelope with toy money and message as written in the book.
  • Page 282
    "He laughed and the next Thursday he brought me a shining gold necklace."
    - a gold leaf necklace.
  • Page 327
    "I took the photograph of Mukta and me out of my wallet..."
    - a custom wallet with a quote from the book printed on it, with a photograph inside.

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March Box

Courage, Compassion, and a Boy's Best Friend

images by @Kath Reads and @TheBookMaiden

    Say Goodbye for Now by Catherine Ryan Hyde
  • Page 109
    "Calvin reached over to the other twin bed and grabbed the thin blanket, pulling it toward them."
    - a small travel/lap blanket.
  • Page 211
    "As she worked, her eyes fell on a photo. It was a wooden frame, carefully carved and sanded...she was slight and pretty, wearing a light summer dress and looking up at him with adoration. Which he returned."
    - a wooden, 4x6 frame and photo inspired by Calvin and his late wife.
  • Page 231
    "She moved around the kitchen in silence for a minute or two, setting up the coffee to percolate."
    - a bag of coffee, as Calvin and Lucy are so fond of.
  • Page 310
    "She gestured toward the article."
    - an authentic article about the case Lucy referenced to regarding Loving versus Virginia.
  • Page 339
    "...a small black-velvet ring box and was holding it open for her to see."
    - a simple, rose-gold infinity ring with clear stones, in the black-velvet box.

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February Box

2 Worlds. 1 Forbidden Love in Occupied Italy

Images by @Kath_Reads and @SerialBibliophile

    From Sand an Ash by Amy Harmon
  • Page 190
    "She fumbled in her pocketbook and rushed to set her fake pass in her hand."
    - a yellow crossbody purse and a reprinted, fake Jewish document from WWII.
  • Page 221
    "Giulia had given her ring to keep Rome's Jews from being slaughtered."
    - a gold tone ring with green and clear stones.
  • Page 239
    "She felt for the newspaper he'd shoved inside his coat. There. It was fat with documents."
    - a pair of reprinted fake Jewish documents from WWII, inside a wallet, wrapped with an authentic newspaper from the month this chapter took place.
  • Page 368
    "He lit a candle and watched it flicker...and he listened to Eva play."
    - a candle wrapped in sheet music designs, representative of Eva playing her violin.

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January Box

Life, a Willow Tree, and a Dash of Magic

images by @Hilly_b22 and @Never_Too_Many_Books

    In the Light of the Garden by Heather Burch
  • Page 14
    "The key, now warm in her fingers, was the old-fashioned kind with a loop at one end and what looked like a tiny flag on a flagpole on the other."
    - a white and gold clutch bag with an old fashioned key, resembling the description in the book.
  • Page 44
    "She reached with both hands and carefully lifed the bag, then placed in on the counter."
    - a drawstring bag filled with 'magic powder' (a recipe for the soothing mud mask could be found stuck in the back of the book).
  • Page 166
    "She peered at the photo because Charity was laying them out on the floor."
    - a bento box to represent a false bottom trunk, with a photo inspired by the photo mentioned in this passage.
  • Page 187
    "She'd tucked the umbrella against her upper body and she fought her way to the Barlows' house next door."
    - a travel sized umbrella.