Adult 2021
Hover over the photo of the wrapped gifts to see the complete unboxing underneath!
The Cocoa Deception
December Box
The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes
Page 41: "As Aquilino continued reading, in that monotone he used every time he opened his mouth, Angelica fanned herself faster."
The included gift was a silk, floral patterned fan.
Page 135: "The guests were gathering downstairs already. My hands trembled as I put my sapphire earrings on. Silvia had been right. Blue suited me."
The included gift was a pair of blue crystal and gold earrings.
Page 211: "I spent the rest of the afternoon preparing chocolate drinks and truffles for Laurent and my sisters."
The included gift was a silicone chocolate mold and recipe for hot chocolate bombs.
Page 259: "As my siblings and my father's lawyer stared at me, I removed my spectacles and set them on the coffee table, then I pulled off my beard and mustache, relieved that this would be the last time I would ever have to wear that dreadful thing."
The included gift was a faux beard, inspired by Puri's faux beard, and a straw sunhat.
Through Thick and Thin
November Box
We Are Not Like Them by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza
Page 116: "Tamara prepares herself with a deep breath and then opens the door. She walks a few feet into the room, plops down on the bed. It's covered with a pilly plaid comforter. She grabs a pillow, holds it to her face."
The included gift was a plaid, burlap pillowcase.
Page 134: "She holds the paper away from her face like she's having trouble reading. "Baby Boy Murphy. He's cute." Lou holds up an ultrasound photo and continues to talk, unfazed. "You didn't remember we wanted the sex of the baby to be a surprise?""
The included gift was an ultrasound photo of Jen and Kevin's baby.
Page 291: "The letter lies there on the kitchen table, tucked beneath a vase of fresh daisies. The words slant across the page in Kevin's best penmanship, the cursive the nuns taught him at St. Francis."
The included gift was the letter, pulled directly from the novel, and a vase of faux daisies.
Page 307: "But Jenny's laughter catches in her throat as she opens the box. Inside is a delicate bracelet of pearls and the note from Gigi. Jenny's lips move as she reads Gigi's last words to her, words I have already read dozens of times. She slides the string of iridescent beads over her still-swollen fingers and onto her wrist."
The included gift was an exclusively written note from the authors who penned Gigi's last words, plus an 18k gold plated, freshwater pearl bracelet with slide adjustment.
The Doppelgänger
October Box
In Another Light by AJ Banner
Page 27: "She finds a wallet with a driver's license listing an address in Oregon, takes a picture with her phone. Numerous business cards and pocket photos in Pauline's wallet. It takes some time for Phoebe to look through all of them. Stuck to the back of a business card is a faded photograph, creased and ripped on one side."
The included gift was an adorable custom wallet containing Pauline's license and the photograph of Phoebe.
Page 118: "The air in the kitchen seems to draw into itself. There is one origami frog on the kitchen counter, a simple crane on a side table. Phoebe's throat goes dry."
The included gift was a metal box containing a set of origami paper and instructions for folding various animals, including a frog and crane.
Page 141: "Xia unzips her backpack and whips open a file folder. She slides an article, printed from the internet, across the table. "Maine, nine years ago. This guy disappears at sea, out sailing with his wife, leaves her behind to mourn.""
The included gift was an Unsolved Mystery case file mini game with clues and details about figuring out a mystery.
Page 175: "Phoebe takes off the backpack, pulls out a blue hairbrush. "This was yours, do you remember?" She's lying - the hairbrush is new, unused. "
The included gift was a teal hairbrush.
Dig Here
September Box
The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell
Page 19: "Kim finds a planner in the bag and flicks through it. It's full of Tallulah's dense, somewhat inelegant handwriting... And there it is, glued down and folded up on the back inside cover of the planner: 'Student Contacts'."
The included gift was a gorgeous, custom reading journal to track your reading habits with the Student Contact list on the back inside cover.
Page 34: "Floating at the pool's center, inside a bright pink inflatable flamingo, is a tall thin girl with lime-green hair and a black bandeau bikini top."
The included gift was a mini pink flamingo inflatable drink holder.
Page 79: "There's a small rusty trowel on the wooden bench and she slips it into the outside pocket of her rucksack. She has an idea. The arrow on the piece of cardboard nailed to the fence points down and slightly to the left. She has no idea if 'Dig Here' is a precise instruction or a general suggestion, but she starts digging as close to the tip of the arrow as she can."
The included gift was a small gardening trowel with a quote from the novel engraved on the handle, paired with a piece of cardboard reading Dig Here.
Page 294: "Sophie closes her laptop then and is about to pick it up and leave when her eye is caught by something poking out from the half-disgorged contents of Lexi's suitcase. It's a copy of her book."
The included gift was a custom dust jacket showcasing the book title from within the novel, wrapped around a real copy of Hidden by Fern Michaels for readers to enjoy.
Body Positive
August Box
If The Shoe Fits by Julie Murphy
Page 87: "On his nightstand is a small Moleskin notebook. I reach for it and find the front page to be speckled with numbers and doodles. Flipping through the pages, I don't find much else except for a few funny stick figure drawings and one page that says JAY, GET ME OUT OF THIS MEETING in huge caps."
The included gift was a yellow moleskin notebook with a few details as mentioned in the novel.
Page 127: "I grab the radio and sneak out to the balcony after slipping on my hoodie. I hold the walkie-talkie up. "Hello?" "Cabbage Patch, is that you?" a semi-groggy voice asks. I gasp and hold the walkie-talkie to my chest as I scream in delight with my mouth closed. I press the talk button."
The included gift was a custom die cut walkie talkie bookmark with a QR code on the back for a walkie talkie app.
Page 232: "I wrap the towel around me, and of course, it barely covers anything, and suddenly I'm wishing for the very large, very luxurious towels at our New York hotel."
The included gift was a Turkish towel inspired by the novel.
Page 286: "The shoe I've been working on is rough-looking to the naked eye. Exposed seams. Obvious shoe nail tacks. But I can see what it's supposed to be. I can see the potential, and this tassel is the crowning finish."
The included gift was a navy blue, tassled keychain, customized with a leather hang tag featuring the book title.
Catherine Dior, French Resistance Spy
July Box
Sisters of the Resistance by Christine Wells
Page 114: "Then she lowered her gaze to the page. "These are...superb, Gabby. You always did hide your light." "Take that one," Gabby blurted out. "It's of you." It was the corolle dress that Yvette had shown off so well, her waist impossibly tiny, her bosom and neck rising, swanlike, from the low-cut bodice."
The included gift was a custom drawing of Yvette in the corolle dress.
Page 212: "Nerves jangling, Gabby clutched her purse tightly. "Are you here to waste my time, mademoiselle?" "Of course not. Please, I..." She fished in her purse and brought out a small velvet bag."
The included gift was a pink box clutch purse with a chain inside, in addition to the small velvet bag and ring as described in the novel.
Page 256: "When Louise had finished the message, she took out the satin-covered case in which she kept her pearls and removed them, dropping the loose pearls into a china bowl. She lifted out the velvet bed from the jewel box and used a pen-knife to slit open the lining, just enough to slide her small note through between the lining and the base of the box."
The included gift was a velvet box containing a faux pearl bracelet. Underneath the pearls was the coded note from the novel.
Page 310: "Catherine bent to pick something up from the floor and held it out to Gabby. Through a haze of grief, Gabby looked down. A small bird, stippled with diamonds, a tiny sapphire for an eye. She closed her hand over it, held it tightly, felt the pin pierce the fleshy part of her palm."
The included gift was a silver, CZ and blue CZ embedded hummingbird brooch.
You May Say I'm a Dreamer
June Box
Reset by Sarina Dahlan
Page 19: "Instead, he puts a silver bangle on the angry man's wrist. Instantly, the angry man becomes silent and still as the column behind him. His rage dissipates into the air like smoke."
The included gift was a silver hinge bracelet.
Page 53: "Benja hands her a package. Aris unwraps it and reveals a small desertscape painting. Her face breaks into a wide smile."
The included gift was a beautiful, desertscape art print.
Page 68: "A familiar tune. The one she asked Lucy to wake her with each morning since she first heard it. Luce. She sighs and leans back in her seat. The spring inside her unwinds. The rhythm of the song slows down her pulse and she closes her eyes."
The included gift was a QR Code that links the reader to the song that was the authors' inspiration for Luce.
Page 73: "She goes to the restroom and brings out a candle she uses during baths. Benja is at her side at once. She places it on the table and lights it, sending the calming scent of lavender into the air. She takes the piece of blue paper and holds it over the flame. Benja sucks in a breath. His eyes stare unblinking. A corner of the paper curls and a burning smell rises. She raises the paper. She needs to find that perfect place between answer and ash. Brown lines slowly appear, one by one, until words form."
The included gift was a gorgeous speckled candle jar containing a candle, and a blue folded paper crane meant to be burned to reveal the message included in the book.
Page 263: "In his hand is an old book with a cover so tattered she can barely see the words. Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He opens the book and reads a passage. Suddenly, a bright light shines up from the book, bathing the room in white, like the inside of a hospital."
The included gift was a wooden book wrapped in custom paper reading, Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, that when opened reveals a beautiful, warm swath of light.
Madame Moustache
May Box
A Betting Woman by Jenni L. Walsh
Page 39: "His smile showed a blackened tooth. "Play with you?" I wished for gloves as I palmed the deck. "Do you see anyone else sitting here, monsieur, brandishing a set of cards?""
The included gift was a custom printed, elegant, waterproof deck of cards.
Page 75: "I heard the scratch of his brush slowing, as if he was performing final touches. "Well?" He finessed one spot more, then turned the canvas around."
The included gift was a beautiful art print.
Page 197: "In that moment, I felt as if no one could. I rolled the dice. It was clear my mountain men enjoyed chuck-a-luck, but it was my vingt-et-un they loved, that they asked for."
The included gift was a custom designed game board and all necessary pieces to play Chuck-a-Luck.
Page 218: "I'd put him in his forties, but he wasn't aging well. "Bonjour." I did not break stride. However, I twisted my parasol to my other side to keep an eye on him."
The included gift was a polka-dot parasol umbrella.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner
Oh Darling, Let's Be Adventurers
April Box
Meet Me in Paradise by Libby Hubscher
Page 110: "XWe skirted along the bottom, finding sponges and more fish, a squid, patches of coral, even something Lucas wrote was a flamingo tongue snail. The bottom was littered with shells. Lucas produced a mesh bag, and we put some interesting ones into it.
The included gift was a mesh fresh produce bag.
Page 156: "He handed me the microphone. "Knock 'em dead." I blew out a long breath as I stepped on to the stage clutching the microphone."
The included gift was a rose gold, bluetooth microphone.
Page 245: "Felix's gaze settled on the coconut water. It was perfectly normal. The little carton. The straw. Oh my God, the ring around the straw. There was a ring around the straw."
The included gift was a holographic rainbow, reusable rubber and steel straw with carrying case and cleaning rod. Around the straw is a rose gold and cz ring.
Page 325: "There in his palm was a perfect pearl, white and lustrous like bridal silk, but it was set in the middle of a simple golden disc hanging from a delicate chain. I picked it up between my fingers."
The included gift was a gold seashell pendant with a pearl set into the shell.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner
The Secret Poison Shop
March Box
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
Page 41: "I walked to a shelf behind Eliza and retrieved the small, milk-colored dish. Resting inside were four brown hen's eggs, two of them slightly larger than the others. I set the dish of eggs onto the table."
The included gift was a small ceramic dish and three wooden eggs.
Page 158: "Nella paused at my words, the quill in her hand. But without replying, she placed the nib to parchment and began to write."
The included gift was a stylus quill.
Page 222: ""Very unsafe, this one," he said holding up the vial. "If you've got kids, I suggest you toss it altogether. Isn't the first time I've dealt with accidental ingestion of this stuff.""
The included gift was a bottle of eucalyptus oil.
Page 301: "Raising the vial above my head, I thrust it forward to the water with as much strength as my arm allowed. I watched as the bottle made an arc upward and over the water, then splashed gently in the far depths of the Thames."
The included gift was a glass apothecary reed diffuser bottle.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner
The Snowbound Mystery
February Box
Shiver by Allie Reynolds
Page 152: "The floorboards seem to wobble beneath me and I have to grip the bunk before I fall down. There on top of the folded pile of clothes lies Saskia's lift pass. My hand shakes as I pick it up."
The included gift was a custom printed lanyard and ski pass.
Page 198: "I notice the symbol in the corner - the white lightning bolt of Electric eyewear. "Hey, that's my goggle cloth." "I found it in the pipe where poor Jacinta fell. You dropped it right on top of her.""
The included gift was a custom pair of snowboarding goggles with the quotes from the book printed on it.
Page 313: "Heather sucks in her breath, clearly recognizing it, too. We reach the stairs that lead up to the function room and once again I smell perfume. Dread pools inside me."
The included gift was a custom poured black orchid and vanilla perfume inspired by Saskia's perfume.
Page 318: "Hardly aware of what I'm doing, I make coffee. Behind me, she continues dressing. I shouldn't do this, but I'm going to. I hand her the coffee and wait until she finishes it. "I hope you break your neck," I say."
The included gift was a black digital thermos for hot or cold beverages with an internal tea strainer.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner
From the Pages of History
January Box
Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
Page 19: "My lids blinked open to see Essex holding up two leather strips. Hanging from each was a wooden carving of a half a heart. "This one for you." He took one of the necklaces and tied it around my neck."
The included gift was a set of two wooden half-heart pendants on black cord.
Page 93: "He took a few steps toward me and held out his hand. Inside there was a thimble. Silver, shiny, and quite honestly the most beautiful thing anyone had ever given me."
The included gift was a silver thimble.
Page 125: "When I stood to leave for my shed something caught the corner of my eye: a dusty leather-bound book on the nightstand near the far wall. I had not been near a book since I arrived at the jail. I listened for footsteps. My heartbeat increased as I turned the book over in my hand. The cover read Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens."
The included gift was a custom, exclusive edition of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.
Page 258: " Instead of carrying my whole medicine bag to Essex, I thought it best to hide a few things in my pockets. The brown jarl a blam I'd made with black elder, peppermint, and ginger for when the girls came down with fever; sliced onion; and some bread."
The included gift was a dark jar filled with Miss Pheby's Peppermint Lavender Salt Rub.
images by @The_Bookish_Runner