"And Then There Were None" {by Agatha Christie} Book Club Ideas

10 Little Book Club girls 

invited to discuss a book and dine,

They got more than they bargained for 

and then there were Nine...

Rain drummed the window pains like the bony fingers of a legion of persistent specters.  Wind howled around the derelict mansion, and thunder bellowed in the ashen sky.  

Dearth Island was besieged by a tempest.  We little book club girls were about to be tossed on the angry waves, set adrift into a nightmare fresh from the pages of our books.

Ten odd little figurines grimaced from atop the mantelpiece of the dining room.

Huddling together in the drab, dusty, room, we ate our cheery dinner.  There were so many scrumptious delights to enjoy.  

This Cinnamon sugar churro cake was especially divine,
Download the recipe HERE.

We had almost forgotten the foreboding gloom of the evening, when suddenly...

all the lights went out and the house was plunged into complete darkness!

What had just happened?  Did someone forget to pay the electric bill?

Or was this a horrible coincidence of fate???

CRASH

CLATTER

SCREAM!

A loud, deep, deliberate voice sliced through the blackness.

The Voice filled the room and chilled us to the core.

Listen to The Voice and its instructions HERE

We were left in a vast void of spine-tingling silence.  We procured a flashlight.

As the beam of light searched the room,  we were greeted with a shock!

A giant poster depicting a nursery rhyme regarding the gruesome fate of 10 Little Book Club Girls had appeared above the fireplace!  Terror crept into our voices as we read aloud its sing-song verse.

Upon further investigation, we noticed that one of the 10 little dolls was missing as well.

A deadly game was unraveling, and a killer was among us!

The cacophony of confused, fearful voices rose and fell like frantic waves crashing on jagged rocks.  Light flashed, cutting through the din, as every cell phone screen lit up in unison.  

The message: a picture text.  

The words: "Help me."

Kellie, had just sent us all a text.  She had been in the room before the lights went out, hadn't she?  Her absence quickly became apparent to our shocked faces.  

Could we find her in time???

The pedals of the piano led us to the drawing room, where, Kellie's lifeless body lay half underneath the covered piano.  She was beyond help now.  She had been slashed up and down, and the gruesome gashes that tore into her skin looked like...PAPER CUTS!

After scanning the drawing room for any possible clues, we reconvened in the dining room, and noticed something that had not been there before.  A message in a bottle in the center of the table.  The message delivered with it a sinking feeling that we had entered a bad dream from which we would never wake.  We had all come to discuss a murder mystery, not become involved in one.  And yet, here we were, tangled in this macabre web of a sinister intellect.

So many murder weapons....

We read the note aloud, and a clue was given in the form of an anagram.

The answer to the anagram is: KITCHEN STOVE

Lisa solved it in a snap!  She ran to the kitchen stove, threw open the oven, and let out a scream of disgust and terror.  Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" lay inside the gaping oven like a bloody, undercooked book casserole.  

Obviously the murder weapon.

But what's this?!  Lisa found an inscription on the inside the book, 

"If lost, please call xxx-xxx-xxxx."

Lisa's shaking fingers quickly dialed the number.  

In the silence we heard the telltale buzz of a cell phone, and that phone belonged to book club member...Robin!

(this is not Robin but you get the idea)

In a flash of indignant rage, Robin proceeded to confess to her devilish deeds:

"I did it!  I sliced Kellie to ribbons with the very book that she borrowed from me and so thoughtlessly didn’t return in time for book club! Tonight I intended to get even with all of you! I’m tired of loaning my books to all of you book club girls, and not getting them back!"

Let this be a lesson to us book club girls:

After a book should a friend inquire,

Tell her "NO!" and quell that fire.

For loaning out a book so precious,

Can leave one plotting revenge most vicious.

In solving the mystery, Lisa won:

-a hardback copy of "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie

-fingernail polish in a skull-shaped bottle

-& murder weapon earrings (bow & arrows)

Download your own bookmark for yourself or your book club
choose from the 5 options or download all five on one page.

1. Bloody page
2. Island at night
3. Red cover
4. Black noose
5. Red noose
6. All bookmarks 

Read our star rating and full book review HERE

"I am the Messenger" {by Markus Zusak} Book Club Ideas

"No, I'm not a saint, Sophie. I'm just another stupid human."

— Markus Zusak (I Am the Messenger)

Meet Ed.

My full name's Ed Kennedy. I'm nineteen. I'm an underage cab driver. I'm typical of many of the young men you see in this suburban outpost of the city -- not a whole lot of prospects or possibility. That aside, I read more books than I should, and I'm decidedly crappy at doing my taxes. Nice to meet you. "       

Meet Ed's seventeen year old friend and dog, Doorman.       

You can't have an I am the Messenger book club without the fabulous Doorman and his cup of coffee. The Doorman is loyal, easy going, and sleeps at the front door, which is how he got his name. He also has huge brown eyes black and gold fur and smells absolutely terrible
Doesn't he look so real? (minus the stench, of course!)

Because it was Christmas time, Robin had the brilliant idea of  to make a tree with favorite quotes from all our books from 2013.
Each Delicious Reads member was asked to send in their favorite quotes to be included on the tree ornaments but we weren't sure what for until we were surprised with this beauty when we walked in the door!

You can download some of our favorite quotes from 2013 HERE.

Robin kept the décor simple but had perfect touches of the book set out on the food table.
 Download these large playing card printables for yourself!
Just spray paint some old 8x10" frames black and cut the oversized cards you printed down to size.
Ace of Spade
Ace of Heart

Check out this DECADENT Hot Chocolate Bar!

I made this slow cooker coconut hot chocolate that was positively sinful and boy did I sin lol!

The recipe for this decadent coconut hot chocolate can be found HERE
(NOTE: I added about 2 cups of milk to my hot coco to bring the sweetness down a notch before serving.)

Karen brought the main dish which was an addictive and easy to make Ritz parmesan chicken.

Download the Ritz Parmesan Chicken recipe HERE

What's book club without some gourmet cheese!

Lastly, we tantalized our senses with Kitches Pumpkin Gingerbread cake that made for the perfect holiday dessert!

The recipe for these heavenly cakes can be found HERE
You will do a little food dance when you try them...I can't be the only one who has a happy food dance!

Robin moderated our book club at her house this month, babe in hands and ROCKED it! She was the perfect host and moderator and we toughly enjoyed being in her warm and inviting home.

The girls enjoying some hot cocoa and conversation before the discussion begins.

Brit, Angie, and Kelly looking ready to discuss and P A R T Y !

Before we started our discussion, Robin handed all of us a quiz and we had to put all the events from the book in order from Ed's first playing card to his last. Such a great idea and a HARD quiz lol!

Get your own copy of this fun book quiz (with answers) for your bookclub HERE



Kellie won the prize for our quiz which included:
 -A deck of cards so she can become her own messenger
-And a copy of Wuthering Heights because that is the book mentioned in I am the Messenger--
Ed reads it to Milla, the old woman who thinks Ed is Jimmy, her husband that passed away.  

After we finished our enlightening discussion we got ready to play our favorite Christmas tradition!(We talked about the ending for a long time. Lets just say, I  had an "Inception" moment!)




We look forward to our Favorite Things Gift Exchange every year. Everyone had to come with one of their favorite things and anonymously write why it was their favorite. The game was guessing who the gift belonged to. And it wouldn't be fun without the option to "steal" a gift from someone. 



If you'd like a copy of this 4X6 card for your own favorite things gift exchange, you can get it HERE
You can also print off two cards on a page HERE

What's a gift exchange without a few GAG gifts?
Kellie, we will forever remember the winking harlot ;)

Some of our beautiful Delicious Read gals

 All the printables I shared in this post can be found HERE

"I'm not the messenger at all.
I'm the message. "

And don't forget to read up on our book clubs star rating and review of this book HERE!

"Blood Moon" {by Teri Harman} Book Club Ideas

Say hello to the kindest, sweetest, most wonderful witch in the West...

Author Teri Harman

(Photo credit for all pictures goes to Bethany Madison)

Isn't this cover gorgeous?! We couldn't have chosen a better book for our October book club!

If you are planning on hosting your own Blood Moon book club then you definitely need to request one of these awesome book club packages from Teri. Inside I found menu ideas, questions, moon information, signed book marks and more!
To request your own book club package then simply go HERE 

FOOD & DECORATIONS:

So, no pressure or anything, but when the author of  the book we're reading COMES to our book club, I tend to want everything to be perfect and step things up an extra five notches!

With that being the case, I did the smart thing and recruited one of my book club members who's creativity and talents have no boundaries...I called the beautiful Bethany and I definitely made the right decision!!

(Bethany and Chanel)

Just take a gander at the Blood Moon inspired decorations and food table Bethany whipped together...

I need to thank Robin for getting these stunning moon phase prints that we turned into vertical banners!

Witch Water and
Bartholomew's spell that requires an owls heart and eyes in the cauldron to work its dark magic.

Here's the menu from our meeting

 I think this might have been one of our most decadent and delicious book club feasts to date!

We had Rowans Risotto, Earthy Root Vegetables, Simon's Salad & SOOOO much more!

True Coven Caramel Apples and Rose infused whipped cream with fresh fruit

Doussantz....drool....
(If you want to try a dossantz {cousin to the cronut} then check out their website for more info!)

Dreamy Lavender Shortbread Cookies, Dossantz and Blood Moon Cake Pops!!

Butterbeer!!

If you want your taste buds to try something AMAZING then you need to try BUTTERBEER. And YES, I'm talking about the butterbeer from Harry Potter and YES, it's a real thing, and YES, you need to try it.

I labeled ours "Bartholomew's Butterbeer" and let me tell you, Brittanie did a great job creating the most perfect frothy, buttery goodness! YUM!
(And doesn't it look perfect in Bethany's cauldron punchbowl?)
Click HERE to download two different Butterbeer recipes if you want to make your mouth smile!

And look at these beauties that Angie made...food art right?
These delicate and scrumptious lavender flavored shortbread cookies not only looked dreamy but taste dreamy as well! I am in love with them!
You can find the recipe that Angie used HERE.

Now, if you like a good salad and I mean, a GOOOOOOOD salad, then you need to make this gourmet green salad that Karen made and whose recipe is ALWAYS requested when she makes it! You will crave it for days after you eat it, it's that tasty!

Download the secret recipe HERE!

Lastly, you HAVE to try Libby's Cinnamon Spiced Pepita's (pumpkin seeds) that are simply addictive!

The recipe is super simple and super delicious so what are you waiting for?

Download the recipe HERE.

Take a peek some of our resident witches...

Bethany, Teri and me

GAME, PRIZES & DISCUSSION:

I ordered this RAD spell book as part of the "Best Dressed" prize and I almost didn't give it away because I loved it so much! Every good witch needs this book in her collection.

I found this awesome moonstone pendant and made it into a necklace as part of the "Monthly Moon Names" prize along with an entire box of moon pies!(The quiz printable can be found at the bottom of this post)

Here are a few of the items I put in Teri's thank you gift:
A mint moonstone necklace and earrings, a fun owl ring (I knew that Teri liked owls.)
A Moon Spells book, an essential for any witch, and of course, a moon pie!

WINNERS!
Libby won the moon name quiz and Brooke won the drawing for Best Dressed!

Teri is explaining her inspiration behind why she wrote Blood Moon and showing us photos of the creepy old school house that started it all. Read more about her inspiration HERE!

We were all totally engrossed learning about Teri and asking her question after question about the book AND her next book, "Black Moon," due to come out fall of 2014.
To read more about our Q&A with Teri and our discussion then go HERE to read about our evening!

After our discussion, Teri was kind enough to sign everyone's books and take pictures.
Isn't her witch outfit perfect?! 

We want to give Teri a BIG THANK YOU for taking the time to come to Delicious Reads book club and making our evening forever memorable. 

PRINTABLES & FREEBIES!

If you are hosting your own Blood Moon book club meeting then you're in luck because I have TONS of great FREEBIES for you to use to make your evening extra witch-tacular! (See what I did there?)

Chanel had this fabulous idea to recreate a moment out of the book by using several fresh herbs out of her garden along with a kosher salt pentagram. She filled several red goblets with different herbs and I created these labels to identify each of them.
Click HERE to download the herb label set.

{Click on quiz image to download it along with the answer key}

If you want to learn about why each month's moon has a different name then you can read about them HERE in this word document I made.

I made and used these eerie tags for the quiz and best dressed winners.

Download them HERE

Here are some blank food labels that you can use to create your own witch inspired menu with.
Download them HERE

Don't forget to read the review from our fabulous evening with author Teri Harman HERE!