Have you ever had that moment when an item in a book is woven so well into the story that it adds another dimension to the reading? I have. It’s what my post is about today. The book prop.
Here’s where I divulge a creepy secret about myself in the hopes that others (that’s you guys) will share and therefore make me feel slightly less creepy. 🙂 I can be a little obsessive when it comes to these book props. For example, I might own a pink nightgown just like the one Grace wears in Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Fantasy Lover. It might have been really hard for me to find just the right one, like Grace’s, and I may have scoured several stores to find it. But I love the way her hero Julian makes her feel when she’s wearing it. And yes, I want to feel that too! I also might have searched far and wide for the perfect bottle of fragrance as described in Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight. You know that whole Edward scent of milk and honey and cinnamon and cloves? Turns out Bath & Body works has bottled that perfection up into a handy pillow mist which for a while was all you could smell if you entered my house. (Until hubby caught on, that is, and asked that I cut back.) Last one … I cannot walk past a cherry flavored lollipop without thinking of one of Olivia Cunning’s rockers from her Sinners series. I believe it was in Backstage Pass when one of the guys is trying to overcome an unhealthy addiction and his manner of doing this is that he’s now addicted to all things cherry flavored, especially the suckers. I’ll let your imagination take over there … rockstar, cherry, lollipop. 😉
So my secret is out. And guess what? It turns out those of us who love a good book prop aren’t alone! I asked a few of my author friends to share and I’m so GRATEFUL they did! Let’s see what theirs are:
Mermaid Alethea Kontis~
My favorite book prop is a tiny velvet bag of marbles the publisher gave me as a promo for Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. Â I opened my hand, dumped out the three blue marbles, and shrieked a little. “Have you read the book?” I asked the sales rep. “Did you realize you were handing out the souls of dead children as promotion?”
Still my favorite.
Connect with Alethea for all things books HERE!
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Romance Author S.J. Maylee~
The Bottom Burner drink served in the butt glass from Cara Bristol’s Body Politics.
I love it because it’s cheeky and leads the hero and heroine into one of the hottest scenes I’ve ever read.
Wanna see it? Click HERE!
Wanna chat books with S.J.? Do that HERE!
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Romance Author Lynne Silver~
My favorite book prop are the charms that Kaleb Krychek buys for Sahara in Heart of Obsidian by Nalini Singh. He buys her one charm on each of her birthdays and they each represent something of her. It’s so romantic which of course he denies, being encased in Silence as he is.
I know Lynne’s always up for book talk so go find her HERE!
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Thank you so much ladies for sharing those! And now I put the proverbial ball in YOUR court! What are your favorite props, items, doo-dads from books you’ve read? Something in the story or something out in the real world related to the book. For the record, I could have written a week’s worth of posts about Dark Hunter items! Okay, go!
OMG – I love this post so much! Ah, I can’t believe I’m going to share this story…
In earlier Nora Roberts books, she often has her characters drinking a wine called Pouilly-Fuisse. My mom and I (devote Nora fans that we are) decided that Nora must really love this wine in real life and started drinking it too. Except, despite my 6 years of French lessons and my mom’s 4 years, neither of us could pronounce it. To this day we call it, “Pussy Fully.”
Ahhhhhhh!
PooYEE FweeSAY. I have spoken. (knocks back Jack+Coke, takes Tylenol)
Bam. Thank you, ma’am 😉
<3
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!! I was just gonna ask how you pronounce that????? You rock, how many ways can I say I love you for sharing this??? Not enough!
I love Kerri’s story. Pussy Fully. Lol! That’s awesome. Leave it to Nora to give you a fun memory like that.
Thanks for including the butt glass, Carlene. I love Cara Bristol books. I’m not surprised that her prop was the first that came to mind.
Hey there S.J.! As soon as I saw that pic of the mug, I knew you’d get on in the pond just fine. 😉 Kerri Mermaid is hilarious, isn’t she? I haven’t read a Cara Bristol book so I’m extremely intrigued now. Fun is good. Thanks so much for helping me with today’s post!
Thank you so much for mentioning the butt glass in Body Politics, the third Rod and Cane book. That was a particular favorite prop of mine.
Cara, I just took a moment to go read the Body Politics blurb and now I REALLY get the whole “butt” reference! Love it!
Hey, now – I don’t necessarily have a “book prop”. Maybe a “reading prop”. Things I must have when reading. Reading outside in the summer? Tall glass of sweet tea, required. Inside, cold weather? Hot chocolate at night, hot tea on Saturday afternoons. Or a glass of wine. Or popcorn.
Never chocolate, though. Don’t know why, it just is…
Reading props accepted! But now I really need to know why not chocolate while you’re reading, Susan Mermaid? What other things do you do when chocolate is okay? See, you’ve gone and made me all kinds of curious!
Carlene! You are so cute. I LOVE your book props. I unfortunately don’t have any of my own, but Kim and I have discussed eating chocolate-covered grasshoppers if/when my last ms gets published. Does that count?!