Happy 33rd book giveaway! To celebrate AAPI Heritage Month, last weekend I hid 30 copies of Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers – a book featuring one of our favorite main characters, Vera Wong! Vera is a Chinese-American immigrant who runs a tea shop and gets herself ALL up in everyone’s business after she finds a dead body in her tea shop. This was the perfect choice for our theme this month – “Mysteries at Murals in May!” You know this gnome appreciates some good alliteration… 🙂

This month, in honor of our favorite plucky main character, we also hid three special surprise gifts in three of the hidden books. These surprise gifts were gift cards to Seven Cups Fine Chinese Teas. So, happy tea-drinking to three lucky finders!

The books I hid at ten of the murals downtown were sponsored by a “Downtown Tucson For Everyone” grant through Downtown Tucson Partnership’s Social Justice Committee! This program awards grants to events and programs presented in Downtown Tucson that demonstrate a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion – and reach underserved communities. Thank you to the Downtown Tucson Partnership and HSL Properties for sponsoring this program and supporting the Tome Gnome. They have been supporting us since February, and next month will be our last month of hiding 10 books a month downtown! (I mean, I’m still going to hide some books downtown anyway; fear not!).

If you’re new here and didn’t get a chance to find a book last Sunday, I (and/or my helpers!) also hide an additional 15 books of each month’s selection (on top of the 30) around Tucson after the book-hiding weekend. So keep your eyes peeled over the next week or two, as 15 more signed copies of Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers will be hidden around town! I do not post any hint photos of these books, as they are truly meant to be a random act of kindness for those who happen upon them. Yay for random bookish joy and delight (and a special shoutout to the guest gnomes who are helping me hide those extra copies this month!!!).

We have another great book planned for June, and I can’t wait to share it with you! So keep an eye out here, on Instagram, and on our Facebook page for updates.