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2025 Mystery Lovers' Gift Guide with Mystery Manon
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As we head into the holiday season, Brook and Sarah are thrilled to have Mystery Manon share her 2025 Mystery Lovers Gift Guide. Which item is your favourite?
Discussed and mentioned
Mystery Manon: https://www.manonwogahn.com/
Manon's gift guides: https://www.manonwogahn.com/gift-guides
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For a full episode transcript, visit https://cluedinmystery.com/11-13-mystery-manons-2025-gift-guide-for-mystery-lovers/
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Transcript
Introduction and Guest Introduction
00:00:12
Speaker
Welcome to Clued in Mystery. I'm Sarah. And I'm Brooke, and we both love mystery. Brooke. Hi, Sarah. Have you started holiday shopping yet?
00:00:26
Speaker
I have not, partly because I'm waiting for today. That's right. We have someone on today that might be able to help us all with our holiday lists.
Holiday Catalog Overview
00:00:37
Speaker
Mystery Manon, Manon Wogan, is back with the Clues Letter 2025 Holiday Catalog. And you'll probably remember that Manon is a bookish content creator with a love for fictional crime.
00:00:51
Speaker
She edits the clues letter, the email newsletter for mystery lovers, and works in self-publishing. Her short fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine. Manon credits her art history degree for her obsessions with beautiful books and the Chicago Manual of Style.
00:01:10
Speaker
As for the mystery obsession, she can only blame Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew, and her own nosy inclinations. Thanks for joining us again, Manon.
00:01:22
Speaker
Thank you, Sarah and Brooke. It's so great to be back on the podcast. This is always a fun episode to do, Manon, because you have you compile these incredible lists of mystery themed gifts.
00:01:37
Speaker
And ah in past years, you've had kind of a ah running theme through the list. Do you have the same this year? I tried something, well, I should say every year I do something a little bit different. I try to have a new spin on it, and that's maybe a personal challenge that I don't need to do every year, but I think it's fun.
Murder Mystery Theme Details
00:01:59
Speaker
So this year I thought I would try something inspired by the Clue Mansion Clue a Christmas version of that. I'm calling it Murder in a Yuletide Mansion, and I thought it would be fun to take you through, as you're shopping, different rooms of the mansion and give you gift ideas based on the room name.
00:02:20
Speaker
I love this, Manon. This is so fun and a different shopping experience. I think that it's I will say more inclined to even be shopping for yourself because maybe you want to create this environment year round in your home.
00:02:39
Speaker
I think it is kind of a fun way to think about how you're shopping. it's i' I'm a sucker for something that's really well organized. And I think this theme puts the gifts into really common categories.
Homewares Gift Ideas
00:02:52
Speaker
And I also just like tying it back to this classic mystery trope of Murder in a Mansion.
00:03:01
Speaker
So what room do you want to start with, Manon? Why don't we go in order? So we can start with the hall, right? When you walk into the mansion, you're taken into the hall. And this is the part of the catalog where I put all the homewares.
00:03:17
Speaker
So stuff that is that you might find in like a living room or ah Or a hall maybe. um And I'll just shout out one of my favorite things in this category is definitely the fine art print from Acme Labs. I put two of them in there.
00:03:35
Speaker
um And that's a creator on Instagram called Scoobiescapes who posts all the background art for Scooby-Doo. And they've created this kind of collaboration with Acme Studios to make posters of those beautiful prints.
00:03:53
Speaker
How fun. the um One of them, it's entitled Fright Night. And of course, I didn't realize that we were talking about Scooby-Doo art, but when I just first saw that, it gave me and then there were none vibes.
00:04:10
Speaker
Yeah, I think that might be one of the early Scooby-Doo episodes. I can't remember. They're in a lot of old crumbling abandoned places in those episodes.
Library and Crafting Gifts
00:04:20
Speaker
But I think it's ah such a fun way to incorporate like a really nostalgic show into homewares and everything that they have produced as part of that collaboration has been really beautiful. And I really love the ghost diver. That was kind of a self-indulgence on my part. It's one of my favorite mystery villains. I think he's actually very scary.
00:04:40
Speaker
And so I threw him in there as well. So where do you want to go from the hall? So I think we could walk down the hall a little bit and we might find ourselves in the library, which is another really favorite room of the gift guide this year.
00:04:59
Speaker
and I'll just point out the one thing on here that i personally own is this edition of Murder on the Orient Express that came out this year. And if you're curious, it is gorgeous. It's really, really beautiful.
00:05:11
Speaker
It looks stunning. It does. It has end papers that say ah the murderer is with us on the train. or not end papers, I'm sorry, sprayed edges.
00:05:24
Speaker
It's very and then the end papers have like a map.
00:05:29
Speaker
So something that I'm noticing in the library is something you do every year that makes it really fun. And that is many of the items are um activities. So you have this owl bookstore DIY book nook kit.
00:05:45
Speaker
And I like that. I know we've talked in previous years about like maybe a project that you get to do with your friends and family over the holidays. Yeah, I think one of of the themes that I've noticed with a lot of mystery products or bookish products is like this crafting side to it.
00:06:01
Speaker
I like to think it's because readers like to listen to audiobooks while they do things. and So maybe doing a bookish craft is a good fit. But really, it's, um I think, just just such a fun gift to give someone because not only are you giving them this thing, you're giving them an experience.
00:06:18
Speaker
And we'll get to this later on in the billiard room. But there's a few more kind of activities that I've put in here. ah that ah I think are such a fun way to give someone something that they can play with their friends and families or play for weeks or months after the holidays.
00:06:35
Speaker
That's such a great idea. So moving from the library, where do we go next, Manon?
Stationery and Study Gifts
00:06:41
Speaker
We'll head down the hallway again back into the study and this is what I'm calling for organized detection. i i usually have something like this every year because there's a lot of stationary products that fit with the themes that I normally do.
00:06:57
Speaker
um I actually included the quirky writer, I think in the original holiday catalog, that's the keyboard. And I thought it would be fun to put it in here again, because it's just such a nice looking keyboard and very retro inspired and they look very well made.
00:07:14
Speaker
And then I kind of continued that theme with the rest of the studies items.
00:07:23
Speaker
I have to say in this room, the notebook set caught my eye and I'm sure I'm not alone in having far more notebooks than I will ever fill, but that doesn't stop me from getting more.
00:07:36
Speaker
i will say the Chronicle Books Agatha Christie collection is superb. They have a lot of Agatha Christie products and I ah have quite a few of them, but they're always really beautiful and made with a lot of care.
00:07:51
Speaker
And this room really demonstrates how you hit all the price points. You know, we have everything from the $15 notepads clear up to the um Quirky Writer, which is, you know, several hundred dollars. But there really is something at every price point on your list. And I love that about it.
00:08:13
Speaker
Yeah, I think every year my goal is to have a range of prices and also a variety of stores. So when you're shopping, um you're able to find something that's both within your budget and able to ship to you or from a store that you love. So it it means a lot to me to have variety in the catalog so we can all enjoy it.
00:08:34
Speaker
Shall we continue our tour of the mansion? We'll go right into the conservatory, which was kind of an exciting category this year. i Haven't done this before, but this is like a garden-inspired category.
00:08:48
Speaker
And one of the reasons why I chose to include this besides the whole mansion theme is the poison theme that is very common with murder mysteries and especially with Agatha Christie's ah books.
Garden and Poison-Inspired Gifts
00:09:00
Speaker
And so in that spirit, I found this really gorgeous watercolor print that of all of Agatha Christie's poisons. I just think that is not only like such a fun gift for a Christie lover, but it's also really beautiful. I agree.
00:09:17
Speaker
i can imagine it ah hanging on, hanging on the wall and and it's serving both as a piece of art and as a, as a reference.
00:09:29
Speaker
I also adore the magnifying glass that you have in this room. It's something that I can imagine when I'm a little older, me pulling out something like that to to help me look at my list of poisons, perhaps.
00:09:45
Speaker
I always have to include at least one magnifying glass every year. Manon, tell us about the book in this room. It's The League of Lady Poisoners. I thought this was such a fun book.
00:09:58
Speaker
First of all, it's gorgeous. And as we all know, every reader is a sucker for a gorgeous book. I thought it was a really good fit for the clues letter. also will say when I include books in the holiday catalog, I want to make sure that they're giftable books. I don't just put regular books in there because I feel like we can already do that based on um just regular book shopping.
00:10:21
Speaker
So this to me seems like a very giftable book. It's an illustrated book of um true stories of dangerous women. And if you look at the previews online, it's like these gorgeous illustrations, really thoughtfully curated and um very interesting stories of women behaving murderously, which is always a fun little trope.
00:10:45
Speaker
Where shall we go next?
Clothing and Accessories
00:10:47
Speaker
Well, now we get to one of the largest rooms of the mansion, and that is the ballroom. Similarly it to previous years, I wanted to include a selection of really beautiful clothing and like beauty products.
00:11:02
Speaker
This year, you guys, I found the cutest tote bag. It's from the Spy Museum, which their store is really amazing. They have a lot of different things in their store, but this bag I think is you know, they created it themselves. It says C'est un secret, which is ah French for it's a secret.
00:11:25
Speaker
And I thought it was, it's, it's like a play on a designer bag. And it just is like such a cute little spin on something that you might see every day and just a perfect fit for the holiday catalog. And I think it would be a really great gift.
00:11:41
Speaker
I am loving the dress, Manon. It is so chic and yet just gives a little wink to the fact that you are a mystery lover. But I mean, you could wear that to any fancy event and at such an amazing price. it's It's $69.
00:12:00
Speaker
I love that store, Nicoletta Carlone. um I have another dress by her that's just the same kind of velvet. She doesn't make it anymore, but It's just the most gorgeous fit. It's absolutely lovely. And I think this dress I might have also included in my original Clue Setter catalog just because i think it's just such a, like you said, a very understated nod to crime. It has the heart with the dagger through it, which kind of implies murder, but it looks so chic and I think you could wear it to so many occasions. I totally agree.
00:12:35
Speaker
And I like the earrings, the really subtle nod to murder. I love that brand too. Yeah, they're great. They could go with the dress or just by themselves to give a hint that you're a mystery fan.
00:12:51
Speaker
Exactly.
Food and Kitchen Gifts
00:12:52
Speaker
And now we can go from the opulence of the ballroom to something maybe a little bit more closed off, the kitchen, which is always another really fun category in the holiday catalog because for some reason, death, murder, food, they get grouped together pretty often.
00:13:13
Speaker
So I have a few things here that are really excellent. ah One of my followers on Instagram sent me this bottle of wine, Clue wine. So shout out to Kate. She thought that it would be a good fit for the Clues letter. And I have to agree. I think that's such a cute a gift for someone who's a big Clue fan. And then some other little details. I like the apron a lot, as well as the cocktail, the killer cocktails recipe book.
00:13:42
Speaker
And I like those cookie cutters. I love the cookie cutters. I could see this being such a great gift basket. You know, you put all of this together and it's just such a fun gift for someone who loves to cook.
00:13:58
Speaker
I agree. We can continue on into the lounge, which is another favorite of mine.
Comfort Gifts
00:14:04
Speaker
i always try to include really things. comfortable things in whose letter catalog. I think it's like so important to be comfortable at all times of the year, but especially during the holiday season.
00:14:18
Speaker
And so in this one, I found this Nancy Drew mug that is super cute. And it has Nancy Drew and she's following footsteps and those footsteps continue around the entire mug, which is just such a cute little fun detail.
00:14:35
Speaker
And you have the Agatha Christie mystery tea that you can brew for the mug. That's just an adorable packaging for that tea.
00:14:47
Speaker
i agree. There's a lot of different bookish teas out there, but I think I look for ones that are packaged nicely and have some kind of nice branding to them. And I thought this one looked really delicious.
00:15:01
Speaker
So now that we're cozy man in, where do we head?
Interactive and Group Games
00:15:04
Speaker
We are going to play some games next. We're going to go to the billiard room as promised. I have a quite a few things in here that are super fun.
00:15:13
Speaker
um The trivia I really love. i have that somewhere behind me. It's an Agatha Christie trivia set, which includes questions not just about her books, but about her as an author. It's a really great gift. And the whole box looks like a train car. um And then the other thing that I really recommend on here is the murder mystery on the night train game.
00:15:34
Speaker
I hosted my own murder mystery birthday party recently, and that's the kit that I used. And it comes with everything that you need to have or know to put on this murder mystery game, including...
00:15:46
Speaker
characters that you can assign to your friends and then get them to dress up as that. It's a really, it was actually a really great experience. It has three different endings, so you can play it multiple times. And it's such a fun thing to do during the holiday season when you have a lot of your family or your friends with you.
00:16:05
Speaker
i just, I had such a blast playing it. I'm eyeing the Orient Express jigsaw puzzle, and that looks like a new design because I know that the Agatha Christie Company had a different puzzle out last year. Is this one new, Manon?
00:16:22
Speaker
I believe it is ah because I did look at the Christie puzzles previously and i love those. I think they're really beautiful. But like I said, every year I try to find some new things.
00:16:34
Speaker
And now is a good opportunity to remind listeners that they can go back through previous catalogs. A lot of those products are still available. And so you can find those original Christie jigsaw puzzles still.
00:16:47
Speaker
But this year I saw this Orient Express one and I just thought it was different. It seems new to me and just so beautiful. It's by a collage artist, I believe.
00:16:59
Speaker
There's so many fun things in the billiard room to keep you and your guests occupied. I know I will do a special shout out also to the Sherlock Holmes book nook, which I have been eyeing ever since it was announced that opens up and it's like a whole, I think it's a Baker street.
00:17:21
Speaker
It's it, it like opens up like a book. So it's not just a book nook. Super, super cool. And again, one of those things that you can put together long after the holidays. Yeah.
00:17:35
Speaker
Yeah, I think you might have had this in ah one of your clues letters, Manon. And since then, i leave it open on my on my tabs on my iPad, hoping hoping that my husband will see it.
00:17:49
Speaker
That is the best strategy. It's yeah, I would do the same.
Stocking Stuffers
00:17:59
Speaker
After the billiard room, there's not much left of the mansion to explore, but I always include little smaller gifts for st stocking stuffers. This year, that section is called the fireplace.
00:18:13
Speaker
And there's quite a few little fun things in here. i especially love the library claw clip for your hair. I think that's adorable.
00:18:23
Speaker
And the fish bookmark, which I have. And it's like a red herring to me. I call it my red herring bookmark.
00:18:33
Speaker
I love the pin, the Sherlock ghost pin. Or the enamel pin with Jessica Fletcher. So Fletch. So funny. They're all great.
00:18:45
Speaker
So, Manon, I know you've identified the items that you have on your list. Is there anything, when you mentioned the the ah Sherlock Book Nook, is there anything else that you're hoping to see under your tree this year?
00:19:00
Speaker
Hmm. Now's a good time to leave some clues for my friends and family who are listening. Definitely, definitely the book nook and the tote bag.
00:19:11
Speaker
I like the spy museum secret tote bag. Just seems like such a useful, I mean, I'm a sucker for a good tote, but I just think it's such a useful gift. That's a really, with a mysterious twist.
00:19:26
Speaker
Well, I hope you find some of those items when you're unwrapping your gifts. Thank you. What about you, Brooke? What are you hoping to find? I would really love those lion bookends.
00:19:41
Speaker
I just think that they would give my bookshelf, you know, just elevate it. Right. And I can just pretend that I'm living in that, in that mansion. Right. That's from the New York Public Library store, which I didn't realize they had such amazing products in their store, but they do highly recommend checking out what else they have.
00:20:01
Speaker
I have a tray by them in this later on in the catalog as well. I think that that's a ah really great point, man, in that um because you had the Spy Museum and, you know, this is the New York Library.
00:20:15
Speaker
Gift shops from some of those places are maybe a place we don't think about ah looking. And of course, because we can reach them online, that's ah just a wonderful tip to go out and maybe like look at some of the gift shops from some of these specialty places.
00:20:32
Speaker
Yeah, I think museums and libraries always have really good, like thoughtfully curated gift shops. So I do tend to look at them when I'm putting this together. And I also just, like I said, I want to find a variety of shops for people to browse because I think it's important to diversify where we're shopping for our products.
00:20:52
Speaker
And I like to showcase a lot of different retailers. But I definitely would say support your library gift shops. They always have really beautiful things and then museums as well.
00:21:03
Speaker
And you're also really great at including those Etsy ah creators. So late these independent artisans, I love seeing some of these Etsy shops that you curate for us so that we don't have to ah go searching for them.
00:21:19
Speaker
I hope to find some really nice shops on Etsy. I know it can be kind of difficult to find good products on there. But I think that these are some really great selections from real people.
Accessing the Catalog
00:21:33
Speaker
So thank you, Manon, for joining us and and sharing the things on your gift guide this year. How can people find this?
00:21:45
Speaker
Thank you for asking, Sarah. I think the easiest way for people to browse would to be um on my website. That's where everything is going to be linked. It's manandwogan.com slash gifts.
00:21:58
Speaker
We'll have this catalog with a... um It's like a PDF booklet with links. So you can click and shop just from your browser.
00:22:10
Speaker
Otherwise, if you just want window shop, you can always find it on my socials at mystery man and on Instagram and TikTok. It'll be there as well.
00:22:19
Speaker
Thanks man. And we will put those links in our show notes.
00:22:25
Speaker
Great.
00:22:27
Speaker
Well, thank you again, Manon, for joining us. This is a great way to kick off the holiday season. So great to join you guys yet again to talk about some of my favorite things.
00:22:40
Speaker
Yes, thank you, Manon. And thank you, listeners, for joining us today on Clued in Mystery. Until next time, I'm Brooke. And I'm Sarah. And we both love mystery.
Episode Conclusion
00:22:53
Speaker
Clued in Mystery is written and produced by Brooke Peterson and Sarah M. Stephen. Music is by Shane Ivers. If you liked what you heard, please consider telling a friend, leaving a review, or subscribing with your favorite podcast listening app.
00:23:07
Speaker
Visit our website to sign up for our newsletter, The Clued in Chronicle, and get mystery news, podcast updates, and bonus episodes. We're on social media at Clued in Mystery.