MN Lisa’s Comments (group member since Jul 20, 2023)

MN Lisa’s comments from the Hooked on Books group.

Any idea on the path we should take?

🎪 Team Name: Curiosity Carnival
🎟️ Task Completed: 🍿 Food Vendor: Circus Sideshow Sizzlers
🔗 Proof of Completion: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
✨ Summoning the Carnival Master for our next adventure!

🍿 Food Vendor: Circus Sideshow Sizzlers

🍿 Food Vendor Word: Unconventional
Book: You, with a View by Jessica Joyce
Date Completed: 04/09/2025
Page Count: 352
Location: pg. 3
Sentence: It's unconventional to call your grandparent your best friend..."

🍿 Food Vendor Word: Bizzare
Book: Mr Big Shot by Isla Olson
Date Completed: 04/09/2025
Page Count: 173
Location: Pg 57
Sentence: once for that bizzare interrogation about Shay

🍿 Food Vendor Word: Extraordinary
Book: reaping havoc by AJ Rose
Date Completed: 04/10/2025
Page Count: 340
Location: pg 312
Sentence: Nate smiled, his eyes bright. “We’ll make it extraordinary.”

🍿 Food Vendor Word: Eccentric
Book: Gothictown by Emily Carpenter
Date Completed: 04/25/2025
Page Count: 369
Location: Page 33
Sentence: She was used to eccentric people

🍿 Food Vendor Word: unusual
Book: blue Eyed stranger by Alex beecroft
Date Completed: 04/17/2025
Page Count: 230
Location: 36%
Sentence: “Is that so unusual?"

Ok. I switched some things around. I've now got Harriet Tubman so will do the BR for that too

and I can't believe I beat you. only by 7 points, but your books are usually longer so I thought for sure I'd be down.

What categories would Harriet Tubman work for? I could probably do that it's a pretty short listen.

And I'm done.

Gonna lean towards a short one for wartime:

The Prince and His Bedeviled Bodyguard

Why it fits your criteria:

Wartime Setting: While not in the midst of a full-scale war, the realm is on the brink of conflict, and the protagonists' journey is fraught with danger and political tension.​

Courage: Both characters display immense bravery, not only in facing external threats but also in confronting their personal fears and vulnerabilities.


**I could be talked out of this one though...

I think I'm gonna go fantasy this month with the wartime. Just not in the mood (at least now) for realistic war.

I'm gonna read those two anyway and probably won't get the True Grit points. I'll make sure to right reviews to make up for it.

I only have Read a book set during wartime that highlights courage. left to find a book for.

New Hunt Categories should be out sometime tomorrow so here' hoping I can use these there too.

Janeylou wrote: "Lisa..reading between the lines , do you need to have read other books"
Maybe. You get the history of their relationship, but the mystery will be new.

Tallus is related to Costa in the Valor and Doyle Series. They actually appeared in book 2.

I can get it. I have two unlocks on Everand and can use one for that book. I'll Add it

Kirsten wrote: "I'm also planning to read Mask of the Deer Woman which would fit your diaspora cultural reconnection, Lisa, if you wanted to do that with me.."
If I can find it. I'm still waiting for it to come into the library. Let me check again.

@Janine...Here is what AI says about Blue Billings and the Quest Tasks:
Read a book where characters confront their biggest fears OR train for an impossible mission
Strong fit: Levi and Blue confront supernatural fears and mysteries in the haunted house, pushing them to face the unknown and danger. This fits well with confronting fears.

Read a book addressing mental health challenges OR a character’s emotional recovery journey
Strong fit: Blue Billings is described as “lost” with many secrets, and Levi is recovering from a breakup and dealing with a haunted house’s psychological impact. Their emotional journeys and healing process fit well with mental health and emotional recovery themes.

Read an underdog story (sports, career, or personal struggle)
Potential fit: Both Levi and Blue seem to be emotionally wounded and outsiders in their own ways. Their slow-building relationship and personal growth can be seen as an underdog story of finding connection and healing.

Read a book where a character overcomes great odds (e.g., poverty, discrimination, trauma)
Partial fit: Blue Billings is described as “lost” and hiding secrets, suggesting personal struggles and emotional trauma. The story involves both protagonists facing fears and emotional challenges, which could be interpreted as overcoming personal odds.

Read a book about overcoming disability or illness OR a character adapting to a major life change
Potential fit: Levi moves to a new city after a painful breakup and inherits a haunted house, forcing him to adapt to a major life change and confront unsettling supernatural events. This transition and his emotional growth through the story align with adapting to major life changes.

That has been on my TBR for a while. If we can wait to finish til May, I'd do a BR of this one.

I've done my initial selection of books. I have two non-fiction selected. I still have two categories to select.

I'd probably read Invisible Women too.

I'm gonna take a closer look at the categories, but I'd read Women in the Picture: What Culture Does with Female Bodies

I've requested an interlibrary loan since my local doesn't have it.

For sure.

I did not like the ending at all.