Michelle's Empty Nest’s Comments (group member since Oct 31, 2021)

Michelle's Empty Nest’s comments from the Hooked on Books group.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #23: Royal Flush





The odds of getting a royal flush are exactly 1 in 649,740.


Poker fiends have a slightly better chance of laying down a straight flush: Try 72,192 to 1. Out of the 7,462 distinct five-card poker hands, you have a 42% chance of getting a single pair though.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🃏 1. Read a book where a character plays a hand of cards.
🃏 2. Read a book with a bathroom scene.
🃏 3. Read a book with the word ROYAL found in the text.
🃏 4. Read a book with more than 649,740 ratings.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #22: The Oscars





The Oscars used to give out an award to child performers.


The award show discontinued the Academy Juvenile Award in 1960 after famous names like Shirley Temple and Judy Garland nabbed the honor. Also no longer on the ballot? Best Dance Direction and Best Title Writing.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🏆 1. Read a book with something gold on the cover.
🏆 2. Read a book that has won an award.
🏆 3. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in OSCARS.
🏆 4. Read a book where a character acts, dances, or writes.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #24: Giant Pumpkin Kayaking





Giant Pumpkin Kayaking is quite simply the sport of kayaking inside of a giant, hollowed-out pumpkin.


The most famous race takes place on Lake Pesaquid in Nova Scotia at the annual Windsor Pumpkin Regatta. The course is a half-mile long and competitors often decorate their pumpkins with paint and flags.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🎃 1. Read a book set at least partially in Canada.
🎃 2.Read a book with all the letters of KAYAK in the title. {2 As, 2 Ks}
🎃 3. Read a book with something painted or flags on the cover.
🎃 4. Read a book with the word PUMPKIN found in the text.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #24: Giant Pumpkin Kayaking





Giant Pumpkin Kayaking is quite simply the sport of kayaking inside of a giant, hollowed-out pumpkin.


The most famous race takes place on Lake Pesaquid in Nova Scotia at the annual Windsor Pumpkin Regatta. The course is a half-mile long and competitors often decorate their pumpkins with paint and flags.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🎃 1. Read a book set at least partially in Canada.
🎃 2.Read a book with all the letters of KAYAK in the title. {2 As, 2 Ks}
🎃 3. Read a book with something painted or flags on the cover.
🎃 4. Read a book with the word PUMPKIN found in the text.

Prompt Name / #: Thrillers #3





The Midnight Club
Published: January 1989


From the bestselling author of Along Came a Spider and Cat and Mouse, a mesmerising tale of non-stop action and suspense.

Nobody knows the underbelly of the city like New York cop John Stefanovitch. He's out to get Alexandre St-Germain, the most powerful member of the Midnight Club -- a secret international society of ruthless crime czars, all of whom are 'respectable' businessmen.

And Stef's the ideal man for the job -- until he's leveled by a blast from St-Germain's shotgun and left for dead. Now, Stef is back, wheelchair-bound, yet sworn to destroy St-Germain.

With the help of a beautiful journalist and a Harlem cop, Stef is determined to crack the Midnight Club. And he's up against odds that are as unknown as they are deadly!


Complete ONE of the following:

1. Read a book with a black cover.
2. Read a book where a character has a nickname.
3. Read a book where the MC is in law enforcement.
4. Read any James Patterson novel.

Excellent!


I have added Chapter 2 to your SS. Good luck!

Excellent!


I have added Chapter 2 to your SS. Good luck!

Excellent!


I have added a Chapter 5 Evidence Tab and a Chapter 5 Tab to your SS. There's more evidence...so two tabs were easier. Good luck!

AWESOME!!


You may now read for Chapter 6's tasks!

Prompt Name / #: Young Adult #3





The Injustice
Published: October 2017


When four teens are accused of crimes they didn't commit, they team up to investigate everyone at school who could have set them up.

Theo Foster's Twitter account used to be anonymous -- until someone posted a revealing photo that got him expelled. No final grade. No future. No fair.

Theo's resigned to a life of misery working at the local mini-mart when a miracle happens: Sasha Ellis speaks to him. Sasha Ellis knows his name. She was also expelled for a crime she didn't commit, and now he has the perfect way to get her attention: find out who set them up.

To uncover the truth, Theo has to get close to the suspects: the hacker, the quarterback, the mean girl, the vice principal, and his own best friend. What secrets are they hiding? And how can Theo catch their confessions on camera?


Complete ONE of the following:

1. Read a book where Twitter or another social media platform is mentioned.
2. Read a book with a J in the title.
3. Read a book where the word PHOTO is found in the text.
4. Read any James Patterson novel.

It was a tough one...good job, though!

Ridiculously Random Prompt #8: Apple Pie





Apple Pie isn't actually American at all.


The next time you call something "as American as apple pie," you might want to consider the fact that neither apple pies nor apples originally came from America. Apples are in fact native to Asia, and the first recorded recipe for apple pie was actually written in England.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🥧 1. Read a book set in America, England, or Asia.
🥧 2. Read a book that includes a recipe.
🥧 3. Read a book with a cliché in the text.
🥧 4. Read a book with an apple or other fruit on the cover.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #8: Apple Pie





Apple Pie isn't actually American at all.


The next time you call something "as American as apple pie," you might want to consider the fact that neither apple pies nor apples originally came from America. Apples are in fact native to Asia, and the first recorded recipe for apple pie was actually written in England.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🥧 1. Read a book set in America, England, or Asia.
🥧 2. Read a book that includes a recipe.
🥧 3. Read a book with a cliché in the text.
🥧 4. Read a book with an apple or other fruit on the cover.

Excellent!


I have added the Chapter 6 Tab to your SS. Good luck!

🤽🏻‍♀️⛹🏽🤾🏼‍♀️ 16: August 15, 2025 - Pickleball 🤾🏼‍♀️⛹🏽🤽🏻‍♀️





Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two players (singles) or four players (doubles) use a smooth-faced paddle to hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball over a 34-inch-high (0.86 m) net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction. Pickleball is played indoors and outdoors. It was invented in 1965 as a children's backyard game in the United States, on Bainbridge Island in Washington state. In 2022, Pickleball was named the official state sport of Washington.

Aspects of the sport resemble tennis and table tennis, but Pickleball has specific rules, paddles and court dimensions. The court is 44 feet (13.4 m) long and 20 feet (6.1 m) wide, and the combined length and width of the paddle cannot exceed 24 inches (61.0 cm) . On each side of the net is a 7-foot area (2.1 m) known as the non-volley zone (or the kitchen); a player standing there may not strike the ball until it has bounced. The hard plastic pickleball produces less bounce than a tennis ball. The limited bounce, non-volley zones, and underhanded stroke, with which all serves must be made, combined with hard drive shots and overhead smash shots, give the game a dynamic pace.

After its introduction in 1965, Pickleball became a popular sport in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and gradually grew in popularity elsewhere. By 2023 it was estimated to have over 13.6 million players in the United States. For three years in a row, 2021, 2022, and 2023, the sport was named the fastest-growing sport in the United States by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association. The growing popularity of the sport has been attributed to its short learning curve, its appeal to a wide range of ages and fitness levels, and its low startup costs.

Two professional tours were established in the United States in 2019 and shortly thereafter two professional leagues were established. Pickleball is also growing in popularity outside the United States with a professional league already operating in Australia, and another being developed in India for the 2025/26 season.


Complete ONE of the following:

🥒 Read a book with at least one scene in the kitchen.
🥒 Read a book set in the Pacific Northwest.
🥒 Read a book published in 2021, 2022, or 2023.
🥒 Read a book with a food item on the cover.

Prompt Name / #: Thrillers #54





The Jailhouse Lawyer
Published: September 2021


A young lawyer takes on the judge who is destroying her hometown—and ends up in jail herself. James Patterson does John Grisham.

In picture-perfect Erva, Alabama, the most serious crimes are misdemeanors. Speeding tickets. Shoplifting. Contempt of court.
Then why is the jail so crowded? And why are so few prisoners released? There’s only one place to learn the truth behind these incriminating secrets.

Sometimes the best education a lawyer can get is a short stretch of hard time.


Complete ONE of the following:

1. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in JAILHOUSE.
2. Read a book where the word LAWYER is found in the text.
3. Read a book where the title is located at the bottom of the cover.
4. Read any James Patterson novel.