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

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

A sandwich is fine as long as there's cheese on it.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #12: Cheese Rolling





The Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling & Wake is an annual event that takes place each spring near Gloucester, England and involves a 9 pound round of cheese, which is rolled from the top of a hill.


Competitors race after the cheese and the first person to reach the finish line at the bottom wins the cheese.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🧀 1. Read a book where a character eats cheese, or does something foolish.
🧀 2. Read a book set at least partially in England.
🧀 3. Read a book with all the letters of SPRING in the title.
🧀 4. Read a book with a 9 in the page count or publication date.

Prompt Name / #: Romances #4





The Christmas Wedding
Published: October 2011


The tree is decorated, the cookies are baked, and the packages are wrapped, but the biggest celebration this Christmas is Gaby Summerhill's wedding. Since her husband died three years ago, Gaby's four children have drifted apart, each consumed by the turbulence of their own lives. They haven't celebrated Christmas together since their father's death, but when Gaby announces that she's getting married -- and that the groom will remain a secret until the wedding day -- she may finally be able to bring them home for the holidays.

But the wedding isn't Gaby's only surprise--she has one more gift for her children, and it could change all their lives forever. With deeply affecting characters and the emotional twists of a James Patterson thriller, The Christmas Wedding is a fresh look at family and the magic of the season.


Complete ONE of the following:

1. Read a book published in October of any year.
2. Read a book with something related to a wedding/bride on the cover.
3. Read a book where a spouse dies.
4. Read any James Patterson novel.

Prompt Name / #: Non-Fiction #5





All-American Murder: The Rise and Fall of Aaron Hernandez, the Superstar Whose Life Ended on Murderers' Row
Published: January 2018


Aaron Hernandez was a college All-American who became the youngest player in the NFL and later reached the Super Bowl. His every move as a tight end with the New England Patriots played out the headlines, yet he led a secret life -- one that ended in a maximum-security prison. What drove him to go so wrong, so fast?

Between the summers of 2012 and 2013, not long after Hernandez made his first Pro Bowl, he was linked to a series of violent incidents culminating in the death of Odin Lloyd, a semi-pro football player who dated the sister of Hernandez's fiancée, Shayanna Jenkins.

All-American Murder is the first book to investigate Aaron Hernandez's first-degree murder conviction and the mystery of his own shocking and untimely death.


Complete ONE of the following:

1. Read a book tagged SPORTS any number of times.
2. Read a book with red, white, and blue on the cover.
3. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in AARON HERNANDEZ.
4. Read any James Patterson novel.

Excellent!





Really love that last task!

Ridiculously Random Prompt #20: Blue Whale





You can hear a blue whale's heartbeat from more than 2 miles away.


The world's largest animal's heart weighs about 400 pounds — approximately the size of a small piano.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🐳 1. Read a book with a blue cover.
🐳 2. Read a book where someone plays a piano.
🐳 3. Read a book with all the letters of HEART found in the title.
🐳 4. Read a book with a 2 in the page count.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #20: Blue Whale





You can hear a blue whale's heartbeat from more than 2 miles away.


The world's largest animal's heart weighs about 400 pounds — approximately the size of a small piano.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🐳 1. Read a book with a blue cover.
🐳 2. Read a book where someone plays a piano.
🐳 3. Read a book with all the letters of HEART found in the title.
🐳 4. Read a book with a 2 in the page count.

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 #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 #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 #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 #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 #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.

Prompt Name / #: Non-Fiction #4





Filthy Rich: The true story behind the Jeffrey Epstein sex scandal
Published: October 2016


A shocking true crime tale of money, power, and sex from the world's most popular thriller writer.

Jeffrey Epstein rose from humble origins to the rarefied heights of New York City's financial elite. A college dropout with an instinct for numbers -- and for people -- Epstein amassed his wealth through a combination of access and skill. But even after he had it all, Epstein wanted more. And that unceasing desire -- especially a taste for young girls -- resulted in his stunning fall from grace. From Epstein himself, to the girls he employed as masseuses at his home, to the cops investigating the appalling charges against him, FILTHY RICH examines all sides of a case that scandalized one of America's richest communities. An explosive true story, FILTHY RICH is a riveting account of wealth, power and the influence they bring to bear on the American justice system.


Complete ONE of the following:

1. Read a book with a subtitle.
2. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are found in JEFFREY EPSTEIN .
3. Read a book where there is some type of scandal.
4. Read any James Patterson novel.

Prompt Name / #: Thrillers #41





The River Murders
Published: January 2020


In these thrilling stories, Mitchum investigates three dangerous cases -- and learns that chasing the truth means going to the point of no return. After being rejected from the Navy SEALs, Mitchum becomes his small town's unofficial private eye. But his investigation skills are put to the test when he must find his missing teenage cousin -- and uncovers a government conspiracy in the process. Malicious: Mitchum is back. His brother's been charged with murder. Nathaniel swears he didn't kill anyone, but word on the street is that he was involved with the victim's wife. Now, Navy SEAL dropout Mitchum will break every rule to expose the truth -- even if it destroys the people he loves. Mitchum has never been more desperate. One by one his loved ones have become victims of carefully staged attacks. There's only one way to stop the ruthless mastermind intent on destroying everyone around him -- to go on the most dangerous hunt of his life.


Complete ONE of the following:

1. Read a book with a weapon on the cover.
2. Read a book published in 2020.
3. Read a book where the author's LAST initial is found in MITCHUM.
4. Read any James Patterson novel.

Superb tasks!

Prompt Name / #: Non-Fiction #3





Against Medical Advice
Published: October 2008


This is the heart-rending drama of one family's courage, heartbreak, sacrifice, and triumph in confronting an agonizing medical condition, written by two master storytellers.

Cory Friedman woke up one morning when he was five years old with the uncontrollable urge to twitch his neck and his life was never the same again. From that day forward his life became a hell of uncontrollable tics, urges, and involuntary utterances. Eventually he is diagnosed with Tourette's Syndrome and Obsessive Compulsive disorder, and Cory embarks on an excruciating journey from specialist to specialist, enduring countless combinations of medications in wildly varying doses. Soon it becomes unclear what tics are symptoms of his disease and what are side effects of the drugs. The only certainty is that it kept getting worse. Despite his lack of control, Cory is aware of every embarrassing movement, and sensitive to every person's reaction to his often aggravating presence. Simply put: Cory Friedman's life is a living hell.

Against Medical Advice is the true story of one family's decades-long battle for survival in the face of extraordinary difficulties and a rigid medical establishment.


Complete ONE of the following:

1. Read a book where a character is dealing with a medical/health issue.
2. Read a book tagged MEMOIR any number of times.
3. Read a book that is between 300 - 400 pages long.
4. Read any James Patterson novel.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #56: Largest Sand Castle





The largest sand castle in the world measured 54 feet high.


It took 168 trucks over a week to deliver enough sand for this carefully sculpted masterpiece.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🏝 1. Read a book with sand visible on the cover.
🏝 2. Read a book with a 5 OR a 4 in the page count.
🏝 3. Read a book with a 1, 6, AND 8 in the publication date.
🏝 4. Read a book that took place over more than a week's time.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #56: Largest Sand Castle





The largest sand castle in the world measured 54 feet high.


It took 168 trucks over a week to deliver enough sand for this carefully sculpted masterpiece.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🏝 1. Read a book with sand visible on the cover.
🏝 2. Read a book with a 5 OR a 4 in the page count.
🏝 3. Read a book with a 1, 6, AND 8 in the publication date.
🏝 4. Read a book that took place over more than a week's time.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #56: Largest Sand Castle





The largest sand castle in the world measured 54 feet high.


It took 168 trucks over a week to deliver enough sand for this carefully sculpted masterpiece.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🏝 1. Read a book with sand visible on the cover.
🏝 2. Read a book with a 5 OR a 4 in the page count.
🏝 3. Read a book with a 1, 6, AND 8 in the publication date.
🏝 4. Read a book that took place over more than a week's time.