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

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

Prompt Name / #: Thrillers #58





Steal
Published: February 2022


Art galleries and casinos, mansions and brothels, billionaires and thieves—only James Patterson could create a triple-cross this decadent and suspenseful.

Imagine everyone’s surprise when Carter von Oehson, a sophomore in Dr. Dylan Reinhart’s Abnormal Psychology class, posts on Instagram that he plans to kill himself. 24 hours later and still no one has seen him.

Release the hounds. A massive search ensues. But when Carter’s sailboat rolls in with the tide without him or anyone else on it, the worst seems to be confirmed. He really did it . . . Or did he?

The one person convinced he’s still alive is his father, Mathias von Oehson, founder and CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund. But what Mathias knows and how he knows it would ultimately reveal a secret so damaging that it would be as if he were committing suicide himself. There’s no way he can go to the police. But there’s still someone he can turn to.

Dylan now finds himself wrapped up in multi-million-dollar secrets and danger and it’s going to take every bit of his wit, and the brilliant and headstrong NYPD Detective, Elizabeth Needham, to stay ahead of both his enemy . . . and his employer.0


Complete ONE of the following:

1. Read a book with less than 400 pages.
2. Read a book tagged LGBT any number of times.
3. Read a book that should contain a trigger warning, like for suicide.
4. Read any James Patterson novel.

Prompt Name / #: Thrillers #40





The Warning
Published: August 2019


Two roads lead to Mount Hope. None leads out. There’s no place to run in a community that’s been taken – and is being intentionally kept – off the grid.

A small southern town was evacuated after a freak power-plant accident. As the first anniversary of the mishap approaches, some residents are allowed to return past the national guard roadblocks.

Mount Hope natives Maggie and Jordan quickly discover that their hometown is not as it was before. Downed cellular networks fail to resume service. Animals savagely attack humans. And the damaged power plant, where Jordan’s father is an engineer, is under military lockdown.

As friends and family morph into terrifying strangers, Maggie and Jordan increasingly turn to each other. Their determination to discover who – or what – has taken control of Mount Hope soon has them in the cross-hairs of a presence more sinister than any they could have imagined.


Complete ONE of the following:

1. Read a book set in a small town.
2. Read a book with an -ING word in the title.
3. Read a book with an MPG of MYSTERY.
4. Read any James Patterson novel.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #60: Unicycle Basketball





Unicycle Basketball is a variation of the traditional game but where all of the players are mounted on unicycles during play.


The same rules apply, such as dribbling the ball while riding, and trying to score in the other team’s net. The game is played on a regulation basketball court and players tend to use 24” unicycles.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🏀 1. Read a book that takes place within a 24-hour period of time.
🏀 2. Read a book where a sport is watched or played.
🏀 3. Read a book with the word COURT found in the text.
🏀 4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are NOT found in UNICYCLE.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #60: Unicycle Basketball





Unicycle Basketball is a variation of the traditional game but where all of the players are mounted on unicycles during play.


The same rules apply, such as dribbling the ball while riding, and trying to score in the other team’s net. The game is played on a regulation basketball court and players tend to use 24” unicycles.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🏀 1. Read a book that takes place within a 24-hour period of time.
🏀 2. Read a book where a sport is watched or played.
🏀 3. Read a book with the word COURT found in the text.
🏀 4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are NOT found in UNICYCLE.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #60: Unicycle Basketball





Unicycle Basketball is a variation of the traditional game but where all of the players are mounted on unicycles during play.


The same rules apply, such as dribbling the ball while riding, and trying to score in the other team’s net. The game is played on a regulation basketball court and players tend to use 24” unicycles.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🏀 1. Read a book that takes place within a 24-hour period of time.
🏀 2. Read a book where a sport is watched or played.
🏀 3. Read a book with the word COURT found in the text.
🏀 4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are NOT found in UNICYCLE.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #60: Unicycle Basketball





Unicycle Basketball is a variation of the traditional game but where all of the players are mounted on unicycles during play.


The same rules apply, such as dribbling the ball while riding, and trying to score in the other team’s net. The game is played on a regulation basketball court and players tend to use 24” unicycles.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🏀 1. Read a book that takes place within a 24-hour period of time.
🏀 2. Read a book where a sport is watched or played.
🏀 3. Read a book with the word COURT found in the text.
🏀 4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are NOT found in UNICYCLE.

Great tasks!





I love that you clip the images to add to the cells, Alyana!

Ridiculously Random Prompt #52: Leucism





There's a word for animals with partial pigment loss.


Albinism is the congenital absence of any pigmentation or coloration, but leucism is a different rare condition where some pattern or color remains.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🦒 1. Read a book without much color on the cover. {Your discretion.}
🦒 2. Read a book where the author's LAST initial is found in LEUCISM.
🦒 3. Read a book where a character has a rare condition.
🦒 4. Read a book where all the letters of PIGMENT are found in the title.

Excellent!





The Lost for Words Bookshop is on my TBR as well!

Prompt #9B: Light Roasts





Light brown in color, this roast is generally preferred for milder coffee varieties. There will be no oil on the surface of these beans because they are not roasted long enough for the oils to break through to the surface.


Light City
Half City
Cinnamon


Complete ONE of the following:

☕️ 1. Read a book with the word CITY found in the title.
☕️ 2. Read a book with any type of light source on the cover.
☕️ 3. Read a book with the word CINNAMON found in the text.
☕️ 4. Read a book where you feel like there is something brewing just under the surface throughout the story.

Prompt Name / #: Thrillers #49





Three Women Disappear
Published: October 2020


Three women fled the scene -- but did one commit the crime?

When mob accountant Anthony Costello, nephew of the don of central Florida, is fatally stabbed in his own kitchen, the numbers are off. Way off. There were three women in the house with him that morning -- his wife, Anna; his maid, Serena; and his personal chef, Sarah. All three have reason to want him dead. And all three are missing.

What's more, chef Sarah happens to be married to homicide detective Sean Walsh. Walsh may be a bad husband, but he's a good cop. And one with a ready audience: his vengeful ex-partner, who's in charge of the investigation; and Anthony's uncle, who has his own powerful hold over Walsh. Both are watching his every move.

But even if Walsh can find the women and bring them in, it'll be their word against that of a dead man -- and none of them can be trusted.


Complete ONE of the following:

1. Read a book with only one eye visible on the cover.
2. Read a book where the mob is part of the story.
3. Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title can be found in THREE WOMEN DISAPPEAR. (three-word minimum}
4. Read any James Patterson novel.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #35: Pumpkins, Squash, and Gourds...Oh My!





Pumpkins, squash, and gourds are all technically the same species.


That's right, your zucchini and Jack o' lanterns are one and the same: Cucurbita pepo, a species that originated in Mexico more than 10,000 years ago. Farmers have since developed the many cultivars we know and use today.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

👩🏽‍🌾 1. Read a book with some type of vegetable on the cover.
👩🏽‍🌾 2. Read a book with at least 10,000 ratings.
👩🏽‍🌾 3. Read a book set in Mexico.
👩🏽‍🌾 4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are found in CUCURBITA PEPO.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #37: Fleur-de-Lis





Only one NFL team has a plant for a logo.


The New Orleans Saints' fleur-de-lis is actually a stylized lily historically associated with the French monarchy. It's also the state symbol of Louisiana and appears on the Quebec flag.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

⚜️ 1. Read a book where a character plays or watches football.
⚜️ 2. Read a book set in Louisiana, France, or Canada.
⚜️ 3. Read a book with a logo or a flag on the cover.
⚜️ 4. Read a book with all the letters of MONARCHY in the title.

Great work!

Prompt Name / #: Thrillers #7





Black Friday
Published: June 1986


The breathtaking suspense of Kiss the Girls and the authenticity of N.Y.P.D. Blue: Welcome to James Patterson's classic superthriller, Black Friday. A courageous federal agent, a powerful and resourceful woman lawyer - only they can possibly stop the unspeakable from happening. New York City is under siege by a secret militia group - and that's just the beginning of the relentless terror of Black Friday.


Complete ONE of the following:

1. Read a book with a color in the title.
2. Read a book with the word SECRET in the text.
3. Read a book with a vehicle of any type on the cover.
4. Read any James Patterson novel.

Prompt Name / #: Non-Fiction #2





The Murder of King Tut
Published: January 2009


A secret buried for centuries

Thrust onto Egypt's most powerful throne at the age of nine, King Tut's reign was fiercely debated from the outset. Behind the palace's veil of prosperity, bitter rivalries and jealousy flourished among the Boy King's most trusted advisors, and after only nine years, King Tut suddenly perished, his name purged from Egyptian history. To this day, his death remains shrouded in controversy.

The keys to an unsolved mystery

Enchanted by the ruler's tragic story and hoping to unlock the answers to the 3,000 year-old mystery, Howard Carter made it his life's mission to uncover the pharaoh's hidden tomb. He began his search in 1907, but encountered countless setbacks and dead-ends before he finally, uncovered the long-lost crypt.

The clues point to murder

Now, in The Murder of King Tut, James Patterson and Martin Dugard dig through stacks of evidence -- X-rays, Carter's files, forensic clues, and stories told through the ages -- to arrive at their own account of King Tut's life and death. The result is an exhilarating true crime tale of intrigue, passion, and betrayal that casts fresh light on the oldest mystery of all.


Complete ONE of the following:

1. Read a book with an MPG of NON-FICTION.
2. Read a book with a royal character.
3. Read a book where the MC's first initial is NOT found in KING TUT.
4. Read any James Patterson novel.

Ridiculously Random Prompt #66: Wood Chopping





In a Wood Chopping competition, the aim of the game is to be the first “axeman” to chop or saw through a log or block of wood.


These sorts of competitions are often found at places such as state fairs and agricultural shows and have been around since 1870.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🪚 1. Read a book where the MC goes to a state fair or a similar place.
🪚 2. Read a book with at least two of these numbers in the page count: 1870.
🪚 3. Read a book with the word CHOP or SAW found in the text.
🪚 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in AXEMAN.

CONGRATULATIONS!! You did it! You completed all 72 Ridiculously Random prompts in this challenge. I hope you enjoyed it and I'll see you again soon!

Ridiculously Random Prompt #66: Wood Chopping





In a Wood Chopping competition, the aim of the game is to be the first “axeman” to chop or saw through a log or block of wood.


These sorts of competitions are often found at places such as state fairs and agricultural shows and have been around since 1870.


Complete ONE of the following tasks:

🪚 1. Read a book where the MC goes to a state fair or a similar place.
🪚 2. Read a book with at least two of these numbers in the page count: 1870.
🪚 3. Read a book with the word CHOP or SAW found in the text.
🪚 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in AXEMAN.

Way to go, both of you!