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3RC Reading Challenge
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Ridiculously Random Reading Challenge: C
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Just to shake things up a bit more and keep them really random, I'm throwing caution...and my OCD...to the wind for this challenge. Your prompts will be given to you in random orders, with everyone following a different path. I'll be tracking your prompts on a separate spreadsheet to make sure we don't miss one.
If you would like to pick your starting place, tell me your favorite number between 1 and 72 before March 31st.
I threw caution to the wind as well (cough, and didn't come looking for my thread before today, cough) and I'll let you start me wherever lol!
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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: 12: Cheese RollingBook: Stolen Midsummer Bride
Author: Tara Grayce
Date Read: 4/2
Pages: 202
Task: Read a book where a character eats cheese, or does something foolish
How it Fits: King Oberon foolishly messes with the magic system, which causes the world to be attacked by monsters
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A baby puffin is called a "puffling."
To feed its chick, a puffin parent will carry around 10 fish in its beak at one time, but the biggest recorded haul is a whopping 62 fish, according to Audubon Project Puffin.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🐠 1. Read a book with a bird on the cover.
🐠 2. Read a book where the MC is a parent.
🐠 3. Read a book with a 6 and a 2 in the page count.
🐠 4. Read a book with all the letters of PUFFIN found in the title/subtitle.
Prompt # / Name: Baby PuffinsBook: The Man in Black: Stories
Author: Elly Griffiths
Date Read: 4/8
Pages: 320
Task: Read a book where the MC is a parent
How it Fits: the predominant MC is a mother
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Not every Model T was black.
For the first few years of production, Ford's famous car came in gray, green, blue and red. It was only after 1914 that customers could order "any color so long as it is black," as the dark paint dried faster than other hues.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
⚫️ 1. Read a book with a car on the cover.
⚫️ 2. Read a book with a color in the title.
⚫️ 3. Read a book with BLACK, GRAY, GREEN, BLUE, or RED found in the text.
⚫️ 4. Read a book with at least two of these numbers found in the page count/publication date: 1, 9, 1, 4.
Prompt # / Name: #38: Model TBook: Bluebeard and the Outlaw
Author: Tara Grayce
Date Read: 4/9
Pages: 188
Task: Read a book with a color in the title
How it Fits: BLUE in the title
Mod
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.
Prompt # / Name: Book: Mrs. Bridge
Author: Evan S. Connell
Date Read: 4/10
Pages: 246
Task: Read a book where the author's LAST initial is found in LEUCISM
How it Fits: ALN initial is C
Mod
Moon flowers actually bloom in response to the moon.
Sunflowers will follow the sun as it moves across the sky, but their lunar counterparts only open after nightfall or on cloudy days.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🌺 1. Read a book with flowers on the cover.
🌺 2. Read a book with double vowels in the title.
🌺 3. Read a book where the author's FIRST initial is found in LUNAR.
🌺 4. Read a book where you can share a scene that happens after nightfall with me.
Prompt # / Name: 55: Moon FlowersBook: Life Hacks for a Little Alien
Author: Alice Franklin
Date Read: 4/12
Pages: 304
Task: Read a book where the author's FIRST initial is found in LUNAR
How it Fits: author's first initial is A
Mod
Zorbing is considered a recreational sport that involves rolling down a hill in a transparent plastic orb – essentially a “hamster ball."
It is generally used on hills, but can also be used on water, as well as flat surfaces. Orbs with no harnesses can carry up to three people, whereas a harnessed orb can only carry 1 or 2.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🐹 1. Read a book with a Z in the title.
🐹 2. Read a book with something made of plastic on the cover.
🐹 3. Read a book with the word TRANSPARENT found in the text.
🐹 4. Read a book where the author's last name ENDS with a letter in HAMSTER.
Prompt # / Name: 72: ZorbingBook: S'more Trouble
Author: Jan Fields
Date Read: 4/21
Pages: 196
Task: Read a book where the author's last name ENDS with a letter in HAMSTER
How it Fits: S
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M&M stands for Mars and Murrie.
Forrest Mars (son of the Mars Company founder) first spotted the British confection Smarties during the Spanish Civil War and noticed the candy shell prevented the chocolate from melting. He teamed up with Bruce Murrie (son of Hershey Chocolate's president) and the company later trademarked the "Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand" slogan.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🔴 1. Read a book with an alliterative title.
🔴 2. Read a book with at least two men on the cover.
🔴 3. Read a book tagged SPACE any number of times.
🔴 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in HERSHEY.
Prompt # / Name: 16: M&MsBook: Triple Layer Treachery
Author: Virginia Smith
Date Read: 4/26
Pages: 201
Task: Read a book with an alliterative title
How it Fits: two words start with T
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The hashtag symbol is technically called an octothorpe.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the "octo-" prefix refers to the eight points on the popular symbol, but the "thorpe" remains a mystery. One theory claims that it comes from the Old English word for "village," based on the idea that the symbol looks like a village surrounded by eight fields!
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
#️⃣ 1. Read a book with an MPG of MYSTERY.
#️⃣ 2. Read a book with an 8 in the page count.
#️⃣ 3. Read a book with all the letters of THORPE in the title.
#️⃣ 4. Read a book with the word VILLAGE found in the text.
Prompt # / Name: 1: OctothorpeBook: Ink or Swim
Author: Catherine Dilts
Date Read: 5/1
Pages: 205
Task: Read a book with an MPG of MYSTERY
How it Fits: MPG Mystery
Mod
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.
Prompt # / Name: 20: Blue WhaleBook: A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them
Author: Timothy Egan
Date Read: 5/1
Pages: 432
Task: Read a book with all the letters of HEART found in the title
How it Fits: Heartland in the title solves this... Although it's late and took me way too long to realize that I didn't need to search all the words for the letters... 😳
Mod
The most streamed Spotify single is Harry Styles' "Girl Crush."
The solo star's Spotify single has the most streams at 154 million. Such a win for the One Direction alum.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🎤 1. Read a book where the author or MC is named Harry.
🎤 2. Read a book where a character has a crush on someone.
🎤 3. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in SPOTIFY.
🎤 4. Read a book where at least 2 of these digits are found in the total number of ratings: 1, 5, 4.
Prompt # / Name: 4: Girl CrushBook: A Matter of Honor
Author: Laura Frantz
Date Read: 5/4
Pages: 206
Task: Read a book where a character has a crush on someone.
How it Fits: the MCs have mutual crushes on each other and it takes them FOREVER to communicate...
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Frank Lloyd Wright's son invented Lincoln Logs.
The famous architect's design for the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo inspired John Lloyd Wright to produce the interlocking log beams on a much smaller scale for kids.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🪵 1. Read a book where the author goes by 3 names.
🪵 2. Read a book with at least 3 Ls in the title.
🪵 3. Read a book with a log/tree on the cover.
🪵 4. Read a book set in Japan.
Prompt # / Name: 43: Lincoln LogsBook: My Dear Detective: Mitsuko’s Case Files
Author: Natsumi Ito
Date Read: 5/5
Pages: 176
Task: Read a book set in Japan
How it Fits: set in Tokyo, Japan
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Coca-Cola consumers will pay more to drink less ounces.
Coca-Cola consumers prefer smaller packaging of their beverage and are willing to pay more per ounce. While soda consumption is declining in the U.S., Coca-Cola had a net revenue of $33 billion worldwide last year. Talk about vanity sizing!
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🥤 1. Read a book with a dashed word in the title.
🥤 2. Read a book where someone drinks a cola, soda, pop, whatever you call it where you're from.
🥤 3. Read a book with two 3s in the publication date.
🥤 4. Read a book you were willing to pay for.
Prompt # / Name: 32: Coca-ColaBook: His Orphaned Bride
Author: Stella Clark
Date Read: 5/12
Pages: 159
Task: Read a book you were willing to pay for
How it Fits: bought it used at my library's bookstore
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There's a world record for the most world record titles.
It belongs to Brooklyn, New York resident Ashrita Furman, who's held more than 700 Guinness World Records in his lifetime, ranging from heaviest shoes walked in (323 pounds) to most baseballs held in a baseball glove (26).
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🥇 1. Read a book with at least 323 pages.
🥇 2. Read a book with at least 26 chapters.
🥇 3. Read a book with at least 700 ratings.
🥇 4. Read a book of your choice.
Prompt # / Name: 50: Guinness World RecordsBook: Empire of Shadows
Author: Jacquelyn Benson
Date Read: 5/13
Pages: 476
Task: fits all of them (I feel like that needs a bonus lol 😆)
How it Fits: has 476 pages, 45 chapters, 4700 ratings, and I chose to read it 😉
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The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland.
Yes, although it's a fabled creature, the national animal of Scotland is actually the mythical unicorn — chosen because of its association with dominance and chivalry as well as purity and innocence in Celtic mythology. BRB, moving to Scotland real quick.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🦄 1. Read a book set in Scotland.
🦄 2. Read a book with all the letters of UNICORN found in the title.
🦄 3. Read a book tagged MYTHOLOGY any number of times.
🦄 4. Read a book where the author's first initial is NOT found in CELTIC.
Prompt # / Name: 10: National Animal of ScotlandBook: The Sultan and the Storyteller
Author: Lichelle Slater
Date Read: 5/14
Pages: 238
Task: Read a book tagged MYTHOLOGY any number of times.
How it Fits: tagged Mythology 1x
Mod
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: 24: Giant Pumpkin KayakingBook: Toby Tyler; or, Ten Weeks with a Circus
Author: James Otis
Date Read: 5/15
Pages: 252
Task: Read a book with something painted or flags on the cover.
How it Fits: flag on the top of the circus tent
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Four times more people speak English as a second language than as a native one.
While more people speak English as a second language, nearly three times more people speak Mandarin Chinese natively.
English has nearly two billion people learning it as a second language and only 350 million people speaking it natively.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🗣 1. Read a book where the MC could be speaking English as a second language.
🗣 2. Read a book with all the letters of MANDARIN found in the title.
🗣 3. Read a book with more than 350 pages.
🗣 4. Read a book with the word NATIVE found in the text.
Prompt # / Name: 28: Speaking EnglishBook: When Red Is Black
Author: Qiu Xiaolong
Date Read: 6/1
Pages: 320
Task: Read a book where the MC could be speaking English as a second language.
How it Fits: the story is set in China, the MC is native Chinese, and he speaks/translates English as a second language
Mod
Originally invented in Finland, Wife Carrying is a sport that involves a male competitor racing through 2 dry obstacles and 1 water obstacle approximately 1 meter deep all while carrying a female teammate.
The female must weigh at least 108 lb (49 kg) or additional weight will be added to her. Teams who complete the course in the shortest time win with additional prizes for best costume, etc.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
💍 1. Read a book with a married MC.
💍 2. Read a book set at least partially in Finland.
💍 3. Read a book where a character feels weighted down in some way.
💍 4. Read a book where a character carries something or someone.
Prompt # / Name: Book: Murder in the Bayou Boneyard
Author: Ellen Byron
Date Read: 6/2
Pages: 304
Task: Read a book where a character feels weighted down in some way
How it Fits: the FMC is weighed down by financial concerns and also by murder suspicions
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Originating in Spain, Bossaball comprises elements of volleyball, football (soccer), gymnastics, and capoeira, which is an Afro-Brazilian cultural practice simultaneously involving a fight and a dance.
The game is played on an inflatable course with inbuilt trampolines on each side. The teams consist of 4 - 5 players with the aim of getting the ball over the net without the other team being able to return it.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🏐 1. Read a book that you rated 4 - 5 stars.
🏐 2. Read a book where a character fights or dances.
🏐 3. Read a book set at least partially in Spain.
🏐 4. Read a book where the MC's first name does NOT start with a letter in BOSSABALL.
Prompt # / Name: 9: BossaballBook: Island of Secrets and Sacrifice
Author: Deborah Grace White
Date Read: 6/3
Pages: 238
Task: Read a book that you rated 4 - 5 stars
How it Fits: 5 stars!! 😍
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Bog Snorkelling takes place in a 55-metre-long water-filled trench carved out of a peat bog (comprised of dead plant material).
Competitors wear snorkels and flippers and cannot use traditional swimming techniques, but rather must rely solely on flipper power to get across and back. Kirsty Johnson set the record back in 2014 with a time of 1 minute and 22.56 seconds.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🤿 1. Read a book published in 2014.
🤿 2. Read a book with a title that starts with a letter in SNORKELLING.
🤿 3. Read a book with some type of plant material on the cover.
🤿 4. Read a book that does not follow a "traditional" style. {dual-timelines, epistolary, etc.}
Prompt # / Name: 6: Bog SnorkellingBook: The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
Author: Stuart Turton
Date Read: 6/5
Pages: 458
Task: Read a book that does not follow a "traditional" style
How it Fits: style is groundhog-day, and multi-timeline
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If you drive south from Detroit, you'll hit Canada.
Head north from Windsor, Ontario, crossing the Detroit River, and you'll reach the good ol' US of A.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🇨🇦 1. Read a book set in Michigan.
🇨🇦 2. Read a book with a cityscape on the cover.
🇨🇦 3. Read a book with a directional word in the title.
🇨🇦 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is NOT found in WINDSOR.
Prompt # / Name: 25: DetroitBook: Austen at Sea
Author: Natalie Jenner
Date Read: 6/7
Pages: 320
Task: Read a book where the MC's first initial is NOT found in WINDSOR
How it Fits: MCs are Henrietta and Charlotte
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Elvis only won 3 Grammys.
The King of Rock and Roll had 18 #1 hits in his career, but struck out on 11 of his 14 nominations. The record for the most Grammy wins actually belongs to George Solti, the longtime leader of Chicago Symphony Orchestra, with 31 awards to his name.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🎙 1. Read a book where a famous person is mentioned.
🎙 2. Read a book with an 11, 14, or 18 intact in the page count.
🎙 3. Read a book where NO letters of KING are found in the title.
🎙 4. Read a book with the word AWARD(S) found in the text.
Prompt # / Name: 31: ElvisBook: Three Bags Full
Author: Leonie Swann
Date Read: 6/9
Pages: 341
Task: Read a book where NO letters of KING are found in the title.
How it Fits: no letters of KING in the title
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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.
Prompt # / Name: 35: Pumpkins, Squash, and Gourds...Oh My!Book: Rock Paper Scissors
Author: Alice Feeney
Date Read: 6/11
Pages: 294
Task: Read a book with at least 10,000 ratings
How it Fits: over 600k ratings
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The 100 folds in a chef's hat represent 100 ways to cook an egg.
Yes, that tall, pleated white hat that chefs wear — technically called a toque — has 100 folds for a reason! According to Reluctant Gourmet, the pleats used to signify a chef's level of experience, like the number of ways he or she knew how to prepare eggs.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
👩🏼🍳 1. Read a book with a mostly white cover. {Your discretion.}
👩🏼🍳 2. Read a book where the MC is described as being tall.
👩🏼🍳 3. Read a book with a 1 and 2 0s found in the publication date.
👩🏼🍳 4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are found in RELUCTANT GOURMET.
Prompt # / Name: 2: Chef's HatBook: Winter
Author: Marissa Meyer
Date Read: 6/15
Pages: 827
Task: Read a book with a 1 and 2 0s found in the publication date.
How it Fits: published 11/10/2015
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Ridiculously Random Reading Challenge
Individual, Open-Ended
April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2027
You know how most reading challenges you join have some type of theme or main idea, kind of like the books themselves? Well, this one...not so much! We'll look at Crown Jewels, Greasy Pole Climbing, Model Ts, Zorbing, and anything and everything in between. So buckle up for the ride and enjoy!
Each time you satisfy a task, make a post here IN YOUR OWN THREAD. Please use the following example for your Completion Post.
Prompt # / Name: {For example: #1: Octothorpe}
Book:
Author:
Date Read:
Pages:
Task:
How it Fits:
If you have any questions about this challenge, please post them in the Ridiculously Random Q&A Thread.
Challenge Rules:
📘 Standard Rules Apply
📘 I will create an individual thread for you prior to the start date.
📘 Your first prompt will be posted on April 1, 2025.
📘 Books must be completed after the task has been posted. For example, if your task is posted on 4-15, you can't use a book you completed on 4-14.
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If a set of tasks is too difficult or just out of your comfort zone, you have 4 SKIPS to use in this challenge. In order to use a SKIP, read any book that meets the Standard Book Qualifications for Hooked on Books. The link is in the Challenge Rules above. Simply list SKIP on the Task line.