Hooked on Books discussion
3RC Reading Challenge
>
Ridiculously Random Reading Challenge: Gillis
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
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.
Mod
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: De duivel in de witte stad
Author: Erik Larson
Date Read: 5 Apr 2025
Pages: 424
Task: 3. Read a book with more than 350 pages.
How it Fits: The book counts 424 pages (which is more than 350).
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 #4: Girl CrushBook: Methode 15/33
Author: Shannon Kirk
Date Read: 8 Apr 2025
Pages: 297
Task: 4. Read a book where at least 2 of these digits are found in the total number of ratings: 1, 5, 4.
How it Fits: currently 7914 ratings
Mod
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: De liefdeshypothese
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Date Read: 17 Apr 2025
Pages: 398
Task: 3: Read a book with BLACK, GRAY, GREEN, BLUE, or RED found in the text.
How it Fits: Adam Carlson often wears BLACK clothing which is also often mentioned in the story
Mod
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: A Door in the Dark
Author: Scott Reintgen
Date Read: 30 Apr 2025
Pages: 368
Task: 1. Read a book with an MPG of MYSTERY.
How it Fits: One of the MPG's is mystery
Mod
Fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia.
Irrationally scared of clowns? You might have coulrophobia. Oh, and gephyrophobia is a fear of bridges.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
1️⃣3️⃣ 1. Read a book where someone has a great fear of something.
1️⃣3️⃣ 2. Read a book with a number, a clown, or a bridge on the cover.
1️⃣3️⃣ 3. Read a book with the number 13 intact in the page count or publication date.
1️⃣3️⃣ 4. Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title is found in TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA. {3-word minimum}
Prompt # / Name: #46: TriskaidekaphobiaBook: The Redemption of Althalus
Author: David Eddings
Date Read: 19 May 2025
Pages: 726
Task: 4. Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title is found in TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA. {3-word minimum}
How it Fits: T, R, O and A are all letters in TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA
Mod
The Crown Jewels contain the two biggest cut diamonds on Earth.
They both came from the Cullinan Diamond, a 3,106-carat gem found in South Africa in 1905. The largest stone, called the Great Star of Africa, is in the Sovereign's Sceptre, while the second largest is mounted in the Imperial State Crown (pictured).
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
👑 1. Read a book with a crown on the cover.
👑 2. Read a book set at least partially in Africa.
👑 3. Read a book with a royal character.
👑 4. Read a book with at least two of these numbers in the page count: 3, 1, 0, 6.
Prompt # / Name: #11: Crown JewelsBook: King of Wrath
Author: Ana Huang
Date Read: 27 May 2025
Pages: 427
Task: 1. Read a book with a crown on the cover.
How it Fits: crown in the upper right corner of the cover
Mod
Ultimate Taser Ball is a kind of extreme and crazy sport that not many would have heard of or believe that it is true. It involves players carrying a real taser gun and using it on opponents to gain possession of the ball. If you are thinking, who would have come up with such an idea, the honors go to three California natives: Leif Kellenberger, Eric Prum, and Erik Wunsch.
The game is played on a 200 x 85 feet field. The ball used is a large 24 inch diameter inflated ball. The objective of the sport is to successfully carry the ball onto the opponents goalpost without getting tased en-route.
Rather than allowing players to go wild with their stun guns, the game fortunately has a rule that only players that have possession of the ball can be tased. The stun guns used emit a maximum of five milliamps, enough to cause muscle spasms to give up the ball, but well under the 1 amp lethal dose, and hence causes no permanent damage.
It's not hard to imagine that the sport was not well received. People would rather play than get tased and fall on their face. The founders, however, seem to be working towards getting a minor league going for the sport.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🔫 1. Read a book with a character who is in law enforcement.
🔫 2. Read a book where the title ENDS with a letter in EXTREME.
🔫 3. Read a book with a plot that seems too crazy to be true.
🔫 4. Read a book where the MC's first name ENDS with a letter in LETHAL.
Prompt # / Name: #54: Ultimate Taser BallBook: Project Hail Mary
Author: Andy Weir
Date Read: 31 May 2025
Pages: 560
Task:3. Read a book with a plot that seems too crazy to be true.
How it Fits: The book is about an science teacher being selected to go into space to rescue life on earth. While doing this and overcoming every obstacle on in his path he also manages to befriend alien life and ends up living on another planet.... Kind of crazy :-)
Mod
Dr. Seuss wrote "Green Eggs and Ham" on a bet.
Theodore Geisel's editor didn't believe the author could write a book in 50 words or less. The finished product contains 50 words on the dot.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🍳 1. Read a book where a character eats a meal.
🍳 2. Read a book with a 50 intact in the page count.
🍳 3. Read a book where a main/major character is a doctor.
🍳 4. Read a book where someone makes a bet of any kind.
Prompt # / Name: #68: Green Eggs & HamBook: De Scherpschutter
Author: Stephen King
Date Read: 24 Jun 2025
Pages: 311
Task: 1. Read a book where a character eats a meal.
How it Fits: Multiple scenes describe Roland, the MC, eating a meal.
Mod
Unsurprisingly, Chess Boxing involves both the classic game of chess and the popular sport of boxing.
The competitors alternate between 5 rounds of boxing and 6 rounds of chess for a total of 11 rounds, each lasting 3-minutes. The game was inspired by a French comic and invented by Dutch artist Lepe Rubingh.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🥊 1. Read a book where a character plays chess or another board game.
🥊 2. Read a book that has a French or a Dutch translation.
🥊 3. Read a book with an MPG of HUMOR or COMEDY.
🥊 4. Read a book with the word boxing {can also be box, boxes, boxed, etc.} found in the text.
Prompt # / Name: #15: Chess BoxingBook: De moordenaar waagt een gok
Author: Agatha Christie
Date Read: 26 Jun 2025
Pages: 198
Task: 2. Read a book that has a French or a Dutch translation.
How it Fits: I actually read the Dutch translation
Mod
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.
Prompt # / Name: #60: Unicycle BasketballBook: Onder de Maan
Author: Patricia Briggs
Date Read: 29 Jun 2025
Pages: 448
Task: 4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are NOT found in UNICYCLE
How it Fits: P and B are not found in Unicycle
Mod
A team of six women programmed the first digital computer.
While historians have only recently recognized their achievements (or female discoveries credited to men), the female mathematicians participated in a World War II program coding instructions into the revolutionary Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC).
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
⌨️ 1. Read a book with a strong female lead.
⌨️ 2. Read a book with all the letters of ENIAC found in the title.
⌨️ 3. Read a book set during World War II.
⌨️ 4. Read a book where a character uses a computer.
Prompt # / Name: #65: ENIACBook: Het wonderbaarlijke voorval met de hond in de nacht
Author: Mark Haddon
Date Read: 7 Jul 2025
Pages: 239
Task: 2. Read a book with all the letters of ENIAC found in the title.
How it Fits: All letters from 'ENIAC' can be found in the title
Mod
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: De achtste dag
Author: Annemarie Haverkamp
Date Read: 12 Jul 2025
Pages: 160
Task: 4. Read a book with a 9 in the page count or publication date.
How it Fits: Book was published in 2019
Mod
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: De zeven echtgenoten van Evelyn Hugo
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Date Read: 27 Jul 2025
Pages: 453
Task: 4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are found in RELUCTANT GOURMET.
Mod
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: #26: Baby PuffinsBook: Galapagos
Author: Michaël Olbrechts
Date Read: 16 Aug 2025
Pages: 176
Task: 1. Read a book with a bird on the cover.
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: Op rozen op Vlieland
Author: Roos Verlinden
Date Read: 28 Aug 2025
Pages: 213
Task: 1. Read a book with a Z in the title.
Mod
The Northern cardinal is the most popular state bird.
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia all picked it as their favorite species. The western meadowlark takes second place as the honoree in six other states.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
♥️ 1. Read a book with a bird on the cover.
♥️ 2. Read a book set in any of the states listed above.
♥️ 3. Read a book where the title does NOT start with a letter in SPECIES.
♥️ 4. Read a book with a 6 in the page count.
Prompt # / Name: #41 Northern cardinalBook: Het verloren rijk
Author: Stephen King
Date Read: 2 Sep 2025
Pages: 492
Task: 3. Read a book where the title does NOT start with a letter in SPECIES.
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.
Hooked on Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Het verloren rijk (other topics)Op rozen op Vlieland (other topics)
Galapagos (other topics)
De zeven echtgenoten van Evelyn Hugo (other topics)
De achtste dag (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Stephen King (other topics)Roos Verlinden (other topics)
Michaël Olbrechts (other topics)
Taylor Jenkins Reid (other topics)
Annemarie Haverkamp (other topics)
More...
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.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.