Hooked on Books discussion
3RC Reading Challenge
>
Ridiculously Random Reading Challenge: Linda C
Mod
Popular at lumberjack competitions, Axe Throwing is a sport in which players throw an axe at a target, attempting to reach the bulls-eye.
On the target, the outside ring is worth 1 point, the second ring is worth 2 points, and so on with the bulls-eye worth 5 points. In a game, each player is allowed 5 throws with a maximum of 25 points possible.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🪓 1. Read a book with all the letters of AXE in the title.
🪓 2. Read a book with a 25 intact in the page count or publication date.
🪓 3. Read a book a round object, like a target, on the cover.
🪓 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in LUMBERJACK.
Prompt #3: Axe Throwing
Book: The Work of Art
Author: Mimi Matthews
Date Read: 7/3/25
Pages: 392
Task: 2. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in LUMBERJACK.
How it Fits: MC's first initial is A for Arthur
Mod
Two-Buck Chuck once won a top wine award.
Trader Joe's 2002 Charles Shaw Shiraz beat out 2,300 other wines to win a prestigious double gold medal at the 28th Annual International Eastern Wine Competition, so don't feel bad stocking up on the bargain brand.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🤑 1. Read a book with rhyming words in the title.
🤑 2. Read a book published in 2002.
🤑 3. Read a book where a store of any type is mentioned.
🤑 4. Read a book with a 2 and an 8 in the publication date.
Prompt #71: Two-Buck Chuck
Book: Rogue Protocol
Author: Martha Wells
Date Read: 7/7/25
Pages: 158
Task: 4. Read a book with a 2 and an 8 in the publication date.
How it Fits: publ in 2018
Mod
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 #23: Royal Flush
Book: The Seed Keeper
Author: Diane Wilson
Date Read: 7/14/25
Pages: 372
Task: 1. Read a book where a character plays a hand of cards.
How it Fits: p.299 - characters are playing a game of UNO
Mod
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 #32: Coca-Cola
Book: Quesadillas
Author: Juan Pablo Villalobos
Date Read: 7/31/25
Pages: 158
Task: 2. Read a book where someone drinks a cola, soda, pop, whatever you call it where you're from.
How it Fits: p. 43 "...afternoon snack: chocolate cake and Coca Cola for Jarek, and..."
Mod
Baby elephants suck their trunks for comfort.
They're just like human newborns making funny faces, except a tad bigger.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🐘 1. Read a book you found comforting.
🐘 2. Read a book with an animal on the cover.
🐘 3. Read a book tagged FUNNY any number of times.
🐘 4. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in NEWBORNS.
Prompt #67: Baby Elephants
Book: Best Staged Plans
Author: Claire Cook
Date Read: 8/8/25
Pages: 256
Task: 4. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in NEWBORNS.
How it Fits: title starts with B in NEWBORNS
Mod
Neil Armstrong didn't say "That's one small step for man."
The astronaut insists he actually stated, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." "That's the only way the statement makes any sense," Armstrong told biographer James Hansen. And for the record, no real astronaut ever uttered "Houston, we have a problem." — Tom Hanks only said that in the movie Apollo 13.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
👩🚀 1. Read a book with something small on the cover.
👩🚀 2. Read a book with double letters in the title.
👩🚀 3. Read a book where you can share a favorite quote.
👩🚀 4. Read a book author's first AND last initials are found in NEIL ARMSTRONG.
Prompt #19: One Small Step
Book: Pasta Wars
Author: Elisa Lorello
Date Read: 8/11/25
Pages: 252
Task: 4. Read a book author's first AND last initials are found in NEIL ARMSTRONG.
How it Fits: E L in NEIL
Mod
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.
Prompt #66: Wood Chopping
Book: One Plus One
Author: Jojo Moyes
Date Read: 8/14/25
Pages: 594
Task: 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in AXEMAN.
How it Fits: MC 1st name Ed - E in AXEMAN
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 #24: Giant Pumpkin Kayaking
Book: Nectar in a Sieve
Author: Kamala Markandaya
Date Read: 9/1/25
Pages: 179
Task: 4. Read a book with the word PUMPKIN found in the text.
How it Fits: LOC 168 "I put the pumpkin away.
Mod
You can major in wine at Cornell University.
Technically it's a degree in "Viticulture and Enology" (a.k.a. the cultivation of grapes and the science of winemaking), but we're still sending in our applications.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🍷 1. Read a book at least partially set on a university campus.
🍷 2. Read a book where a character consumes wine.
🍷 3. Read a book with some type of fruit or alcoholic beverage on the cover.
🍷 4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are found in VITICULTURE ENOLOGY.
Prompt #40: Wine Major
Book: Words Get In the Way
Author: Nan Rossiter
Date Read: 9/6/25
Pages: 228
Task: 4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are found in VITICULTURE ENOLOGY.
How it Fits: initials N & R in VITICULTURE ENOLOGY
Mod
Parkour is the act of running, jumping, swinging, climbing, etc. based on military obstacle course training techniques.
It is often practiced in urban environments with the aim of getting from one point to another as quickly and as efficiently as possible without the use of specialized equipment.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🏃🏼♀️ 1. Read a book with a character who is in the military.
🏃🏼♀️ 2. Read a book set in an urban environment.
🏃🏼♀️ 3. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in PARKOUR.
🏃🏼♀️ 4. Read a book with any of these words in the text: running, jumping, swinging, climbing. {variations accepted}
Prompt #36: Parkour
Book: The Heart Principle
Author: Helen Hoang
Date Read: 9/7/25
Pages: 339
Task: 2. Read a book set in an urban environment.
How it Fits: set in San Francisco
Mod
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 #16: M&Ms
Book: The Lager Queen of Minnesota
Author: J. Ryan Stradal
Date Read: 9/8/25
Pages: 349
Task: 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in HERSHEY.
How it Fits: Two MCs - Helen and Edith - both work
Mod
Ridiculously Random Prompt #6: Bog Snorkelling
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 #6: Bog Snorkelling
Book: The Endless Beach
Author: Jenny Colgan
Date Read: 10/3/25
Pages: 395
Task: 2. Read a book with a title that starts with a letter in SNORKELLING.
How it Fits: starts with E
I've heard tales of the notification problems. I had been remiss myself in getting back to filling this in.
Mod
The way you eat Oreos says something about your personality.
Kraft Foods once surveyed hundreds of Oreo eaters and sussed it out: Biters are easy-going and self-confident, while dunkers displayed more energetic and adventurous qualities. Twisters, on the other hand, are sensitive and trendy.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🥛 1. Read a book with something sweet on the cover.
🥛 2. Read a book with a character you would consider trendy.
🥛 3. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in KRAFT FOODS.
🥛 4. Read a book with either of these words found in the text: BITE, DUNK, or TWIST.
Prompt #62: Oreos
Book: Over My Head: Journeys in Leaky Boats from the Strait of Magellan to Cape Horn and Beyond
Author: Margaret Winslow
Date Read: 10/9/25
Pages: 240
Task: 3. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in KRAFT FOODS.
How it Fits: starts with O
Mod
The longest wedding veil was longer than 63 football fields.
If you thought Meghan Markle's wedding veil was long, get this: there's a woman in Cyprus who set the Guinness World Record for the longest wedding veil. How long was it, you ask? Nearly 23,000 feet, which is the same length as about 63.5 football fields.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
👰🏻♀️ 1. Read a book with something related to a bride on the cover.
👰🏻♀️ 2. Read a book where someone gets married.
👰🏻♀️ 3. Read a book that is long - more than 400 pages.
👰🏻♀️ 4. Read a book with a 6 and a 3 in the total number of reviews.
Prompt #5: Wedding Veil
Book: The Island of Sea Women
Author: Lisa See
Date Read: 10/10/25
Pages: 390
Task: 4. Read a book with a 6 and a 3 in the total number of reviews.
How it Fits: 161,302 reviews
Michelle,For some reason my mind went off on a tangent and I have done the last 4 wrong (includes the one I just posted).
With message 72, instead of reading a book for the prompt after the prompt was given, I started thinking it just had to have been read after the book I had last posted for a prompt.
I think that when we had that lag with notifications I may have thought I was behind and that I had to catch up. Then I just used things after the last prompt response that fit the next prompt. Who knows!!
I caught this when I was pondering how many prompts I had done and went back to the rules and questions and answers to see if there was a place to check to see how far we had gone and I noted that we had to start reading after the prompt was given.
Anyway, how would you like me to address this?
Mod
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 #20: Blue Whale
Book: Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore
Author: Michael Sullivan
Date Read: 10/23/25
Pages: 328
Task: 3. Read a book with all the letters of HEART found in the title.
How it Fits: midnigHT at the bright idEAs bookstoRe
Mod
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.
Prompt #8: Apple Pie
Book: Remington
Author: Tasha Black
Date Read: 10/27/25
Pages: 190
Task: 1. Read a book set in America, England, or Asia.
How it Fits: set at a resort in the Catskills of NY
Mod
Surprisingly, the sporting event of climbing a greased-up slippery pole is quite common around the world.
These traditional events are essentially the same - there is a long pole covered in grease, lard, or some other lubricant, and participants attempt to climb or walk along the pole to get to the other end, where there may be a prize or flag to recover.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🎁 1. Read a book where a character climbs something.
🎁 2. Read a book where the title does NOT start with a letter in GREASY POLE.
🎁 3. Read a book where the MC wins a prize of any type.
🎁 4. Read a book with the word FLAG found in the text.
Prompt #27: Greasy Pole Climbing
Book: Forever at Midnight
Author: Isobelle Cate
Date Read: 10/29/25
Pages: 229
Task: 2. Read a book where the title does NOT start with a letter in GREASY POLE.
How it Fits: F not in GREASY POLE
Mod
The voices of Mickey and Minnie Mouse got married in real life.
Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor were married for 18 years until Allwine's death in 2009.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🐭 1. Read a book where someone dies.
🐭 2. Read a book published in 2009.
🐭 3. Read a book with a 1 and an 8 in the page count.
🐭 4. Read a book with some type of animal on the cover.
Prompt #13: Mickey & Minnie
Book: Conan
Author: Tasha Black
Date Read: 10/30/25
Pages: 184
Task: 3. Read a book with a 1 and an 8 in the page count.
How it Fits: 1 and 8 in 184
Mod
You can ride a train through the "Tunnel of Love."
The Ukrainian rails actually service an industrial train, but couples can still hitch a ride (or take one of these affordable family train trips) and make a wish, according to a new tourist legend.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🛤 1. Read a book with a train on the cover.
🛤 2. Read a book with the word TUNNEL found in the text.
🛤 3. Read a book where a character makes or is granted a wish.
🛤 4. Read a book where the publisher's name starts with a letter in UKRAINIAN.
Prompt #70: Tunnel of Love
Book: My Favorite Half-Night Stand
Author: Christina Lauren
Date Read: 11/9/25
Pages: 384
Task: 3. Read a book where a character makes or is granted a wish.
How it Fits: p.174 "How she wishes her relationship with Elly was different."
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 #11: Crown Jewels
Book: Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo
Author: Lawrence Anthony
Date Read: 11/13/25
Pages: 256
Task: 2. Read a book set at least partially in Africa.
How it Fits: Anthony lives on and runs an African Conservancy in Zululand, South Africa - part of book is his background and development of the Conservancy and the rest is his time spent in Baghdad rescuing Iraq's war devastated zoo.
Mod
Worm Charming is a competitive sport with the aim of attracting earthworms out of the ground.
The competitor that charms the most worms within a set period of time and a set zone on the ground wins. In 2009, Sophie Smith of England (aged 10) set the world record with 567 worms.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🪱 1. Read a book where the title contains an -ing word.
🪱 2. Read a book with an author who has the same first and last initials.
🪱 3. Read a book published before 2009.
🪱 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is NOT found in WORM.
Prompt #69: Worm Charming
Book: Death is in the Air
Author: Kate Kingsbury
Date Read: 11/13/25
Pages: 199
Task: 2. Read a book with an author who has the same first and last initials.
How it Fits: first and last name start with K
Mod
Facebook has more users than many major populations.
At 2.89 billion monthly users, Facebook overshadows China's (1.4 billion) and India's (1.3 billion) populations.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
ƒ 1. Read a book where social media is used/mentioned.
ƒ 2. Read a book set in China.
ƒ 3. Read a book with all the letters of FACEBOOK found in the title.
ƒ 4. Read a book where at least two of these digits are found in the publication date: 2, 8, 9.
Prompt #17: Facebook
Book: The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers
Author: Terri-Lynne DeFino
Date Read: 11/16/25
Pages: 336
Task: 4. Read a book where at least two of these digits are found in the publication date: 2, 8, 9.
How it Fits: publ date 2018
Mod
The lyrebird can mimic almost any sounds it hears — including chainsaws.
Wildlife watchers have recorded the Australian species copying not only other birds but other animals, like koalas, and artificial sounds such as car alarms and camera shutters.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
📸 1. Read a book set in Australia.
📸 2. Read a book where one book seems to mimic another in plot or design.
📸 3. Read a book with a piece of machinery on the cover.
📸 4. Read a book with the word CAR or CAMERA found in the text.
Prompt #29: The Lyrebird
Book: Blown Away
Author: Cara Bristol
Date Read: 11/19/25
Pages: 268
Task: 4. Read a book with the word CAR or CAMERA found in the text.
How it Fits: Camera in text - p.8 "Originally, I'd installed cameras..."
Hooked on Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Blown Away (other topics)The Bar Harbor Retirement Home for Famous Writers (other topics)
Death is in the Air (other topics)
Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo (other topics)
My Favorite Half-Night Stand (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Cara Bristol (other topics)Terri-Lynne DeFino (other topics)
Kate Kingsbury (other topics)
Lawrence Anthony (other topics)
Christina Lauren (other topics)
More...
Book: Unraveled
Author: C.J. Barry
Date Read: 6/30/25
Pages: 343
Task: 2. Read a book where the MC is described as being tall.
How it Fits: p. 30 Male MC describing F MC - "Tall, sleek, built for speed."