Hooked on Books discussion
Toys/Objects Roundup
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C: The Marionette Mob
Mod
The Koh-i-Noor (meaning “Mountain of Light” in Persian) has a long and bloody history. The diamond passed through many hands—rulers of Persia, Afghanistan, India, and the British Empire—often during violent wars, betrayals, or assassinations. These transitions, coupled with the downfall of many of its male owners, fed the myth of a curse.
Many male rulers who possessed the diamond suffered tragic fates—defeat, dethronement, or death. Among them:
*Emperor Nader Shah of Persia, who stole it, was later assassinated.
*Ranjit Singh, the Sikh Maharaja of Punjab, who owned it, died soon after.
*Duleep Singh, his son, was forced to give it to the British as a child and lived in exile, disconnected from both British and Indian identities.
After the British took the diamond in 1849, it was presented to Queen Victoria. Perhaps to respect the curse (or just superstition), it was only worn by female royals afterward—including Queen Victoria, Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother). It has never been worn by a king, reinforcing the legend.
The Koh-i-Noor is now part of the British Crown Jewels (in the Queen Mother’s crown), though it's steeped in controversy due to colonial appropriation and repeated demands for its return by India, Pakistan, Iran, and Afghanistan.
To Catch the Koh-i-noor Diamond
Read a book with a character named Victoria
Read a book with a crown on the cover
Read a book set in India, Pakistan, Iran, or Afghanistan
Mod
I take it we are doing the bonus, so which tasks do you want Shan and Richard? I am happy to take what is left
Read a book with a crown on the cover
I'll do the Victoria one, if that's ok
Sorry about this...I'm really not going well mentally, I have a lot less energy capacity at the moment, & can't focus on reading much anymore.I won't be about to participate any more in this challenge.
I'm sorry about this inconvenience. All the best to everyone. 💙
Richard wrote: "Sorry about this...I'm really not going well mentally, I have a lot less energy capacity at the moment, & can't focus on reading much anymore.I won't be about to participate any more in this chal..."
Please take care of yourself, we'll miss you, but your well-being is more important.
Thank you. Perhaps there is a backup player who can join you.
I hope the team won't be penalised for my leaving.
Richard wrote: "I hope the team won't be penalised for my leaving."That's not important at all. You are important. The rest will be figured out.
From the bottom of my heart, please take care of yourself. I went through a period of severe anxiety 3 years ago. I got sick out of the blue they couldn't figure out what was going on. I was scared and with the fear and anxiety I lost my appetite, and my interest in just about everything including reading.
Eventually I was put on anti-anxiety medication, which slowly helped turn things around and in a couple of months I was okay and eventually was able to stop taking the meds. However, my doctors are constantly checking my status when I go to any of my specialist appointments.
On the lighter side, I have been an avid reader since I was a child, so my husband always says he knew something was wrong when I stopped reading, not even audiobooks.
Sharing all that to say although I'll never know what know exactly what you're going through, I somewhat understand and I'm send love, hugs, and well wishes your way.
Sorry to hear that you are unwell Richard. Take care and, as Shan said, your well being is what matters most. Sending you hugs and well wishes.
Anastasia wrote: "I can take the extra tasks"We can split the if you like. There are 4 extras this week (regular 3 + bonus)
Also, Lisa said we can just do chains of two unless Donna says otherwise when she's able to log on.
I'm down with either and definitely don't mind adding more books.
I don't mind either way. I have the Victoria task covered in the bonus
Great! I can do 🖋️6. The Author Was MarkedRead a chain of 3 books where the last letter of the author’s first or last name is found in the word BOX or DYBBUK.
(Ex: "Nicky James" → Y is in "Dybbuk"; "Cat Sebastian" → T/E is not, cursed and rejected!)
Since another book I need to read in the next couple of days works for this.
If you pick one more, I'll take the other.
I'll take 🕯️2. Voices from the PastRead a chain of 3 books where the past haunts the present — literally (ghosts, possessions) or metaphorically (family secrets, generational trauma, buried history).
If I finish before you, I can probably do the other as well
Sounds good. I'll find another on the Unreliable narrator list
Anastasia wrote: "If I finish before you, I can probably do the other as well"That works if/when you do. Otherwise, I'll find one from the list if it comes to that.
Just letting you know that I have the remaining books covered and should be done by tomorrow
I finished my books. Do you want me to do one of the other tasks?
Shan ~A~ wrote: "I finished my books. Do you want me to do one of the other tasks?"They are done, just reviewing them before posting.
Mod
The Monkey’s Paw is a legendary cursed object from W. W. Jacobs’ classic 1902 horror short story The Monkey’s Paw. It is a shriveled, mummified paw of a monkey that grants its owner three wishes, but each wish comes with devastating, often ironic consequences.
The paw was enchanted by a fakir to teach people not to interfere with fate. When someone makes a wish, the paw curls a finger, and the wish is granted, though never in the way the wisher expects. Wishes made with the Monkey’s Paw tend to bring tragedy rather than happiness, revealing that tampering with destiny comes at a terrible price.
Grimy and unsettling in appearance, the Monkey’s Paw is a potent symbol of greed, temptation, and unintended consequences. It serves as a chilling warning: Be careful what you wish for, because the cost may be far greater than you imagined.
Complete the following tasks
🧷3. Threads of Fate
Read a chain of 3 books with a hand on the cover — human, animal, skeletal, drawn, gloved, or ghostly. If it's grasping something? Even better.
🔮4. Wish Fulfillment Gone Wrong
Read a chain of 3 books featuring a deal, a wish, or a bargain that doesn’t go as planned. Doesn’t have to be supernatural — career goals, marriages, Faustian pacts… fate’s got range.
🐵6. "Not a Monkey’s Paw, the Monkey’s Paw"
Read a chain of 3 books where the word "monkey" appears anywhere in the text — ebook search, physical flip, or audiobook transcript… time to go digging.
I have 2 books for each one covered Shan
Mod
So they rummaged through the dark, rattled a few boxes, and pulled out a new piece.
Kelly.
She’s yours now. Try to keep her alive. The toys do love testing replacements.
—Toymaker Lisa
Hello! I'm so glad to have you to keep me safe. I'm in the process of reading everything (and there's a lot!) to figure out what I'm supposed to do, but I'll read as fast as possible.
I am reading a book that has the word monkey in the text. I started this morning, the day I was captured, so hopefully it counts.
The next book I'm reading has a hand on the cover grasping a cat.
Hi Kelly, it is nice to have you join us. We are currently working on the Monkey's paw and we each read for one of the chain links. It looks like you have already got two of them covered, just be aware that one of the books that you read for each toy has to follow Belle's rule, which is something outside your comfort zone. Have you requested access to the spreadsheet? That is where we record everything.
Yeah, I just read that and the first one, monkey, doesn't count. The second sort of counts. I really dislike shifter books. I don't loathe them, though. Ugh, loathe? Can strongly dislike count? I should have read the rules before joining. But it's okay. I'll make it work.
Anything outside your comfort zone works, so the shifter one should work as it is not in your comfort zone.
Hi Kelly, just wondering if you want me to take your 🔮4. Wish Fulfillment Gone Wrong chain as I have finished all of mine
Sure. I don't even know where I signed up for/was given that, although it sounds familiar. Is that a chain from last week? I don't see that in the spreadsheet. What am I missing?
Anastasia wrote: "Anything outside your comfort zone works, so the shifter one should work as it is not in your comfort zone."Awesome. I'm starting it right now.
Kelly (Maybedog) wrote: "Sure. I don't even know where I signed up for/was given that, although it sounds familiar. Is that a chain from last week? I don't see that in the spreadsheet. What am I missing?"It is the middle one from the Monkey's paw
We have completed the chain for 🔮4. Wish Fulfillment Gone Wrong and are just waiting for you to finish and add your books to the spreadsheet for the other two chains Kelly. Have you found where you add your books?
I've posted my two books now so we're caught up.It looks like not every single book I read has to be outside my comfort zone and I'm behind because I'm starting late. From reading the rules, I can post anything I've read since the beginning of this set of tasks. So I've posted both books but only one is outside my comfort zone.
I noticed in the spreadsheet that after row 53 none of the books are linked but they still show as underlined blue text. I'm putting in the links (it's only 15 books) but do you want me to fix it so that unless it's a link it's plain black text?
You are right, only one book per toy has to be outside your comfort zone for each reader. The books don't have to be linked on the spreadsheet just recorded.
Kelly, did you want to open the toybox for our next toy?
I'm thrilled to check us in but I don't know where the Toy Chest of Dread is. Is it a spinner? I can't find a spreadsheet that has that as the third tab. Ours is just a checklist of what we've done (I assume). (I'm checking this every few minutes so I can check us in as soon as I know what to do.)
The spinner is on the page of the SS that says Toys and Objects
Oh, I thought that was just an image. OK, we're checked in. Thanks for letting me do this, folks.We got a 23 which is a powerful number that can have either a truly evil or purely good meaning depending on your belief system. I'm guessing which kind we got...
Kelly (Maybedog) wrote: "Oh, I thought that was just an image. OK, we're checked in. Thanks for letting me do this, folks.We got a 23 which is a powerful number that can have either a truly evil or purely good meaning de..."
Thanks for checking us in, fingers crossed it isn't too evil
I've got fingers and toes crossed on both hands and feet. :)
Mod
The central supernatural object in the horror film Oculus (2013), an antique mirror, is a malevolent and sentient artifact that distorts reality and manipulates those who come near it.
The mirror’s dark power preys on the fears, memories, and guilt of its victims, twisting their perceptions and driving them to madness or violence. It can create terrifying illusions, alter time and space, and even physically harm or kill.
In the movie, the mirror is revealed to be the source of a family’s tragic curse, feeding off their trauma and ensuring its influence persists through generations. The Oculus mirror embodies the idea of a haunted object that blurs the line between reality and nightmare, making it a chilling and iconic artifact in modern horror.
Complete the following tasks:
🪞1. Read a chain of 3 books with mirrored or reflective titles, themes, or imagery
Look for words like mirror, glass, reflection, twin, double, silver, or echo — or covers with literal reflective elements.
🧠3. Read a chain of 3 books that falls under Psychological Horror or Psychological Thriller
Think mental manipulation, gaslighting, hallucinations, or twisted identities. The kind of story where no one — not even the narrator — can be trusted.
🎭5. Read a chain of 3 books featuring manipulation, control, or perception games
Look for characters who twist reality, emotionally trap others, or make you question what’s really going on. Bonus if mirrors are involved.
I've got a book for number one. I'll look for books for the other two.3 and 5 sound the same to me. I'm looking...
Hooked on Books
Books mentioned in this topic
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Molly Harper (other topics)Madeline Miller (other topics)
Yangsze Choo (other topics)
The Dybbuk Box is a haunted object rooted in Jewish folklore and urban legend, a wine cabinet said to be possessed by a dybbuk, a malicious spirit of a dead person that clings to the living to cause torment.
The legend of the Dybbuk Box gained notoriety in the early 2000s, when a man auctioned it online, claiming it was responsible for a string of terrifying events: nightmares, unexplained illnesses, and paranormal disturbances. According to the story, the box had been brought from Europe by a Holocaust survivor and sealed with objects meant to trap the dybbuk inside, items like locks of hair, dried flowers, and a wine goblet.
Small and unassuming on the outside, the Dybbuk Box is a vessel of fear and spiritual unrest, said to carry a curse that follows whoever owns or opens it. Whether viewed as a psychological artifact, a cultural cautionary tale, or a genuinely supernatural object, it remains a modern legend that taps into age-old fears of unseen forces, spiritual possession, and the danger of disturbing what should remain sealed.
Complete the following tasks
🕯️2. Voices from the Past
Read a chain of 3 books where the past haunts the present — literally (ghosts, possessions) or metaphorically (family secrets, generational trauma, buried history).
💬5. Do You Hear That?
Read a chain of 3 books where the narration is unreliable, or the character hears voices, sees things, or isn’t sure what’s real. The Dybbuk loves a mind it can unravel.
🖋️6. The Author Was Marked
Read a chain of 3 books where the last letter of the author’s first or last name is found in the word BOX or DYBBUK.
(Ex: "Nicky James" → Y is in "Dybbuk"; "Cat Sebastian" → T/E is not, cursed and rejected!)