Hooked on Books discussion
Toys/Objects Roundup
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C: The Marionette Mob
Hi team! This is me checking in & clicking the Notify thingy.
Hi Lovelies! Checking in. Requested access to SS
I think we can consult the Toy Chest of Dread for our first toy selection. Do you want to do this Richard since you were the first to check in?
Mod
“Well, well, well… look who managed to wrangle every last teammate into the haunted halls of check-in! I must say, that kind of dedication warms even my porcelain heart. 💀🖤
Teams who move as one are rare in this carnival of sinister toys and restless relics. You’ve proven yourselves worthy of a standing ovation (and perhaps a watchful eye 👀 from the Toymaker’s shadows).
Keep it up, darlings—after all, the real challenge is making sure no one gets left behind in the dark…”
🎃💀 Congratulations, fully-checked-in teams! 💀🎃
Mod
The Zuni Fetish Doll from Trilogy of Terror (1975) is one of the most iconic and terrifying horror dolls in film history. It appears in the third segment, "Amelia," based on a Richard Matheson story.
The doll is a small, tribal warrior figure with sharp teeth, wild hair, and a gold chain around its waist. According to the story, the chain is meant to imprison the spirit of a Zuni hunter god named "He Who Kills." When the chain mysteriously falls off, the doll comes to life, unleashing pure, relentless violence.
Despite its tiny size, the Zuni Fetish Doll is shockingly fast, aggressive, and nearly unstoppable, attacking with a spear and a savage, high-pitched growl. It terrorizes the main character, Amelia, in her apartment in a tense and claustrophobic battle that ends with a chilling twist. Destroying its body ends with the spirit looking for a new vessel, the one who defeats it.
This doll is remembered for its primal fury and the intense suspense it creates, making it a standout in horror anthology history.
Complete the following tasks
Step One: Collect items for binding spell
Read a chain of 3 books with paper on the cover
Read a chain of 3 books with candles on the cover
Read a chain of 3 books with black covers (min 50%)
Read a chain of 3 books with a string on the cover or in the text
Read a chain of 3 books that start and end with a letter in BINDING OIL
Step 2: Write his name on the paper
Read a chain of 3 books with all the letters of HE WHO KILLS in the title/subtitle/series
Step 3: Anoint the candle. Then light it, focusing on the person being restrained and visualising them stopping their actions. Tie the string around the paper to bind.
Read a chain of 3 books that starts with a letter in the word BIND
Mod
The Bronze Lady is supposedly the ghost of Ann Thomas. Local lore suggests that disrespecting the statue, such as sitting in her lap, slapping her face, or insulting her, will bring on a curse. Some people claim to have heard the statue weep or have felt its tears.
To catch the Bronze Lady
Read a book with a statue on the cover
Read a book where someone weeps or cries in the story
Read a book that starts with a letter in BRONZE
Mod
Do we each read a task for the bonus if we decide to proceed with it?
I'm good with reading each bonus as they come. I'm okay with reading for either of the bonus tasks this round.
3. Zuni Fetish Doll ~ Book OptionsComplete the following tasks
Step One: Collect items for binding spell
Read a chain of 3 books with all the letters of HE WHO KILLS in the title/subtitle/series
Read a chain of 3 books that starts with a letter in the word BIND
I'm good with any of the bonus tasks too, so if you two choose yours, I'll take the remainder.
I'll take "Read a book that starts with a letter in BRONZE" if that's ok?
Hey Shan, I think it would be best to not ask too many questions all at once...In the spirit of the game, we may incur the wrath of a demonic toy for being overly inquisitive. 😆👺
Then I'll read Read a book where someone weeps or cries in the storyI'm sure someone will be crying in something I end up reading.
Richard wrote: "Hey Shan, I think it would be best to not ask too many questions all at once...In the spirit of the game, we may incur the wrath of a demonic toy for being overly inquisitive. 😆👺"
🤣🤣🤣 I didn't think of that.
Mod
It’s been scratching little marks into the shelf again—three neat lines in a row.
I asked what it was counting.
It smiled, dagger tapping in its tiny hand.
“Three questions. Three hours. I marked every one. Plurals. Shoelaces. Bonuses. All mine.”
I told it Shan was just being careful.
The doll’s laugh was too small, too sharp.
“Careful? That’s what mice say right before the trap shuts. This one scurries fast.”
I tried to shrug it off, told it not everything was doom and curses.
The doll leaned in close enough for me to see its teeth.
“Richard understood. He warned them. He knows the doll doesn’t miss a sound.”
So… if you hear scratching in the quiet tonight, don’t answer back.
The doll likes to think it’s winning.
—Toymaker Lisa
(keeping the lights on, just in case)
So I will take the statue task for Bonus. Do we have to let anyone know that we are doing the bonus and do we have to do it first before the other tasks?
Anastasia wrote: "Do we have to let anyone know that we are doing the bonus and do we have to do it first before the other tasks?"If they don't already know (since they are always watching 👀...), I think it'll become apparent to them when we post the bonus completions.
I don't think the order matters.
Mod
Thanks Richard. Didn't want to ask in the Q and A since it looks like we have reached our limit
Anastasia wrote: "since it looks like we have reached our limit"Good idea. This game is sure not like the others...I love it.
Richard, I'm so glad you thought about that. Still, I laughed when I read it. This is going to be such an adventure this time around.
Mod
Hi Shan, I noticed two cleansing tasks added under your name and am just wondering how that came about
Mod
“Oh Shan… how interesting that your teammates have been poking around places they shouldn’t. Did they find something you’ve been keeping tucked away?
Care to share, dear? Or shall I simply enjoy watching them squirm while they wonder what you’re hiding… Heeheehee…”
We are checked inhttps://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Now I'm off to add my books of the week to my GRs shelf.
No problem. I was confused at first, but I think I did it correctly in the end.
Mod
Annabelle is inspired by a true story about a doll believed to be haunted by the spirit of a young girl. In 1970, a student and her roommate reported that their Raggedy Ann doll, the real Annabelle doll the movie is based on (pictured on the right), was acting strangely. A medium told them the doll was inhabited by the spirit of Annabelle Higgins. Despite their attempts to care for the doll, they couldn’t control its behavior and eventually sought help from Ed and Lorraine Warren, famous demonologists. The Warrens concluded that an unnatural entity was manipulating the doll. They took the doll and secured it in their museum, protected by sigils and wards. While the Warrens documented several instances of unusual activity, including the doll seemingly moving on its own, there is no proof it has ever caused physical harm or death.
The movie Annabelle draws heavily from this story, but is a fictionalized version. Still, the doll in the film (pictured above on the left) is undeniably creepy.
Complete the following tasks
Step 1: Purify the space & spirit by burning sage
Read a chain of 3 books that start with a letter in SAGE
Step 2: Choose the materials for your wards
Read a chain of 3 books with your ward material chosen on the cover (the team must choose from plants, stones, metal, or crystal, but you will all read for the same material)
Step 3: Put your ward items at the 4 corners of your area (around Annabelle). Draw your sigils/symbols in oil or water, encircling your space with a defensive boundary. It's all about intention.
Read a chain of 3 books that have the word SYMBOL in the text
What do we want for the material in step 2. I think plant would be the easiest.
Anastasia wrote: "What do we want for the material in step 2. I think plant would be the easiest."I'm good with plants
Richard, I skipped a couple a space on the SS think you were posting there, but I'm going to move my books up if you don't need those two spaces above mine.
Richard wrote: "We are checked in"Thanks, Richard!
Richard wrote: "We are checked in"Thanks
Sorry about the lateness...it was a chunky textbook
We all seemed to have gone for medical textbooks for this toy
Mod
Mr. Punch is the central character of the traditional Punch and Judy puppet shows, a form of popular street theater dating back to 17th-century England. While often played for laughs, Mr. Punch is a deeply sinister and chaotic figure beneath his colorful exterior.
He’s instantly recognizable by his hooked nose, pointed chin, hunched back, and maniacal grin, topped off with a jester’s cap and a high-pitched, squawking voice (usually produced with a device called a “swazzle”). His wooden frame and exaggerated features give him a grotesque, almost nightmarish quality, especially when removed from the playful stage setting.
In traditional shows, Mr. Punch engages in outrageous slapstick violence, often using a wooden stick (the “slapstick”) to beat other characters (including his wife Judy, a policeman, and even the Devil) with cries of “That’s the way to do it!” His anarchic glee and total lack of remorse blur the line between comedy and cruelty.
Over time, Mr. Punch has come to symbolize uncontrolled mischief, moral decay, and violent absurdity, inspiring darker adaptations in literature and horror. In the right context, this “comic” puppet becomes a deeply unsettling, even demonic, figure of chaos.
Mr. Punch may look like a carnival act gone wrong—with his hooked nose, jester cap, and maniacal grin—but this little puppet thrives on mayhem. He’s loud, he’s violent, and he’s got absolutely zero moral compass. Armed with a slapstick and an unstoppable urge to cause chaos, he’s taken down everyone from Judy to the Devil with the same cry:
“That’s the way to do it!”
Now he’s loose again—and unless we box him up fast, nothing (and no one) is safe from his gleeful anarchy.
Complete the following tasks:
No Strings Attached
Cut the strings and let the madness loose.
Read a chain of 3 books featuring puppets, dolls, marionettes, or characters who are being controlled—or who break free.
Slapstick Gets Bloody
Violence is funnier with a squeaky voice and a stick.
Read a chain of 3 books that include a physical hit, slap, or blow—intentional or accidental.
Who You Calling a Puppet?
The chaos is in the name.
Read a chain of 3 books that include all the letters of the word PUNCH in the title or series name (any order).
Do either of you have preference for Read a chain of 3 books featuring puppets, dolls, marionettes, or characters who are being controlled—or who break free?
For me, it'll be characters. I don't think we all have to choose the same one.
Richard wrote: "For me, it'll be characters. I don't think we all have to choose the same one."👍🏽
I'll be reading controlled characters. You are right in that we don't have to read for the same choice
Hooked on Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Night Tiger (other topics)All the Light We Cannot See (other topics)
Becoming Mrs. Lewis (other topics)
Catching Fire (other topics)
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike (other topics)
More...
Team Challenge
September 2025 - November 2025
Please consult the Toy Chest of Dread for your first toy selection. This is in the 3rd tab of your spreadsheet. Post your team name and the answer that the Toy Chest supplies you at the Occult Museum (check in thread).
Team
Anastasia
Richard
Shan A
Important Links
Belle's Cabinet of Notices (Announcements)
Occult Museum (Check-in Thread)
Scoreboard
Ouija Board (Q&A)
Collectibles
The Monkey's Paw (Feedback)
SS: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Rules
⛓️Each toy/object has specific chains and/or tasks that need to be completed.
Examples:
1. Create a chain of 3 using titles consecutively (ABC)
-All the Light We Cannot See
-Becoming Mrs. Lewis
-Catching Fire
2. Create a chain of 3 with "dog" in the titles
-Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike
-The Dog Stars
-Hot Dog Girl
⛓️One person should NOT complete a whole chain by themselves. This is a team challenge. However, if a toy/object has multiple chains and a slower reader can only/want to only read for 1 or 2 chains (they must read at least one), then the other two faster readers on the team can complete the other chains between the two of them.
⛓️You may choose which toy/object from the list to capture first but you MUST complete it BEFORE starting a new toy/object.
⛓️You may use or drop articles: A, An, The
⛓️If you somehow manage to incorporate a Buddy Read into a chain, you can earn points based on the BR tier system.
⛓️Standard Rules Apply
⛓️At the end of the official challenge (last day of November), your team may choose to continue on at your own pace. There will be no points accumulated after November but you can finish any toys/objects that you didn't get to during the challenge.
Scoring
You will get 3 points for every completed book (9 per completed chain) PLUS page points.