C: Jack-in-the-Doom

[Beth]

I'm done, and I don't know if Char is.

[C]

About a quarter left of the book. Like 170 pages. I think my book for the Jewish task is like 300 pages. Then the next book I'm thinking will work is 500 pages again, but it's YA so it will hopefully be a little faster. I'll look at my books again and see if anything shorter would work, but it's one I need to read anyway.

[Char]

I'm almost done with my last book!
Should ideally finish it in a couple days..

It's the task of reading a book we've DNFed, so it's slow going 😔

[C]

I'm reading almost 600 page book for that task; that's the one I'm getting closer to done with. Hopefully tonight and then started on the next. Sorry y'all, looks like you're gonna be waiting on me a few days. :X

[Beth]

I plowed through my previously DNF'd book. I just put the audiobook on and went about my usual day. Interestingly, most of what was in the book had already been discussed in the media, so it was easier than I expected to follow.

[C]

Oh, that's good. I basically just have Dickens and Moby Dick that I've DNFed. I've tried with audio, still didn't work. I know Dickens' format is what's killing me, but idk about Melville.

[C]

So I'd figured out my three books, but my unreliable book has Jewish character and anti-Semitic themes in it, so I may swap for a different unreliable narrator book, since that would be shorter and therefore hopefully done faster...? That's the thought and goal anyway. Almost half done with the second book; also a chonker... Sorry y'all, this was the week of big books.

[C]

I finished and checked us in. Next spin is 2.

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

2. Chucky


Chucky, the infamous doll from the Child’s Play horror franchise, is a seemingly harmless “Good Guy” toy possessed by the soul of notorious serial killer Charles Lee Ray. Using a voodoo ritual to escape death, Ray transfers his soul into the doll’s body, giving Chucky life and a terrifying agenda.

With his red hair, striped shirt, and overalls, Chucky looks like an ordinary children’s toy, at least until he starts speaking in his gruff, menacing voice, wielding knives, and launching brutal attacks. Known for his twisted humor, foul mouth, and violent streak, Chucky has become one of horror’s most iconic villains, blending childlike innocence with psychotic rage.

He first appeared in Child’s Play (1988) and has since starred in multiple sequels, a reboot, and a TV series, gaining a cult following and solidifying his place as the ultimate killer doll.

Complete the following tasks

Step 1: Destroy the doll completely
Read a chain of 3 books where something is destroyed

Step 2: Break the voodoo spell and banish the spirit
Read a chain of 3 books with VOODOO in the text
Read a chain of 3 books where something or someone is banished

[C]

Oh boy, these are hard tasks... I honestly have no idea what books to use. I have some Fantasy that maybe will work somewhere... Probably destruction or banishment though, unless somewhere in the Disney anthology there's a Tiana spinoff for VOODOO lol.

[Beth]

For something destroyed, I just finished a book where someone rips up photographs into small shreds and a building burns.

Other ideas: a vase or glass gets knocked over and shatters; something burns down; a car, spaceship, bomb, etc explodes.

Step 2 will be a little more challenging, I agree.

[C]

I think my current book would work for destruction, since that is broad. It's just unclear from a book synopsis if destruction is included lol. In this book, a family is destroyed due to murder. Screwy book so far, but great hooks and keeps going so far!

I'm guessing there's a cozy mystery set in Louisiana or Cuba that might have VOODOO... I just don't know of any. The Cajun Louisiana series I read I don't recall any voodoo in, so it would have been a passing reference only if any. I don't do well with witchy books, but as long as it's not gory, I don't mind zombies.

[Char]

These are gonna take me some more time to find 😪

[C]

Hugs, Char, I'm right there with you.

[Beth]

I just read The Power of Myth, and it includes “voodoo.”

There’s a Goodreads list called “voodoo books.”

Some ideas for “banished books”:
Banished by Sophie Littlefield: This is a straightforward title that features a character being banished.
The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent: A popular fantasy novel featuring banishment.
Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo: A fantasy novel where characters are exiled from their homeland.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: Features characters who are considered outlaws for the crime of reading and are banished from society.
The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Andersen: The classic fairy tale where the mermaid is banished from her home for falling in love with a human.
Disoriental by Négar Djavadi: This novel is about a family who is exiled from their homeland in Iran

If there are any of these that interest you, maybe we can set up a Buddy read and all read it?

[Beth]

Now that I've had a chance to go through my recently read books, I find I've completed all the tasks for Chucky. Dumb luck.

[C]

We can use banked books? I haven't been banking. 😱

[HOB, ALL HOB MODS]

🎀 Belle leans in close, porcelain lips curving into a knowing smile.

“My sweet Beth… did you forget? You may only use one banked book per person, per toy or object. No more, no less. Any extra will be snatched away, and you wouldn’t want me rummaging through your stash, would you?”

Her giggle rattles like beads in a doll’s skull.
“Play carefully, darling. I always notice when you bend the rules.”

[Beth]

I finished one book on Oct 14, 3 days before we got the Chucky task. The other 2 books were completed on Oct 17, the day we got the task. So only one of them could in any way be considered banked.

If you want me to back out any of my books, just let me know.

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

LOL! I was just messing with you. As long as you only have 1 banked book per toy, you are good.

[Beth]

All good! 👍

[C]

I found a voodoo book this morning in free Kindle books, so getting that audio going. Should be done today. I wish I liked it more, but I'm just not into witchy books.

[C]

By a minor miracle, I got done today... 😳

[Char]

I just have the voodoo book left 😭

[Char]

Okay, found a book!

[C]

Feelz, Char; I would be behind on voodoo too, except I saw a book in a free list, and I was like, screw it, it's short enough to survive lol. I marked it read but didn't rate it since that wouldn't have been fair to the author.

[Char]

Checked us in!

[Beth]

Eager to get our new task.

[C]

Same! I have a book I'm planning to finish today lol.

[Donna, Curator of Challenge Terrors]

5. Billy the Puppet

Billy the Puppet is the eerie ventriloquist-style figure featured in the Saw horror film franchise. Though often mistaken for the killer, Billy is actually a messenger used by John Kramer, aka Jigsaw, to communicate with his victims.

Billy has a chilling, unmistakable look: a white face with red spiral cheeks, dark eyes, black shaggy hair, and a twisted red grin. He wears a black tuxedo with a red bowtie and rides in on a small red tricycle—an image that’s become iconic in horror.

Through Billy, Jigsaw delivers recorded messages and videos to his captives, typically opening with the infamous line: “I want to play a game.” His role is to calmly explain the deadly rules of the traps or challenges the victims must endure in order to survive and "appreciate" life.

Despite never harming anyone directly, Billy’s unsettling appearance, emotionless tone, and connection to gruesome moral games have made him a terrifying symbol of psychological horror and a pop culture icon.

Billy the Puppet doesn’t kill—he teaches. Which is somehow worse. With his spiraled cheeks, blood-red grin, and eerie monotone, he delivers Jigsaw’s deadly instructions like a morality seminar from hell. Riding in on a tiny red tricycle, he calmly explains how victims can earn their survival… if they’re willing to suffer for it.

Now Billy’s out delivering messages again—and we need your help to trap him before he plays his next game.

Complete the following tasks:

3. Watch the Whole Tape
Because he’s always watching… and he wants you to hear every word.
Read a chain of 3 books with titles containing words related to observation or recording: watch, see, listen, tape, voice, message, view, eye, etc.

4. Identity Confirmed
He knows who you are—even if you don’t.
Read a chain of 3 books where the author’s initials appear in the word JIGSAW (any combination, any order).

6. Smile for the Camera
It’s not just the cameras watching now.
Read a chain of 3 books with a face on the cover—bonus if the expression is neutral, eerie, or lifeless.

[C]

Thoughts on if the face for the Smile task has to be human? Should I ask in QA?

[Beth]

I can see in this task they might be looking specifically for a human face. Probably couldn't hurt to check.

[C]

Finished my third book. For a small book, that sure took a while...

[Char]

I'll finish my book soon!
Just have 1 left

[C]

I don't fully understand the notice that got put up. We can choose to play as individuals as well as team? Or are we required to do both? Do we all have to make the same choice since we're a team?

[MN Lisa, Mistress of Mayhem with a Method]

22. Basano Vase

An ornate, antique silver vase believed to be cursed, originating from the town of Basano del Grappa in Italy. This mysterious vessel is said to bring tragedy and death to its owners, with a dark history of every family member who possessed it dying under strange or unexplained circumstances.

The vase is intricately crafted, featuring detailed engravings and an elegant shape that masks its sinister nature. According to legend, the vase carries a malevolent spirit or curse that dooms anyone who keeps it, making it a feared and avoided heirloom.

Its true whereabouts remain a mystery, and many stories warn of the misfortune it brings, making the Basano Vase a chilling symbol of a haunted object with a deadly legacy.

Complete the following tasks:
👻3. Spirits Attached
Read a chain of 3 books that feature a ghost, spirit, or lingering presence — friendly, malevolent, or just confused. Bonus if it haunts an object.

🖤4. MPG: Dark
Read a chain of 3 books listed under Dark as a Main Page Genre. You’re looking for something with heavy themes, shadows, twisted vibes, or morally messy characters.

🧾6. Passed Down, Passed Away
Read a chain of 3 books where a will, inheritance, or estate plays a role in the story — someone receives something after a death, whether they wanted it or not.

[Beth]

Looks like you can add on to play as individual while still playing on a team. Optional from what I see.

[C]

Okay, glad it's optional and doesn't affect your choices. I love challenges, but I feel like I'm barely hanging in there with what I have going so I don't want to add on, especially as we're getting into holidays. :P

Also, it may take me a moment to find a Dark book, but that's gonna definitely be my outside of comfort zone book. Hopefully I have another inheritance book lurking, since I read those spooky ones last month. 🤣 And it looks like I'm finally gonna finish a series with ghosts lol. Been putting that off for months. But needless to say, I don't think any of my imminent reads will work. 😭

[Beth]

I hate the "dark" prompt. There is a "dark books" listopia, but very few of them have that word as an MPG. Mostly, they are books that have been tagged as dark.

[C]

I think I have a couple dark romances that are supposed to be no-spice. So that's probably what I'm heading towards, unless by some miracle something I have from the library is Dark and I don't know it.

[Char]

I just finished a couple horror books last week or so involving ghosts and inheritance because I mood read and was in the mood due to Halloween.
I was so happy to read a different genre, but looks like horror it is, again 😭

[C]

Cozy mystery could also have ghosts?

[Beth]

I would say a house could count as an object that a ghost or spirit might haunt.

The Ghost and Mrs Muir (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...) is lovely and fairly short.

The Gethsemane Brown Mysteries (https://www.goodreads.com/series/1886...) are cozies that involve a woman who is renting a haunted cottage in Ireland.

Here's one I might go for: Dead Medium (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...)

[Beth]

I asked in the Q&A thread... the good news is that for the "Dark in MPG" task, any MPG with dark in the genre will work. So, Dark Romance, Dark Academia, etc. Whew! That will make finding a book MUCH easier.

[C]

Hehe, I don't like dark academia either. ;) So that's just gonna be a struggle bus. I'm really hoping the book I'm thinking about has enough tags to have an MPG. Indie published books get so screwed over...