Hooked on Books discussion
Do Not Open This Challenge
>
Clue Crew: Team 6
Mod
šļø Carrie
šļø Claire
Hi Carrie, seems weāll be playing together. Looking forward to this.
Hi Claire! I'm pretty excited for this one too!Thoughts on a team name?
- Puzzle Pals
- The Clue Crew
- Escape Artists
Just tossing out some ideas...
I like the clue crew. Great name. Do we need to let anyone know?
Claire wrote: "I like the clue crew. Great name. Do we need to let anyone know?"I can post it in the check in thread as a just in case!
Week 1 Prompt: What You Bring With YouSome locks donāt need a keyāthey open for what you carry.
Choose a book that reflects something you bring to this partnership:
a personality trait, a past experience, a strength, a flawāanything that shapes how you read and relate.
Each of you will choose your own book and explain what you're bringing to the box.
Week: Week 1Book: A Novel Way To Die
Author: Tamra Baumann
Page Count: 294
Reflection: I have some characteristics that are similar to the MC. She tries her best to be there for others and help them out when they are in need of help. On the other hand, she sometimes sticks her nose into situations that she should probably stay out of. She recognizes that this trait could be a flaw but sometimes she just can't help herself.
Week 1 Book: The Lady and the Unicorn
Author: Tracy Chevalier
Page count: 250
Reflection: this book tells a lot about me and the things I bring in. I love history, art and people. The book has a setting mainly, in my country (Belgium) and also in another favourite city of mine, Paris.
Also this book gives a possible answer to an artistic riddleā¦I love riddles, am full of curiousity. Sometimes it gives people the idea Iām nosey, which I am not really. I just am utterly fascinated by what people do and why
Seems we share some character traits:-)
Mod
This box doesnāt open on its own.
It opened because you showed up as yourself.
What did you learn about each other through these picks?
This message is yours to unlock together. Keep the responses flowing between you; nothing else needs to be checked in.
I didn't realize you are from Belgium! I'd love to visit there some day. I actually lived in Italy for several years back in the 90s. I worked as a travel agent and I had the chance to visit Paris. It is a beautiful city! I did not have nearly enough time to enjoy out however!
My college degrees are in sociology so we have that the observation of people in common. I am utterly fascinated by what people do and why as well.
Oh Italy, I adore. We always wanted to go live there for just a year but when the time was there, Corona came and off got the plan. We did visit large parts of Italy, hubby and me are both classicists so anything about the Romans is so interesting.
And yes, Paris ā¤ļø
Where do you live?
We loved Italy so much. We lived in a town called Azzano Decimo. It was about a 40 minute train ride to Venice. I would love to go back and visit. Ironically we, too, were planning to go to Italy when my daughter graduated college as a gift for her (and thatās when Covid hit). She ended up not even having a college graduation, let alone that trip to Italy. I live in the states in Pennsylvania in a small rural town. I grew up here. We moved back when my daughter was young so she could grow up around family.
We have a bit of property and a ton of wildlife. Our most recent visitor was a very large bobcat š±. I do love it though.
So do you have the opportunity to travel often?
Oh, rural life in Pennsylvania must be quite different from being a guide in Italy. But it is so nice when children grow up next to family. We used to travel more but nowadays we feel our age. Our favourite country is and will be France as it has so many different landscapes and regions and cities. This year we spent a few weeks in the Provence and in the North of France. We also made a short trip to the Netherlands and spent some weeks at the North Sea coast.
After hubbyās retirement, we moved to the centre of Antwerp where our daughter and son already lived. It was easier for many reasons, the biggest of course my grandson.
We love our life here, close to shops, musea and bars, but we tend to escape sometimes in nature.
And you, do you travel often? I sometimes have the impressions that Americans either travel a lot or not at all. But I might be totally wrong.
Week 2 Prompt: Judge This BookSome locks donāt care whatās insideāonly how it looks.
Choose a book based solely on the cover.
No blurbs. No reviews. No second guesses. Just vibes
Modš Week 3 Prompt: Your Missing Piece
Some locks stay closed because somethingās missing.
Choose a book that fills a gap in your reading lifeāsomething youāve been avoiding, neglecting, or meaning to try.
Even better if itās outside your comfort zone.
I have read for week 2 Book: Mensenwerk
Author: Han Kang
Read: 21 september
Pages : 240 p.
How it fits: the cover intrigued me
I am so sorry - I went to a wedding and was traveling for 4 days and forgot all about this!!!
Completion Post: The Future Saints
Author: Ashley Winstead
Date Read: 9/24/2025
Pages: 352
How it fits: Cover intrigued me
I checked us in for week 2 - apologies for being late! Did you enjoy your week 2 book?
The Future Saints was really good! They market it as a love story and it is but not in a romanic way that most people would think!
Carrie wrote: "I checked us in for week 2 - apologies for being late! Did you enjoy your week 2 book?
The Future Saints was really good! They market it as a love story and it is but not in a romanic way that m..."
I put it on my list, but it wonāt be available here until next year.
No worries about being late. Hope you enjoyed your traveling.
The book I read was not really an enjoyable read, but it was fascinating and so well written. The subject (a bloodbath in South Korean by official parties) is a difficult one.
The wedding was beautiful. It was my cousinās son. The venue was outside and the weather was perfect. The evening before we had dinner on a boat and toured the area where we were staying. Everyone attending had to travel because both the bride and groom had relocated for work reasons. I can completely understand why you would struggle with your book. Does not sound like pleasant reading material at all. Was the cover the only reason you selected it?
Iām reading The Martian for this round and itās a tough one. Iāve meaning to read it for a long time but it seems very technical and sci-fi is not a genre I typically read.
Are you liking your book for this round (if youāve started it)?
Mod
Looks can be deceiving.
But sometimesā¦ theyāre not.
What do you think your partner would have expected from your coverāand were they right?
This message is yours to unlock together. Keep the responses flowing between you; nothing else needs to be checked in.
I have to be honest - I would have no idea what I would have expected from your book cover! It's definitely one of the most unique and thought provoking covers I have seen. I'm thinking maybe the book wasn't quite what you expected it to be. (Do you read blurbs about a book before you start it? I try to avoid them because I am always worried they'll tell me more about the story than I want to know!)
Week 3 Prompt: Your Missing PieceCompletion Post:
Dust and Bones: A Maya Thorne Australian Outback Thriller
Author: Phillip Strang
Date Read: 9/26/2025
Pages: 138
How it Fits: I absolutely never read short novels or short stories. I always assume I will feel unfilled by them. I decided to give one a chance and found I was pleasantly surprised.
I understand why you took that cover. It looks completely different if you see it as a small thumbnail or as a bigger picture. I like those colours a lot. Iād think it might be either a very romantic book or more a spiritual one, but have no idea? Did hou enjoy it?
Carrie wrote: "I have to be honest - I would have no idea what I would have expected from your book cover! It's definitely one of the most unique and thought provoking covers I have seen. I'm thinking maybe the..."
I wanted to read The Vegetarian by Han Kang when I got distracted by this cover. It is a difficult book but I am happy I read it. I think Han Kang is an author who is capable of tackling very difficult subjects. I learned a lot from this book and it was so well written.
I choose my books often based on the prizes, the reviews in literature magazines or the name of the author.
š Week 3 Prompt: Your Missing PieceDe beesten
Gijs Wilbrink
Read: 24 september
Pages: 399 p.
How it fits: this book has been a long time on my radar as it had some very good reviews and was nominated for important prizes. I postponed it all the time until I now just read it as a buddyread.
Nice to hear you were pleasantly surprised by the short stories. Sometimes theyāre very good. I especially like it to have a book of short stories to read in it once in a while when I have a bit of spare time.
Mod
This key slipped into place like it had been waiting for you.
Maybe the stories we resist are the ones we need most.
What did your partnerās choice reveal about what they might be ready for nowāeven if they werenāt before?
I actually read The Vegetarian and was surprised by my reaction to it. At first, I wasn't sure what to think at all. It grew on me (in a strange way) as I kept reading it. Do you find yourself sometimes let down by award winning books? I just finished Annie Bot which won several awards and I really disliked it. I don't know if you've read it or not but I was actually uncomfortable reading it... the I started thinking maybe that was the point to some extent.
What was the book you just read about?
The book I just read was about a family of āhillbilliesā, set in a rural part of the Netherlands. One of the characters turns out to be a star in motocross, but gets an accident.
The story is about people living a miserable life, making each other miserable, about faith and betrayal. It depicts a small society where life is hard, business often almost criminal, and everyone is very unhappy. I liked the way he wrote it, but I had a hard time to connect to the characters.
I didnāt know the book Annie Bot. Most of the time my reading of the prize winning novels is focused on the literary prizes or literary fiction. Often the genre prizes do not really match my reeading. Sorry that you didnāt like the book, but sometimes it is a matter of the right moment and then just sometimes it is not a book for you. Good you liked the last one better. What did you especially liked in this book?
thank you, I am going to read the book now š
I think youāre in the wrong place. This is a team thread of two people
New task: This lock is a little more dramatic than the others. It wants a twist.Choose a book with a trope you either love, hate, or canāt stop reading.
Enemies to lovers. Found family. Secret royalty. You know the type.
Your partner has to guess how you feel about it.
I typically need to connect with the characters when I read. Occasionally I can dislike all the characters and still enjoy the book. Your book sounded interesting. I never really considered that "hillbillies" would be a thing outside the US. (Narrow minded of me!)
What are you reading for this round?
I'm reading Katabasis.
Carrie wrote: "I typically need to connect with the characters when I read. Occasionally I can dislike all the characters and still enjoy the book. Your book sounded interesting. I never really considered that ..."
Well, theyāre not called hillbillies, but the description matches.
I have katabasis on my list too. Let me know how you enjoyed it. What trope are you reading it for?
Iāll be reading None of This Is True with an unreliable narrator.
Completion Post: Book: Katabasis
Author: R.F. Kuang
Date Read: 10/4/2025
Pages: 559
How it fits: Quest trope - the characters travel to Hell on a quest
I read it for the Quest trope. So it's long - about 550 pages and it gets very philosophical. It has a lot of detail regarding how philosophers such as Dante, Socrates, envision hell. It's mainly about 2 characters who journey into the levels of Hell in search of someone. (I don't want to give anything away). It's very clear the author is highly intelligent and well read and that comes through in the writing. If you're not into philosophical debates and things like if/then statements, the story can seem tedious at times.
Overall I enjoyed it though.
Completion post Book:
Niets is waar Author:Lisa Jewell
Read: 5 october
Pages: 321 p.
How it fits: unreliable narrator
I checked us in.Do you like reading books with a quest? Do you like a certain type of quest more than others?
New taskThe fifth lock is not yours to open alone.
Choose a book that helps you better understand someone elseās perspectiveāreal or fictional, historical or contemporary.
Someone different from you.
Thanks for checking us in. Iām kind of hit or miss with quests. This one was pretty interesting. What about you - do you like the trope quest?
How about unreliable narrators? I almost always enjoy that if itās well done!
Mod
Some keys are forged in pattern.
Whether you leaned in or tried to break free, you told us something.
Were you right about how your partner felt about their tropeāor totally off?
Carrie wrote: "Thanks for checking us in. Iām kind of hit or miss with quests. This one was pretty interesting. What about you - do you like the trope quest?
How about unreliable narrators? I almost always enj..."
I also enjoy it. I like things not being too obvious. In real life I always think a lot about peopleās motives or reasons for acting the way theu do.
This one was hard as they were all kind of unreliable which made me rethink all the time.
Do you like a quest because you feel lots of things are a quest or because it often builds up gradually.
Thanks for the info on the book. Iām interested in it, but given the subject Iāll wait the Dutch translation.
What you say makes sense. People in real life can be unreliable narrators. Everyone has a perspective and I think that can be bent to fit the person's story. I like unreliable narrators unless it creates a ridiculous ending to a book!
I think I like the quest trope because I like the idea of having a task to complete or a problem to solve and needing to create a path to get you from start to finish.
Completion Post for Week 5:Book: The House at Sea's End
Author: Elly Griffiths
Read: 10/6/2025
Pages: 384
How it Fits: The MC in this book is a new mom at age 40. I had my daughter when I was 25. I find it very interesting reading from the perspective of being an older mom. How do you balance career and family life? Are you better off because you are older or does the age create additional difficulties? Do you miss out on things if you have a child when you are young? These are the kind of questions that bounced around when I was reading this book.
Hooked on Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Brandende meisjes (other topics)The Burning Girls (other topics)
Edge of Dark Water (other topics)
The Husband's Secret (other topics)
Steelheart (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
C.J. Tudor (other topics)Joe R. Lansdale (other topics)
RenƩe Knight (other topics)
Willow Rose (other topics)
Sarah Penner (other topics)
More...
š Welcome to Your Box.
The lock is real. The box is closed. But the two of you? You have the keys.
This is your personal team thread. Each week, youāll receive a new reading prompt. Each of you will choose a book, read it, and post your reflection here. Once both reflections are posted, a key turnsāand the box reveals a message just for you.
You must complete all 12 keyholes to open the box in Week 13.
You can use this thread for:
š Weekly reflections
š Talking with your partner
š Celebrating when a new lock opens
Your first prompt arrives Sunday at 6pm CT. Youāll know it when you see it.
Until then: get to know each other. Decide whoās reading what.
And whatever you doā¦ donāt open it yet.
š Weekly Check-In Format
When you finish your book, post the info below in this thread to let your partner know you're ready. Once both of you have posted your reflections, one of you should check in on the main thread to unlock your keyhole.
ā¢ Week: (e.g., Week 1)
ā¢ Book Title:
ā¢ Author:
ā¢ Page Count:
ā¢ Reflection: Your response to the weekās prompt.
š Weekly Check-In Thread
This is how your keyhole gets unlocked.
No check-in, no click.
How to check in:
Just post your team name and a link to your team thread.
Example:
Team: The Locked Hearts
Thread: [insert link here]
Once I see your check-in, your message will appear in your threadāif youāve earned it.