MN Lisa’s Comments (group member since Jul 20, 2023)

MN Lisa’s comments from the Hooked on Books group.

I listened to All Systems Red earlier this year. I got the dramatized version and it was awesome. My Book Quest team is doing a BR of book #2 this month. Hope you guys like it!

Lisa
--Just Lisa, not Toymaker Lisa for this one. :)

Updated to here

📚 Step 3: Complete the Task
Take the word you received and spell it out—one book per letter.

Each book becomes a piece of the message. Complete the spell to quiet the voices. (Or at least move on to the next task.)

It’s watching you now. - POSSESS

🗝️ Week 1 Response
This box doesn’t 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.

Updated to Here

8. Robert the Doll

Robert the Doll is one of the most infamous real-life haunted objects in the world. Currently housed in the Fort East Martello Museum in Key West, Florida, Robert has terrified visitors and inspired countless legends of curses and paranormal activity.

The doll stands about three feet tall, stuffed with wood wool, and is dressed in a sailor suit (reportedly one that belonged to its original owner). His face is worn and unsettling, with beady black eyes and a faint, sinister smile. He once held a toy dog in his lap, adding to his eerie, childlike presence.

Robert originally belonged to a young boy named Robert Eugene Otto in the early 1900s. Legend has it that the doll was given to him by a disgruntled servant skilled in voodoo, and that strange things began happening soon after: objects moved, voices were heard, and young Eugene blamed the doll for everything, insisting “Robert did it.”

Over time, stories of Robert's malevolence grew. Visitors to the museum claim cameras malfunction near him, and that bad luck (injuries, accidents, and job loss) follows those who mock or photograph him without permission. The museum displays letters from people who wrote to apologize after disrespecting the doll.

Whether seen as a cursed object or just a creepy antique, Robert the Doll continues to fascinate and frighten, blurring the line between myth and reality.

Dressed in a sailor suit with beady black eyes and a faint smirk, Robert the Doll might look like a forgotten toy from a dusty attic—but legends say he’s far from innocent. He’s been blamed for mischief, madness, and full-on curses for over a century. Mock him, and your luck may not recover.

Now Robert’s out of his case, and we need your help to contain him—politely, of course.

Complete the following tasks:
Static in the Air
He doesn’t like being photographed.
Read a chain of 3 books where technology fails, malfunctions, or behaves strangely—cameras, phones, TVs, or any cursed piece of tech.

Don’t Look Away
He hasn’t blinked in over a hundred years.
Read a chain of 3 books where the cover includes at least one visible eye—bonus if it’s staring directly at you.

You’ll know it when you see it. Trust me.

Name the Curse
It’s written right there. You just didn’t notice.
Read a chain of 3 books that each include the letters of DOLL somewhere in the title (any order, 2 Ls).

The Ouija board, also known as a spirit board or talking board, is a flat board marked with the alphabet, numbers 0–9, and the words “yes,” “no,” and “goodbye.” It is used as a tool for spirit communication, often associated with séances and the supernatural.

At its center lies a small, heart-shaped device called a planchette, typically made of wood or plastic. Participants lightly rest their fingers on the planchette, and as questions are asked, it appears to move on its own, guided by unseen forces, spelling out answers or pointing to yes/no responses.

Though originally patented in the late 19th century as a parlor game, the Ouija board quickly developed a reputation as a gateway to the unknown. Stories and legends abound of eerie encounters, malevolent spirits, and unexplainable phenomena tied to its use. Its popularity surged in the 20th century, becoming both a cultural curiosity and a symbol of occult danger.

In horror films and folklore, the Ouija board is often portrayed as a portal for spirits(benevolent, mischievous, or malicious) to make contact with the living, sometimes unleashing dark forces that are difficult to banish.

Mysterious, controversial, and steeped in paranormal lore, the Ouija board continues to captivate and terrify, blurring the line between party game and occult ritual.

Ouija Board
🎱🪦 Ask the Board… if You Dare
This isn’t your grandma’s Ouija board—but the spirits don’t care. They’ve found another way through…

For this mini-game, we’re combining the creepy randomness of a Magic 8 Ball with the mystery of a spirit board. Here’s how it works:

👻 Step 1: Ask the Board
Go to the Magic 8 Ball tool and think of a question—anything eerie, personal, or ridiculous. Click to get your answer from beyond. This opens the door.
https://www.online-stopwatch.com/rand...

🕯️ Step 2: The Spirits Answer
The board is only the beginning.

I heard the click when you asked your question.
The air shifted. The veil thinned. Something stirred behind the walls.

It didn’t speak in words. It never does.
It pressed a name into my thoughts. A word. A warning. A curse.
And now it’s yours.

We Toymakers do not choose these words.
We merely obey.

It may be TRAPPED. Or WHISPER. Or something far worse—
a word that should not be spoken.
But you must spell it, one letter at a time.
One book per letter. One step closer to the end.

Bring your offering to the Occult Museum (Check-In Thread) and report:
Your Team Name
What the Magic 8 Ball told you
A link to your team’s spreadsheet

Then wait.
We’ll respond when the spirits allow.

And when we do… you’ll know your word.

might want to double check that. I think today is the off day...

I'm going to start listening on my way home from work tonight

🗝️ Week 1 Response
This box doesn’t open on its own.
It opened because you showed up as yourself.

What did you learn about each other through these picks?

Every keyhole opens to conversation. What matters now is how you respond to each other. You do not need to "check-in" these responses.

Sci-Fi is not my usual, but this series I really like. My other go to is Sam Burns Star Mark Warriors and for a bit darker, Dark Space by Lisa Henry. Its good have a few different options.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Can we get this to include Out of Nowhere. Its book #2 in the series (Nowhere Else is book 3).

I think we can probably just add Out of Nowhere to this BR. Ashley in the past as re-used BR Threads when we continue the Series. i'll post and ask her to update.

I'll start it tomorrow.

🧩 Prompt #10: Light & Shadow

Type: Mirror Prompt

What this means:
This is a Mirror Prompt, so you and your partner will both use the same theme — but take opposite approaches.

For this one:
One of you picks Light — a story of hope, healing, goodness, or redemption. Think bright tone, uplifting arcs, or characters striving to do good.

The other picks Shadow — a darker tale with moral ambiguity, sorrow, hidden truths, or twisted motives. Think gritty, mysterious, or emotionally stormy.

📌 Once you’ve both finished reading, post your Story Stitch (your connection blurb) in the Check-In Thread to unlock your next prompt.

You can’t have one without the other — that’s what makes it a mirror. 🌞🌑

Updated to here.

I must have mixed them up. I'll start the 2nd one tonight.

Bonus items are optional, BUT your team must decide now whether to do them or NOT. Once a decision is made, it cannot be changed.

✨Bonus 11: Carousel Painting


This painting is a prize at a strange carnival. But beware—it is cursed. Misfortune follows whoever claims it, growing worse with each passing day.

Attempts to destroy or discard the painting are futile. Burn it, bury it, toss it in the river—it always returns, resurfacing in unsettling, impossible places.

Can you capture the cursed painting before it captures you?

*Please note that this is from the book "Step Right Up" by L.A. Witt.

To capture the cursed painting
Read a book set in a carnival
Read a book with a horse on the cover
Read a book where a character tries to destroy something

20. The Dollhouse (Twilight Zone)


In this eerie tale, a woman named Elaine purchases an antique dollhouse from a mysterious store. The dollhouse is exquisitely detailed(an exact replica of a Victorian home) and comes complete with tiny, delicate furnishings and dolls posed within.

As Elaine brings it into her home, she begins to notice unsettling phenomena: the dolls shift positions on their own, rooms in the dollhouse rearrange themselves, and events inside the miniature house eerily mirror or even predict occurrences in her real life.

The boundary between the dollhouse and reality begins to blur. It becomes clear that the dollhouse isn’t just a toy, it’s a supernatural force, observing, controlling, or even reshaping Elaine’s fate.

This episode stands out as one of The Twilight Zone’s chilling modern-era entries into the haunted object subgenre, tapping into primal fears of losing control over one’s own world.

Complete the following tasks:
🪞2. Double Trouble
Read a chain of 3 books with dual POVs or two timelines. Reality doesn’t like to be alone.

🏠5. Haunted Home Vibes
Read a chain of 3 books with a house on the cover or in the title. Bonus if it's slightly too perfect.

🔤6. The Word “Doll” Appears
Read a chain of 3 books where the word “doll” shows up — in the title, series name, author name, or anywhere in the text.

Updated to here.