Hooked on Books discussion

Team Challenge
September 2024 - November 2024

Please take some time and choose a team name. You will also need to choose which clown you want to catch first. Choose wisely because some clown require more than others. As such, those clowns will net more points. Let me know when you have made your choices.

Team
LaurLa
Laura
Louise


Important Links
Prisoner Drop Off (Check-in Thread)
Q&A
Collectibles
Feedback
SS: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...


Rules
⛓️Each clown 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 clown 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 clown from the list to capture first but you MUST complete it BEFORE starting a new clown.
⛓️You may use or drop articles: A, An, The
⛓️Standard Rules Apply
⛓️Since you have chosen to play non-competitively, you will play a self-paced game. You may choose to stop any time you want or continue until you have completed all clowns.

The Clowns

*Sweet Tooth
*Pennywise
*Killjoy
*Kent McCoy
*Stitches
*Art
*Captain Spaulding
*Jojo the Klownzilla & the Klowns
*Violator
*Twisty
*Joker
*Cleaver & LIl Miss Cleaver
*Ribcage
*The Heads
*The Lunatics
*Horny
*The Laugh
*Shivers
*Tickles
*Jack

Submit your team name & clown choice in the check-in thread.

I’m here! No ideas for a name, although Lego Batman apparently has clown snakes?

Shall we just go down the list? Or is there one either of you want to do first?

I’m here. I’m happy to just work down the list

Down the list works for me too.
For names...

Apparently clown snakes are a real thing?
https://www.worldofballpythons.com/vi...

What about something like:
cLLLowning around with snakes
kiLLLer snake cLLLowns

We can leave off the play on our initials, either way.

I like
cLLLowning around with snakes

Louise wrote: "I like
cLLLowning around with snakes"

I like this one, too. I'll post for us to get the name and the clown.

Sweet Tooth



Marcus "Needles" Kane, commonly known as Sweet Tooth, originally appeared in the Twisted Metal video games series before making his debut on the Twisted Metal television series. He wears a clown mask and carries a machete. He is notably missing his trademark flaming hair for most of the series, although it does appear at one point.

Sweet Tooth escaped from the Blackfield Asylum when the apocalypse started. He settled in Lost Vegas with his best friend Harold, an inanimate paper lunch bag. He rides around in an ice cream truck and rides around the city as a notorious serial killer feared by many. He is psychopathic while having a sense of humor. He likes to perform but expects total honesty from the crowd. He will murder those who betray or cross him.


Complete the following tasks
Arm 1: Read a chain of 3 books set during an apocalypse
Arm 2: Read a chain of 3 books with ice cream on the cover
Leg 1: Read a chain of 3 books tagged humor
Leg 2: Read a chain of 3 books with a flame on the cover

I gave you a spreadsheet in message 1 to log your books in. There is no scoring, just a place to track your books.

I just finished a MPG Humor book. Started to add it to the spreadsheet and that's when I realized that it doesn't start until Monday. :)

Laura wrote: "I just finished a MPG Humor book. Started to add it to the spreadsheet and that's when I realized that it doesn't start until Monday. :)"

Try tomorrow

Donna wrote: "Laura wrote: "I just finished a MPG Humor book. Started to add it to the spreadsheet and that's when I realized that it doesn't start until Monday. :)"

Try tomorrow"

Right. Today is not the 30th. If I say it often enough I might start to remember. :)

I think I'm good with options for all of the tasks.

Is there one that someone needs me to take a second book on? I've only got to fit things into Turf Wars right now.

I’m away until Monday afternoon so will check what I have then

Sorry, I'll take a closer look tomorrow... man, I warned everyone including myself about this challenge but I'm still looking at them and going OMG... do I even have something with ice cream??? I wasn't really planning on it but I do have an apocalypse book, so that's good. And I have flames, at least one that is on my to-do list but I'll have to go searching for ice cream tomorrow. Surely I have a cozy lurking somewhere for that (I really dislike cozies...).

LaurLa wrote: "Sorry, I'll take a closer look tomorrow... man, I warned everyone including myself about this challenge but I'm still looking at them and going OMG... do I even have something with ice cream??? I w..."

There are a bunch of lists for ice cream on the cover.

I found this one: . My library has the audio on Hoopla, so I have to stay up until midnight to get it since the daily borrow limit is low from this library (or there are a lot of users!). Bonus: Dipping is 7 letters!

If you don't find anything, I have and . I love Morgan Matson and don't mind re-reading, especially if one of them fits into the next Turf Wars round.

I'll wait for the next Turf Wars tasks to pick my apocalypse book.

thanks, Laura. It's the start of the month, so I'll see if I have any ice cream covers and then hopefully work those into other challenges. I feel like I have at least one, I just need to think about it for a few to see if I can remember 'where I saw it' on my list... ha! Meaning, what was I searching for before when I ran across it that might help me remember where to start looking. Or I'll just start scanning covers...

LaurLa wrote: "thanks, Laura. It's the start of the month, so I'll see if I have any ice cream covers and then hopefully work those into other challenges. I feel like I have at least one, I just need to think abo..."

That feeling when you know you've seen a cover recently that matches, but you have no idea what cover it was!

Do you guys think this one works for flame on the cover? . I think maybe in the transition from the cloak to the fight? If it doesn't I'll grab the newest Nocturne Falls.

Changing my reading all around for Turf Wars! But that Pandemic list sure works for the apocalypse task!

I'm not sure Laura. Seems questionable... I don't really see flames, I'm sorry.


I was coming to ask the same question about the below:


I have another I could read, I'm just dreading it for some reason...

I say flames for that one. That’s a good one. Enjoy!

Oh, can we agree this has flames (upper left corner)? It's almost perfect pg count for TW (default 193 pp) and I need to read for another challenge (need an M).

LaurLa wrote: "Oh, can we agree this has flames (upper left corner)? It's almost perfect pg count for TW (default 193 pp) and I need to read for another challenge (need an M).
"

I was unsure, so I asked my daughter's opinion and she said no. So I suggest asking in the Q&A.

Donna approved, so I will probably use that for flames.


I've got a book for each, but can do another of any except ice cream if needed.

This poll ends tomorrow night. Come and have your voice heard.

https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/3...

Just an update. No rush, of course. (We're non-competitive, after all.) But I'll have my flame book done probably tomorrow.

I finished my ice cream book. I'm reading apocalypse now. I plan to read my flames next, then humor. But I can change my humor book to one I've already read if it comes down to that being a hold up for us. My flames book works this round for TW but I'm kind of trying to hold off on the humor book until after the next TW round, but we'll see how it all goes.

I finished my last book.

It looks like from the spreadsheet that we can now bank books. I actually prefer not to log all my books for something like this. It makes extra work. But if you guys want to bank, I can always look at books I've finished and add them to the bank if they fit.

Non-Competitive
My poll received a fair amount of yes votes from non-competitive players. So I am allowing these players to bank books with 2 caveats.
1. The team must agree to bank books. If the team members don't agree to this, then there is no banking.
2. If a clown has a required order banked books may only be used for the first part. Banked books cannot be used for the second part. They MUST be new books.

*Note* Consider this a test for the next roundup. You are my guinea pigs test volunteers to help me decide if it is appropriate to use in the competitive version next year.

I'm ambivalent. Since it's banking and we wouldn't really know what they would work for, we wouldn't be filling out the justification field until we used the book, so it's really just title/author/date, so not a ton of work... but still extra copy/pasting for a slight chance the book can be used.

If we decide as a team to do it, do we really have to bank every book or maybe just those we think might be useful?

LaurLa wrote: "I'm ambivalent. Since it's banking and we wouldn't really know what they would work for, we wouldn't be filling out the justification field until we used the book, so it's really just title/author/..."

I would think if we decide to bank, we can do it however we want as far as what we bank.

I have one to finish for flames. I am starting today but will probably hold off until TW starts tomorrow to finish.

I voted against banking on this challenge, I struggle to remember to add my books for anything that I am not specifically reading for a challenge.

Louise wrote: "I voted against banking on this challenge, I struggle to remember to add my books for anything that I am not specifically reading for a challenge."

I voted against doing it this time. I have to be prepared for that. :)

Sounds good to me not banking books - it's a pain if you don't know or think the book is going to be used (cough bookopoly cough).


Also, I finished my last book but NO RUSH Louise!! I am behind in the Olympics and need to catch up there and I'm sure our next task here will require me to find books I hadn't quite (or ever) planned to read... 😂

Finished my books and added to the sheet

Checked us in

Pennywise (IT)


IT is a shapeshifting creature from the species known as Deadlights. IT arrived on Earth in an event similar to an asteroid impact landing in Derry, Maine. Once people settled here, IT adopted a 25-27 year hibernation, waking to kill and eat.

Its true form seems to be a female spider but it can morph into any human animal, nonhuman animal or object, and any combination thereof. There are benefits to this ability because IT can manipulate its targets by appearing as loved ones to lure them into traps or as their worst fears. It's favorite form is that of a clown named "Pennywise" because small children love clowns. At the same time, many people fear clowns.

IT feeds on humans but prefers children as they are easier to scare and manipulate. According to the creature, frightened flesh tastes better and uses fear to "salt the meat".

To capture IT, he must be in his clown form or he will trick you. You must force him into his clown form BEFORE you chain him up. Spell out CLOWN. Then complete the chains below.
C
L
O
W
N


Complete the following tasks Must complete the spellout above 1st
Arm 1: Read a chain of 3 books set in Maine
Arm 2: Read a chain of 3 books with shapeshifters
Leg 1: Read a chain of 3 books that start with a letter in SPIDER
Leg 2: Read a chain of 3 books that have 25 or 27 intact in the page count (example: 250 pgs or 127 pgs)

Q: What can we use for spell-outs?
A: Title, Author, First & Last initial, Series

I just finished a C title. I can also do any of the other letters.

I asked in the Q&A about the 2 Leg chains to see if we need to pick an option as a team or each of us pick one.

For CLOWN, I am reading an In Death, so that's out... My next up is title F, author RJ and series N... so I can do N pretty quickly.

After than, I could do O or W fairly quickly. Hopefully they play well with TW... Unfortunately my Exchange book (assuming we keep our current task) won't work for the spell out :-(

My Exchange book has an L author.

I also have a W author planned for TWs if neither of you has one. But I don't want to hog the letters.

I just finished an O yesterday. :(

Laura wrote: "Q: What can we use for spell-outs?
A: Title, Author, First & Last initial, Series

I just finished a C title. I can also do any of the other letters.

I asked in the Q&A about the 2 Leg chains to s..."


Leg 1: You each pick a letter. They do not need to be the same.

Leg 2: You each pick one. They do not need to be the same.

If I don't specify, you may each do your own thing.

I’ve got a C, L and W

Does this look right?

C - Laura
L - Louise
O - LaurLa
W - Laura
N - LaurLa

Louise, if you want to swap the L/W, I'm fine with that. Also fine if you want to do more on this spell-out. And of course you get to do more on the next one. :)

Books Tagged Maine:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...

Maine recommendations: I really enjoyed Shelter in Place. And Archer's Voice.

I've had Happy Place sitting on my nightstand for a month or 2 now, so I'll read that one for Maine. It's Blue & Yellow on the cover, so if we get to the chains before this round of TW ends I can fit it in there.

Laura wrote: "Does this look right?

C - Laura
L - Louise
O - LaurLa
W - Laura
N - LaurLa

Louise, if you want to swap the L/W, I'm fine with that. Also fine if you want to do more on this spell-out. And of cour..."

That’s fine, my L book also works for W and my C book also works for L

Laura wrote: "Books Tagged Maine:
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/..."

Thanks for sourcing that out!

Then I remembered this series that I have the last book to read: Maine Sullivans

I'll read my O starting today, it's 212 pp so terrible for TW, but I'll get through it quickish. I have a different book for N that is a list book for TW, so will read it after my O. If I get it finished before Louise finishes hers, I'll sub it in. If not, the series book I read will work.

LaurLa wrote: "I'll read my O starting today, it's 212 pp so terrible for TW, but I'll get through it quickish. I have a different book for N that is a list book for TW, so will read it after my O. If I get it fi..."

I'll have my W finished tomorrow morning, probably late morning.