Hooked on Books discussion
3RC Reading Challenge
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Ridiculously Random Reading Challenge: Richard {COMPLETED}
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Just to shake things up a bit more and keep them really random, I'm throwing caution...and my OCD...to the wind for this challenge. Your prompts will be given to you in random orders, with everyone following a different path. I'll be tracking your prompts on a separate spreadsheet to make sure we don't miss one.
If you would like to pick your starting place, tell me your favorite number between 1 and 72 before March 31st.
Michelle's Empty Nest wrote: "tell me your favorite number between 1 and 72"25
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If you drive south from Detroit, you'll hit Canada.
Head north from Windsor, Ontario, crossing the Detroit River, and you'll reach the good ol' US of A.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🇨🇦 1. Read a book set in Michigan.
🇨🇦 2. Read a book with a cityscape on the cover.
🇨🇦 3. Read a book with a directional word in the title.
🇨🇦 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is NOT found in WINDSOR.
Book: A Brief History of Thailand: Monarchy, War and Resilience: The Fascinating Story of the Gilded Kingdom at the Heart of AsiaAuthor: Richard A. Ruth
Date Read: Apr 3rd
Task: Cover - cityscape
How it Fits:
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Bog Snorkelling takes place in a 55-metre-long water-filled trench carved out of a peat bog (comprised of dead plant material).
Competitors wear snorkels and flippers and cannot use traditional swimming techniques, but rather must rely solely on flipper power to get across and back. Kirsty Johnson set the record back in 2014 with a time of 1 minute and 22.56 seconds.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🤿 1. Read a book published in 2014.
🤿 2. Read a book with a title that starts with a letter in SNORKELLING.
🤿 3. Read a book with some type of plant material on the cover.
🤿 4. Read a book that does not follow a "traditional" style. {dual-timelines, epistolary, etc.}
Book: A Gentleman from Japan: An Epic Sea Voyage, an Intriguing Tale of Espionage and the Forgotten Story of the First Japanese Explorer in Tudor EnglandAuthor: Thomas Lockley
Date Read: Apr 3rd
Task: Title - starts with a letter in SNORKELLING
How it Fits: G
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About 700 grapes go into one bottle of wine.
That's approximately 2.6 pounds, if you're wondering how much "fruit" you get when you uncork your favorite red.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🍇 1. Read a book with less than 700 reviews on Goodreads.
🍇 2. Read a book with a red or purple cover. {Your discretion.}
🍇 3. Read a book with a 2 and a 6 in the publication date.
🍇 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is NOT found in UNCORK.
Book: $100M Offers: How To Make Offers So Good People Feel Stupid Saying NoAuthor: Alex Hormozi
Date Read: Apr 4th
Task: Cover - red or purple
How it Fits:
Mod
Apple Pie isn't actually American at all.
The next time you call something "as American as apple pie," you might want to consider the fact that neither apple pies nor apples originally came from America. Apples are in fact native to Asia, and the first recorded recipe for apple pie was actually written in England.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🥧 1. Read a book set in America, England, or Asia.
🥧 2. Read a book that includes a recipe.
🥧 3. Read a book with a cliché in the text.
🥧 4. Read a book with an apple or other fruit on the cover.
Book: Americana: The Kinks, the Riff, the Road: The StoryAuthor: Ray Davies
Date Read: Apr 5th
Task: Set - America, England, or Asia
How it Fits: The book talks about The Kinks' US tour, until they were banned from playing in America
Mod
Parkour is the act of running, jumping, swinging, climbing, etc. based on military obstacle course training techniques.
It is often practiced in urban environments with the aim of getting from one point to another as quickly and as efficiently as possible without the use of specialized equipment.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🏃🏼♀️ 1. Read a book with a character who is in the military.
🏃🏼♀️ 2. Read a book set in an urban environment.
🏃🏼♀️ 3. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in PARKOUR.
🏃🏼♀️ 4. Read a book with any of these words in the text: running, jumping, swinging, climbing. {variations accepted}
Book: Keep Your Love On: Connection Communication And BoundariesAuthor: Danny Silk
Date Read: Apr 7th
Task: Title - starts with a letter in PARKOUR
How it Fits: K
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The hashtag symbol is technically called an octothorpe.
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the "octo-" prefix refers to the eight points on the popular symbol, but the "thorpe" remains a mystery. One theory claims that it comes from the Old English word for "village," based on the idea that the symbol looks like a village surrounded by eight fields!
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
#️⃣ 1. Read a book with an MPG of MYSTERY.
#️⃣ 2. Read a book with an 8 in the page count.
#️⃣ 3. Read a book with all the letters of THORPE in the title.
#️⃣ 4. Read a book with the word VILLAGE found in the text.
Book: Chasing Aphrodite: The Hunt for Looted Antiquities at the World's Richest MuseumAuthor: Jason Felch
Date Read: Apr 10th
Task: Title - all the letters of THORPE
How it Fits: aPHROdiTE
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A group of bunnies is called a "fluffle."
Most people dub them a herd, but apparently parts of Northern Canada use this much cuter designation.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🐰 1. Read a book with 3 or more Fs in the title.
🐰 2. Read a book with a group of something on the cover.
🐰 3. Read a book tagged ANIMALS any number of times.
🐰 4. Read a book that had a "cute" plot.
Book: Five Minds for the FutureAuthor: Howard Gardner
Date Read: Apr 11th
Task: Title - 3+ Fs
How it Fits: Five minds For the Future
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You can hear a blue whale's heartbeat from more than 2 miles away.
The world's largest animal's heart weighs about 400 pounds — approximately the size of a small piano.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🐳 1. Read a book with a blue cover.
🐳 2. Read a book where someone plays a piano.
🐳 3. Read a book with all the letters of HEART found in the title.
🐳 4. Read a book with a 2 in the page count.
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The Mud-Pit Belly Flop is one of the biggest events that takes place during the ‘Redneck Games.'
The event, of course, takes place in a giant mud pit and the crowd gathered to watch chooses the winner by judging who can make the biggest, muddiest splash. The winner receives a trophy – always featuring a smashed beer can.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
👀 1. Read a book where the MC drinks a beer.
👀 2. Read a book with a crowd, more than 4 people, on the cover.
👀 3. Read a book where someone wins a trophy.
👀 4. Read a book where the title ENDS with a letter in REDNECK.
Book: Nettle Power: Forage, Feast & Nourish Yourself with This Remarkable Healing PlantAuthor: Brigitte Mars
Date Read: Apr 12th
Task: Title - ends with a letter in REDNECK
How it Fits: R
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Facebook has more users than many major populations.
At 2.89 billion monthly users, Facebook overshadows China's (1.4 billion) and India's (1.3 billion) populations.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
ƒ 1. Read a book where social media is used/mentioned.
ƒ 2. Read a book set in China.
ƒ 3. Read a book with all the letters of FACEBOOK found in the title.
ƒ 4. Read a book where at least two of these digits are found in the publication date: 2, 8, 9.
Book: Life Skills: How to Cook, Clean, Manage Money, Fix Your Car, Perform CPR, and Everything in BetweenAuthor: Julia Laflin
Date Read: Apr 13th
Task: Published - 2 of 2, 8, 9
How it Fits: July 28, 2020
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In a Wood Chopping competition, the aim of the game is to be the first “axeman” to chop or saw through a log or block of wood.
These sorts of competitions are often found at places such as state fairs and agricultural shows and have been around since 1870.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🪚 1. Read a book where the MC goes to a state fair or a similar place.
🪚 2. Read a book with at least two of these numbers in the page count: 1870.
🪚 3. Read a book with the word CHOP or SAW found in the text.
🪚 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in AXEMAN.
Book: A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of AfricaAuthor: Howard W. French
Date Read: Apr 14th
Task: Pages - at least two of these numbers in the page count: 1870
How it Fits: 280 pages
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The longest wedding veil was longer than 63 football fields.
If you thought Meghan Markle's wedding veil was long, get this: there's a woman in Cyprus who set the Guinness World Record for the longest wedding veil. How long was it, you ask? Nearly 23,000 feet, which is the same length as about 63.5 football fields.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
👰🏻♀️ 1. Read a book with something related to a bride on the cover.
👰🏻♀️ 2. Read a book where someone gets married.
👰🏻♀️ 3. Read a book that is long - more than 400 pages.
👰🏻♀️ 4. Read a book with a 6 and a 3 in the total number of reviews.
Book: All You Need to Know About the Music Business: Eleventh EditionAuthor: Donald S. Passman
Date Read: Apr 15th
Task: Pages - 401+
How it Fits: 548 pages
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Baby elephants suck their trunks for comfort.
They're just like human newborns making funny faces, except a tad bigger.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🐘 1. Read a book you found comforting.
🐘 2. Read a book with an animal on the cover.
🐘 3. Read a book tagged FUNNY any number of times.
🐘 4. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in NEWBORNS.
Mod
We're all stars.
Okay, technically we're all made of stardust, but that's still pretty cool. Recent research found that humans and the galaxy share 97% of the same kind of atoms.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🌌 1. Read a book with a nighttime scene on the cover.
🌌 2. Read a book where the word STAR is found in the text.
🌌 3. Read a book with a 9 OR a 7 found in the page count.
🌌 4. Read a book with an MPG of NON-FICTION.
Book: The Pursuit of HappynessAuthor: Chris Gardner
Date Read: Apr 17th
Task: MPG - non fiction
How it Fits: 1st MPG
Mod
Only one NFL team has a plant for a logo.
The New Orleans Saints' fleur-de-lis is actually a stylized lily historically associated with the French monarchy. It's also the state symbol of Louisiana and appears on the Quebec flag.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
⚜️ 1. Read a book where a character plays or watches football.
⚜️ 2. Read a book set in Louisiana, France, or Canada.
⚜️ 3. Read a book with a logo or a flag on the cover.
⚜️ 4. Read a book with all the letters of MONARCHY in the title.
Book: Invincible: My Journey from Fan to NFL Team CaptainAuthor: Vince Papale
Date Read: Apr 17th
Task: Plot - character plays or watches football
How it Fits: It's in the title
Mod
Baby sea otters can't swim right away.
Their moms will wrap them in pieces of kelp while they hunt until the buoyant pups learn how to paddle around on their own. A raft of otters will also hold hands while they sleep so they don't drift apart!
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🦦 1. Read a book where someone swims.
🦦 2. Read a book with people holding hands on the cover.
🦦 3. Read a book with the word SLEEP found in the text.
🦦 4. Read a book MC's first initial is found in BUOYANT.
Book: Almost InterestingAuthor: David Spade
Date Read: Apr 18th
Task: Text - 'sleep'
How it Fits: "I mean it wasn’t a mistake to sleep with her" p.165
Mod
You can major in wine at Cornell University.
Technically it's a degree in "Viticulture and Enology" (a.k.a. the cultivation of grapes and the science of winemaking), but we're still sending in our applications.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🍷 1. Read a book at least partially set on a university campus.
🍷 2. Read a book where a character consumes wine.
🍷 3. Read a book with some type of fruit or alcoholic beverage on the cover.
🍷 4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are found in VITICULTURE ENOLOGY.
Book: More Doctor Who and Philosophy: Regeneration TimeAuthor: Courtland Lewis
Date Read: Apr 20th
Task: Author - initials in VITICULTURE ENOLOGY
How it Fits: CL
Mod
The 100 folds in a chef's hat represent 100 ways to cook an egg.
Yes, that tall, pleated white hat that chefs wear — technically called a toque — has 100 folds for a reason! According to Reluctant Gourmet, the pleats used to signify a chef's level of experience, like the number of ways he or she knew how to prepare eggs.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
👩🏼🍳 1. Read a book with a mostly white cover. {Your discretion.}
👩🏼🍳 2. Read a book where the MC is described as being tall.
👩🏼🍳 3. Read a book with a 1 and 2 0s found in the publication date.
👩🏼🍳 4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are found in RELUCTANT GOURMET.
Book: Silent SpringAuthor: Rachel Carson
Date Read: Apr 21st
Task: Author - initials in RELUCTANT GOURMET
How it Fits: RC
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Unsurprisingly, Chess Boxing involves both the classic game of chess and the popular sport of boxing.
The competitors alternate between 5 rounds of boxing and 6 rounds of chess for a total of 11 rounds, each lasting 3-minutes. The game was inspired by a French comic and invented by Dutch artist Lepe Rubingh.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🥊 1. Read a book where a character plays chess or another board game.
🥊 2. Read a book that has a French or a Dutch translation.
🥊 3. Read a book with an MPG of HUMOR or COMEDY.
🥊 4. Read a book with the word boxing {can also be box, boxes, boxed, etc.} found in the text.
Book: 101 Quantum Questions: What You Need to Know About the World You Can't SeeAuthor: Kenneth W. Ford
Date Read: Apr 21st
Task: Text - 'box'
Hw it Fits: "Imagine a tiny box containing two particles and nothing else." p.138
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Originally invented in Finland, Wife Carrying is a sport that involves a male competitor racing through 2 dry obstacles and 1 water obstacle approximately 1 meter deep all while carrying a female teammate.
The female must weigh at least 108 lb (49 kg) or additional weight will be added to her. Teams who complete the course in the shortest time win with additional prizes for best costume, etc.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
💍 1. Read a book with a married MC.
💍 2. Read a book set at least partially in Finland.
💍 3. Read a book where a character feels weighted down in some way.
💍 4. Read a book where a character carries something or someone.
Book: The Border: A Journey Around Russia Through North Korea, China, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Poland, ... Finland, Norway, and the Northeast PassageAuthor: Erika Fatland
Date Read: Apr 23rd
Task: Set - least partially in Finland
How it Fits: It's in the subtitle
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The odds of getting a royal flush are exactly 1 in 649,740.
Poker fiends have a slightly better chance of laying down a straight flush: Try 72,192 to 1. Out of the 7,462 distinct five-card poker hands, you have a 42% chance of getting a single pair though.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🃏 1. Read a book where a character plays a hand of cards.
🃏 2. Read a book with a bathroom scene.
🃏 3. Read a book with the word ROYAL found in the text.
🃏 4. Read a book with more than 649,740 ratings.
Book: Women Who Kill: Profiles of Female Serial KillersAuthor: Carol Anne Davis
Date Read: Apr 24th
Task: Plot - bathroom scene
How it Fits: "She kept coming into the bathroom when Caroline was having a bath and would talk to her whilst suggestively stroking her hair." p.195
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Zorbing is considered a recreational sport that involves rolling down a hill in a transparent plastic orb – essentially a “hamster ball."
It is generally used on hills, but can also be used on water, as well as flat surfaces. Orbs with no harnesses can carry up to three people, whereas a harnessed orb can only carry 1 or 2.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🐹 1. Read a book with a Z in the title.
🐹 2. Read a book with something made of plastic on the cover.
🐹 3. Read a book with the word TRANSPARENT found in the text.
🐹 4. Read a book where the author's last name ENDS with a letter in HAMSTER.
Book: Popular Magic: Cunning-folk in English HistoryAuthor: Owen Davies
Date Read: Apr 25th
Task: Author - LN ends with a letter in HAMSTER
How it Fits: S
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Worm Charming is a competitive sport with the aim of attracting earthworms out of the ground.
The competitor that charms the most worms within a set period of time and a set zone on the ground wins. In 2009, Sophie Smith of England (aged 10) set the world record with 567 worms.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🪱 1. Read a book where the title contains an -ing word.
🪱 2. Read a book with an author who has the same first and last initials.
🪱 3. Read a book published before 2009.
🪱 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is NOT found in WORM.
Book: Obsessive, Intrusive, Magical ThinkingAuthor: Marianne Eloise
Date Read: Apr 27th
Task: Title - '-ing' word
How it Fits: Thinking
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Popular at lumberjack competitions, Axe Throwing is a sport in which players throw an axe at a target, attempting to reach the bulls-eye.
On the target, the outside ring is worth 1 point, the second ring is worth 2 points, and so on with the bulls-eye worth 5 points. In a game, each player is allowed 5 throws with a maximum of 25 points possible.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🪓 1. Read a book with all the letters of AXE in the title.
🪓 2. Read a book with a 25 intact in the page count or publication date.
🪓 3. Read a book a round object, like a target, on the cover.
🪓 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in LUMBERJACK.
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Ridiculously Random Reading Challenge
Individual, Open-Ended
April 1, 2025 - March 31, 2027
You know how most reading challenges you join have some type of theme or main idea, kind of like the books themselves? Well, this one...not so much! We'll look at Crown Jewels, Greasy Pole Climbing, Model Ts, Zorbing, and anything and everything in between. So buckle up for the ride and enjoy!
Each time you satisfy a task, make a post here IN YOUR OWN THREAD. Please use the following example for your Completion Post.
Prompt # / Name: {For example: #1: Octothorpe}
Book:
Author:
Date Read:
Pages:
Task:
How it Fits:
If you have any questions about this challenge, please post them in the Ridiculously Random Q&A Thread.
Challenge Rules:
📘 Standard Rules Apply
📘 I will create an individual thread for you prior to the start date.
📘 Your first prompt will be posted on April 1, 2025.
📘 Books must be completed after the task has been posted. For example, if your task is posted on 4-15, you can't use a book you completed on 4-14.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If a set of tasks is too difficult or just out of your comfort zone, you have 4 SKIPS to use in this challenge. In order to use a SKIP, read any book that meets the Standard Book Qualifications for Hooked on Books. The link is in the Challenge Rules above. Simply list SKIP on the Task line.