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3RC Reading Challenge
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Ridiculously Random Reading Challenge: Maddy
Mod
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.
Lol. As if you could give up your OCD. I have tried to give up mine and it never works :D My favorite number is 24 btw ;)
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Giant Pumpkin Kayaking is quite simply the sport of kayaking inside of a giant, hollowed-out pumpkin.
The most famous race takes place on Lake Pesaquid in Nova Scotia at the annual Windsor Pumpkin Regatta. The course is a half-mile long and competitors often decorate their pumpkins with paint and flags.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🎃 1. Read a book set at least partially in Canada.
🎃 2.Read a book with all the letters of KAYAK in the title. {2 As, 2 Ks}
🎃 3. Read a book with something painted or flags on the cover.
🎃 4. Read a book with the word PUMPKIN found in the text.
Prompt # / Name: #24: Giant Pumpkin KayakingBook: Death by Silver
Author: Melissa Scott
Date Read: Apr 5
Pages: 272
Task: 🎃 3. Read a book with something painted or flags on the cover.
How it Fits: painted cover
Mod
The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland.
Yes, although it's a fabled creature, the national animal of Scotland is actually the mythical unicorn � chosen because of its association with dominance and chivalry as well as purity and innocence in Celtic mythology. BRB, moving to Scotland real quick.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🦄 1. Read a book set in Scotland.
🦄 2. Read a book with all the letters of UNICORN found in the title.
🦄 3. Read a book tagged MYTHOLOGY any number of times.
🦄 4. Read a book where the author's first initial is NOT found in CELTIC.
Prompt # / Name: #10: National Animal of ScotlandBook: Fated Mates and When to Keep Them
Author: A.J. Sherwood
Date Read: Apr 10
Pages: 205
Task: 🦄 4. Read a book where the author's first initial is NOT found in CELTIC.
How it Fits: not found in CELTIC
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.
Prompt # / Name: #49: Baby Sea OttersBook: The Countess
Author: Lynsay Sands
Date Read: Apr 11
Pages: 389
Task: 🦦 3. Read a book with the word SLEEP found in the text.
How it Fits: "to sleep on a mattress" (page 90)
Mod
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.
Prompt # / Name: #1: OctothorpeBook: Elephants Can Remember
Author: Agatha Christie
Date Read: Apr 12
Pages: 225
Task: #️⃣ 1. Read a book with an MPG of MYSTERY.
How it Fits: MPG Mystery
Mod
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.
Prompt # / Name: #30: Mud-Pit Belly FlopBook: How Not to Marry a Prince
Author: Megan Derr
Date Read: Apr 12
Pages: 156
Task: 👀 4. Read a book where the title ENDS with a letter in REDNECK.
How it Fits: Ends with E
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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.
Prompt # / Name: #72: ZorbingBook: Wrong Place Wrong Time
Author: Gillian McAllister
Date Read: Apr 21
Pages: 416
Task: 🐹 4. Read a book where the author's last name ENDS with a letter in HAMSTER.
How it Fits: Ends with R
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Ultimate Taser Ball is a kind of extreme and crazy sport that not many would have heard of or believe that it is true. It involves players carrying a real taser gun and using it on opponents to gain possession of the ball. If you are thinking, who would have come up with such an idea, the honors go to three California natives: Leif Kellenberger, Eric Prum, and Erik Wunsch.
The game is played on a 200 x 85 feet field. The ball used is a large 24 inch diameter inflated ball. The objective of the sport is to successfully carry the ball onto the opponents goalpost without getting tased en-route.
Rather than allowing players to go wild with their stun guns, the game fortunately has a rule that only players that have possession of the ball can be tased. The stun guns used emit a maximum of five milliamps, enough to cause muscle spasms to give up the ball, but well under the 1 amp lethal dose, and hence causes no permanent damage.
It's not hard to imagine that the sport was not well received. People would rather play than get tased and fall on their face. The founders, however, seem to be working towards getting a minor league going for the sport.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🔫 1. Read a book with a character who is in law enforcement.
🔫 2. Read a book where the title ENDS with a letter in EXTREME.
🔫 3. Read a book with a plot that seems too crazy to be true.
🔫 4. Read a book where the MC's first name ENDS with a letter in LETHAL.
Prompt # / Name: #54: Ultimate Taser BallBook: Monster Mayhem
Author: Amanda M. Lee
Date Read: Apr 22
Pages: 314
Task: 🔫 1. Read a book with a character who is in law enforcement.
How it Fits: Mc police officer
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Originating in Spain, Bossaball comprises elements of volleyball, football (soccer), gymnastics, and capoeira, which is an Afro-Brazilian cultural practice simultaneously involving a fight and a dance.
The game is played on an inflatable course with inbuilt trampolines on each side. The teams consist of 4 - 5 players with the aim of getting the ball over the net without the other team being able to return it.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🏐 1. Read a book that you rated 4 - 5 stars.
🏐 2. Read a book where a character fights or dances.
🏐 3. Read a book set at least partially in Spain.
🏐 4. Read a book where the MC's first name does NOT start with a letter in BOSSABALL.
Prompt # / Name: #9: BossaballBook: Cards on the Table
Author: Agatha Christie
Date Read: Apr 23
Pages: 336
Task: 🏐 1. Read a book that you rated 4 - 5 stars.
How it Fits: 4 stars
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Cycleball is also known as “Radball� and is essentially a game of football (or ‘soccer� depending on which country you’re from) played on bicycles.
Unlike traditional football, however, players use the bike to control, flick, and move the ball into the opposing team’s goal. The bikes used have fixed gears with no brakes and there tends to be 2 players on each team.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🚴♀� 1. Read a book with two main/major characters.
🚴♀� 2. Read a book that has also been known by another title.
🚴♀� 3. Read a book with a bicycle on the cover.
🚴♀� 4. Read a book where the author's first initial is NOT found in FIXED GEARS.
Prompt # / Name: #18: CycleballBook: How to Solve Your Own Murder
Author: Kristen Perrin
Date Read: Apr 24
Pages: 366
Task: 🚴♀� 4. Read a book where the author's first initial is NOT found in FIXED GEARS.
How it Fits: K
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The Running of the Bulls takes place in the summer in Pamplona, Spain.
The event involves patrons running in front of 6 bulls that have been let loose in the town’s streets. Every year between 50-100 injuries are reported with 15 deaths reported since 1910.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🐂 1. Read a book with an animal on the cover.
🐂 2. Read a book where multiple characters die.
🐂 3. Read a book with between 50,000 and 100,000 ŷ ratings.
🐂 4. Read a book set mostly in the summer.
Prompt # / Name: #42: Running of the BullsBook: Murder in the Mews
Author: Agatha Christie
Date Read: Apr 24
Pages: 378
Task: 🐂 2. Read a book where multiple characters die.
How it Fits: several characters die
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Chocolate is (kinda) a fruit.
In more great chocolate news, the cocoa powder that goes into our fave best dark chocolate bars comes from the "beans" � or fruit of the cacao tree.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
�1. Read a book with a brown cover. {Your discretion.}
�2. Read a book with all the letters of CACAO found in the title.
�3. Read a book with the word BEANS found in the text.
�4. Read a book where a character gets great news.
Prompt # / Name: #59: A Fruit?Book: Dumb Witness
Author: Agatha Christie
Date Read: Apr 26
Pages: 317
Task: �4. Read a book where a character gets great news
How it Fits: The beneficiary of the will gets good news
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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.
Prompt # / Name: #3: Axe ThrowingBook: The North Water
Author: Ian McGuire
Date Read: Apr 30
Pages: 255
Task: 🪓 2. Read a book with a 25 intact in the page count or publication date.
How it Fits: 255
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Four times more people speak English as a second language than as a native one.
While more people speak English as a second language, nearly three times more people speak Mandarin Chinese natively.
English has nearly two billion people learning it as a second language and only 350 million people speaking it natively.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🗣 1. Read a book where the MC could be speaking English as a second language.
🗣 2. Read a book with all the letters of MANDARIN found in the title.
🗣 3. Read a book with more than 350 pages.
🗣 4. Read a book with the word NATIVE found in the text.
Prompt # / Name: #28: Speaking EnglishBook: The Spectre of Hawthorne Manor
Author: Anna Elliott
Date Read: May 6
Pages: 441
Task: 🗣 3. Read a book with more than 350 pages.
How it Fits: 441 pages
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The famous Tuna Toss is held as part of the Tunarama Festival in Port Lincoln, South Australia, in celebration of the local fishing industry. The event was first held in 1979, and is still going strong.
The competition is to throw a tuna as far as possible. Originally, a fresh tuna fish was used. Since 2008, competitors throw a weighted, plastic tuna in the initial heats. In the finals, they use a frozen 9 or 10kg Southern Bluefin Tuna, with a rope handle threaded through its gills. No fish are killed for the competition, only undersized fish that have died naturally are used.
The most successful competitors use a hammer throwing technique, spinning several times before unleashing the tuna. The current record for the longest throw is held by Australian Olympic hammer thrower, Sean Carlin, who threw 37.23 meters in 1998. Carlin also holds the Australian hammer throw record. The women's record of 22.15m was set in 2002 by hammer thrower Brook Kruger. The winners take home $1,000, and second place wins $500.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🐟 1. Read a book set at least partially in Australia.
🐟 2. Read a book published since 2008.
🐟 3. Read a book where a character eats any kind of fish.
🐟 4. Read a book where the MC or the author is named Sean or Brook. {spelling variations accepted}
Prompt # / Name: #51: Tuna TossBook: Wrecked for the Holidays
Author: Kerry Kilpatrick
Date Read: May 17
Pages: 143
Task: 🐟 3. Read a book where a character eats any kind of fish.
How it Fits: "I'll have the grilled salmon and steamed vegetables with butter" (page 108)
Mod
A team of six women programmed the first digital computer.
While historians have only recently recognized their achievements (or female discoveries credited to men), the female mathematicians participated in a World War II program coding instructions into the revolutionary Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer (ENIAC).
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
⌨️ 1. Read a book with a strong female lead.
⌨️ 2. Read a book with all the letters of ENIAC found in the title.
⌨️ 3. Read a book set during World War II.
⌨️ 4. Read a book where a character uses a computer.
Prompt # / Name: #65: ENIACBook: Welcome Death
Author: Glyn Daniel
Date Read: May 17
Pages: 180
Task: ⌨️ 3. Read a book set during World War II.
How it Fits: set at the end of WWII when soldiers started returning home
Mod
There are over 10 holidays that celebrate chocolate.
The National Confectioners Association recognizes everything from National Milk Chocolate Day to National Bittersweet Chocolate With Almonds Day. National Chocolate Day alone happens three times annually: July 7, October 28 and December 28.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🍫 1. Read a book where a character eats chocolate.
🍫 2. Read a book where the same type of thing happens at least 3 times.
🍫 3. Read a book with a bittersweet ending.
🍫 4. Read a book where the MC's FIRST initial is NOT found in ALMONDS.
Prompt # / Name: #58: Chocolate HolidaysBook: Still Life
Author: Louise Penny
Date Read: May 22
Pages: 377
Task: 🍫 3. Read a book with a bittersweet ending.
How it Fits: bittersweet ending
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In Outhouse Racing, an outhouse (outdoor toilet) is kitted with wheels, brakes, and a steering system, and is raced down hills with competitors sitting on the toilet seat inside.
Competitors decorate their outhouses with clever names like “Royal Flush� and the first outhouse to make it across the finish line wins.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🚽 1. Read a book where a character decorates something.
🚽 2. Read a book with all the letters of OUTHOUSE in the title and/or subtitle.
🚽 3. Read a book with something with a steering system on the cover.
🚽 4. Read a book where a character sits down.
Prompt # / Name: #33: Outhouse RacingBook: Rule #.5: Never Crush on the Captain
Author: Portia Blake
Date Read: May 23
Pages: 126
Task: 🚽 4. Read a book where a character sits down.
How it Fits: MC has a concussion and spends most of his time sitting down
Mod
The voices of Mickey and Minnie Mouse got married in real life.
Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor were married for 18 years until Allwine's death in 2009.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🐭 1. Read a book where someone dies.
🐭 2. Read a book published in 2009.
🐭 3. Read a book with a 1 and an 8 in the page count.
🐭 4. Read a book with some type of animal on the cover.
Prompt # / Name: #13: Mickey & MinnieBook: Brick
Author: M. Tasia
Date Read: May 24
Pages: 141
Task: 🐭 1. Read a book where someone dies.
How it Fits: The villain dies
Mod
Extreme Ironing is considered a ‘danger sport� in which people take ironing boards to various, often remote, locations to iron clothes and take a picture.
Some of the locations have included cliff tops, underwater, in the middle of a motorway, and also while skiing and parachuting.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🧺 1. Read a book where the MC has a dangerous career/hobby.
🧺 2. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in EXTREME.
🧺 3. Read a book set at least partially in a remote location.
🧺 4. Read a book where a character irons or does other household chores.
Prompt # / Name: #21: Extreme IroningBook: Red Delicious Death
Author: Sheila Connolly
Date Read: May 26
Pages: 304
Task: 🧺 2. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in EXTREME.
How it Fits: Title R
Mod
Quidditch was invented by J.K. Rowling in her Harry Potter series and involves 2 teams of 7 players mounted on broomsticks with 4 different balls and goals on either side of the pitch.
The game has since been adapted for the real world with the ultimate goal being to score more goals than the other team before the ‘snitch� is caught.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🧹 1. Read a book where one character snitches on another.
🧹 2. Read a book that is part of a series.
🧹 3. Read a book where the author uses initials in their name.
🧹 4. Read a book with a storyline that could be adapted into a board game or a real-life game.
Prompt # / Name: #39: QuidditchBook: Evil Under the Sun
Author: Agatha Christie
Date Read: May 29
Pages: 220
Task: 🧹 2. Read a book that is part of a series.
How it Fits: Hercule Poirot #24
Mod
Some cats are allergic to people.
FYI for all you people allergic to cats: they might be allergic to you, too! It's pretty uncommon due to the fact that we bathe ourselves more often than other species and don't shed as much hair or dead skin, but yes, it does happen.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🐈 1. Read a book with a cat on the cover.
🐈 2. Read a book where someone takes a bath or a shower.
🐈 3. Read a book with all the letters of ALLERGIC found in the title/subtitle.
🐈 4. Read a book with the word HAIR or SKIN found in the text.
Prompt # / Name: #7: Allergic CatsBook: Unexplored
Author: Anna Hackett
Date Read: May 31
Pages: 206
Task: 🐈 2. Read a book where someone takes a bath or a shower.
How it Fits: MC takes a bath
Mod
Snail Racing is essentially a race between ordinary garden snails, with snail racing events taking place around the world.
The snails tend to race on a 13 - 14 inch circular track and start in the center with the winning snail being the first to reach the perimeter. Racing numbers or stickers are often put on the shells in order to distinguish each competitor.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🐌 1. Read a book with the word CRAWL in the text.
🐌 2. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in SNAIL.
🐌 3. Read a book where the author's last initial is found in GARDEN.
🐌 4. Read a book where the publisher's name starts with a letter in SHELL.
Prompt # / Name: #45: Snail RacingBook: Demon
Author: Rinda Elliott
Date Read: May 31
Pages: 145
Task: 🐌 3. Read a book where the author's last initial is found in GARDEN.
How it Fits: R.E.
Mod
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.
Prompt # / Name: #69: Worm CharmingBook: Missing Lynx
Author: Eve Langlais
Date Read: June 6
Pages: 154
Task: 🪱 1. Read a book where the title contains an -ing word.
How it Fits: missing
Hooked on Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Demons Do It Better (other topics)P.S. I Spook You (other topics)
Kicking It in Vegas (other topics)
Basilisk (other topics)
Missing Lynx (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Louisa Masters (other topics)S.E. Harmon (other topics)
Riley Long (other topics)
Rinda Elliott (other topics)
Eve Langlais (other topics)
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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.