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3RC Reading Challenge
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Ridiculously Random Reading Challenge: Heli
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.
Such a fun idea! My favorite number is 9.
Mod
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: The Imperial Alchemist
Author: A.H. Wang
Date Read: 4/4/25
Pages: 390
Task: Read a book where the MC's first name does NOT start with a letter in BOSSABALL.
How it Fits: MC Georgia
Mod
Pumpkins, squash, and gourds are all technically the same species.
That's right, your zucchini and Jack o' lanterns are one and the same: Cucurbita pepo, a species that originated in Mexico more than 10,000 years ago. Farmers have since developed the many cultivars we know and use today.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
👩🏽� 1. Read a book with some type of vegetable on the cover.
👩🏽� 2. Read a book with at least 10,000 ratings.
👩🏽� 3. Read a book set in Mexico.
👩🏽� 4. Read a book where the author's first AND last initials are found in CUCURBITA PEPO.
Prompt # / Name: #35: Pumpkins, Squash, and Gourds...Oh My!Book: Men at Arms
Author: Terry Pratchett
Date Read: 4/5/25
Pages: 363
Task: Read a book with at least 10,000 ratings.
How it Fits: 107,901 ratings.
Mod
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.
Prompt # / Name: #23: Royal FlushBook: The Inheritance Games
Author: Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Date Read: 4/9/25
Pages: 384
Task: Read a book with more than 649,740 ratings.
How it Fits: 943,816 ratings
Mod
The moon has its own time zones.
An astronomer even designed a special watch that relies on "lunations," or the amount of time it takes for the moon to revolve and rotate around the Earth.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🌙 1. Read a book with a moon, watch, or clock on the cover.
🌙 2. Read a book with the word REVOLVE or ROTATE found in the text.
🌙 3. Read a book where the MC's first name ENDS with a letter in EARTH.
🌙 4. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in LUNATIONS.
Prompt # / Name: #64: Moon Time ZonesBook: Saari kaukana kaikesta
Author: Samuel Bjørk
Date Read: 4/10/25
Pages: 411
Task: Read a book where the title starts with a letter in LUNATIONS.
How it Fits: Title starts with the letter S.
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: In the Dark
Author: Cara Hunter
Date Read: 4/12/25
Pages: 444
Task: Read a book MC's first initial is found in BUOYANT.
How it Fits: MC Adam
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: Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture
Author: Roxane Gay
Date Read: 4/12/25
Pages: 346
Task: Read a book where the title ENDS with a letter in REDNECK.
How it Fits: Title ends with letter E.
Mod
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: Silent Scream
Author: Angela Marsons
Date Read: 4/13/25
Pages: 390
Task: Read a book where the author's last name ENDS with a letter in HAMSTER.
How it Fits: Author's last name ends with letter S.
Mod
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.
Prompt # / Name: #5: Wedding VeilBook: Moment of Truth
Author: Lisa Scottoline
Date Read: 4/18/25
Pages: 448
Task: Read a book that is long - more than 400 pages.
How it Fits: 448 pages.
Mod
Surprisingly, the sporting event of climbing a greased-up slippery pole is quite common around the world.
These traditional events are essentially the same - there is a long pole covered in grease, lard, or some other lubricant, and participants attempt to climb or walk along the pole to get to the other end, where there may be a prize or flag to recover.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🎁 1. Read a book where a character climbs something.
🎁 2. Read a book where the title does NOT start with a letter in GREASY POLE.
🎁 3. Read a book where the MC wins a prize of any type.
🎁 4. Read a book with the word FLAG found in the text.
Prompt # / Name: #27: Greasy Pole ClimbingBook: Mad about You
Author: Mhairi McFarlane
Date Read: 4/20/25
Pages: 400
Task: Read a book where the title does NOT start with a letter in GREASY POLE.
How it Fits: Title starts with letter M.
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: The Soul Killer
Author: Ross Greenwood
Date Read: 4/21/25
Pages: 346
Task: Read a book with an MPG of MYSTERY.
How it Fits: MPG Mystery
Mod
M&M stands for Mars and Murrie.
Forrest Mars (son of the Mars Company founder) first spotted the British confection Smarties during the Spanish Civil War and noticed the candy shell prevented the chocolate from melting. He teamed up with Bruce Murrie (son of Hershey Chocolate's president) and the company later trademarked the "Melts in Your Mouth, Not in Your Hand" slogan.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🔴 1. Read a book with an alliterative title.
🔴 2. Read a book with at least two men on the cover.
🔴 3. Read a book tagged SPACE any number of times.
🔴 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in HERSHEY.
Prompt # / Name: #16: M&MsBook: Lepää rauhassa
Author: Sofie Sarenbrant
Date Read: 4/23/25
Pages: 352
Task: Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in HERSHEY.
How it Fits: MC Emma
Mod
Neil Armstrong didn't say "That's one small step for man."
The astronaut insists he actually stated, "That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." "That's the only way the statement makes any sense," Armstrong told biographer James Hansen. And for the record, no real astronaut ever uttered "Houston, we have a problem." � Tom Hanks only said that in the movie Apollo 13.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
👩🚀 1. Read a book with something small on the cover.
👩🚀 2. Read a book with double letters in the title.
👩🚀 3. Read a book where you can share a favorite quote.
👩🚀 4. Read a book author's first AND last initials are found in NEIL ARMSTRONG.
Prompt # / Name: #19: One Small StepBook: Napapiiri
Author: Liza Marklund
Date Read: 4/25/25
Pages: 365
Task: Read a book with double letters in the title.
How it Fits: Double I in the title.
Mod
The lyrebird can mimic almost any sounds it hears � including chainsaws.
Wildlife watchers have recorded the Australian species copying not only other birds but other animals, like koalas, and artificial sounds such as car alarms and camera shutters.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
📸 1. Read a book set in Australia.
📸 2. Read a book where one book seems to mimic another in plot or design.
📸 3. Read a book with a piece of machinery on the cover.
📸 4. Read a book with the word CAR or CAMERA found in the text.
Prompt # / Name: #29: The LyrebirdBook: Things We Never Got Over
Author: Lucy Score
Date Read: 4/28/25
Pages: 572
Task: Read a book with the word CAR or CAMERA found in the text.
How it Fits: Page 8: "my car was towed."
Mod
A $1 bill doesn't live as long as you'd think.
According to the Federal Reserve, each buck lasts about 6.6 years, and there's about $1.79 trillion of U.S. currency in circulation right now.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
💵 1. Read a book with money on the cover.
💵 2. Read a book you got for no money.
💵 3. Read a book with a title that starts with a letter in MONEY.
💵 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is NOT found in MONEY.
Prompt # / Name: #47: $1 BillBook: Remember Me ?
Author: Amanda Ashby
Date Read: 4/30/25
Pages: 310
Task: Read a book where the MC's first initial is NOT found in MONEY.
How it Fits: MC Paul.
Mod
Fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia.
Irrationally scared of clowns? You might have coulrophobia. Oh, and gephyrophobia is a fear of bridges.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
1️⃣3️⃣ 1. Read a book where someone has a great fear of something.
1️⃣3️⃣ 2. Read a book with a number, a clown, or a bridge on the cover.
1️⃣3️⃣ 3. Read a book with the number 13 intact in the page count or publication date.
1️⃣3️⃣ 4. Read a book where the first letter of each word in the title is found in TRISKAIDEKAPHOBIA. {3-word minimum}
Prompt # / Name: #46: TriskaidekaphobiaBook: Simply Lies
Author: David Baldacci
Date Read: 5/1/25
Pages: 433
Task: Read a book with the number 13 intact in the page count or publication date.
How it Fits: Published April 13, 2023.
Mod
The largest known living organism is an aspen grove.
Pando (Latin for "I spread out") is a group of genetically identical quaking aspens in Utah with an interconnected root system. It's an estimated 80,000 years old and takes up more than 100 acres.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🟡 1. Read a book set in Utah.
🟡 2. Read a book with more than 80,000 ratings.
🟡 3. Read a book with more than 100 reviews.
🟡 4. Read a book with a mostly yellow cover. {Your discretion.}
Prompt # / Name: #14: An Aspen GroveBook: Middlemarch
Author: George Eliot
Date Read: 5/2/25
Pages: 853
Task: Read a book with more than 80,000 ratings.
How it Fits: 172 990 ratings.
Mod
The Northern cardinal is the most popular state bird.
Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia all picked it as their favorite species. The western meadowlark takes second place as the honoree in six other states.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
♥️ 1. Read a book with a bird on the cover.
♥️ 2. Read a book set in any of the states listed above.
♥️ 3. Read a book where the title does NOT start with a letter in SPECIES.
♥️ 4. Read a book with a 6 in the page count.
Prompt # / Name: #41: Northern CardinalBook: Under My Skin
Author: Lisa Unger
Date Read: 5/3/25
Pages: 366
Task: Read a book where the title does NOT start with a letter in SPECIES.
How it Fits: Title starts with letter U.
Mod
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: A Wanted Man:
Author: Lee Child
Date Read: 5/9/25
Pages: 417
Task: Read a book with the word BEANS found in the text.
How it Fits: Page 27: "Then came more beans, and then came Sin City's glow in the distance."
Mod
Like Arm Wrestling or Thumb Wrestling, Toe Wrestling involves two competitors who lock bare feet in an attempt to pin the other person’s foot to the ground for at least 3 seconds.
There tends to be 3 rounds played with the winner having the best 2 out of 3.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
👣 1. Read a book where a character does something you think is gross.
👣 2. Read a book where toes/feet are visible on the cover.
👣 3. Read a book you would rate between 2 and 3 stars.
👣 4. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in TOE and ends with a letter in WRESTLING.
Prompt # / Name: #48: Toe WrestlingBook: The Alchemyst
Author: Michael Scott
Date Read: 5/17/25
Pages: 402
Task: Read a book where the title starts with a letter in TOE and ends with a letter in WRESTLING.
How it Fits: The title starts and ends with the letter T.
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: What the River Knows
Author: Isabel Ibañez
Date Read: 5/25/25
Pages: 416
Task: Read a book with a strong female lead.
How it Fits: MC Inez is a force to reckon with, a formidably strong female lead.
Mod
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.}
Prompt # / Name: #6: Bog SnorkellingBook: Something I Keep Upstairs
Author: J.D. Barker
Date Read: 5/30/25
Pages: 492
Task: Read a book with a title that starts with a letter in SNORKELLING.
How it Fits: Title starts with the letter S.
Mod
Coca-Cola consumers will pay more to drink less ounces.
Coca-Cola consumers prefer smaller packaging of their beverage and are willing to pay more per ounce. While soda consumption is declining in the U.S., Coca-Cola had a net revenue of $33 billion worldwide last year. Talk about vanity sizing!
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🥤 1. Read a book with a dashed word in the title.
🥤 2. Read a book where someone drinks a cola, soda, pop, whatever you call it where you're from.
🥤 3. Read a book with two 3s in the publication date.
🥤 4. Read a book you were willing to pay for.
Prompt # / Name: #32: Coca-ColaBook: The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
Author: Shannon Chakraborty
Date Read: 6/4/25
Pages: 493
Task: Read a book with a dashed word in the title.
How it Fits: Dashed word al-Sirafi.
Mod
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 ŷ.
🍇 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.
Prompt # / Name: #44: 700 GrapesBook: Shopaholic and Sister
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Date Read: 6/5/25
Pages: 388
Task: Read a book where the MC's first initial is NOT found in UNCORK.
How it Fits: MC Becky
Mod
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.
Hooked on Books
Books mentioned in this topic
My Favorite Scar (other topics)Shopaholic and Sister (other topics)
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi (other topics)
Something I Keep Upstairs (other topics)
What the River Knows (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Nicolás Ferraro (other topics)Sophie Kinsella (other topics)
Shannon Chakraborty (other topics)
J.D. Barker (other topics)
Isabel Ibañez (other topics)
More...
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.