A Ghastly Summer for Izzy > Likes and Comments
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Izzy
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Jun 08, 2026 04:03PM
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Hi Izzy, you'll need to add me as a friend so that I can see your TBR list. You can unadd me afterward if you like.
our Super Special TBR TaskAt the time of posting, you have the following books on your TBR. You can choose to read one of these in lieu of the listed task for each of your two passes.
Your first task will be posted on Jun 15.
Check-inIt's getting dark out by the time you get dropped off outside the massive AMMP Springs hotel, but you're so excited to finally be here that you hardly feel tired. All your work, your family, your stress has been left behind in the city. Now you're up in the mountains, and relaxing, empty days stretch out in front of you.
As soon as you walk into the lobby, you feel like you've stepped back in time. The huge chandelier overhead throws off a light like candlelight, the carpet underfoot is plush and red, and a smiling bellboy bustles up right away to take your bags and point you toward the front desk. And is that a suit of armor by the staircase?
"Welcome to the AMMP Springs," says the smiling clerk. "What name is the reservation under?"
You tell her, and then, carried away with your excitement, add that you've always wanted to stay here. "I've never stayed anywhere so famous before!"
The clerk's smile gets fixed. "Famous? What for? We're a perfectly ordinary hotel."
"But it's so historic!" you gush. "I mean, all the celebrities who've stayed here alone-"
"Historic, of course!" says the clerk. But she's surprisingly quiet as she finishes checking you in. It's a little odd, you figure it's just because it's been a long day. And when you get up to your room and take in the view of the valley outside your window, you forget all about it.
Task: Read a book with a title starting with a letter in CHECK-IN.
Book & Author Read: Husband Material by Xavier MayneDate Read: 2026.06.16
Task: Read a book with a title starting with a letter in CHECK-IN.
How it Fits: H in CHECK-IN
Embark on your adventure by reading for one of the activities below.Options:
1. Get a drink at the bar - Read a book with any kind of alcohol on the cover or mentioned in the text (wine, beer, a specific cocktail, etc.)
2. Go for a walk on the terrace - Read a book with only one person on the cover.
3. Go for a hike in the valley - Read a book with a green cover.
4. Check out the gift shop - Read a book in which a character gives or receives a present.
5. Go for a horseback ride - Read a book with MPG Historical.
6. Go boating on the lake - Read a book with a title starting with a letter in LAKE.
7. Explore the old railway tracks - Read a book with a method of transportation on the cover.
8. Visit the jewelry store - Read a book with any kind of gem or mineral (diamond, ruby, iron, etc.) in the title or the author's name.
Book & Author Read: Breeze Spells and Bridegrooms by Sarah Wallace and S.O. CallahanDate Read: 2026.06.17
Task: 5. Go for a horseback ride - Read a book with MPG Historical.
How it Fits: MPG Historical
You decide to go for a horseback ride. Read a book with MPG Historical.To go horseback riding at any other hotel, you'd usually have to venture offsite, but AMMP Springs has kept a full stable of its own since its founding over a century and a half ago. And on such a sunny, pleasant day, you can't think of anything you'd like to do more than go for a nice quiet ride along the shaded trail. And if you happen to lose your seat in the saddle - well, that's what the helmet is for!
The stablehand tells you that since the day's pretty quiet, you can have your pick of the three horses currently available.
Read for one of the following options:
a. Ride the bay horse. Read a book with a brown cover.
OR
b. Ride the black horse. Read a book with a black cover.
OR
c. Ride the chestnut horse. Read a book with a red cover.
Book & Author Read: Unfit to Print by K.J. CharlesDate Read: 2026.06.20
Task: b. Ride the black horse. Read a book with a black cover.
How it Fits: 84% black according to tineye
You choose to ride the lean black horse with sleepy dark eyes and a tail so long it seems to sweep the ground. Once you get in the saddle, he turns out to be quite sluggish, so that you have to constantly be nudging him along to keep him from coming to a stop and looking around lazily.You're so preoccupied urging him on that you almost don't notice the shadow which drifts over your head. It's just a raptor or a cloud, you figure, and ignore the sudden chill. But when your horse suddenly goes stock still, you realize that this isn't just him being lazy. When you look up, you make eye contact with a pair of glowing red eyes which stare out at you out of the undergrowth.
Your skin breaks out with goosebumps all over. You know you should flee, but you can't seem to move at all. As you watch, the shape in the trees comes closer, closer - until you see that it is a huge moth-like creature, with humanoid legs and great grey wings. It holds up a steaming mug in your direction. The familiar - and completely bizarre - scent of coffee wafts over you. You stare, shocked, but the Mothman keeps patiently holding out his offering.
Why not? You end up draining the mug.
Embark on your next adventure by reading for one of the activities below.Options:
1. Get a drink at the bar - Read a book with any kind of alcohol on the cover or mentioned in the text (wine, beer, a specific cocktail, etc.)
2. Go for a walk on the terrace - Read a book with only one person on the cover.
3. Go for a hike in the valley - Read a book with a green cover.
4. Check out the gift shop - Read a book in which a character gives or receives a present.
6. Go boating on the lake - Read a book with a title starting with a letter in LAKE.
7. Explore the old railway tracks - Read a book with a method of transportation on the cover.
8. Visit the jewelry store - Read a book with any kind of gem or mineral (diamond, ruby, iron, etc.) in the title or the author's name.
Book & Author Read: The Enchanter's Flame by Michele NotaroDate Read: 2026.06.24
Task: 6. Go boating on the lake - Read a book with a title starting with a letter in LAKE.
How it Fits: E in LAKE
The mountains around AMMP Springs are well known for their glacial lakes and springs - it's even in the hotel name! When the weather forecast calls for an unseasonably warm day, you figure the best way to spend it is to go kayaking on the lake. After a brief tutorial from the boathouse employee, you jam on a life jacket and get out on the water, where you while away a couple pleasant hours darting around the many small sandbanks and islands in the lake and admiring the view of the mountains.You really should have taken a closer look at the forecast for the afternoon though, because just as you start getting ready to leave the lake, an enormous storm descends. The wind whips the water into high driving waves, and the rain lashes your face. You need to get off the lake as soon as possible, or you may end up with your boat overturned!
Read for one of the following options:
a. Start rowing for the shore. Read a book with MPG Adventure.
OR
b. Start rowing for the closest island. Read a standalone book.
Book & Author Read: More Than Chemical by Leanne FarellaDate Read: 2026.06.26
Task: b. Start rowing for the closest island. Read a standalone book.
How it Fits: Not part of a series
You start rowing frantically for the closest island. Sure, once you get there you'll have to figure out how to shelter yourself from the rain, but the waves are so choppy that you'll be happy if you can just get off the water first. But when you're halfway there it becomes clear to you that you must be caught in some kind of cross-current, because even though you're rowing as hard as you can, you couldn't seem to be getting any closer. Meanwhile, the waves are just coming at you faster and harder, splashing up over the top of the kayak and into your face. You're beginning to feel really scared.Then, suddenly, your kayak starts racing toward the island, faster than anything manpower could produce - more like a motorboat. Confused, you look around, wondering if some Good Samaritan is towing you, but there's no one else out on the lake. Then you look behind you and see, perched on the very edge of your kayak, a single tentacle. And below the stormy water, there is a vast shadow which goes on and on, even as you get further and further away.
Then your kayak is flung up over the stony shore, and you find yourself sprawled across solid ground with a sob of relief. When you look back at the water, that single tentacle is up in the air, waving at you. You don't know what it is that rescued you, but you're so thankful that you don't care. You wave back.
Embark on your next adventure by reading for one of the activities below.Options:
1. Get a drink at the bar - Read a book with any kind of alcohol on the cover or mentioned in the text (wine, beer, a specific cocktail, etc.)
2. Go for a walk on the terrace - Read a book with only one person on the cover.
3. Go for a hike in the valley - Read a book with a green cover.
4. Check out the gift shop - Read a book in which a character gives or receives a present.
7. Explore the old railway tracks - Read a book with a method of transportation on the cover.
8. Visit the jewelry store - Read a book with any kind of gem or mineral (diamond, ruby, iron, etc.) in the title or the author's name.
Book & Author Read: Zel by Amanda MeuwissenDate Read: 2026.06.28
Task: 4. Check out the gift shop - Read a book in which a character gives or receives a present.
How it Fits: 13% "When Rudy released Zel’s hand, he flipped it over and dropped something into it that felt cold and weighty. It was a necklace, gold by the looks of it, with an emerald pendant."
In a hotel so luxurious and upscale as the AMMP Springs, you're sure the gift shop must be equally luxurious. And it's certainly big, spreading across the hallway to a second storefront, and carries all kind of inventory, from T-shirts and sweatshirts to magnets to postcards to snow globes and shot glasses. But the products and their designs seem kind of.. cliche?Read for one of the following options:
a. You love it! Read a book tagged favorite/s at least x10.
OR
b. Unimpressed, you ask, "Don't you have anything more unique?" Read a book with MPG Horror.
Book & Author Read: The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi LeeDate Read: 2026.06.28
Task: b. Unimpressed, you ask, "Don't you have anything more unique?" Read a book with MPG Horror.
How it Fits: Pass: one of my pass books
Who wants another fridge magnet or graphic sweatshirt? A unique place like AMMP Springs must have unique gifts too, and you're determined to see them.The teenage behind the counter looks a little anxious in the face of your determination, but after a moment he produces a key ring and steps out from the desk. "Are you sure?" he asks. You notice his hand is trembling, making the keys jangle discordantly.
"I can afford it," you say, annoyed.
But afterward, as you stagger out of the little back room into which the employee showed you, you wonder why you had been so pushy. You should have taken heed of his trembling hand, his pallor. Now you can never unsee that - thing you saw in there. When you close your eyes, you can almost see it flashing behind your eyelids - too great and sprawling for such a small space, embedded into the earth and walls, its uncountable fathomless eyes glittering like beetles' wings, all darting in that final heart-stopping moment toward you -
You decline to make a purchase.
Embark on your next adventure by reading for one of the activities below.Options:
1. Get a drink at the bar - Read a book with any kind of alcohol on the cover or mentioned in the text (wine, beer, a specific cocktail, etc.)
2. Go for a walk on the terrace - Read a book with only one person on the cover.
3. Go for a hike in the valley - Read a book with a green cover.
7. Explore the old railway tracks - Read a book with a method of transportation on the cover.
8. Visit the jewelry store - Read a book with any kind of gem or mineral (diamond, ruby, iron, etc.) in the title or the author's name.
Book & Author Read: How I Stole the Princess's White Knight and Turned Him to Villainy: The Complete Works by A.J. SherwoodDate Read: 2026.06.30
Task: 1. Get a drink at the bar - Read a book with any kind of alcohol on the cover or mentioned in the text (wine, beer, a specific cocktail, etc.)
How it Fits: 27% “I owe him a case of wine.”
The little door is tucked away under the stairs, but once you step through the room opens up into a speakeasy-style bar, complete with red velvet booths and garlands of crystal hanging down from the ceiling. All the booths are occupied with laughing groups of people, so you decide to sit up at the black marble bar and place an order for your favorite drink.Surprisingly, there's only one other person sitting at the bar. It's a young woman seems to have dressed to match the aesthetic of the bar in a dark red shift dress and long pearl necklace - her hair is even bobbed! She's nursing a cocktail, but keeps glancing over at you, rubbing her eyes like she's upset. After a little while of this, you can't help but take the bait. "What's wrong?" you ask.
She immediately turns to you and goes off in a tirade. "My husband's booted me from our room, that's what's wrong! All I said is that he shouldn't be unhappy about me dancing with other men when he hardly dances enough to satisfy me, and for that he turns me out and bolts the door! I've been sitting out here for ages! I ask you, what kind of man does that? What should I do?"
Read for one of the following options:
a. Tell her she should just leave him, he sucks! Read a book in which the main character is single at the end of the story.
OR
b. Tell her to get a room for the night and hash it out with him in the morning. Read a book with all the letters of ROOM in the title.
Book & Author Read: The Well of Ascension by Brandon SandersonDate Read: 2026.07.11
Task: a. Tell her she should just leave him, he sucks! Read a book in which the main character is single at the end of the story.
How it Fits: It definitely depends on who you consider "the" main character. Arguing that any POV character can be considered a main character, Sezed is a main character, and he is single at the end of the book. (Although it isn't the end of the story. This one is a cliffhanger.)
"Why are you letting any man treat you like that?" you demand. "Even if you're fighting, to just kick you out like that - that's so mean. Anything could have happened to you!"When her head lifts in surprise, you notice there's a stain on the front of her dress from where she must have spilled some wine. "You know," she says, surprised. "In all this time, I don't think anyone's ever said that to me. You've certainly given me something to think about..."
The next morning, you wake up with a mild headache and the sudden realization that you left your jacket on the barstool downstairs. When you burst into the bar and ask the bartender about it, though, he hands it to you with an absent look. Apparently there's more important things weighing on his mind. He's talking on the phone as you head for the door.
"I just don't understand where Ethel's gone," he says. "She's been here every day for eighty years!"
Embark on your next adventure by reading for one of the activities below.Options:
2. Go for a walk on the terrace - Read a book with only one person on the cover.
3. Go for a hike in the valley - Read a book with a green cover.
7. Explore the old railway tracks - Read a book with a method of transportation on the cover.
8. Visit the jewelry store - Read a book with any kind of gem or mineral (diamond, ruby, iron, etc.) in the title or the author's name.
Book & Author Read: In Too Deep by N.R. WalkerDate Read: 2026.07.12
Task: 2. Go for a walk on the terrace - Read a book with only one person on the cover.
How it Fits:
After a late dinner, you're so stuffed that you decide to go for a walk along the back terrace. Now that it's dark, the magnificent view of the valley beyond is completely shrouded, but you can still see the moonlight on the river way below, and that's pretty enough on its own. You're the only person on the terrace, so there's nothing to muffle the sound of the wind in the treetops, or the hoot of an owl in the distance.But after a moment, you see something strange far off in the distance. At first you think it might be some unusual stars - after all, it's so lightless here in the mountains that the sky seems filled with them. But these lights are an odd orange color, and they are moving. As you watch, they wheel overhead, becoming larger and larger. They are just lights, but they make you feel strangely uneasy. And just as strange, you can't seem to tear your eyes away.
How long do you stand there, watching the lights? You're not sure, because for some reason you can't feel the chill of the air anymore, or the ache of your feet. In fact, you lose track of everything until, abruptly, you discover that you are now halfway across the terrace, seated in a lounge chair. You don't remember walking there or sitting down. Your shoes are wet, but you don't remember having stepped in any water.
When you look at your phone, you see that two hours have passed.
Read for one of the following options:
a. Don't mention it to anyone and go straight to bed. Read a book with MPG War or Military.
OR
b. Mention it to the night clerk before you head up to bed. Read a book with MPG Sci Fi.
Book & Author Read: The Dragon Republic by R.F. KuangDate Read: 2026.07.18
Task: a. Don't mention it to anyone and go straight to bed. Read a book with MPG War or Military.
How it Fits: MPG War
n the morning, though you didn't order it, a man arrives with a room service breakfast anyway. "Compliment of AMMP Springs," he says, when you look askance at him. And lucky you, they've prepared your favorite breakfast food, and even made your coffee exactly as you like it! They've also left you a copy of the local newspaper, which you page through idly. It's cute - full of all the usual small town goings on, birth and marriage and death announcements, an article about the opening of a new bakery, and so on.Only the local news section has some interesting stuff today. Apparently, the military conducted a test of some new aircraft last night, right up over AMMP Springs! So that's what you must have seen, you realize. Then you flip to the personals section and go on reading, set at ease.
Embark on your next adventure by reading for one of the activities below.Options:
3. Go for a hike in the valley - Read a book with a green cover.
7. Explore the old railway tracks - Read a book with a method of transportation on the cover.
8. Visit the jewelry store - Read a book with any kind of gem or mineral (diamond, ruby, iron, etc.) in the title or the author's name.
Book & Author Read: Bitten by Kelley ArmstrongDate Read: 2026.07.21
Task: 3. Go for a hike in the valley - Read a book with a green cover.
How it Fits:
You decide to go for a walk down into the valley. Read a book with a green cover.The clerk up at the hotel told you that this trail gets pretty busy in the summer, but since you're staying at AMMP Springs so early in the season, you're the only person out and about. As you walk further into the woods and the trees swallow up the sight of the hotel, you could pretend you're the only person around for miles, even! For a little while, you just walk along in silence, drinking in the sight of the green trees and the bright wildflowers. As the path begins curving downward, you start hearing the sound of running water.
It seems you're not the only person in the woods, though. You look down across the water to see a couple standing on a rock outcropping, hands clasped. Their bridal finery is unmistakable - it's a wedding! Delighted, you look around for the officiant or wedding guests, but surprisingly they seem to be on their own. Not wanting to interrupt, you stand back and watch, admiring how beautiful the bride's dress looks amid all the greenery, and the look of love on their faces. The river rushing between you and them is so loud and fast that you can't make out what they're saying.
But all of a sudden, you notice her seem to stumble - him to slip - and all of a sudden they've gone tumbling down over the edge! You yell out, shocked, then see that all might not be lost. They've become tangled up in the branches which jut out from the side of the rock - a precarious position, but one keeping them away from the deadly water, for now. They might be saved, if you can move fast enough.
Read for one for the following options:
a. Run down to where you saw them and try to help. Read a book with no people on the cover.
OR
b. Run back to the hotel for help. Read a book with a law enforcement or military character.
Book & Author Read: Alone in the Wild by Kelley ArmstrongDate Read: 2026.07.24
Task: a. Run down to where you saw them and try to help. Read a book with no people on the cover.
How it Fits:
