Hooked on Books discussion
Archive
>
Maddy's Halloween Hall of Fame {COMPLETED}
Mod
Does anyone like Smarties? They taste dusty. Chewing on a pack instantly turns them into a chalky powder with faint, artificial fruit flavor. They are likely the least exciting candy to unwrap after a long night of trick-or-treating.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with a smart character.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 3 and a 1 in the page count.
🍬 3. Read a book that you didn't find to be exciting.
🍬 4. Read a book published in October.
Candy #: Number 31: SmartiesBook: Hair Raising: The Cases of Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I.
Author: Kevin J. Anderson
Date Read: Oct 1
Pages: 337
Task: 🍬 1. Read a book with a smart character.
How it Fits: MC is smart
Mod
This are basically less delicious, lighter Laffy Taffy, but without the sense of humor or sense of identity. Will I go out of my way to eat them? Probably not. Will I willingly get these sugary sheets stuck in my teeth when I find them in my trick-or-treating pillow case? Definitely.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with an airhead character.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 3 and a 0 in the publication date.
🍬 3. Read a book with a plural word in the title.
🍬 4. Read a book that you wouldn't go out of your way to read again.
Candy #: Number 30: AirheadsBook: Crossed by Death
Author: A.C.F. Bookens
Date Read: Oct 2
Pages: 220
Task: 🍬 4. Read a book that you wouldn't go out of your way to read again.
How it Fits: It is rather meh
Mod
If you got the long, rectangular, flat Jolly Ranchers all the time, these would rank way, way higher. As it were, you usually get a couple of the cylindrical ones, and they've generally either shed part of their wrapper or had it meld to the candy, leading me to believe that people who hand out Jolly Ranchers for Halloween keep them under a heat lamp beforehand just to be evil.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book set on a ranch or a farm.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 2 and a 9 in the page count.
🍬 3. Read a book with an evil character.
🍬 4. Read a book with something rectangular on the cover.
Candy #: Number 29: Jolly RanchersBook: The Hot Zone
Author: Jayne Castle
Date Read: Oct 2
Pages: 352
Task: 🍬 3. Read a book with an evil character.
How it Fits: there is an evil villain
Mod
Biting off the heads of Sour Patch Kids is really fun, but at the end of the day these remind me of Swedish Fish rolled in sugar and sour stuff. They'd be better if they were exclusively the watermelon or peach flavors.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book where the MC has kids.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 2 and an 8 in the publication date.
🍬 3. Read a book where the title begins with a letter in SOUR PATCH.
🍬 4. Read a book where the author's first OR last initial is found in WATERMELON.
Candy #: Number 28: Sour Patch KidsBook: Fall of Night
Author: Jonathan Maberry
Date Read: Oct 3
Pages: 522
Task: 🍬 4. Read a book where the author's first OR last initial is found in WATERMELON.
How it Fits: author M
Mod
The bananas get all the glory here, mostly because they’re the only ones that taste like what they look like. Though, honestly, I’ve never eaten a little pink heart, either, so maybe the flavor is extremely accurate.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book that's a "runt" with less than 125 pages.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 2 and a 7 in the page count.
🍬 3. Read a book with all the letters of WONKA in the title.
🍬 4. Read a book where a character gets all the glory for some action they did.
Candy #: Number 27: RuntsBook: The Murder Room
Author: P.D. James
Date Read: Oct 6
Pages: 432
Task: 🍬 4. Read a book where a character gets all the glory for some action they did.
How it Fits: MC gets the glory for solving the murder
Mod
The best of the lollipop options is a master shape shifter. Neither the gum nor the candy is particularly good. But get impatient and chew the thing up and you’ve got some sort of beautiful chemistry that happens between the broken glass-like candy and the soft gum.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with the title written in white.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 2 and a 6 in the publication date.
🍬 3. Read a book with something broken on the cover.
🍬 4. Read a book that has strong chemistry between two characters.
Candy #: Number 26: Blow PopsBook: The Gene: An Intimate History
Author: Siddhartha Mukherjee
Date Read: Oct 7
Pages: 609
Task: 🍬 2. Read a book with a 2 and a 6 in the publication date.
How it Fits: published June 2, 2016
Mod
Nobody claims to love Whoppers. Yet they can’t stop once they’ve had one, probably because the weird textural transformation that happens when saliva hits the malt is the closest we can get to opening an old-school soda jerk in our mouths.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with two Ps in the title.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 2 and a 5 in the page count.
🍬 3. Read a book you couldn't stop reading, meaning you read it quickly.
🍬 4. Read a book with multiples of the same item on the cover, like flowers, trees, etc.
Candy #: Number 25: WhoppersBook: Death of a Gossip
Author: M.C. Beaton
Date Read: Oct 7
Pages: 152 pages
Task: 🍬 2. Read a book with a 2 and a 5 in the page count.
How it Fits: 152 pages
Mod
Jockeying with Now & Laters for the candy most likely to yank out a loose tooth, Milk Duds offer a big of reprieve from binge-eating, largely because the irresistible urge to dump a whole tiny box in your mouth means you’re going to be stuck chewing for at least five minutes. My jaw hurts already.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with at least two four-letter words in the title.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 2 and a 4 in the publication date.
🍬 3. Read a book a jaw visible on the cover.
🍬 4. Read a book you couldn't "binge-eat," meaning it took you several sittings to read.
Candy #: Number 24: Milk DudsBook: The Heiress of Linn Hagh
Author: Karen Charlton
Date Read: Oct 10
Pages: 337 pages
Task: 🍬 1. Read a book with at least two four-letter words in the title.
How it Fits: Linn Hagh
Mod
Nobody ever requests a Milky Way, and typically these candy bars fight it out for bottom-of-the-bag dominance with 3 Musketeers (which you'll definitely not see on this list) and hateful pennies. Like Caramello on a budget, Milky Ways are perfectly serviceable, and provide the sugar blast you need. Side note: Why doesn't anyone ever hand out Caramellos?
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with an MPG of SPACE.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 2 and a 3 in the page count.
🍬 3. Read a book with a place in the title, real or fictional.
🍬 4. Read a book that easily fits your budget, as in you borrowed it or got it for free.
Candy #: Number 24: Milk DudsBook: Perfectly Imperfect Pixie
Author: M.J. May
Date Read: Oct 11
Pages: 367 pages
Task: 🍬 4. Read a book that easily fits your budget, as in you borrowed it or got it for free.
How it Fits: got it free as an arc
Mod
Some extremely artificial fruit flavoring, a sore jaw, and a couple of wrapper jokes that you feel embarrassed for chuckling at (and that you suspect Dave Coulier either wrote or stole)? Bring it.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book where someone tells a joke.
🍬 2. Read a book with two 2s in the publication date.
🍬 3. Read a book with the word ARTIFICIAL in the text. {State passage and location.}
🍬 4. Read a book with a large title on the cover. {Your discretion.}
Candy #: Number 22: Laffy TaffyBook: Logan
Author: Fel Fern
Date Read: Oct 12
Pages: 132 pages
Task: 🍬 2. Read a book with two 2s in the publication date.
How it Fits: published October 20, 2020
Mod
Nerds are just little crunchy sugar boogers with a slight hint of fruit flavor, but they sadly don't come in flavor combo packs at Halloween. Dump random flavors in your mouth and hope for the best. If Nerds Ropes were passed out during Halloween, this would be an entirely different ranking.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book where more than one nose is visible on the cover.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 2 and a 1 in the page count.
🍬 3. Read a book where the MCs first initial is found in SUGAR BOOGERS.
🍬 4. Read a book where a slight change in the plot would make you rate it differently.
Candy #: Number 21: NerdsBook: Guardian's Dilemma
Author: Hope Bennett
Date Read: Oct 14
Pages: 323 pages
Task: 🍬 3. Read a book where the MCs first initial is found in SUGAR BOOGERS.
How it Fits: MC Glimmer Somerville
Mod
Skittles would be way higher on this list if I could forget that time I put a whole bag in my mouth and cut the insides of my cheeks on all the sugar shrapnel that exploded everywhere. On the other hand, getting Skittles directly into your bloodstream is kind of amazing.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with a colorful cover {at least 5 colors}.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 2 and a 0 in the publication date.
🍬 3. Read a book where the author's first OR last initial is found in SKITTLES.
🍬 4. Read a book where something explodes.
Candy #: Number 20: SkittlesBook: Working Stiff: The Cases of Dan Shamble, Zombie P.I.
Author: Kevin J. Anderson
Date Read: Oct 14
Pages: 236 pages
Task: 🍬 2. Read a book with a 2 and a 0 in the publication date.
How it Fits: published October 1, 2014
Mod
Are PayDays kind of a grandpa candy? Yeah. Are they an underrated explosion of salty peanuts nougat, and caramel? Absolutely. Maybe grandpa was onto something. Or maybe this is why he lost his teeth prematurely. Either way: underrated.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with a character who is a grandparent.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 1 and a 9 in the page count.
🍬 3. Read a book with the word TEETH in the text. {State passage and location.}
🍬 4. Read a book with two Ys in the title.
Candy #: Number 19: PayDayBook: Josh’s Jackpot
Author: Anna Sparrows
Date Read: Oct 16
Pages: 300 pages
Task: 🍬 3. Read a book with the word TEETH in the text. {State passage and location.}
How it Fits: "wash my hands and brush my teeth" (6%)
Mod
There are more than two dozen variations on Haribo Gummies, but you're probably not getting Dinosaurs or Frogs or whatever. You're getting the Gold Bears. Which is cool, but there just aren't enough in a fun-sized bag.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book where the title begins with a letter in HARIBO.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 1 and an 8 in the publication date.
🍬 3. Read a book that you just couldn't get enough of.
🍬 4. Read a book the word DINOSAUR or the word FROG in the text. {State passage and location.}
Candy #: Number 18: Haribo GummiesBook: Dragon's Mate Volume Two: Books 4-7
Author: Hope Bennett
Date Read: Oct 20
Pages: 1336 pages
Task: 🍬 3. Read a book that you just couldn't get enough of.
How it Fits: it was really, really long, but I finished it!
Mod
A delicious reminder that your candy tastes are as outdated as last year's costume.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book where someone wears a costume.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 1 and a 7 in the page count.
🍬 3. Read a book a mostly white cover. {Your discretion.}
🍬 4. Read a book where the MCs first initial is found in JUNIOR.
Candy #: Number 17: Junior MintsBook: Fakers with Benefits
Author: Willow Dixon
Date Read: Oct 22
Pages: 336 pages
Task: 🍬 4. Read a book where the MCs first initial is found in JUNIOR.
How it Fits: MC Nick
Mod
The Swiss Army knife of candy, Twizzlers are not only delicious in their artificial strawberry glory, are also an excellent solution to drinking in a post-plastic straw era. They're also excellent whips and work as ropes. MacGyver didn't invent these. But at one point, I'm pretty sure he used them to siphon gas and suture a wound. But not in that order.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with a Z in the title or series name.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 1 and a 6 in the publication date.
🍬 3. Read a book with a twisted plot.
🍬 4. Read a book with a mostly red cover. {Your discretion.}
Candy #: Number 16: TwizzlersBook: Reckless
Author: Amanda Quick
Date Read: Oct 25
Pages: 404 pages
Task: 🍬 3. Read a book with a twisted plot.
How it Fits: Honestly, way too twisted and over-complicated
Mod
Basically PayDays, but covered in chocolate and paired with the crushing disappointment you feel when the kids don't understand your incessant Goonies references. But hey, keep trying. Nerd.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with an infant or small child as a character.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 1 and a 5 in the page count.
🍬 3. Read a book that mentions a movie or TV show.
🍬 4. Read a book with a cover that looks very similar to another book.
Candy #: Number 15: Baby RuthBook: Cults: Inside the World's Most Notorious Groups and Understanding the People Who Joined Them
Author: Max Cutler
Date Read: Oct 28
Pages: 406 pages
Task: 🍬 1. Read a book with an infant or small child as a character.
How it Fits: Several infants and small children in cults
Mod
If they were embedded in a cookie or something, they might be ranked first, but M&Ms are still pretty great on their own. Especially if they're the peanut kind. Or the peanut butter kind. Or the pretzel kind, the brownie kind, the crispy or almond kind... actually, why don't they make a little bag with all the different flavors inside? That would put it in contention for the top five. Take heed, Mars.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with something round on the cover.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 1 and a 4 in the publication date.
🍬 3. Read a book with an ampersand in the title.
🍬 4. Read a book available in more than 3 formats, like hardback, paperback, Kindle, audiobook, etc.
Candy #: Number 14: M&M'sBook: Daisy Darker
Author: Alice Feeney
Date Read: Oct 29
Pages: 352 pages
Task: 🍬 4. Read a book available in more than 3 formats, like hardback, paperback, Kindle, audiobook, etc.
How it Fits: all the formats
Mod
Go ahead and call this a garbage take, preferably while pelting me with these, the absolute most underrated treat in the bag. These things seem to only exist during Halloween or in your grandma's candy dish but, dang it, they offer the chance to do some great alchemy. Pop a vanilla and an orange in your mouth? Creamsicle. A lemon and a lime? Sprite candy. Eat them all at once? You're a crazy person. We should hang out.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with any fruit mentioned in the text. {State passage and location.}
🍬 2. Read a book with a 1 and a 3 in the page count.
🍬 3. Read a book where the author's first OR last initial is found in ALCHEMY.
🍬 4. Read a book you feel is underrated.
Candy #: Number 13: Flavored Tootsie RollsBook: River's End
Author: Nora Roberts
Date Read: Oct 29
Pages: 447 pages
Task: 🍬 1. Read a book with any fruit mentioned in the text. {State passage and location.}
How it Fits: "picked up one of the bright red apples" (page 98)
Mod
The Heath bar makes you feel like a little British schoolboy with its toffee butteriness, and will make you look like one when your teeth eventually fall out from all the toffee you have lodged in your molars for weeks on end. It's a small price to pay for a brittle little piece of perfection.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with all the letters of HEATH in the title, including two Hs.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 1 and a 2 in the publication date.
🍬 3. Read a book set in the U.K.
🍬 4. Read a book with teeth visible on the cover.
Candy #: Number 12: HeathBook: Woods of the Raven
Author: Mary Calmes
Date Read: Oct 30
Pages: 306 pages
Task: 🍬 2. Read a book with a 1 and a 2 in the publication date.
How it Fits: published April 18, 2023
Mod
Another in the pantheon of candy-based chemistry, Starburst comes in so many flavors, the permutations among flavor combinations are almost endless. Until you get a little pack with two lemons in it—a cruel twist of fate that happens all too often. Pink Starbursts are the best, but at least the other flavors aren't too far off.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book whose title starts with a letter in PANTHEON.
🍬 2. Read a book with two 1s in the page count.
🍬 3. Read a book with fruit or stars on the cover.
🍬 4. Read a book with the word STAR or BURST in the text. {State passage and location.}
Candy #: Number 11: StarburstBook: A Baffling Murder at the Midsummer Ball
Author: T.E. Kinsey
Date Read: Oct 31
Pages: 317 pages
Task: 🍬 1. Read a book whose title starts with a letter in PANTHEON.
How it Fits: title A
Mod
The American classic is the best melt-in-your-mouth, no-frills candy in the bag. Toss in some almonds and you've got a beast. Toss in Cookies 'n' Creme and you'll wonder what the heck you're even eating. Save these for the eventual campfire s'mores you'll be having this fall and winter.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with a no-frills character.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 1 and a 0 in the publication date.
🍬 3. Read a book set in the fall and/or winter.
🍬 4. Read a book with a boring cover. {Your discretion.}
Candy #: Number 10: Hershey's BarsBook: Hide
Author: Kiersten White
Date Read: Nov 7
Pages: 256 pages
Task: 🍬 1. Read a book with a no-frills character.
How it Fits: MC Mack
Mod
They have the same shape and same coating as M&M's, and the peanut butter is somehow just better than M&M's version. You no longer have to wonder what it would be like if they stuffed these in a Peanut Butter Cup, but that shouldn't stop you from making a DIY version.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with a mostly orange cover. {Your discretion.}
🍬 2. Read a book with a 9 in the page count.
🍬 3. Read a book with words in the title that rhyme.
🍬 4. Read a book where a character does a DIY project of some kind. {home repair, painting, crafting, etc.}
Candy #: Number 9: Reese's PiecesBook: The Ruins
Author: Scott Smith
Date Read: Nov 16
Pages: 319 pages
Task: 🍬 2. Read a book with a 9 in the page count.
How it Fits: 319 pages
Mod
Finally something healthy. Rice puffs are healthy, right? Especially when they're covered with Nestlé's deliciously melty milk chocolate. If you let one sit in your mouth unchewed for long enough, it dissolves into a poor man's Cocoa Krispies. This is a good thing.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with all the letters of RICE in the title.
🍬 2. Read a book with an 8 in the publication date.
🍬 3. Read a book with a poor character.
🍬 4. Read a book where a character eats something healthy.
Candy #: Number 8: Nestle CrunchBook: Magic and Mystery
Author: Jayda Marx
Date Read: Nov 18
Pages: 225 pages
Task: 🍬 1. Read a book with all the letters of RICE in the title.
How it Fits: all letters in title
Mod
The snack so delicious that simply calling it Goodbar seemed like a sign of disrespect. Mr. is the king of the Hershey's variety pack—a simple, peanutty bit of awesome that puts Krackel to shame.
Complete one of the following:
🍬 1. Read a book with double vowels in the title, like the two Os in Goodbar.
🍬 2. Read a book with a 7 in the page count.
🍬 3. Read a book where the title begins with a litter in SNACK.
🍬 4. Read a book where a character is referred to as Mr. at least once.
Hooked on Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Corrupted Desire (other topics)The Incredible Teenage Brain: Everything You Need to Know to Unlock Your Teen's Potential (other topics)
Ghostly Awakening (other topics)
Snow Twink (other topics)
Murder Between the Covers (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Ryder O'Malley (other topics)Bettina Hohnen (other topics)
E.M. Leya (other topics)
Sue Brown (other topics)
Elaine Viets (other topics)
More...
Halloween Hall of Fame
Individual Challenge
Begins October 1, 2023
Halloween candy comes in all shapes and sizes, from new takes on old-school favorites to wax lips and, if your neighbors are sadists, pennies.
But when grown adults dressed as extremely outdated dancing hot dogs reminisce about their trick-or-treat outings of yore, they're likely getting wistful for one of these 31 Hall-of-Fame Halloween Candies. Come along for some treats and cavities.
This is an individual challenge. You will have 4 tasks to choose from for each candy. You only need to complete one to move on to the next candy on the list.
Each time you satisfy a task, make a post here in your own thread. Please use the following example for your Completion Post.
Candy #:
Book:
Author:
Date Read:
Pages:
Task:
How it Fits:
If you have any questions, please post them in the Halloween Hall of Fame 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 October 1, 2023.
📘Books must be completed after the task has been posted.
{Source for Descriptions: thrillist.com}