Hooked on Books discussion

🔐 Welcome to Your Box.

The lock is real. The box is closed. But the two of you? You have the keys.

This is your personal team thread. Each week, you’ll receive a new reading prompt. Each of you will choose a book, read it, and post your reflection here. Once both reflections are posted, a key turns—and the box reveals a message just for you.

You must complete all 12 keyholes to open the box in Week 13.

You can use this thread for:
🔐 Weekly reflections
🔐 Talking with your partner
🔐 Celebrating when a new lock opens

Your first prompt arrives Sunday at 6pm CT. You’ll know it when you see it.

Until then: get to know each other. Decide who’s reading what.
And whatever you do… don’t open it yet.

📖 Weekly Check-In Format
When you finish your book, post the info below in this thread to let your partner know you're ready. Once both of you have posted your reflections, one of you should check in on the main thread to unlock your keyhole.

• Week: (e.g., Week 1)
• Book Title:
• Author:
• Page Count:
• Reflection: Your response to the week’s prompt.

🔎 Weekly Check-In Thread
This is how your keyhole gets unlocked.
No check-in, no click.

How to check in:
Just post your team name and a link to your team thread.

Example:
Team: The Locked Hearts
Thread: [insert link here]

Once I see your check-in, your message will appear in your thread—if you’ve earned it.

Team 14:
🔐 Catsalive
🔐 Emeli

I'm here. Do you want a team name, Emeli?

Here are some ideas:

Chest Test
Boxed In
Keyed Up

Im jere

I just found the prompts. We were meant to start on 6/9, so pick a book from last week, Emeli.

🔐 Week 1 Prompt: What You Bring With You
Some locks don’t need a key—they open for what you carry.
Choose a book that reflects something you bring to this partnership:
a personality trait, a past experience, a strength, a flaw—anything that shapes how you read and relate.

Each of you will choose your own book and explain what you're bringing to the box

Week: 1
Book: Lessons in Love at the Seaside Salon by Sophie Green
Date: 13/9 4★
Pages: 400
Reflection: A book about love, family & friendship, & women supporting women. I think I'm a loyal person who would always support my friends through good times & bad.

I can probably find one for Week 1. What would you like to do about Week 2? I just posted Week 3. Given that your partner ghosted, you can pick how to handle the missing weeks.

I'm pretty sure I can pick a book based solely on the cover, so we can do week 2 & 3, maybe be caught up this week, or the next.

Sounds good. I'll look tonight to see what I have for Week 1 and then plan week 2 and 3.

I've just been to the library & this cover grabbed me


must have been the cat :0) I hope it's OK.

Week 1:
Edge of Nowhere by Felicia Dawn
Read: 9/7/2025
Pages: 299
Reflection: This is about Kit learning to trust in other people, specifically Emil. I have issues trusting and being vulnerable even though I consider myself a loyal and trustworthy friend.

🗝️ Week 1 Response
This box doesn’t open on its own.
It opened because you showed up as yourself.

What’s one thing from your book you hope your partner always associates with you?

Each unlock is an invitation. What matters now is how you respond and continue the conversation—nothing more is needed.

For week 2 I'm going with


the cover is so stupid, it has to be good? Right?

MN Lisa wrote: "For week 2 I'm going with


the cover is so stupid, it has to be good? Right?"

A bit bizarre 😄

🔐 Week 2 Prompt: Judge This Book
Some locks don’t care what’s inside—only how it looks.
Choose a book based solely on the cover.
No blurbs. No reviews. No second guesses. Just vibes.

Week: 2
Book: A Brush with Death by J.M. Hall
Date: 26/9 3.5★
Pages: 308
Reflection: Chosen purely because I liked the cover. I enjoyed it, but if I'd realised it was #4 in a series I would have put it aside & picked up #1 :0)

Week 2:
Book: Perilous Cuties
Date: 9/16/2025
Reflection: Picked because of the color and it reminded me a bit of Pumbaa and Timon from The Lion King movie.

🗝️ Week 2 Response
Looks can be deceiving.
But sometimes… they’re not.

If your partner had chosen your cover instead, how do you think their reading experience would differ from yours?

Each unlock is an invitation. What matters now is how you respond and continue the conversation—nothing more is needed.

🔐 Week 3 Prompt: Your Missing Piece
Some locks stay closed because something’s missing.
Choose a book that fills a gap in your reading life—something you’ve been avoiding, neglecting, or meaning to try.
Even better if it’s outside your comfort zone.

MN Lisa wrote: "🗝️ Week 2 Response
Looks can be deceiving.
But sometimes… they’re not.

If your partner had chosen your cover instead, how do you think their reading experience would differ from yours?

Each unloc..."

I don't know. I think you'd like the cover but I don't know if you read cosy mysteries, Lisa. Do you?

Week: 3
Book: Fire Study by Maria V. Snyder
Date: 2/10 3.5★
Pages: 441
Reflection: I've been avoiding this one because it's YA, which I don't like & try to avoid, &, having disliked the previous book in the series, I really didn't want to read it - I needed a black cover, though. 😂 Luckily, it was better than the previous book.

Catsalive wrote: "MN Lisa wrote: "🗝️ Week 2 Response
Looks can be deceiving.
But sometimes… they’re not.

If your partner had chosen your cover instead, how do you think their reading experience would differ from yo..."
I am not a cozy mystery person. I've read a few for challenges and they aren't bad, but if I'm reading something like that, I'm more into the deep mystery of it. Cozies always seem more fluffy to me.

Week 3:
Sticky For You
Read: 10/1/2025
Pages: 146 Pages
Reflection: I've been avoiding this because its low pages and I'm in a few challenges that are the more pages the more points, but I needed an author who writes under a pseudonym and JP Sayle does.

🗝️ Week 3 Response
This key slipped into place like it had been waiting for you.
Maybe the stories we resist are the ones we need most.

What gap do you think your partner’s book filled for them—and was it the one you expected?

If I had just looked at the book and not your reflection or any of your reading history I would have thought you were missing reading about strong powerful women. She sounds like a badass.

🔐 Week 4 Prompt: Pick a Trope, Any Trope
This lock is a little more dramatic than the others. It wants a twist.
Choose a book with a trope you either love, hate, or can’t stop reading.
Enemies to lovers. Found family. Secret royalty. You know the type.
Your partner has to guess how you feel about it.

MN Lisa wrote: "🗝️ Week 3 Response
What gap do you think your partner’s book filled for them—and was it the one you expected?..."

Looking at your response, I know what the gap was, a writer using a pseudonym. Looking at the book only, I'd say you were contemplating a jungle safari 😂.

Catsalive wrote: "MN Lisa wrote: "🗝️ Week 3 Response
What gap do you think your partner’s book filled for them—and was it the one you expected?..."

Looking at your response, I know what the gap was, a writer using ..."

I also read it because its a rhubarb shifter...like Whaa?? I've never seen non-animal shifters before.

MN Lisa wrote: "I also read it because its a rhubarb shifter...like Whaa?? I've never seen non-animal shifters before...."

How fantastic, how bizarre! What does a rhubarb shift into?

Week: 4
Book: Three Wishes for Miss Winthrop by Shirley Kennedy
Date: 6/10 1.5★
Pages: 240
Reflection: Trope - downtrodden governess gets the guy.

Lisa, I'm on hols 13-31/10 & won't have access to my books as I'll be on the road the whole time. I'll be restricted to what I can download from my library & won't have much reading time.

What would you like to do? I'm happy with whatever you decide.

I'm good with whatever you want. we can wait til you are back and try and get caught up or??

MN Lisa wrote: "I'm good with whatever you want. we can wait til you are back and try and get caught up or??"

See how we go, I guess.

Book: Hell Breaks Loose by Macy Blake
Read: 10/9/2025
Trope: Fated Mates.

🗝️ Week 4 Response
Some keys are forged in pattern.
Whether you leaned in or tried to break free, you told us something.

Were you right about how your partner felt about their trope—or totally off?

Given the 1.5 Stars I would say that trope is not a favorite.

🔐 Week 5 Prompt: Through Their Eyes
The fifth lock is not yours to open alone.
Choose a book that helps you better understand someone else’s perspective—real or fictional, historical or contemporary.
Someone different from you.

MN Lisa wrote: "Given the 1.5 Stars I would say that trope is not a favorite."

Aha! I do like when a hardworking, downtrodden, Regency governess is rewarded by a loving relationship with a good man, so I think I probably do like the general idea, but this one wouldn't have lasted long in her position & the book was just generally silly 😂

MN Lisa wrote: "Trope: Fated Mates."

I'd say you're a fan of this trope.

It is one of my favorites. to think that there is someone out there who is just made for you. Love it.

Week 5

Book: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Date: 11/10 5★
Reflection: Gives an insight into the Victorian mentality - wrongdoers will be punished, & they'll all repent of their sins in the face of God, if not, they'll likely die - Dickens shows compassion for his characters, is not so rigid in his outlook, but he generally sticks to this outlook.

I'm back from hols but I think I might let this challenge go as I'm having trouble keeping up with everything.

Thanks, Lisa.

Ok. Hope you had fun on your holiday!