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Ridiculously Random Reading Challenge: Dede
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Mod
Just to shake things up a bit more and keep them really random, I'm throwing caution to the wind for this challenge. Your prompts will be given to you in random order, 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, or tell me to choose for you!
Mod
Apple Pie isn't actually American at all.
The next time you call something "as American as apple pie," you might want to consider the fact that neither apple pies nor apples originally came from America. Apples are in fact native to Asia, and the first recorded recipe for apple pie was actually written in England.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🥧 1. Read a book set in America, England, or Asia.
🥧 2. Read a book that includes a recipe.
🥧 3. Read a book with a cliché in the text.
🥧 4. Read a book with an apple or other fruit on the cover.
Prompt # / Name: #1 - Apple PieBook: Chasing Evil: Shocking Crimes, Supernatural Forces, and an FBI Agent’s Search for Hope and Justice
Author: John Edward
Date Read: 03/01
Pages: 368
Task: #1 - Read a book set in America, England, or Asia.
How it Fits: Book is set in New Jersey
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: Good Dirt
Author: Charmaine Wilkerson
Date Read: 03/02/26
Pages: 355
Task: #4 - Read a book with the word CAR or CAMERA found in the text
How it Fits: Small Favors; pg. 11: ...that, or getting into her car. She would remember...
Mod
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: Country Hearts
Author: Cindi Madsen
Date Read: 03/13/26
Pages: 266
Task: #1 - Read a book where a character decorates something.
How it Fits: The MCs decorated cupcakes for a party
Mod
There's a word for animals with partial pigment loss.
Albinism is the congenital absence of any pigmentation or coloration, but leucism is a different rare condition where some pattern or color remains.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🦒 1. Read a book without much color on the cover. {Your discretion.}
🦒 2. Read a book where the author's LAST initial is found in LEUCISM.
🦒 3. Read a book where a character has a rare condition.
🦒 4. Read a book where all the letters of PIGMENT are found in the title.
Prompt # / Name: #52 - LeucismBook: Raiders of the Lost Heart
Author: Jo Segura
Date Read: 03/14/26
Pages: 364
Task: 🦒 2. Read a book where the author's LAST initial is found in LEUCISM
How it Fits: Last name is Segural
Mod
Hmm...the task said WITHOUT much color... want to replace with another option?
Danielle wrote: "Dede wrote: "How it Fits: There are a bunch of colors on cover."Hmm...the task said WITHOUT much color... want to replace with another option?"
If I could only read.....
It does fit #2.. I'll edit
Mod
Hmm...the task said WITHOUT much color... want to replace with another option?"
If I could only read.....
It does fit #2.. I'll edit"
Thanks!! ... And you KNOW I hated pointing it out! ... a little.
😛
Mod
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: Break Your Pucking Heart
Author: Rachel Leigh
Date Read: 3/26
Pages: 288
Task: 🎃 2.Read a book with all the letters of KAYAK in the title. {2 As, 2 Ks}
How it Fits: breAK Your pucKing heArt
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: This Girl's a Killer
Author: Emma C. Wells
Date Read: 04/02/26
Pages: 435
Task: #3 - Read a book with more than 100 reviews.
How it Fits: Has 3002 reviews on Goodreads
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: The Maid's Secret
Author: Nita Prose
Date Read: 4/3/26
Pages: 336
Task: 🧺 2. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in EXTREME.
How it Fits: Title starts with M
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: All or Nothing
Author: Lo Everett
Date Read: 04/07/26
Pages: 372
Task: ❓3. Read a book with the word BEANS found in the text.
How it Fits: Ch. 39; pg. 314:...smell like caramel and coffee beans either.
Mod
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: The New Camelot
Author: Robyn Schneider
Date Read: 04/12/26
Pages: 496
Task: 🔫 2. Read a book where the title ENDS with a letter in EXTREME
How it Fits: the new cameloT
Mod
Moon flowers actually bloom in response to the moon.
Sunflowers will follow the sun as it moves across the sky, but their lunar counterparts only open after nightfall or on cloudy days.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🌺 1. Read a book with flowers on the cover.
🌺 2. Read a book with double vowels in the title.
🌺 3. Read a book where the author's FIRST initial is found in LUNAR.
🌺 4. Read a book where you can share a scene that happens after nightfall with me.
Prompt # / Name: #55: Moon FlowersBook: I Need You to Read This
Author: Jessa Maxwell
Date Read: 4/15/26
Pages: 300
Task: 🌺 2. Read a book with double vowels in the title.
How it Fits: i nEEd you to read this
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: Love Comes in Small Packages
Author: Lori Foster
Date Read: 4/18/26
Pages: 212
Task: 🤿 2. Read a book with a title that starts with a letter in SNORKELLING.
How it Fits: Title starts with L
Mod
Facebook has more users than many major populations.
At 2.89 billion monthly users, Facebook overshadows China's (1.4 billion) and India's (1.3 billion) populations.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
ƒ 1. Read a book where social media is used/mentioned.
ƒ 2. Read a book set in China.
ƒ 3. Read a book with all the letters of FACEBOOK found in the title.
ƒ 4. Read a book where at least two of these digits are found in the publication date: 2, 8, 9.
Prompt # / Name: #17: FacebookBook: The Breakaway
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Date Read: 4/22/26
Pages: 400
Task: ƒ 4. Read a book where at least two of these digits are found in the publication date: 2, 8, 9.
How it Fits: Published 8/29/2023
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: Seven Dirty Secrets
Author: Natalie D. Richards
Date Read: 04/23/2026
Pages: 317
Task: #2 - Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in SNAIL.
How it Fits: AFN starts with N
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 Enchanted Greenhouse
Author: Sarah Beth Durst
Date Read: 4/28/26
Pages: 378
Task: 👣 4. Read a book where the title starts with a letter in TOE and ends with a letter in WRESTLING
How it Fits: the Enchanted greenhousE
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: A Day of Fallen Night
Author: Samantha Shannon
Date Read: 5/3/26
Pages: 880
Task: 👩🏽🌾 2. Read a book with at least 10,000 ratings
How it Fits: 59,217 rating on Goodreads
Mod
The Cooper’s Hill Cheese-Rolling & Wake is an annual event that takes place each spring near Gloucester, England and involves a 9 pound round of cheese, which is rolled from the top of a hill.
Competitors race after the cheese and the first person to reach the finish line at the bottom wins the cheese.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
🧀 1. Read a book where a character eats cheese, or does something foolish.
🧀 2. Read a book set at least partially in England.
🧀 3. Read a book with all the letters of SPRING in the title.
🧀 4. Read a book with a 9 in the page count or publication date.
Prompt # / Name: #12: Cheese RollingBook: Honey
Author: Imani Thompson
Date Read: 5/4/26
Pages: 384
Task: 🧀 2. Read a book set at least partially in England.
How it fits: It is set at Cambridge University in England.
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: The Fall of Iris Henley
Author: Jennifer Graham
Date Read: 5/10/26
Pages: 320
Task: 👩🚀 2. Read a book with double letters in the title.
How it fits: the faLL of iris henley
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: Wicked Ways
Author: Lisa Jackson
Date Read: 5/16/26
Pages: 492
Task: 🔴 1. Read a book with an alliterative title.
How it Fits: Wicked Ways - 2 Ws
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: In the Likely Event
Author: Rebecca Yarros
Date Read: 5/21/26
Pages: 350
Task: 🥤 4. Read a book you were willing to pay for.
How it Fits: Rebecca Yarros is one of my favorite authors. I will always buy her books.
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 where the MC's first initial is found in BUOYANT.
Prompt # / Name: #49: Baby Sea OttersBook: The Goat in the Bedroom
Author: Amy Award
Date Read: 5/24/26
Pages: 448
Task: 🦦 4. Read a book where the MC's first initial is found in BUOYANT
How it Fits: MC name is Artemis
Mod
Originally invented in Finland, Wife Carrying is a sport that involves a male competitor racing through 2 dry obstacles and 1 water obstacle approximately 1 meter deep all while carrying a female teammate.
The female must weigh at least 108 lb (49 kg) or additional weight will be added to her. Teams who complete the course in the shortest time win with additional prizes for best costume, etc.
Complete ONE of the following tasks:
💍 1. Read a book with a married MC.
💍 2. Read a book set at least partially in Finland.
💍 3. Read a book where a character feels weighted down in some way.
💍 4. Read a book where a character carries something or someone.
Hooked on Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Goat in the Bedroom (other topics)In the Likely Event (other topics)
Wicked Ways (other topics)
The Fall of Iris Henley (other topics)
Honey (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Amy Award (other topics)Rebecca Yarros (other topics)
Lisa Jackson (other topics)
Jennifer Graham (other topics)
Imani Thompson (other topics)
More...
Ridiculously Random Reading Challenge
Individual, Open-Ended
(New) Duration: March 1, 2026 to December 31, 2027
New Sign-ups: Open Through April 30, 2026
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!
This challenge originally started in March 2025 but is being re-opened for NEW sign-ups.
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 after you sign-up.
📘 Your first prompt will be posted after you respond to the question in your thread's second message.
📘 Books must be completed after the task has been posted. For example, if your task is posted on April 15, you can't use a book you completed on April 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.