Hooked on Books discussion

🪟 Between the Chapters

A space to share what stands out along the way—interesting matches, unexpected connections, and moments worth noticing. Feel free to add your own.

I just wanted to say thank you for including non-fiction. I love getting lost in fiction, but sometimes (not often😉) I'm just in the mood for something real, something true and factual. So it's nice to know I don't have to put a nonfiction book off when the mood strikes again. 🙃 🤓

Interesting interpretation here…

Task: 💭 A character’s emotional response to a place is a clear focus of the story
Book: Troth by E.H. Lupton

How it fits: Both MCs (Sam and Ulysses) are connected to particular buildings--Sam to the library and Ulysses to the apartment building where they live--and can tap into the buildings' souls and memories for strength, knowledge, and comfort

From: Kirsten

Sometimes the connection shows up in how a place is experienced, not just where the story happens.

Interesting approach to this task…

Task: 🌉 Two characters from very different backgrounds become friends.
Book: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

How it fits: Much of the story focuses on friendships that eventually form between people separated by race, class, and social expectations in 1960s Mississippi. Skeeter develops close relationships with Aibileen and Minny despite the rigid segregation and power imbalance surrounding them, and Minny’s friendship with Miss Celia is another strong example. Although Minny initially expects judgment from her, the two gradually bond through shared loneliness, ostracization, vulnerability, and care for one another, creating genuine friendships that challenge the social norms of their world

From: Amanda

Sometimes the connection shows up in the way relationships develop despite everything around them.

A quieter kind of fit…

Task: 🌿 The atmosphere is calm or slow-paced
Book: Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

How it fits: the atmosphere is very relaxing and slow paced set at the background of a second hand shop

From: Claire

Sometimes the feeling of a place shapes the reading experience just as much as the plot itself.

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A more interpretive approach…

Task: 🗺️ The setting strongly influences what happens in the story.
Book: Woman Down by Colleen Hoover

How it fits: Petra always rents a cabin to get into her writing mode. But this year she is in a different area on the other side of the lake, that she is not familiar with. She is looking for inspiration, which just happens to come very early on one morning during her stay. Away from her family she acts out in full character of her book which she never would have done had she been at home.

From: Rebecca

Sometimes the setting changes not just what happens in the story, but how a character behaves within it.

A more stylistic approach…

Task: ✍️ The writing style is distinctive or memorable
Book: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion: Vol. 1 by Beth Brower

How it fits: The story is told as journal entries with a delightful bit of sarcasm and some unique wit.

From: Jody

Sometimes a memorable style comes less from what’s happening in the story, and more from the voice telling it.

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A nice example of this task in action…

Task: 💬 The way characters communicate is a central focus of the story.
Book: Falling by T.J. Newman

How it fits: The pilots of the plane are communicating with the terrorists. He is also communicates with his wife in "morse code" that only each other would understand.

From: Dede

Sometimes communication becomes more meaningful when characters can’t speak openly or directly.

A warmer interpretation of this task…

Task: 🥖 Food or shared meals are part of the story.
Book: Well Played by Vi Keeland and Penelope Ward

How it fits: The main character returns to her hometown and renovates an old inn into a cozy bed-and-breakfast. Much of the story centers around the large dining table and kitchen, where meals, conversations, and important moments bring the characters together.

From: Jodi

Sometimes shared meals are less about the food itself, and more about the space they create for connection.

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A high-stakes version of this task…

Task: 🤝 Two characters depend on each other to get through a difficult situation.
Book:The Stalker by: Sarah Alderson

How it fits: Liam and Laura (MC's) are on their honeymoon on a "supposedly" deserted island. However, there is someone watching them that takes away all their food and supplies (wood, electricity, etc). They have no way to defend themselves and no one is coming to get them for 3 more days. They are depending on each other to stay safe and alive until help comes.

From: Gail

Sometimes difficult situations strengthen connection just as much as comfort does.

A fun take on this task…

Task: 🗝️ A character has a specific item they use often.
Book: Generation Hex by Molly Harper

How it fits: MC is a witch who deals with ghosts. She has bottles to capture ghosts, which frequently come out to play. They don't always successfully capture the ghosts, and her enemies have started leaving captured ghost bottles as traps for her. So, not so good.

From: Izzy

Sometimes a recurring item starts as a useful tool… and slowly becomes part of the problem.

Just about three weeks in now, and I’ve really enjoyed seeing the different ways people are approaching the Chapters.

Has there been a book, task match, or unexpected fit that has stood out to you so far?

Or just a standout book for you?

An emotionally layered misunderstanding…

Task: ❗ A misunderstanding between characters changes the course of the story
Book: The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

How it fits: A complete lack of understanding between father and daughter changes the daughter's future.

From: Jackie

Sometimes the most powerful misunderstandings aren’t about facts — they’re about people failing to truly understand each other.

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A more character-driven take on this task…

Task: 🥖 Food or shared meals are part of the story.
Book: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

How it fits: Food plays a big part of Catherine's story especially considering Catherine is an avid baker and wants to open a bakery instead of marrying the King of Hearts and becoming the famed Queen of Hearts.

From: Lucy

Sometimes food in a story becomes tied to identity, comfort, and the life a character truly wants for themselves.

This one caught my attention…

Task: 🗺️ The setting strongly influences what happens in the story.
Book: Happy Place by Emily Henry

How it fits: the looming sale of Maine cottage forces the main characters fake their relationship one final week

From: Sophie

Sometimes the setting doesn’t just shape the mood of a story — it’s the reason the story happens in the first place.

A nice example of this task in action…

Task: 👩‍🌾 A character works with their hands or in a physical job.
Book: The Pun Farmer by Autumn Dawn

How it fits: Wren is plucked from our reality to a fantasy world with nothing but a bag of seeds and no instructions and no tools. She is expected to rescue a rundown farm that it located on cursed land and overrun by monsters with her bare hands.

From: Sally

Sometimes working with your hands becomes less about a profession — and more about survival, rebuilding, and figuring things out one step at a time.

Some interesting ways people approached the Chapters over the last month…


Task: all 5
🥖 Food or shared meals are part of the story.
📜 The history of a place or its past is explored.
👣 A character has to navigate unfamiliar surroundings.
🗺️ The setting strongly influences what happens in the story.
💭 A character’s emotional response to a place is a clear focus of the story
Book: Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

How it fits: This book felt like it fits all five tasks and they are all intertwined in some way. The story exists across multiple kinds of “places” at once... not just physical settings like the pawnshop, the ramen house, or Tokyo, but also emotional, temporal, and psychological ones. The characters are constantly navigating unfamiliar settings, whether that’s shifting realities, dreamlike spaces, or even time.

More than anything, the setting feels tied to internal human experience. The book made me think of setting not just as location, but as something closer to the way a person moves through time and possibility, between past and present, hope and regret, fate and free will.

From: Sunny


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Task: 🏡 Much of the story takes place in or around the home
Book: Identical by Ellen Hopkins

How it fits: much of the abuse (sexual, alcohol, cut, drug, violence, bulimia/binging) and arguing between parents is in the outwardly perfect home. ....not much of a book for this contentment chapter, but it fit the prompt. 😕

From: Audiophile Archives


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Task: All 5
🥖 Food or shared meals are part of the story.
📜 The history of a place or its past is explored.
👣 A character has to navigate unfamiliar surroundings.
🗺️ The setting strongly influences what happens in the story.
💭 A character’s emotional response to a place is a clear focus of the story.
Book: Paris Hangover by Kirsten Lobe

How it fits: The book I chose for Chapter 1 is Paris Hangover by Kirsten Lobe. I chose this book because it satisfied most...well really all... of the aspects of the chapter. The novel is about an American expat who fulfills her dream of making Paris her home and the shenanigans that ensue along the way. Although it's a work of fiction, I have no doubt it's inspired by the author's experiences and impressions of the city after becoming an expat herself. Honestly, it is so well written that I felt like I was experiencing and falling in love with the city right along with the main character. The way some of the lesser known customs and historical facts of the city were woven throughout the novel was truly brilliant, and I couldn't help appreciating the main character's growth into her more authentic self as a middle-aged woman finally living the life she truly wanted in a city she truly loved. All in all it was a fantastic book and a thoroughly enjoyable read ! :)

From: Pammy


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Task: 🗺️ The setting strongly influences what happens in the story.
Book: Rites of the Starling by Devney Perry

How it fits: caspia moves to quentis...where shit goes down

From: angelinabvby ۶۟ৎ


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Task: 😬 A character says something that has unintended consequences
Book: Hannibal Lecter and Philosophy: The Heart of the Matter by Joseph Westfall

How it fits: Momund’s dehumanising attitude & comments towards Hannibal's aunt results in his (literal) dehumanisation into becoming Hannibal's dinner.

From: Richard

This one caught my attention…

Task: 🪞 Something familiar feels strange or unexpected.
Book: Nonesuch by Francis Spufford

How it fits: Iris notices that the familiar stone statues on the roofs of old London buildings are actually portals into malleable time and anchors for bizarre, shifting angelic entities.

From: Geri

Sometimes the most unsettling discoveries come from seeing something familiar in a completely different way.

Interesting interpretation here…

Task: 🫧 Something turns out differently than it first appears.
Book: Conclave by Robert Harris

How it fits: During the papal election, candidates appear to represent clear values and identities, yet emerging secrets reveal a far more complex reality for readers and Cardinal Lomeli.

From: Alyana

Sometimes the biggest surprises don't come from what people do, but from realizing they were never quite who you thought they were in the first place.

A fun take on this task…

Task: 📎 A character uses an unusual method to solve a problem.
Book: Annie LeBlanc Is Not Dead Yet by Molly Morris

How it fits: MC uses town contest to resurrect dead best friend in order to repair broken friendship, and in hopes that that might possibly keep best friend alive.

From: Ruth

Sometimes solving a problem requires thinking outside the box. Sometimes it requires bringing someone back from the dead.

A nice example of this task in action…

Task: 🤝 A character acts as a link between two people or groups
Book: A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers

How it fits: This story is about a monk Dex who is the first to make contact with a robot after all robots gained consciousness and stopped working for humans. The robot, Mosscap, wants to know what humans need and Dex facilitates meetings between Mosscap and other people it wants to meet.

From: Priya

Sometimes being a bridge isn't about bringing people together once. It's about helping two very different groups understand each other, one conversation at a time.

A nice example of this task in action…

Task: ❗ A character says something that has unintended consequences.
Book: Nieske by Henny Thijssing-Boer

How it fits: Nieskes Aunt accidentally says something about Nieskes mother, long ago, thinking a certain farmer was involved in the death of Nieskes father. This leads to Nieske starting an investigation and getting threatened by the murderers of her father. Which was not at all the intention of Nieskes Aunt.

From: Gillis

Sometimes the biggest consequences begin with a single comment that was never meant to change anything at all.