Hooked on Books discussion

THE RUNAWAY READER CHALLENGE
♦ Inspired by the Runaway Teen Challenge from The Sims 4 ♦

A FEW HOUSE RULES

→ Standard Challenge Rules apply.
→ Books may not be double-dipped between scrounging phases and room prompts.
→ Books may not count for more than one room.
→ Scrounging reads must be completed before the next room phase unlocks — no skipping ahead to Build Mode early.
→ You can complete books within Homes in any order, but you must finish one home type, before moving on to the next.
→ No time limit. This is your lot. Build at your own pace.

🏰 Mansion — 24 reads total
Tasks Found Here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Level: Mansion - 28 reads total

SCROUNGING

Phase 1 — Survival Mode - 3 books
You're new to this. You take what you can get.
All three are required:
Read a book set near water or involving survival
Read a book about growth, nature, or starting over
Read book you've owned unread for one year or more

Complete all three to earn your lot and enter Build Mode.

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STARTER HOME - 4 books

Bathroom - 1 x book
Finally somewhere to wash off the road.
Read a book you've been putting off

Kitchen - 1 x book
Your first real meal under your own roof.
Read a book involving food, community, or hospitality

Bedroom - 1 x book
Somewhere to sleep that isn't a park bench.
Read a book outside your most-read genre

Living Room - 1 x book
You're not just surviving anymore. You're living.
Read a book with more than 400 pages

Starter Home complete.

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Phase 2 and beyond — You Know the Ropes - 3 books
(Family Home and Mansion only — between room phases)
Pick any 3 of the following 6:
Read a book set in nature or the outdoors
Read a book under 300 pages
Read a book you've owned unread for one year or more
Read a book recommended by someone else
Read a book outside your most-read genre
Read a book with a one-word title

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FAMILY HOME - 6 books
Scrounge again before continuing. Pick any 3 of 6 from the Phase 2 list.
You've got the bones of a home. Now it's time to fill it out.

Dining Room - 1 x book
There's room at the table now.
Read a book set in another country

Home Office/Study - 2 x books
You've come far enough to invest in your mind.
1. Read a nonfiction book
2. Read a book about books or reading

Laundry Room - 1 x book
Time to clean out the old.
Read a book you previously DNF'd, given another chance

Garage - 2 x books
You've got somewhere to go now.
1. Read a book in a series
2. Read a book with a form of transportation on the cover

Family Home complete

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Phase 2 and beyond — You Know the Ropes - 3 books
(Family Home and Mansion only — between room phases)
Pick any 3 of the following 6:
Read a book set in nature or the outdoors
Read a book under 300 pages
Read a book you've owned unread for one year or more
Read a book recommended by someone else
Read a book outside your most-read genre
Read a book with a one-word title

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MANSION - 5 books
Scrounge again before continuing. Pick any 3 of 6 from the Phase 2 list.
This is legacy territory. You didn't just survive — you thrived.

Backyard/Garden - 2 x books
Something you tend, something that grows.
Read a book about growth, change, or transformation
Read a book with a plant, flower, or garden on the cover

Front Porch - 1 x book
You've earned the right to sit and watch the world go by.
Read a debut novel
1 read

Attic/Basement - 2 x books
Every life accumulates history.
1. Read a classic
2. Read a book published before you were born

Phase 2 and beyond — You Know the Ropes - 3 x books

One final scrounge. Pick any 3 of 6 from the Phase 2 list.

Spare Bedroom - 1 x book
The last room. Yours to define.
Pick one:
Read a book about family, found family, or chosen community
Read a book from a series you've already started
Reread a book
Read a book with an ensemble cast

Mansion complete

Level: Mansion

SCROUNGING

Phase 1 — Survival Mode - 3 books
You're new to this. You take what you can get.
All three are required:

Task: Read a book set near water or involving survival
Book read: The Governess's Guide to Spells and Managing Misfit Marquesses by Amy Rose Bennett - 06/07/26
How it fits: Is set at sea, then in London next to the River Thames

Task: Read a book about growth, nature, or starting over
Book read: The Shattered Crown by Kristen Painter - 12/07/26
How it fits: Is the final book in the series - the fate of the two kingdoms is decided and it means evil has been vanquished and both kingdoms are finally putting the past behind them and starting over

Task: Read book you've owned unread for one year or more
Book read: The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: A Memoir of Friendship, Community, and the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Book by Wendy Welch - 02/07/26
How it fits: added to tbr 12/04/2018

Finished scrounging - have been adopted so don’t need a home