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/...

SCROUNGING
📍 Phase 1 — Survival Mode
You're new to this. You take what you can get. All three are required:
🎣 A book set near water or involving survival
🌱 A book about growth, nature, or starting over
💎 A book you've owned unread for one year or more
Complete all three to earn your lot and enter Build Mode.

📍 Phase 2 and beyond — You Know the Ropes
(Family Home and Mansion only — between room phases)
You've learned how to work the land. Pick any 3 of the following 6:
🌲 A book set in nature or the outdoors
📖 A book under 300 pages
📦 A book you've owned unread for one year or more
🗣️ A book recommended by someone else
🔀 A book outside your most-read genre
1️⃣ A book with a one-word title

BUILD MODE — ROOM BY ROOM
Rooms unlock in order. You cannot skip ahead. Each room has a reading prompt — complete the required reads to furnish the room and unlock the next.

🏠 STARTER HOME (all tiers)
Every Sim needs the basics before anything else.
🚿 Bathroom
Finally somewhere to wash off the road.
→ A book you've been putting off
1 read

🍳 Kitchen
Your first real meal under your own roof.
→ A book involving food, community, or hospitality
1 read

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

🛋️ Living Room
You're not just surviving anymore. You're living.
→ A book with more than 400 pages
1 read
Starter Home complete.
If you chose this tier — you built something. That's enough.

🏡 FAMILY HOME (Medium + Hard tiers)
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
There's room at the table now.
→ A book set in another country
1 read

📚 Home Office/Study
You've come far enough to invest in your mind.
→ A nonfiction book
→ A book about books or reading
2 reads

🧺 Laundry Room
Time to clean out the old.
→ A book you previously DNF'd, given another chance
1 read

🚗 Garage
You've got somewhere to go now.
→ A book in a series
→ A book with a form of transportation on the cover
2 reads
Family Home complete.
If you chose this tier — you've built a real life.

🏰 MANSION (Hard tier only)
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
Something you tend, something that grows.
→ A book about growth, change, or transformation
→ A book with a plant, flower, or garden on the cover
2 reads

🪑 Front Porch
You've earned the right to sit and watch the world go by.
→ A debut novel
1 read

📦 Attic/Basement
Every life accumulates history.
→ A classic
→ A book published before you were born
2 reads
One final scrounge. Pick any 3 of 6 from the Phase 2 list.
🛏️ Spare Bedroom
The last room. Yours to define.
Pick one:
→ A book about family, found family, or chosen community
→ A book from a series you've already started
→ A reread
→ A book with an ensemble cast
1 read

Mansion complete.
You started with nothing. Look at what you built.

SCROUNGING
📍 Phase 1 — Survival Mode

Task #1:
🎣 A book set near water or involving survival

Book: The Guest List
Author: Lucy Foley
Date Read: July 26th, 2026
Rating: 4 stars

SCROUNGING
📍 Phase 1 — Survival Mode

Task #2
🌱 A book about growth, nature, or starting over

Book: Part of Your World
Author: Abby Jimenez
Date Read: July 30th, 2026
Rating: 5 stars

SCROUNGING
📍 Phase 1 — Survival Mode

Task #3
💎 A book you've owned unread for one year or more

Book: The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Date Read: July 31st, 2026
Rating: 4 stars

SCROUNGING
📍 Phase 2 and beyond — You Know the Ropes

Task #4
1️⃣ A book with a one-word title

Book: Yellowface
Author: R.F. Kuang
Date Read: August 3rd, 2026
Rating: 5 stars

SCROUNGING
📍 Phase 2 And Beyond — You Know The Ropes

Task #5
🌲 A book set in nature or the outdoors

Book: In a Holidaze
Author: Christina Lauren
Date Read: August 6th, 2026
Rating: 3 stars

SCROUNGING
📍 Phase 2 And Beyond — You Know The Ropes

Task #6
🗣️ A book recommended by someone else

Book: Every Summer After
Author: Carley Fortune
Date Read: August 12th, 2026
Rating: 4 stars

BUILD MODE — ROOM BY ROOM
Rooms unlock in order. You cannot skip ahead. Each room has a reading prompt — complete the required reads to furnish the room and unlock the next.

🏠 STARTER HOME (all tiers)
Every Sim needs the basics before anything else.
🚿 Bathroom
Finally somewhere to wash off the road.
→ A book you've been putting off
1 read

🍳 Kitchen
Your first real meal under your own roof.
→ A book involving food, community, or hospitality
1 read

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

🛋️ Living Room
You're not just surviving anymore. You're living.
→ A book with more than 400 pages
1 read
Starter Home complete.
If you chose this tier — you built something. That's enough.

🏠 STARTER HOME (all tiers)
🚿 Bathroom
Finally somewhere to wash off the road.
→ A book you've been putting off

Book: The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper
Author: Hallie Rubenhold
Date Read: August 19th, 2026
Rating: 3 stars

🏠 STARTER HOME (all tiers)
🍳 Kitchen
Your first real meal under your own roof.
→ A book involving food, community, or hospitality

Book: The Book of Lost Hours
Author: Hayley Gelfuso
Date Read: August 20th, 2026
Rating: 3 stars

🏠 STARTER HOME (all tiers)
🛏️ Bedroom
Somewhere to sleep that isn't a park bench.
→ A book outside your most-read genre

Book: The Correspondent
Author: Virginia Evans
Date Read: August 27th, 2026
Rating: 4 stars

🏠 STARTER HOME (all tiers)
🛋️ Living Room
You're not just surviving anymore. You're living.
→ A book with more than 400 pages

Book: Phantasma
Author: Kaylie Smith
Date Read: August 28th, 2026
Rating: 5 stars

🏡 FAMILY HOME (Medium + Hard tiers)
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
There's room at the table now.
→ A book set in another country
1 read

📚 Home Office/Study
You've come far enough to invest in your mind.
→ A nonfiction book
→ A book about books or reading
2 reads

🧺 Laundry Room
Time to clean out the old.
→ A book you previously DNF'd, given another chance
1 read

🚗 Garage
You've got somewhere to go now.
→ A book in a series
→ A book with a form of transportation on the cover
2 reads
Family Home complete.
If you chose this tier — you've built a real life.

🏡 FAMILY HOME (Medium + Hard tiers)
🍽️ Dining Room
There's room at the table now.
→ A book set in another country

Book: Bride
Author: Ali Hazelwood
Date Read: September 4th, 2026
Rating: 4 stars

🏡 FAMILY HOME (Medium + Hard tiers)
🚗 Garage
You've got somewhere to go now.
→ A book in a series

Book: Scandal of the Summer
Author: Alexandra Vasti
Date Read: September 5th, 2026
Rating: 4 stars

🏡 FAMILY HOME (Medium + Hard tiers)
📚 Home Office/Study
You've come far enough to invest in your mind.
→ A nonfiction book

Book: This Is Me: A Reckoning
Author: Hayden Panettiere
Date Read: September 9th, 2026
Rating: 4 stars

🏡 FAMILY HOME (Medium + Hard tiers)
📚 Home Office/Study
You've come far enough to invest in your mind.
→ A book about books or reading

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