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 Death in Vienna by Daniel Silva - 8/14/26
Partially set in Venice

🌱 A book about growth, nature, or starting over
Crime Wave by Rose Pressey - 8/15/26
Starts over as private investigator in Miami

💎 A book you've owned unread for one year or more
Marriage Can Be Murder by Emma Jameson - 9/2/26 - Owned since 2024

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
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - 9/10

📦 A book you've owned unread for one year or more
🗣️ A book recommended by someone else
🔀 A book outside your most-read genre
Balanced Accountability: Create A Culture Of Ownership by Hernani Alves - 9/12

1️⃣ A book with a one-word title
Infiltration by Joshua Anderle - 9/18

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
The Talisman by Stephen King - 9/21/26

🍳 Kitchen
Your first real meal under your own roof.
→ A book involving food, community, or hospitality
1 read
The Young Unicorns by Madeleine L'Engle - 9/24/26
Austin family is hospitable

🛏️ Bedroom
Somewhere to sleep that isn't a park bench.
→ A book outside your most-read genre
1 read
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - 9/26/26
Outside most- read agenda - philosophy

🛋️ 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.
The Bones Beneath My Skin by T.J. Klune - 10/4/26 - 416 pages

🏡 FAMILY HOME (Medium + Hard tiers)
Scrounge again before continuing. Pick any 3 of 6 from the Phase 2 list.
🌲 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

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.