Hooked on Books discussion

🔐 Welcome to Your Box.

The lock is real. The box is closed. But the two of you? You have the keys.

This is your personal team thread. Each week, you’ll receive a new reading prompt. Each of you will choose a book, read it, and post your reflection here. Once both reflections are posted, a key turns—and the box reveals a message just for you.

You must complete all 12 keyholes to open the box in Week 13.

You can use this thread for:
🔐 Weekly reflections
🔐 Talking with your partner
🔐 Celebrating when a new lock opens

Your first prompt arrives Sunday at 6pm CT. You’ll know it when you see it.

Until then: get to know each other. Decide who’s reading what.
And whatever you do… don’t open it yet.

📖 Weekly Check-In Format
When you finish your book, post the info below in this thread to let your partner know you're ready. Once both of you have posted your reflections, one of you should check in on the main thread to unlock your keyhole.

• Week: (e.g., Week 1)
• Book Title:
• Author:
• Page Count:
• Reflection: Your response to the week’s prompt.

🔎 Weekly Check-In Thread
This is how your keyhole gets unlocked.
No check-in, no click.

How to check in:
Just post your team name and a link to your team thread.

Example:
Team: The Locked Hearts
Thread: [insert link here]

Once I see your check-in, your message will appear in your thread—if you’ve earned it.

Team 4:
🔐Teresa
🗝️ Sally

I’m here 😀

Need to think of a team name

Suggestions:
Snakes out of the box
Just try and lock us out
Solver squad

Oh, I like Snakes Out of the Box! Sounds devious.

ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "Oh, I like Snakes Out of the Box! Sounds devious."

Ok - Snakes out of the box it is

I can't wait until we get our first prompt!

Hope I didn't just curse us, lol.

ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "I can't wait until we get our first prompt!

Hope I didn't just curse us, lol."

We’ll find out on Sunday your time as starts on the 7th - unless the task is posted earlier 😀

6 and a half hours to go!

ilovebakedgoods (Teresa) wrote: "6 and a half hours to go!"

😂😂😂😂

Already the 8th here - finished breakfast and on my way out for a morning of Mahjong!

🔐 Week 1 Prompt: What You Bring With You
Some locks don’t need a key—they open for what you carry.
Choose a book that reflects something you bring to this partnership:
a personality trait, a past experience, a strength, a flaw—anything that shapes how you read and relate.

Each of you will choose your own book and explain what you're bringing to the box.

I thought our prompt was going to be posted here but it turns out it's in the sign up/updates post. Glad I snooped around :)

Not sure what I'll bring to this yet. I can't remember if we can count books we've already started. I'll find out tomorrow. I'm ready to sleep.

Ok - have followed the updates page so will know when the next prompt is posted.

I think we can use books started before but must be finished after.

So the prompt is “What you bring with you”

Not 100% sure of process yet - but my guess is my chosen book must represent me and what I bring to this team.

Which my current read does in bucketloads.

Completion Post

Week 1
Prompt: What You Bring With You
Book read: The Lightning Ridge Ladies by Fiona McArthur
Date completed: 08/09/25
Page count: 354
Reflection: I bring stubbornness (I don’t give up), a disinclination to follow the norms (hate rule and try to get around them) loyalty (a team member - and expect other team members to be so) and empathy(ability to understand the feelings of others - you’re stressed? I get it, just tell me). In other words, I’m a perfectly team mate.

I picked this book because the MC, Bella, portrays all these characteristics that reflect me as she works out the circumstances around her twin’s believed suicide.

No idea if this is what she is looking for.

I do know we have a week - so we don’t have to post our completion until Saturday - so don’t feel rushed 😀

Sally906 wrote: "No idea if this is what she is looking for.

I do know we have a week - so we don’t have to post our completion until Saturday - so don’t feel rushed 😀"

Thanks for the reminder about the due date. I had forgotten! I should finish my book tonight with any luck!

Sally906 wrote: "Completion Post

Week 1
Prompt: What You Bring With You
Book read: The Lightning Ridge Ladies by Fiona McArthur
Da..."

I love this!

Completion

Week 1
Prompt: What You Bring With You
Book Read: by Nora Roberts
Date Completed: 9/9/25
Page count: 464
Reflection: Well, I chose this book because Nora Roberts is one of my favorite authors, and I love this cover. It has colors and vibe of autumn, which is my favorite season. I love that looking at this picture, I can imagine the smell of the wet ground and the fallen leaves, and sound of my feet falling on the damp ground after a rainfall. I can feel the chill in the air and it makes me shiver and excited to get inside to have hot cocoa, so I can continue admiring the weather from a window, while I sit in pajamas and covered up with a cozy blanket! (And another book nearby LOL)

So, the cover of this is basically me and my love of autumn!

I love Autumn too - we have just started spring with lots of trees starting to blossom. Love the blossoms as much as I do the orange and red Autumn trees. I live on the outskirts of Toowoomba and we are having our annual Carnival of Flowers starting on Saturday.

We will head in to cruise the gardens (Queens Park and Laurel Banks) tomorrow morning before the big crowds move in - then have a spot of lunch before we come home.

https://tcof.com.au/

Sally906 wrote: "I love Autumn too - we have just started spring with lots of trees starting to blossom. Love the blossoms as much as I do the orange and red Autumn trees. I live on the outskirts of Toowoomba and w..."

That sounds lovely, Sally! It sounds like such a cool and fun event! Have you ever gone to all 4 weekends??

I love spring blooms, too. I loved spring more when I grew up in Michigan, where we had a colder and longer winter than what we have here in Texas. Now I crave the chill of autumn and the bite of winter.