25.8 - MegSCL's Task: The Chinese Zodiac

[SRC Moderator, Moderator]

25.8 - MegSCL's Task: The Chinese Zodiac
According to the Chinese zodiac, we are about to leave behind the Year of the Tiger to enter the Year of the Rabbit. There are 12 different animal signs in the zodiac, you can read about them here https://www.chinahighlights.com/trave...
For this task choose one animal and complete two of the following tasks using the same animal.

REQUIRED: State the animal and the options that you are using.

Option 1
Read a book published in your animal's year. (Note that the lunar years don't align perfectly with calendar years, but ignore the month a book was published and read any book published in the animal's year according to the link above.)

Option 2
Read a book with your animal on the cover. A few variations are allowed:
Rat or mouse is fine (I can't tell the difference)
Ox (includes cows or buffalos)
Goat (sheep is also acceptable)
Rooster (a female chicken is OK too)
REQUIRED: post the cover

Option 3
In the link above, 3-4 words are used to describe each animals personality. These descriptive words are listed in the help thread. Read a book with a character described in the goodreads blurb using one of those words. Variations that preserve the meaning are allowed (e.g. a snake can be wise or show wisdom, but they can't be "clever").
REQUIRED: specify the animal's characteristic and the quote from the goodreads description.

Examples using Monkey
Option 1 - I'm Thinking of Ending Things published 2016
Option 2 - - monkey on cover
Option 3 - Common Ground - Charlie’s curiosity is infectious (curious)

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Please do not post in this thread until it is opened.

[Meg]

For years, here are the most recent years. You can continue to count back 12 years for each to read an older book if you like.

Rat ...1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020…
Ox …1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021…
Tiger …1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022…
Rabbit … 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 ...
Dragon … 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 …
Snake … 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025 …
Horse … 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014, 2026 …
Goat … 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015, 2027 …
Monkey … 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016, 2028 …
Rooster … 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017, 2029 …
Dog … 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018, 2030 …
Pig … 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019, 2031 …

[Meg]

FYI
Chinese Zodiac Signs' Personality

Rat: quick-witted, resourceful, versatile, kind.

Ox: diligent, dependable, strong, determined.

Tiger: brave, confident, competitive, unpredictable.

Rabbit: quiet, elegant, kind, responsible.

Dragon: confident, intelligent, enthusiastic.

Snake: enigmatic, intelligent, wise.

Horse: animated, active, energetic.

Goat: calm, gentle, sympathetic.

Monkey: sharp, smart, curious.

Rooster: observant, hardworking, courageous.

Dog: lovely, honest, prudent.

Pig: compassionate, generous, diligent.

[SRC Moderator, Moderator]

This thread is now open

[Jen B]

Fun task! Option 3 is proving to be a little challenging...would this description work? It's describing his life and his plan, but I'm interpreting that to mean he himself is quiet and brave.

"Albert Entwistle is a private man with a quiet, simple life.
Albert forms a brave plan to start truly living."

The book is The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle

[Emily]

Not be the morbid one, but does this count as a rabbit?

[Robin P]

Is there enough of the rabbit showing on this one?

[Meg]

Jen B wrote: "Fun task! Option 3 is proving to be a little challenging...would this description work? It's describing his life and his plan, but I'm interpreting that to mean he himself is quiet and brave.

"Alb..."

Yep, that's OK

[Meg]

Emily wrote: "Not be the morbid one, but does this count as a rabbit?

"

That works. I guess it was a rabbit, lol.

[Meg]

Robin P wrote: "Is there enough of the rabbit showing on this one?

"

Yes, I'll allow that. It's a fun book, enjoy!

[steph (librarianish)]

Hi! Wondering if this works for a dog on the cover? The book description contemplates a werewolf-like creature as inspiration for the story.

[Meg]

sorry Stephanie, I would call that a wolf, not a dog

[steph (librarianish)]

No worries, thanks!

[Bea]

I found it hard to find a rat book that appealed to me and got a bit jealous of the dog/horse/dragon people. Still I appreciated the offer to acccept mice and settled on Hickory Dickory Dock.

[Emily]

Bea wrote: "I found it hard to find a rat book that appealed to me and got a bit jealous of the dog/horse/dragon people. Still I appreciated the offer to acccept mice and settled on [book:Hickory Dickory Dock|..."

Wait, we don't have to choose our own zodiac animal, do we? I thought we just chose one that we wanted to do the task on. Am I reading that incorrectly?

[Kristina Simon]

Would this one work for snake?
(in the tank behind his right shoulder)

Thanks!

[Shawn]

Will either of these work for tiger?

or

Thanks!

[Meg]

Emily wrote: "Bea wrote: "I found it hard to find a rat book that appealed to me and got a bit jealous of the dog/horse/dragon people. Still I appreciated the offer to acccept mice and settled on [book:Hickory D..."

Emily wrote: "Bea wrote: "I found it hard to find a rat book that appealed to me and got a bit jealous of the dog/horse/dragon people. Still I appreciated the offer to acccept mice and settled on [book:Hickory D..."

You are right Emily!
Bea, you don't need to choose your own sign. Any of the 12 is fine. But good bonus challenge :D

[Meg]

Kristina Simon wrote: "Would this one work for snake?
(in the tank behind his right shoulder)

Thanks!"

Yes, that's just enough snake

[Meg]

Shawn wrote: "Will either of these work for tiger?

or

Thanks!"

Yes, both are good. And a bonus rooster for the White Tiger too!

[Bea]

Meg wrote: "Bea, you don't need to choose your own sign. Any of the 12 is fine. But good bonus challenge :D"

Gee, whiz. Well, I, at least, found an old mystery to read, which satisfies me; but, if it comes to the end of the season and I haven't yet read it, I will have more flexibility in finding another book. Thanks.

[Cat]

Are we ok with this shy dragon hiding amongst the flowers and foliage?

[Tien]

Does this arty rabbit count?

[Meg]

Cat wrote: "

Are we ok with this shy dragon hiding amongst the flowers and foliage?"

Yes that's OK

[Meg]

Tien wrote: "Does this arty rabbit count?

"

Sure!

[Tien]

cool, thanks, Meg :)

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

confirming that the animal in front of the horse is a pig and not a Dalmatian. The pig is even mentioned in the description. " the search for a missing pot-bellied pig."

[Robin (Saturndoo)]

Christina (AKA Babbling) wrote: "

confirming that the animal in front of the horse is a pig and not a Dalmatian. The pig is even mentioned in the description. " the search for a missing pot-bel..."

Ohh I really like that series lol You will be reading about Jethro the pot belly pig : )

[Christina (AKA Babbling)]

Robin (Saturndoo) wrote: "Christina (AKA Babbling) wrote: "

confirming that the animal in front of the horse is a pig and not a Dalmatian. The pig is even mentioned in the description. "..."

Yeah I just read the first book. that's why I checked if he might be on the cover of any of the books.

[Trish]

I was wondering about tigers, and have this copy of .

Is it identifiable enough as a tiger?

Another option is .

Thanks.

[Siobhan]

Just to double check, would this description for Making Up count for Dog regarding option 3?

"To Leo, something about Trix is… different. Lovely."

And as a back up plan, would this description for Unforgivable count (also for dog regarding option 3)?

"Gil’s discovery that the lovely, masked stranger he fell for is none other than his own wife, leaves him feeling sick and betrayed. "

Thank you!

[Meg]

Robin (Saturndoo) wrote: "Christina (AKA Babbling) wrote: "

confirming that the animal in front of the horse is a pig and not a Dalmatian. The pig is even mentioned in the description. "..."

Yes, approved for pig and horse!

[Meg]

Trish wrote: "I was wondering about tigers, and have this copy of .

Is it identifiable enough as a tiger?

Another option is
Sorry Trish, not enough tiger showing on the Night Tiger. But is an excellent read!

[Meg]

Siobhan wrote: "Just to double check, would this description for Making Up count for Dog regarding option 3?

"To Leo, something about Trix is… different. Lovely."

And as a back up plan, would thi..."

Both of those work for lovely :)

[Siobhan]

Meg wrote: "Siobhan wrote: "Just to double check, would this description for Making Up count for Dog regarding option 3?

"To Leo, something about Trix is… different. Lovely."

And as a back up..."

Thank you so much! :)

[Robin P]

In the rabbit category, it looks like I can use Mansfield Park where the last sentence of the GR description says

Mansfield Park is considered Jane Austen's first mature work and, with its quiet heroine . .

Is that correct?

[Meg]

Robin P wrote: "In the rabbit category, it looks like I can use Mansfield Park where the last sentence of the GR description says

Mansfield Park is considered Jane Austen's first mature work and, wit..."

That works!

[♞ Pat]

Will this description work for describing the Rooster? It doesn't specify a particular character, but there were several women involved in the story that exhibited it, particularly the MC, and even some men as well. It expands on the idea further down the blurb, but it doesn't use the courage word again, just explains why it was important that Maddie be that way.

It's a historical fiction novel about whistle blowers in the "big tobacco" health cover-ups. And it really is a novel about characters being courageous in the face of losing everything....

I can list the characters by name if I need to.

From the blurb ~ This is a story of courage, of women willing to take a stand in the face of corporate greed, and most definitely a tale for our times.”

The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers

I have a book with a rooster on the cover queued up, but I feel this one actually fills the heart of the task, and hope you'll ok it. If not, I can use it for a 20=point task.

[Meg]

♞ Pat wrote: "Will this description work for describing the Rooster? It doesn't specify a particular character, but there were several women involved in the story that exhibited it, particularly the MC, and even..."

Yes, I'm happy with that

[♞ Pat]

Thanks, Meg.

[Trish]

Meg wrote: "Sorry Trish, not enough tiger showing on the Night Tiger. But The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu is an excellent read!"

Fair enough. Thanks!

[Florence]

would 'mysterious' preserve the character of 'enigmatic' enough to use? its the first synonym that comes up for enigmatic!

[Meg]

No, sorry Florence, it has to be a variant of the same word, not a synonym

[KmarieD, Moderator]

Would the following book be OK to use for 'brave' since it doesn't specify which character is brave, but she would have to be to do her job as a main character?

The Girl from Guernica

Inspired by Picasso’s great masterpiece, Guernica, New York Times bestselling author Karen Robards returns with a riveting story of intrigue, deception and bravery in the face of war…

On an April day in 1937, the sky opens and fire rains down upon the small Spanish town of Guernica. Seventeen-year-old Sibi and her family are caught up in the horror. Griff, an American military attaché, pulls Sibi from the wreckage, and it’s only the first time he saves her life in a span of hours. When Germany claims no involvement in the attack, insisting the Spanish Republic was responsible, Griff guides Sibi to lie to Nazi officials. If she or her sisters reveal that they saw planes bearing swastikas, the gestapo will silence them—by any means necessary.

As war begins to rage across Europe, Sibi joins the underground resistance, secretly exchanging information with Griff. But as the scope of Germany’s ambitions becomes clear, maintaining the facade of a Nazi-sympathizer becomes ever more difficult. And as Sibi is drawn deeper into a web of secrets, she must find a way to outwit an enemy that threatens to decimate her family once and for all.

Masterfully rendered and vividly capturing one of the most notorious episodes in history, The Girl from Guernica is an unforgettable testament to the bonds of family and the courage of women in wartime.

[Meg]

Yes that works kmaried

[Odette]

Does this cover work for the rat?

[Meg]

Odette wrote: "Does this cover work for the rat? "

Yes, I see rats. Don't ask me what that animal at the top is supposed to be though!!

[Chandni]

Are we okay with the snakes on this one?

[Meg]

Chandni wrote: "Are we okay with the snakes on this one?
"

Yes i see snakes.
Oh, but graphic novels aren't allowed for this task sorry!