Mod Madness 2024 - Modiac Mania

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

[Sarah]

Another guess for Taurus: The Islanders by Christopher Priest

[Sarah]

Wait, I found a better guess for Taurus! 😂

Oil and Dust by Jami Fairleigh

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

🌓

[Bonnie]

Nicely done!

A guess for Sagittarius - The Wood Wife - spirits and trickster Fox

Many of these involve water in some form

[Anna]

There was once a time I was actively seeking watery books, but in the end the mods almost had a fight over the water signs, because it seemed like we all had several water books :D

[Anna]

Just a reminder that I have been updating the poll when there are correct guesses, and Allison is updating her starting post, and mod can be anyone of the three of us, so this can get a tad confusing at times :D When checking to see if your guesses have landed, it's best to check both! I obviously can't update Allison's starting post, but if you've seen me posting somewhere on GR after your guess and the poll hasn't been updated, then you can safely assume you were wrong :D

(Saying this now because my internet is going to be out tomorrow, so I *might* not be able to update anything.)

And yay, we're at 6/12 and polls haven't even opened yet!

[Beth]

Woo, I made the first correct guess for Cancer!... then proceeded to rest on my laurels. :D I've felt pretty out of my league on this one, tbh, but have been enjoying seeing others think things through.

[Anna]

I want to reassure everyone who feels like they can’t make any sense of this. I *know* what the books are, but I don’t always* understand the mod clues or have any idea which books they belong to 😂 I have to check the spreadsheet to see what book is what sign before I can be sure if the guesses are correct 😅 I’m very impressed that you’ve collectively guessed half of them! And I was blown away by how quickly the first correct guess came!

* Let’s be honest, I haven’t understood any except one of the books that has been guessed, and that one only because I asked my co-mods what book it was 🤣

[Anna]

Also, you’ve guessed half fantasy, half scifi, and half of each mod’s books, so we’re all still very nicely balanced 👌🏻

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Melanie wrote: "Also, Allison SFFBC ancillary mod, may I have a book reading?"

You know already that Aries has led you well. Of the other fire signs, only Leo may intrigue your curiosity. The air however is most likely calling to you. Do not be lured by the sirens of the deep, save that one governed by Pluto. For you, the planet of the underworld does not mean death.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Anna wrote: "Also, you’ve guessed half fantasy, half scifi, and half of each mod’s books, so we’re all still very nicely balanced 👌🏻"

It's the perfect balance of our group's alignment that's keeping us so evenly paced.

[Sarah]

Random guess for Scorpio:

Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst

Also question:

Do any of the remaining authors write under a pseudonym?

[Anna]

Yes.

[Sarah]

Anna wrote: "Yes."

Is there any mod funny business going on where the author is on the shelf but the pseudonym is not or vice versa?

Or do I need to assume both author name and pseudonym are not on the shelf?

[Sarah]

I mean mod funny business in an affectionate way. 😂

[Sarah]

Has anyone guessed Sagittarius (view spoiler)[ The Blue Sword (hide spoiler)]

[Anna]

Sarah wrote: "Is there any mod funny business going on"

Yes.

" where the author is on the shelf but the pseudonym is not or vice versa?"

No.

[Sarah]

Or Aquarius (view spoiler)[ Oona Out of Order (hide spoiler)]

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

excellent guesses, and assumptions. I believe more hints will be forthcoming in the next day or so.

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Voting is open!

Half of the books have been guessed, and all of them will be revealed before voting closes.

Make sure notifications are on :)

[Anna]

(I have to clarify my "Yes." from yesterday. When I last looked, the pseudonym was still in use on GR, but I just checked and it is no longer to be found as an author name by GR search. The internet at large, and one corner of it specifically, will still know this author by another name.)

[Anna]

Anna wrote: "There was once a time I was actively seeking watery books"

https://i.postimg.cc/g0F4wR3C/0-modia...

[Sarah]

Anna wrote: "(I have to clarify my "Yes." from yesterday. When I last looked, the pseudonym was still in use on GR, but I just checked and it is no longer to be found as an author name by GR search. The interne..."

Feels like this should be an easy enough clue to track down, but it’s not. 😂

I also don’t do a lot of research on authors and their pseudonyms.

[Anna]

It's not really a clue, I just wanted to make sure I'd answered your question truthfully!

(You know, with those lying foxes and all...)

[Sarah]

Anna wrote: "It's not really a clue, I just wanted to make sure I'd answered your question truthfully!

(You know, with those lying foxes and all...)"

I mean it could be a clue… if there weren’t so many pen names out there. 😂

[Anna]

Yeah, it's like saying the book was written by a human :)

[Meredith]

Aquarius (view spoiler)[ Bannerless (hide spoiler)]?

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Anna's drawing, which I didn't realize was a drawing, is a very good clue, but hilariously not really unless you know it, because Google lens is an enemy of the public.

[Sarah]

Allison wrote: "Anna's drawing, which I didn't realize was a drawing, is a very good clue, but hilariously not really unless you know it, because Google lens is an enemy of the public."

I see Tiger Mermaid Monarchs. That’s a book a right?

[Meredith]

Freshwater?

[Sarah]

I’m guessing for Pisces because I think it fits Pisces better than Aquarius, but am second guessing myself since we were told Pisces is tricksy:

by Kirsty Logan

(Link without cover for my app using friends) The Gloaming

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

⭐️🐟

[Anna]

Allison wrote: "Anna's drawing, which I didn't realize was a drawing, is a very good clue, but hilariously not really unless you know it, because Google lens is an enemy of the public."

It’s a ”drawing” because of Lens 😂

And yeah not tricksy, but the cover is basically the sign! (Also Gemini cover kinda.) I don’t agree with Allison that Pisces was near impossible to guess, there is at least one that is much more difficult, perhaps more. (Well it was kinda impossible without more clues, but we don’t have clues for some of the remaining ones, so good luck with all that! 😅)

[Sarah]

Anna wrote: "It’s a ”drawing” because of lens."..

Well, Google Image Search sure didn’t help.

Thank you Goodreads Mermaid Books Listopia. lol. I was going to say it’s a very good drawing!

[Anna]

Sarah wrote: "Well, Google Image Search sure didn’t help."

Yes, I tested to make sure of that XD

(I was sure you'd figured it out the way I had set up, but apparently not, though I am glad to hear you recognized they were mermaids!)

[Sarah]

Nope, when I found the book I was really impressed by your artistic skills. 😂

[Anna]

All you had to do was seek watery :P

Beside the point but I have zero artistic skills, and that's not typical Finnish modesty, I've never been able to draw anything recognizable, but I googled "how to draw a mermaid", and all I needed was to get the shapes somewhat right, nothing fancy, and I was very pleased with how it came out! This will forever be my artistic masterpiece! XD

(I just put together an advent calendar for my nibling, and I had to send my brother a spreadsheet of the text on each day's card, because even I couldn't make out what I'd written XD I don't do well with pens, but I'm better with an Apple Pencil!)

[Ryan, Your favourite moderators favourite moderator]

I'm a BIG FAN OF still d.r.e.

[Ryan, Your favourite moderators favourite moderator]

I'd drop a link to the song but Goodreads doesn't allow outside links.

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

https://youtu.be/_CL6n0FJZpk?si=OerKQ...

[Sarah]

SFFBC wrote: "https://youtu.be/_CL6n0FJZpk?si=OerKQ..."

Wow this brought me back.

I’m guessing the word Still is in the title.

[Sarah]

I’m not sure if this really meets length requirements, but I hear there are otter like creatures:

Aquarius: Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis

[Sarah]

Ryan wrote: "I'm a BIG FAN OF still d.r.e."

Unless… this is a secret way of telling us you’re doing the sneaky thing and reusing one of your Mod Madness picks, from last year…


Ryan -- Quarter Share
Ryan -- Shadow Over Avalon
Ryan -- Fire of the Dark Triad
Ryan -- War Girls

Ryan -- When Women Were Dragons
Ryan -- Man Who Could Move Clouds
Ryan -- Murmur of Bees
Ryan -- Tuyo

…🤔

[Anna]

He did try to reuse one (accidentally), but there are no mod madness repeats.

[Ryan, Your favourite moderators favourite moderator]

It wasn't an accident. I LOVE THAT BOOK!

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

Oh, are we still doing this?

Gazing up into the unknown and wondering 'what if...?' can be a pleasant distraction but it's important that you remain realistic in your ambitions. True enlightenment will come from within. Learn to love yourself (and others). Technology has its limits.

[Sarah]

I looked at books previously mentioned, and I don’t think this one’s been mentioned yet.

Scorpio: Deep as the Sky, Red as the Sea by Rita Chang-Eppig

[Anna]

As far as I know (or have been told), there are clues in this thread for two of the scifi books!

And I think a clue for one fantasy book is coming soon, I'm not sure if that one has been released yet?

(I will not give out clues for my last remaining book before at least two more books have been guessed. I would love to, but I'm trying to keep things balanced between the mods :D)

[SFFBC, Ancillary Mod]

One hidden book is of the earth twice
One for the body beloved of wife
One for the substance that has caused strife
And the will whose grip is that of a vice.