2024 Zodiac Challenge

[CBRetriever]

also finished

DESCRIPTIVE - Animal

OX : Diligent, dependable, strong, determined = Dr. Ox and Other Stories by Jules Verne - Reason = Dr. Ox
and
RABBIT : Quiet, elegant, kind, responsible = The Beaver Theory by Antti Tuomainen - Reason = Rabbit Factor #3 = name of series & features a plastic rabbit in the first book
and
MONKEY : Sharp, smart, curiosity = Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs - Reason = Tarzan has ape family and "mother" but I don't know if Cheetah is part of the book (nope)

makes 1 for Cyclic, 3 for Descriptive and 0 for Elements

[Ivan Darryl]

Just finished The Left Hand of Darkness as the third book that I completed from this challenge. It was dense for its shorter size, and right now, I'm still processing everything I have just read.

Glad that I've been introduced by this book from one of the group's threads.

[CBRetriever]

added

PIG : Compassionate, generous, diligent = Animal Farm by George Orwell - Reason = one of the main characters is a pig First read in Kindle format

makes 4 Animal and 1 Cyclic with 0 Elements

[CBRetriever]

adding an Element

Wise WATER - represents brightness, agile mind, and mental strength = OCEANS: The Anthology by Jessica West (editor) - Reason = short stories about the Ocean

and a lot of the stories dealt with mental strength and an agile mind as a bonus to the Water theme

[CBRetriever]

and another animal

ROOSTER : Observant, hardworking, courageous = The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin Jr. - Reason = a main character is a rooster plus it's on the cover

makes 5 Animal and 1 Cyclic with 1 Elements

[CBRetriever]

and another Cyclic

DOG : 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 = The Elfin Ship by James P. Blaylock

makes 5 Animal and 2 Cyclic with 1 Elements

[Meredith]

I am up to 13/24. I have read a least one book from 9 of the 12 signs.

I am aiming to go through the whole zodiac twice before counting any additional books for the signs (though I'm still keeping track of them in case I am able to start a third round).

RAT : 1972 Word for World is forest, 2020 Finna, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1984, 1996, 2008,
OX : 2021 sword stone table anthology, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009,
TIGER : 1998 Brown Girl in the Ring, 2022 Gobbelino London and a Worry of Weres, (2010 Side jobs, Dresden), 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986,
RABBIT : 1987 D is for Deadbeat, 2023 Under the Smokestrewn sky, (1963 Way station), 1927, 1939, 1951, 1975, 1999, 2011,
DRAGON : 2000 Stardoc, 2024 Mislaid in parts half known, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2012,
SNAKE : 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013
HORSE : 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014
SHEEP : 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015
MONKEY : 2016 a pressing engagement, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004,
ROOSTER : 1993 The Giver, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 2005, 2017
DOG : 2018 Quantum Magician, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006,
PIG : 2019 vanishing stair, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007,

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

wowza! very impressive!

[Wolf_Maiden]

RAT : 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020: Voice of War by Zack Argyle
OX : 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021: Under the Whispering Door by T.J. Klune
TIGER : 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
RABBIT : 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023: Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey
DRAGON : 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024
SNAKE : 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013
HORSE : 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014
SHEEP* : 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015
MONKEY : 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016
ROOSTER : 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017
DOG : 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018
PIG : 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019: Recursion by Blake Crouch

[CBRetriever]

finished

MONKEY : 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 = Mockingbird by Walter Tevis

makes 5 Animal and 3 Cyclic with 1 Elements

this book was excellent

[CBRetriever]

finished

Benevolent WOOD - represents creativity, luxuriance, blooming, and flourishing = Drowned Country by Emily Tesh - Reason = 2nd book in Greenhollow Duology about an ancient wood
Respectful FIRE - represents enthusiasm, passion = Fire Wings by Anthony Ryan to replace a book from the Saga of Recluce by L.E. Modesitt Jr. - Reason = definite book with Fire in the title

makes 5 Animal and 3 Cyclic with 3 Elements

[Ivan Darryl]

Ivan Darryl wrote: "This mainly comprises my main tbr for 2024. Still subject to change. Open for more book recs and group reads :)

RAT: Neuromancer (1984)
OX: Sphere (1997)
TIGER: [book:..."

Already finished five out of twelve novels, slowly making up for the sixth one.

[CBRetriever]

finished

Honest EARTH - represents nurturing, stability and security = Earthchild by Doris Piserchia - Reason = last human on earth and trying to save it

makes 5 Animal and 3 Cyclic with 4 Elements

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

yay for new participants!

[CBRetriever]

finished this book under CYclic

PIG : 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019 = The Disappearing Dwarf by James P. Blaylock

makes 5 Animal and 4 Cyclic with 4 Elements

[CBRetriever]

Finished all 5 of the DESCRIPTIVE - Elements category with

Righteous METAL - represents ambition, determination, progress, and persistence = The Silver Metal Lover by Tanith Lee - Reason = silver metal lover

[CBRetriever]

finished this book under Cyclic

OX : 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 = How to Mars by David Ebenbach

the selection was Blood Music by Greg Bear, but the book I read for it was under another category in another challenge on a different forum, so I switched it out

makes 5 Animal and 5 Cyclic with 5 Elements (completed)

[CBRetriever]

finished this book under Cyclic

SNAKE : 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 = Sunglasses After Dark by Nancy A. Collins

makes 5 Animal and 6 Cyclic with 5 Elements (completed)

[Kaia]

I've completed three more books for this challenge (so up to 5 / 12). I am choosing to read Hugo Award winners from a variety of decades to try to expand my reading a bit (though I've mostly managed to read ones from the 1970s so far). As a bonus, all three of these are also on the group shelf, so I get double challenge credit. :-)

I finished:

Horse (1978): Dreamsnake by Vonda McIntyre. This one was surprisingly good. I love a female MC who can take care of herself and stands up for what's right.

Monkey (1992): A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge. This one was fantastic - 5 stars for me. Interesting world & alien characters plus a compelling, multilayered story.

Rat (1972): The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K Le Guin. Another 5-star read - not as fun to read as A Fire Upon the Deep, but definitely a great discussion book.

[CBRetriever]

finished

TIGER : Brave, confident, competitive = Sword-Bearer by Jennifer Roberson - Reason = main character is named Tiger

and Brave, confident, competitive perfectly describes Tiger

makes 6 Animal and 6 Cyclic with 5 Elements (completed)

[CBRetriever]

finished another one (I was reading it at the same time as the book above)

TIGER : 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 = The Falling Woman by Pat Murphy

makes 6 Animal and 7 Cyclic with 5 Elements (completed)

[CBRetriever]

forgot to add this one

HORSE : Animated, active, energetic = HORSE : Animated, active, energetic = White Horse, Red Fruit by Kat Howard to replace Pale Horses by Jassy Mackenzie - Reason = new book is SF&F even if it's a short story

and just finished this one

SNAKE : Enigmatic, intelligent, wise = A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger - Reason = Cottonmouth is a main character

I liked this one a lot

makes 8 Animal and 7 Cyclic with 5 Elements (completed)

[CBRetriever]

finished under Cyclic

DRAGON : 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024 = Seer's Blood by Doranna Durgin

makes 8 Animal and 8 Cyclic with 5 Elements (completed)

[Stephen]

OX : 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021

The Memory of Whiteness: A Scientific Romance (1985)

4/12

[CBRetriever]

Finished under Description:

DOG : Lovely, honest, prudent = A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher - Reason = secondary character is a dog

makes 9 Animal and 8 Cyclic with 5 Elements (completed)

[CBRetriever]

and another cyclic

SHEEP : 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 = Chthon by Piers Anthony

makes 9 Animal and 9 Cyclic with 5 Elements (completed)

[Kaia]

I am making progress on this challenge, but not in the way I envisioned. I had intended this as an exercise to read more Hugo winners (and also books written pre-2010s). I ended up finding several new-to-me authors and books I liked, though, and ended up reading multiple Hugo-winning works of theirs instead of some of the books I thought I would read at the outset. So far, I have:

Rat: The Word for World Is Forest by LeGuin- novella (1972)
Ox: The Girl Who Was Plugged In by Tiptree - novella (1973)
Rabbit: Among Others by Walton (2011), The Last of the Winnebagos by Willis - novella (1987)
Dragon: Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Wilhelm (1976), Houston, Houston, Do You Read? by Tiptree - novella (1976)
Horse: Dreamsnake by McIntyre (1978), The Mountains of Mourning by Bujold - novella (1990), The Vor Game by Bujold (1990)
Sheep / Ram: Paladin of Souls by Bujold (2003), Barrayar by Bujold (1991)
Monkey: A Fire Upon the Deep by Vinge (1992)
Dog: Mirror Dance by Bujold (1994)

All I have left are Tiger, Snake, Rooster, and Pig.

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

sometimes it's fun just to see where these challenges take us!

[Tara]

Getting a late start on this challenge but I decided on a blend of 3: Cyclic, Balanced, and Elements. My selection criteria (roughly):
- Not yet read
- Female authors when I could. I noticed when I was looking at selections--especially older decades—that they were underserved
- No repeating authors

✓ RAT : We ~Yevgeny Zamyatin
✓ OX : Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
✓ TIGER : The Mote in God’s Eye ~Larry Niven, Jerry Pournelle
✓ RABBIT : Leviathan Wakes ~James S.A. Corey
DRAGON : EarthFlown: Anatomy of Water ~Frances Wren (this book has it all-Earth, Water, Wren (rooster adjacent)
✓ SNAKE : Be the Serpent ~Seanan McGuire
✓ HORSE : A Guide to the Fruits of Hawai'i ~ Alaya Dawn Johnson
✓ SHEEP* : Lord of Light ~Roger Zelazny
✓ MONKEY : The Stars My Destination ~ Alfred Bester (first title was Tiger Tiger)
ROOSTER : Jade City ~Fonda Lee
✓ DOG : The Tiger Flu ~Larissa Lai

Adding to my Year of the Dog selection (2018):
✓ Nebula Awards Showcase 2019 edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
I wanted to read Welcome to Your Authentic Indian Experience TM by Rebecca Roanhorse and there were all these other cool nominees and winners so..

✓ PIG : Gideon the Ninth ~Tamsyn Muir

Balance Yin/Yang selections:
✓ Tiger Honor ~Yoon Ha Lee (this was an easy selection: dragons, tigers) AND
✓ Black Sun ~Rebecca Roanhorse (heaven/earth, sun (male), earth (female), light/dark)

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

this looks great!!

[CBRetriever]

and another one:

SHEEP : Calm, gentle, sympathetic = The Android's Dreamby John Scalzi - Reason = save the sheep!!

one of the main characters has 20% of the DNA of an electric blue sheep

makes 10 Animal and 9 Cyclic with 5 Elements (completed) and only 5 to go to complete the challenge

[Stephen]

PIG : 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

The Anome akaThe Faceless Man (1971) by Jack Vance

5/12

[Stephen]

RAT : 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020

The Man Whose Teeth Were All Exactly Alike (1984)

6/12

[CBRetriever]

finished:

RAT : 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 = ✔️Garan the Eternal by Andre Norton

makes 10 Animal and 10 Cyclic with 5 Elements (completed) and only 4 to go to complete the challenge

[CBRetriever]

and another (I was reading it in tandem with the one above)

RABBIT : 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023 = ✔️The Iron Princess by Barbara Hambly

makes 10 Animal and 11 Cyclic with 5 Elements (completed) and only 3 to go to complete the challenge

[La'Shea]

SFFBC wrote: "The Chinese Zodiac is based on year cycles and a balance of yin and yang. 2024 is the year of the Wood Dragon--a year of creativity, curiosity, of jumping in to something just to try, and to find s..."

This is great. I am looking forward to reading something from the year of the Dog.
DOG : 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018

[Tara]

I happy! Only two books from completion

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

Woot woot!

[CBRetriever]

finished:

ROOSTER : 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 = ✔️Horn Crown by Andre Norton

makes 10 Animal and 12 Cyclic (completed) with 5 Elements (completed) and only 2 to go to complete the challenge

[CBRetriever]

finished:

DESCRIPTIVE - Animal

RAT : Quick-witted, resourceful, versatile, kind = ✔️Bride of the Rat God by Barbara Hambly - Reason = Rat God
and
DRAGON : Confident, intelligent, enthusiastic = ✔️Dragon Heart: A Fantasy Novel by Cecelia Holland - Reason = one of the main characters is a dragon

and this completes this challenge

[Kaia]

Congratulations CBRetriever!

[Allison, Fairy Mod-mother]

wowza! well done!

[Stephen]

ROOSTER : 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 —

✔️Fourth Mansions(1969)

7/12

[Aga]

Ok, it’s going better than I expected. So far I have:

RAT : 2020 Firewalkers ✅
TIGER : 1974 The Dispossessed ✅
RABBIT : 2023 The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport ✅
DRAGON : 2024 Mała draka w fińskiej dzielnicy ✅
SNAKE : 2013 Ancillary Justice ✅
HORSE : 1990 Homeland ✅
SHEEP* : 2015 The Hidden Life of Trees ✅
ROOSTER : 2017 Lonely Castle in the Mirror ✅
PIG : 1971 The Lathe of Heaven ✅

I need only an ox, monkey and the dog.

[Meredith]

Congrats CBRetriever!

[Stephen]

Congratulations to CBRetriever

[CJ]

Looking for a challenge for the rest of the year now that I completed the general GR yearly challenge, and have settled on this. Will from doing the cyclic variation and will start with new reads finished today and after.

RAT : 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020
OX : 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021
TIGER : 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022
RABBIT : 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011, 2023
DRAGON : 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012, 2024
SNAKE : 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013
HORSE : 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014
SHEEP: 2015 Ancillary Mercy by Ann Leckie
MONKEY : 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016
ROOSTER : 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017
DOG : 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018
PIG : 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

[Kaia]

I finished the Cyclic challenge today with all Hugo Award winners (based on publication date, not date of winning the award)! I wanted to try to read more Hugo Award winners as well as books published pre-2010. I had to use novella winners for a few, but I managed to read at least one per decade from the 1950s through the 2010s. Most of them were really good to excellent - there were only two that I would consider duds. I ended up going on a Lois McMaster Bujold series binge read and also reading a bunch of James Tiptree, Jr. works, which wasn't part of my original plan (but it was worth the detour).

RAT: The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K LeGuin- novella (1972)

OX: The City & the City by China Mieville (2009) and The Girl Who Was Plugged In by James Tiptree, Jr. - novella (1973)

TIGER: The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick (62)

RABBIT: Among Others (2011) by Jo Walton and The Last of the Winnebagos by Connie Willis - novella (87)

DRAGON: Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm (1976) and Houston, Houston, Do You Read by James Tiptree, Jr. - novella (76)

SNAKE: Hyperion by Dan Simmons (89)

HORSE: Dreamsnake (78) by Vonda N McIntyre, and The Mountains of Mourning by Lois McMaster Bujold - novella (90) and The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold (90)

SHEEP/RAM: Paladin of Souls by Lois McMaster Bujold (2003) and Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold (1991) and Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny (67)

MONKEY: A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge (92)

ROOSTER: Seven Views of Olduvai Gorge by Mike Resnick - novella (93)

DOG: Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold (94)

PIG: Starship Troopers by Robert A Heinlein (59)

[CJ]

Congrats, Kaia! That's quite impressive to have done this with just Hugo winners.

I had Hyperion on my list for my own Zodiac challenge (I will read it as soon as I can, I promise, Hyperion fans!) but I looked at the calendar and had to admit I might not have time this year to read it, so I swapped it out for a shorter book. I'm currently on my last book I need for my challenge (Pushing Ice by Alastair Reynolds).

[Kaia]

CJ wrote: "Congrats, Kaia! That's quite impressive to have done this with just Hugo winners.

I had Hyperion on my list for my own Zodiac challenge (I will read it as soon as I can, I promise, Hyperion fans!..."

Thanks, CJ! Hyperion was the last book I read for this challenge, and I just finished it yesterday. I thought it was really good, but it is a long book (I listened to the audiobook, which was like 20+ hours). It was very well done with different narrators for the different stories. If you like audio, I would recommend it.