A Sign of the Times Reading Challenge: Chinese Zodiac Edition

[Sashana]

The original A Sign of Time Challenge was a very big hit in our group last year. Lisarenee and I wanted to give members a new challenge that was somewhat similar to the original, yet completely different and ‘spicy’. Because the Chinese Zodiac is divided into twelve years instead of twelve months, we had to get a bit creative. Members are free to participate in one or both sign of times challenges if they are up to the challenge. ;) This challenge will last for a year.

What is the Chinese Zodiac?
Unlike regular zodiac, the Chinese Zodiac Astrology circulates in the span of twelve years instead of twelve months. Each year is represented by an animal and each animal represents certain personalities. The animals are: rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig.
Please note that because the Chinese Zodiac is measured in the span of 12 years (and not twelve months) we will be assigning each animal to a specific month. Since the rat appears first on the Chinese calendar, it will be assigned the month of January; the Buffalo appears second so it will be assigned to the month of February and so on… Also, all information was gathered from http://www.chinesezodiac.com/index.php and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_....

Here the animals and a little bit about him


The Rules
First, determine which animal you are; this can be done by looking at the images above. That is the animal you'll start with (whenever you start the challenge). Then each month thereafter use the next animal that comes after their particular animal.You read the letters of the animal associated with the month you're currently reading in. The letter must correspond to the first letter of a title, the first letter of an author's first or last name, or the first letter of a character's first or last name from the book. Just let us know what the link to the letter is if it's not obvious. You may ignore the 'A', 'An', 'The', etc. at the beginning of titles to get to the first significant word. So "The Virgin's Secret" would be a 'V' title and "A Highlander Christmas" would be an 'H' title. (Thanks for the example BJ Rose) Once you get through all the animals you may start over again and read different books or re-read books you've read before. Each challenge will follow a different pattern because (almost) everyone will have a different animal. For example; Lisarenee’s, who happens to be a monkey, challenge would look like this:
January = Monkey
February = Rooster
March = Dog
April = Pig
May = Rat
June = Ox
July = Tiger
August = Rabbit
September = Dragon
October = Snake
November = Horse
December = Sheep


The rules for five of the animals will be slightly different. Why you ask? Words like rat, sheep, dog, ox, and pig are way too easy, so we added a delicious twist. Not only will you be reading the animals, you will also have to pick a word from the personality list to accompany the animal. So instead of reading the word R A T you will be adding an adjective like the word wise and read W I S E R A T. REMEMBER! This rule only applies five animals: the rat, sheep, dog, pig, and ox. For every other month, please simply read the animal i.e. M O N K E Y or R O O S T E R etc…

Personality Word List
All words from the list below was taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_...

Rat: wise, venal, honest, tense, aggressive, forthright, tenacious, intense, meticulous, charismatic, sensitive, intellectual, industrious, charming, eloquent, sociable, artistic, shrewd, manipulative, vindictive, self-destructive, envious, mendacious, venal, obstinate, critical, over-ambitious, ruthless, intolerant, and scheming.

Sheep: righteous, sincere, sympathetic, mild-mannered, shy, artistic, creative, gentle, compassionate, understanding, mothering, peaceful, generous, seeks security, moody, indecisive, over-passive, worrier, pessimistic, over-sensitive, complainer, weak-willed.

Dog: honest, intelligent, straightforward, loyal, sense of justice and fair play, attractive, amicable, unpretentious, sociable, open-minded, idealistic, moralistic, practical, affectionate, sensitive, cynical, lazy, cold, judgmental, pessimistic, worrier, stubborn, quarrelsome.

Pig: honest, gallant, sturdy, sociable, peace-loving, patient, loyal, hard-working, trusting, sincere, calm, understanding, thoughtful, scrupulous, passionate, intelligent, naïve, over-reliant, self-indulgent, gullible, fatalistic, materialistic.
Ox: dependable, ambitious, calm, methodical, born leader, patient, hardworking, conventional, steady, modest, logical, resolute, tenacious, stubborn, dogmatic, hot-tempered, narrow-minded, materialistic, rigid, demanding.

[Rachel]

January- Rabbit
February-Dragon
March-Snake
April-Horse
May-Sheep
June-Monkey
July-Rooster
August-Dog
September-Boar
October-Rat
November-Ox
December-Tiger


January
R- Zoey Redbird, character in Awakened by P.C. Cast 01/06/11
A- V.C. Andrews, author of Flowers in the Attic 01/01/11
B- Big Girl by Danielle Steel 01/02/11
B- Bones, character in Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost 01/28/11
I- Ixia, setting in Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder 01/08/11
T- Jayanti Tamm, author of Cartwheels in a Sari: A Memoir of Growing Up Cult 01/04/11



February
D- Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning 02/05/11
R- The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
A-
G-
O-
N-

[Mandy]

A Sign of the Times Reading Challenge: Chinese Zodiac Edition

February: HORSE Completed

H: Hauf, Michele Familiar Stranger 2/5
O: Our December by Diane Adams 2/7
R: Roth, Mandy M. Immortal Ops 2/3
S: Santa, Baby by Jennifer Crusie, Lori Foster, and Carly Phillips 2/20
E: Eat Prey Love by Kerrelyn Sparks 2/5



January: SNAKE Completed

S: The Shy Bride by Lucy Monroe 1/2
N: Niffenegger, Audrey The Time Traveler's Wife 1/8
A: Arthur, Keri Full Moon Rising 1/6
K: Kiss of Crimson by Lara Adrian 1/3
E: Eye of the Beholder by Dana Marie Bell 1/12

[Shay]

January, 2011


P= The Book about Blanche and Marie by Per Olov Enquist
I= The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai
G= Animal Farm by George Orwell

C= The Clan of the Cave Bear byJean M. Auel
A= And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
L=The Call of the Wild by Jack London
M=Christmas Mourning by Margaret Maron

I know, I'm bad because I picked the shortest word possible.

Christmas Mourning by Margaret Maron

[Sashana]

I would do the same thing, Shay :).

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog)]

I am a Tiger! RAWR!!

January: Tiger
Febuary: Rabbit
March: Dragon
April: Snake
May: Horse
June: Sheep
July: Monkey
August: Roaster
September: Dog
October: Boar
November: Rat
December: Ox

January: T-I-G-E-R

0/5 Complete

T:
I:
G:
E: The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt
R:

[Sheila]

OK if I understand this right since my birthday is in April, I will start with Rabbit and move on from there.

[Elaine]

January - Snake (5/5)


S - Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie 1/11/2011
N - Nemesis by Agatha Christie 1/10/2011
A - The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie 1/5/2011
K - Miss Knight - The Mirror Crack’d by Agatha Christie 1/10/2011
E - Emily Trefusis - The Sittaford Mystery by Agatha Christie 1/12/2011



February - Horse (5/5)

H -Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris 2/2/2011
O - Ariadne Oliver - Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie 2/1/2011
R - Alexei Romanov - Dead in the Family by Charlaine Harris 2/3/2011
S - The Secret Adversary by Agatha Christie 2/1/2011
E - Eric Northman - From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris 2/2/2011



March - (gentle) Sheep [11/11]

G - Aspasia Glen - The Mysterious Mr. Quin by Agatha Christie 3/5/2011
E - Elly St Clair - Ghost Hunter by Jayne Castle 3/9/2011
N - Nancy Halifax - Obsidian Prey by Jayne Castle 3/11/2011
T - Sherriff Tina Barron - The Crafty Teddy by John J. Lamb 3/9/2011
L - The False-Hearted Teddy by John J. Lamb 3/9/2011
E - Emmett London - Silver Master by Jayne Castle 3/10/2011

S - Sarah King - Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie 3/2/2011
H - Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie 3/3/2011
E - Mark Easterbrook - The Pale Horse by Agatha Christie 3/4/2011
E - Elizabeth Cole - Curtain by Agatha Christie 3/6/2011
P - Hercule Poirot - Death in the Air by Agatha Christie 3/7/2011



April - Monkey (0/6)
May - Rooster (0/6)
June - Dog (worrier) (0/10)
July - Boar (gallant) (0/11)
August - Rat (tense) (0/8)
September - Ox (stubborn) (0/10)
October - Tiger (0/5)
November - Rabbit (0/6)
December - Dragon (0/6)

[Sashana]

Sheila wrote: "OK if I understand this right since my birthday is in April, I will start with Rabbit and move on from there."

It depends on your birth year not your birth month. But if you're a rabbit then it would look like this
January- Rabbit
February- Dragon
March- Snake
April-Horse
etc...

[Lisa S]

Ok I understand this. Mine will be:
4/5
January
H-Heat Lightning by John Sandford
O-
R-Red by Erica Spindler
S-Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning
E-Evidence of Murder: A Novel of Suspense by Lisa Black

[Jex]

Chinese Zodiac
January - 7/7
Signs Complete: 1/12

R - Richelle Mead (author) Vampire Academy
A - Abernathy, Haymitch (character) Mockingjay
T - Tybalt (character) Romeo and Juliet

W - Wayland, Jace (character) City of Bones
I - Ivashkov, Adrian (character) Frostbite
S - Suzanne Collins, author of Catching Fire
E - Emma Hunt (character) House Rules



January - Rat Wise
February - Ox Calm
March - Tiger
April - Rabbit
May - Dragon
June - Snake
July - Horse
August - Sheep Shy
September - Monkey
October - Rooster
November - Dog Loyal
December - Pig Naive

[Sheila]

According to the Zodiac I would start with Rabbit in January.


R: Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark --- Done 1/14/11
A: Alex from Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks --- Done 1/2/11
B: Birthright by Nora Roberts --- Done 1/15/11
B: A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn --- Done 1/10/11
I: In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke --- Done 1/3/11
T: Temporary Sanity: A Crime Novel by Rose Connors --- Done 1/12/11

[Sashana]

Sheila wrote: "Sashana wrote: "Sheila wrote: "OK if I understand this right since my birthday is in April, I will start with Rabbit and move on from there."

It depends on your birth year not your birth month. ..."

No problem, Sheila. I'm hear to help so feel free to ask anytime.

[Angela]

Okay, so here's mine:

January = Dragon
February = Snake
March = Horse
April = Sheep
May = Monkey
June = Rooster
July = Dog
August = Pig
September = Rat
October = Ox
November = Tiger
December = Rabbit

[Angela]

A Sign of the Times Reading Challenge: Chinese Zodiac Edition
Duration: January 1 - 31, 2011

Dragon ( ) – 龍 / 龙 (辰) (Yang, 1st Trine, Fixed Element Wood): Magnanimous, stately, vigorous, strong, self-assured, proud, noble, direct, dignified, eccentric, intellectual, fiery, passionate, decisive, pioneering, artistic, generous, loyal. Can be tactless, arrogant, imperious, tyrannical, demanding, intolerant, dogmatic, violent, impetuous, brash

I may be a dragon, but that doesn't sound at all like me. I can't see how everyone born in the same year would have the same personality.




D Dark Desires, Lydia Parks JAN 16/2011
R Another One Bites the Dust, Jennifer Reardin JAN 10/2011
A Archangels' Kiss, Nalini Singh (re-read) JAN 5/2011
G Awaken Me Darkly, Gena Showalter JAN 16/2011
O Once Bitten Twice Shy, Jennifer Reardin JAN 7/2011
N Angels' Blood, Nalini Singh (re-read) JAN 4/2011

[Ashley ~twisted_illusions~]

January - Snake
February - Horse
March - Sheep
April - Monkey
May - Rooster
June - Dog
July - Boar
August - Rat
September - Ox
October - Tiger
November - Rabbit
December - Dragon

January - Snake

4/5 Complete

S - Schuyler from Misguided Angel 1/31/11
N - Niall from Fragile Eternity
A - Ari from Poison Study 1/25/11
K - Katherine from Origins 1/3/11
E - Ethan from Stray 1/28/11

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog)]

I am a Tiger! RAWR!!

January: Tiger
Febuary: Rabbit
March: Dragon
April: Snake
May: Horse
June: Sheep
July: Monkey
August: Roaster
September: Dog
October: Boar
November: Rat
December: Ox

January: T-I-G-E-R

1/5 Complete

T:
I:
G:
E: The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt Finished 02 January
R:

[Shay]

Everyone knows, right, that Chinese New Year doesn't start on January 1st, right? It's possible to be born in February and be the sign of the previous year?

[Sarah]

I'm in!


January- Ox
February-Tiger
March-Rabbit
April-Dragon
May-Snake
June-Horse
July-Sheep
August-Monkey
September-Rooster
October-Dog
November-Boar
December-Rat

January:
C
A
L
M

O
X

[Diane]

Done!

H = Hatsue (character) from The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima
O = Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
R = Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys (author)
S = Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson
E = Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich

February - Sheep
March - Monkey
April - Rooster
May - Dog
June - Boar
July - Rat
August - Ox
September - Tiger
October - Rabbit
November - Dragon
December - Snake

[Sashana]

Sheila wrote: "According to the Zodiac I would start with Rabbit in January.


R:
A: Alex from Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks Done 1/2/11
B:
B:
I:
T:

How was Safe haven, Sheila? I'm thinking about reading it in the near future.





[bookco..."

[Sheila]

I have read all of Nicholas Sparks novels and I liked this one the least. It was the basic subject matter of spousal abuse and stalking that I didn't like. I can't say it was a very enjoyable read.

[Sashana]

Sheila wrote: "I have read all of Nicholas Sparks novels and I liked this one the least. It was the basic subject matter of spousal abuse and stalking that I didn't like. I can't say it was a very enjoyable read."

Mhmmm, I definitely won't buy it then. I'll just request it from my library. I've read a few books by him and I liked everything. Thanks for the feedback, Sheila.

[Sans]

You guys are temptresses. Ok, I'll give this one a shot too. Gracious, I know I'm in over my head with all the great challenges you guys have. I'm going to just sign up for January for now since I can get some of my January reads in this one.

Jan ~ Rooster

R ~ Rhapsody: Child of Blood by Elizabeth Haydon
O ~ One Dance with a Duke by Tessa Dare
O ~ Osterlund, Anne's Aurelia
S ~ Snyder, Maria's Poison Study
T ~ The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
E ~ Elizabeth Essex's The Pursuit of Pleasure
R ~ Reynolds, Abigail's, Pemberley by the Sea

Completed: 2/7

[Sashana]

Good luck, Sans. I know you can do it :)

[Sans]

With you as my cheerleader, I know I can! ^o^

[Sans]

Also, I was watching Fruits Basket over the holiday break, so I'm totally in the mood for Chinese zodiac right now. *sigh* I love that anime.

[Sashana]

You and my friend would get along great, she will sit in front of the computer and watch ten episodes straight. It's really unhealthy .

[Sans]

To be fair, I was multi-tasking. Reading Turning Point and watching FB. ^o^

[Alicia]

January = Snake
February = Horse
March = Sheep
April = Monkey
May = Rooster
June = Dog
July = Boar
August = Rat
September = Ox
October = Tiger
November = Rabbit
December = Dragon

January: Snake

S - Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld - read 11/01/11
N - Nightmare by Robin Parrish - read 14/01/11
A - American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld - read 12/01/11
K - Airborn by Kenneth Oppel - read 13/01/11
E - Room by Emma Donoghue - read 10/01/11

5/5 Complete

[Diane]

Done!

H = Hatsue (character) from The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima
O = Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
R = Good Morning, Midnight by Jean Rhys (author)
S = Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson
E = Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich (author)

February - Sheep
March - Monkey
April - Rooster
May - Dog
June - Boar
July - Rat
August - Ox
September - Tiger
October - Rabbit
November - Dragon
December - Snake

[Sashana]

That was quick. Congrats on your first one, Diane.

[Suzanne (Under the Covers Book blog)]

I am a Tiger! RAWR!!

January: Tiger
Febuary: Rabbit
March: Dragon
April: Snake
May: Horse
June: Sheep
July: Monkey
August: Roaster
September: Dog
October: Boar
November: Rat
December: Ox

January: T-I-G-E-R

4/5 Complete

T:
I: Pleasure Unbound by Larissa Ione Finished 11 January
G: Grayson from Pushing Penny by Cheryl Dragon Finished 20 January
E: The Raven Prince by Elizabeth Hoyt Finished 02 January
R: Runa from Desire Unchained by Larissa Ione Finished 13 January

[Sarah]

January: Dragon 1.29.11
February: Snake 2.23.11
March: Horse
April: Sheep
May: Monkey 5.31.11
June: Rooster
July: Dog
August: Boar
September: Rat
October: Ox
November: Tiger
December: Rabbit
*******************
January:

Completed: 6/6



*******************************************
February:

Completed: 5/5



*******************************************
March:

Completed: 4/5



*******************************************
April:

Completed: 6/8





*******************************************
May:

Completed: 6/6


*******************************************
June:

R:Radiant Shadows by Melissa Marr 6.17.11
O:Owen - Kiss Me Deadly by Various Authors 6.20.11
O:Once Bitten, Twice Shy by Jennifer Rardin
S:Supernatural Noir by Ellen Datlow
T:Twisted Tale of Stormy Gale by Christine Bell 6.15.11
E:Errol - Mad Love by Suzanne Selfors 6.1.11
R:Reggie - Soulstice by Simon Holt 6.14.11

Completed: 5/7

[Sheila]

Who knew they would go and change the Zodiac when we are in the middle of our challenge. How Rude!!!

[Lisa S]

Exactly Sheila! I don't even see the reason to change it and to make matters worse, my new sign will be the new one that I can't even pronounce.

[Sashana]

My sign changed, which annoyed me. I don't see the relevance of an extra sign. This is what happens when people have way too much time on their hands.

[Lisa S]

Too true!

[Lacy♪ ♫Movements of a Demigod ♪ ♫]

Sashana wrote: "My sign changed, which annoyed me. I don't see the relevance of an extra sign. This is what happens when people have way too much time on their hands."

Some people do have too much time on their hands. Not to mention that it is completely confusing. Now there is a new sign and depending on you birthday you could technically have two signs.

[Lisa S]

Scorpio only has 6 days now.

[Angela]

I'm confused...are you talking about this challenge?

[Lisa S]

We are talking about the American Zodiac signs.

[Alicia]

Actually, the zodiac originated in ancient Rome/Greece and was used throughout Europe long before America was a country. So "western" zodiac might be an ok designation, but I wouldn't call it "American" zodiac. I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all or a nag, but it's just that not everything ubiquitous in the western world automatically comes from America.

[Sashana]

Angie (Mind Malfunction) Erickson wrote: "I'm confused...are you talking about this challenge?"

Angie, they made an addition to the zodiac sign so some people have new signs (I was a tarsus but now I'm a Aries). In a way it pertains to this challenge, but more so the other sign of times challenge.

[Lisa S]

I'm not saying it was originally from America. Just that we are more know it better than the Chinese one.

[Sheila]

According to the Zodiac I start with Rabbit in January and I finished today. Here is what I read.

R: Remember Me by Mary Higgins Clark --- Done 1/14/11
A: Alex from Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks --- Done 1/2/11
B: Birthright by Nora Roberts --- Done 1/15/11
B: A Beautiful Place to Die by Malla Nunn --- Done 1/10/11
I: In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead by James Lee Burke --- Done 1/3/11
T: Temporary Sanity: A Crime Novel by Rose Connors --- Done 1/12/11

[Sashana]

YAY for Sheila! I must say that your reading choices terrify me. How do you manage to not be terrified? I would never sleep a wink if I read anything on your list (except for Safe Haven and Birthright).

[Sheila]

haha Sashana, I never thought of it but I guess I do spend a lot of my reading life in very dark places. Actually of those 6 books I was the most uncomfortable with Safe Haven.

[Sashana]

Sheila wrote: "haha Sashana, I never thought of it but guess I do spend a lot of my reading life in very dark places. Actually of those 6 books I was the most uncomfortable with Safe Haven."

LMAO Sheila, that comment just made a good day even better. Out of everything you read Safe Haven made you uncomfortable? lol, if that isn't irony then I don't know what it.

[Angela]

Chinese Zodiac 6 / 6 DONE!!!
Duration: January 1 - 31, 2011




D Dark Desires, Lydia Parks JAN 16/2011
R Another One Bites the Dust, Jennifer Reardin JAN 10/2011
A Archangels' Kiss, Nalini Singh (re-read) JAN 5/2011
G Awaken Me Darkly, Gena Showalter JAN 16/2011
O Once Bitten Twice Shy, Jennifer Reardin JAN 7/2011
N Angels' Blood, Nalini Singh (re-read) JAN 4/2011