The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

25.5 -- Dakimel's task: Lucky Number Twelve

My birthday is 12-12, so of course twelve is my favorite number.

Read TWO books, one each from two different options below.

Option A: Celebrate the number 12! Read a book with the word “twelve” or “dozen” in the title/subtitle, or that is 12th in a series according to its listing on GR. Plurals are acceptable, and the word can be alpha or numeric, cardinal or ordinal.
Examples: The Twelve, Size 12 Is Not Fat, A Dime a Dozen, 12th of Never, The Twelfth Imam, Betrayal in Death (In Death #12)

Option B: Read a book by an author whose birthday is December 12. If their birthday doesn’t appear on their GR profile, provide external validation of the date.
Examples: Patrick O'Brian, Melanie Greene

Option C: There are 12 signs of the Western Zodiac. Find your Western Zodiac sign and read a book that has YOUR sign's symbol in the title/subtitle or series name. Plurals and possessives are okay, no other variations are acceptable. For the purposes of this task, the following are the signs and associated symbols: Aries-"Ram", Taurus-"Bull", Gemini-"Twins", Cancer-"Crab", Leo-"Lion", Virgo-"Maiden", Libra-"Scales", Scorpio-"Scorpion", Sagittarius-"Centaur", Capricorn-"Goat", Aquarius-"Bearer", Pisces-"Fish." REQUIRED: Name your sign when you claim the task.
Examples: Gemini - Time of the Twins; Virgo - Thief of Shadows (Maiden Lane #4); Aquarius- Bearers of the Black Staff; Pisces - So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish

Option D: There are 12 signs of the Chinese Zodiac, each represented by an animal. (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, Pig.) Find YOUR Chinese Zodiac sign and read a book with the corresponding animal on the cover.
REQUIRED: Name your sign, and include the cover of the book when you claim your task.
Examples: Rat - ; Ox - ; Dragon - ; Rooster - ; Dog -

Approved:

Option A -
Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish, Twelve Years a Slave Twelve Steps to Murder The Twelve Little Cakes The Twelve Tribes of Hattie Twelve Days of Christmas

Option B -
Melanie Greene, Sophie Kinsella, Patrick O'Brien, Gustave Flaubert, Dionne Warwick, Peter Bergen, Helen Dunmore, Madeleine Wickham, Mayim Bialik

Option C -
Taurus: Running of the Bulls The Golden Bulls
Gemini: Their Miracle Twins
Leo: Beneath the Lion's Gaze
Scorpio: The House of the Scorpion
Capricorn: The Feast of the Goat
Pisces: Gould's Book of Fish: A Novel in Twelve Fish

Option D -
Rat:

Ox:

Tiger:

Rabbit: (but post AR data) (but post AR data)

Dragon:

Snake:

Horse:

Goat:

Monkey:

Rooster:

Dog:

Pig:

Not Approved:

Option C -
Gemini: Scaling Down: Living Large in a Smaller Space
Virgo: The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose

Option D -
Rabbit:

This thread is now open!

For Option D, I am looking for a book to represent the Monkey. I have this book which displays several symbols for the Chinese zodiac, and I think the monkey is one of them (as well as the Dog, the Pig, and two others I'm not sure about). Would this be approved for me to use for Option D? Thanks!

Just wanted to say that this task is soooooo difficult lol

For anyone stuck on December 12 author birthday:

I found Sophie Kinsella: Dec. 12, 1969.

Also on her Author Profile

Morgan wrote: "For anyone stuck on December 12 author birthday:

I found Sophie Kinsella: Dec. 12, 1969."

Gustave Flaubert is another option. He was born December 12, 1821.

I am a Capricorn, so the goat . is this book ok for option C

thanks

A different date of birth could make this task a lot easier!

Morgan wrote: "For anyone stuck on December 12 author birthday:

I found Sophie Kinsella: Dec. 12, 1969.

Also on her Author Profile"

Thanks Morgan! That was so helpful...I was having a hard time finding pigs and centaurs! I had I've Got Your Number on my list for something else...now I've got my two books for this task!

I would find pigs and centaurs easier than monkeys and rams.

No prob Tara Jo! It was really all thanks to Bing lol.

And I did author birthday and The Twelve (I read The Passage this Fall season) so I luckily didn't have to look for "ram" or a cock/rooster on a cover!

I was ready to trade birth dates with someone before I found Sophie Kinsella! :P
I know my library has the audiobooks too which is even better!

Christine wrote: "For Option D, I am looking for a book to represent the Monkey. I have this book which displays several symbols for the Chinese zodiac, and I t..."

Approved for Monkey (as well as Dog, Pig, Horse & Ox!)

Annapoorni wrote: "I am a Capricorn, so the goat . is this book ok for option C

thanks"

That works!

Morgan wrote: "No prob Tara Jo! It was really all thanks to Bing lol.

And I did author birthday and The Twelve (I read The Passage this Fall season) so I luckily didn't have to look for "ram" or a cock/rooster..."

Morgan, the audio on The Twelve is great, too (but, predictably, really long!)

Morgan wrote: "For anyone stuck on December 12 author birthday:

I found Sophie Kinsella: Dec. 12, 1969.

Also on her Author Profile"

Cannot thank you enough for this :-)

Methinks this should find a home in this task!

This list might be helpful for this task. I found my RAT book on it.

The Chinese Zodiac

For Option C - Year of the Tiger

It's a stylized tiger's head ...

thank god i'm year of the dog ;)

I know, Dee - I'm a dog, too. :)

Speaking of which, would count for a dog on the cover? Not sure, since it's just a silhouette.

Melanie wrote: "Morgan wrote: "No prob Tara Jo! It was really all thanks to Bing lol.

And I did author birthday and The Twelve (I read The Passage this Fall season) so I luckily didn't have to look for "ram" or..."

Thanks for the rec! I might go that route then! I feel like if I can finish Under the Dome that way, (Which was either 32 or 34 hours long), I can do anything. lol.

I work in a lab so I can put headphones in and audiobook for about 80% of the time. Makes work go by so much faster. One of the girls I work with and I call it "Book club" when we work on tasks together with our earbuds in listening to audiobooks.

I've been wanting to read this since it came out. Is there enough monkey to count? It's kind of tough being a scorpion/monkey. :)


Thanks.

Trish wrote: "Methinks this should find a home in this task!
"

That works for Pisces!

(Edit: also for option A)

Book Concierge wrote: "For Option C - Year of the Tiger

It's a stylized tiger's head ..."

That book is soooooooooo good. Also great in audio!

Also approved for Tiger.

(NOTE: That's option D, not C.)

Kate wrote: "I know, Dee - I'm a dog, too. :)

Speaking of which, would count for a dog on the cover? Not sure, since it's just a silhouette."

That dog is doggy enough for Dog.

Teri-k wrote: "I've been wanting to read this since it came out. Is there enough monkey to count? It's kind of tough being a scorpion/monkey. :)


Thanks."

Another one I love. Definitely Monkey enough (and the audio cover, as I recall, is also Monkey enough. Yet another great audio.)

(I am really into audio books.)

Melanie wrote: "Trish wrote: "Methinks this should find a home in this task!
"

That works for Pisces!"

And of course it's subtitle is "A Novel in Twelve Fish"

Trish wrote: "Melanie wrote: "Trish wrote: "Methinks this should find a home in this task!
"

That works for Pisces!"

And of course it's subtitle i..."

Too bad there wasn't an option for "Read ONE BOOK that meets two other options"!!

Melanie wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: "For Option C - Year of the Tiger

It's a stylized tiger's head ..."

That book is soooooooooo good. Also great in audio!.."

Great ... I'll try to get the audio from the library (just checked and they have the audio ...)

I already have lots of book options for A.

However, it's not easy being a rat or a scorpion.

Excepting flowers for Algernon (which I haven't been able to get, yet), most "rat" books are either for kids or kind of gruesome... and scorpions are worse, so if anyone has a suggestion, I'd appreciate it!

Pia wrote: "I already have lots of book options for A.

However, it's not easy being a rat or a scorpion.

Excepting flowers for Algernon (which I haven't been able to get, yet), most "rat" books are either f..."

I found the following...can't speak to any of them, but just some options...as of now, none of them show Children, but not sure about the Horror level of gruesome!


You may also check this listopia

I have this on my TBR, but it is #2 in the series:



This is a good YA:

Book one for the rat book above is:

Pia wrote: "I already have lots of book options for A.

However, it's not easy being a rat or a scorpion..."

Pia, I am going to read The Cat Who Smelled a Rat just because I do not want too heavy a book.

Thanks everybody!
I'll check all the books suggested and see what I can find on my Oyster library.
The Günter Grass sound good, but it is a heavy book

Just in case anyone wants to know. I had a Goodreads Librarian (Thanks again Bea!) correct the author profile for Helen Dunmore -- Born on December 12!

Sandi wrote: "Just in case anyone wants to know. I had a Goodreads Librarian (Thanks again Bea!) correct the author profile for Helen Dunmore -- Born on December 12!"

Great! There's 5-6 of her books on Oyster

I just found out that my new grandchild will probably be born on 12-12 too.

Tara Jo wrote: "Pia wrote: "I already have lots of book options for A.

However, it's not easy being a rat or a scorpion.

Excepting flowers for Algernon (which I haven't been able to get, yet), most "rat" books ..."

Rat books, in general, look kind of depressing! I apologize to all the Rats out there.

Coralie wrote: "I just found out that my new grandchild will probably be born on 12-12 too."

Congratulations!!

Coralie wrote: "I just found out that my new grandchild will probably be born on 12-12 too."

Too bad your grandchild is not an author! Congrats, Coralie.

Madeleine Wickham is a pseudonym for Sophie Kinsella. I'm assuming those books will work for Option two as well?

Julie wrote: "Madeleine Wickham is a pseudonym for Sophie Kinsella. I'm assuming those books will work for Option two as well?"

Indeed!

Is this title ok for Option C, Virgo sign?

The Beggar Maid: Stories of Flo and Rose

Here are some for rabbit in option D -- could you approve them, please? Thanks!

The Rabbit Factory by Larry Brown


The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett


Watership Down by Richard Adams


Alice in Wonderland by Elle Lothlorien

Covers for Monkey:

Would all three fit the task? Thanks!

Pia wrote: "I already have lots of book options for A.

However, it's not easy being a rat or a scorpion.

Excepting flowers for Algernon (which I haven't been able to get, yet), most "rat" books are either f..."

I had the kids issue for rabbit - cute little bunnies abound in childrens literature but in adult books? Not so much :-)

Cheri wrote: "Here are some for rabbit in option D -- could you approve them, please? Thanks!

The Rabbit Factory by Larry Brown


The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett
[b..."

I'm probably going for Alice of Wonderland :-) It's a kids book but I haven't read it for ages and I'd like to re-read it.