The Challenge Factory discussion

Challenge Duration: January 29, 2025 through February 16, 2026

This challenge will run during the Chinese dates of the Year of the Snake. Books must be started by February 16, 2026 to count.
There are seven prompts, each with five possible tasks. None of the tasks will be spell outs. Books should be at least 140 pages. Choose your level of participation:


Levels:
Snake Scale - a defensive body part that protects the snake. I'll try 1-2 tasks per level (please specify which).
Snake Forked Tongue - allows snakes to detect the "scent" of their prey, as well as navigate and find mates. Sign me up for 3-4 tasks per level (please specify which).
Snake Fangs - some snakes' weapon: most venomous snakes have grooved or hollow fangs for delivering venom. I'll go for all 5 tasks per level.

2025 The Year of the Snake
Duration - January 29, 2025 through February 16, 2026

Remember: Reading starts on January 29!



Long ago in China the Jade Emperor decided there should be a way of measuring time. On his birthday he told the animals that there was to be a swimming race. The first twelve animals across the fast flowing river would be the winners and they would each have a year of the zodiac named after them. After the first five animals (rat, ox,tiger, rabbit and dragon) finished the race the Emperor heard was the sound of the horse’s hooves. He thought the horse would be the next animal to arrive but a sneaky snake wriggled out from around one of the horse’s hooves. The horse was so surprised that he jumped backwards giving the snake a chance to take the sixth place in the race.

Set 1 Tasks:
1. Read a book where the MC celebrates a birthday.
2. Read a book with a sneaky character.
3. Read a book whose author's initials can be found in the word SNAKE.
4. Read a book where a character participates in a race or other kind of competition.
5. Read a book that is the 6th in a series.

Completion Post - Snake Scale Level
Set One Tasks

Book/Author: Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver
Date read: 01/29/2025
Task 2: Read a book with a sneaky character
How it fits: Both Butcher, Blackbird and many other characters in this book were extremely sneaky.

Book/Author: Good Girls Don't Die by Christina Henry
Date read: 02/03/2025
Task 4: Read a book where a character participates in a race or other kind of competition
How it fits: There are 3 sections. The 3rd section is a competition of women to find the most daring and strongest. Women from all 3 sections who are still standing compete in a competition to escape.

The Snake is the sixth animal in the zodiac, and is synonymous with wisdom, elegance, and intuition. People born in Snake years (e.g., 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013, 2025) are often perceived as intelligent, resourceful, and graceful. They thrive on analyzing situations and making calculated moves, embodying a quiet but potent strength. Some famous people born in Snake years are Mahatma Gandhi, Pablo Picasso, Mao Zedong, John F. Kennedy, Anne Frank, Bob Dylan, Xi Jinping, J.K. Rowling and Taylor Swift.

Set 2 Tasks:
1. Read a book published in a Snake year.
2. Read a book with a MC who is intelligent and resourceful.
3. Read a book with a very strong character, either in body or mind.
4. Read a book whose title begins with a letter in the word WISDOM.
5. Read a book whose author's first and last initials match one of the famous Snakes listed above (in either order, so MG or GM for Mahatma Gandhi).

Completion Post - Snake Scale Level
Set Two Tasks

Book/Author: Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
Date read: 04/07/2025
Task 3: Read a book with a very strong character either in body or mined
How it fits: This book has telepaths, fairies, were's and vampires. All are extremely strong in both body and mind.

Book/Author: Witch of Wild Things by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland
Date read: 03/12/2025
Task 4: Read a book whose title begins with a letter in the word WISDOM.
How it fits: The title of this book begins with W which is a letter in the word of WISDOM.

Snakes are deep thinkers who tend to approach life with a calm and measured demeanor. They possess a natural charm and magnetism, making them both intriguing and attractive to others. With a keen sense of intuition, Snake individuals are adept at understanding people and situations, often seeing beneath the surface to uncover hidden truths.

Snakes are also known for their resourcefulness and ability to navigate complex situations. They prefer to observe and analyze before making decisions, which allows them to move through life with a sense of purpose and direction. However, this introspective nature can sometimes make them appear secretive or distant to others, as they often keep their thoughts and feelings to themselves.

Set 3 Tasks:
1. Read a book with a magnetic character.
2. Read a book whose title or series name begins with a letter in the word CHARM.
3. Read a book with a MC who analyzes a situation carefully before acting.
4. Read a book where a character keeps a secret.
5. Read a book that has the surface of a lake or other body of water on it.

Completion Post - Snake Scale Level
Set Three Tasks

Book/Author: Ruth's Amish Words of Faith by Tracy Fredrychowski
Date read: 04/12/2025
Task 2: Read a book whose title or series name begins with a letter in the word CHARM.
How it fits: The title of this book begins with R which is in the word CHARM.
Ruth's Amish Words of Faith

Book/Author: Scythe & Sparrow by Brynne Weaver
Date read: 05/16/2025
Task 4. Read a book where a character keeps a secret
How it fits: This book is full of little secrets. Rose the female MC keeps secrets from Fionn the male MC. Fionn keeps secrets from Rose and they both keep secrets from all the other characters in the book.

The Element of Wood in 2025

Each Chinese Zodiac year is influenced by one of the five elements: Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, and Water. 2025 is governed by Wood, which softens the Snake’s typically reserved nature, infusing it with creativity, compassion, and a thirst for growth.

What Wood Brings to the Snake:

Flexibility and Adaptability: Wood adds an element of growth and expansion, encouraging adaptability in challenges.

Creative Problem-Solving: This year is ideal for innovation, whether in personal projects, professional goals, or relationships.

Focus on Harmony: Wood Snake years emphasize fostering better relationships and improving communication skills.

Strategic Growth: Success will favor those who plan meticulously and act wisely.

Deepening Connections: Introspection and emotional intelligence will help navigate relationships, promoting empathy and understanding.

Set 4 Tasks:
1. Read a book where a character does something with wood.
2. Read a book from an expansive series (more than 15 books).
3. Read a book where the MC improves their communication skills.
4. Read a book whose author's initials can be found in the word METICULOUS.
5. Read a book with a deeply empathetic and understanding character.

Completion Post - Snake Level
Set 4 Tasks

Book/Author: Broken Bone China/Laura Childs
Date read: 06/25/2025
Task 2. Read a book from an expansive series (more than 15 books)
How it fits: This was book 20 of what will be a 30 book series by 2026

Book/Author: The Night Singers/London Clarke
Date read: 07/21/2025
Task 4. Read a book whose author's initials can be found in the word METICULOUS
How it fits: Both the author's initials can be found in Meticulous
MetiCuLous

Themes of the Year of the Wood Snake

2025 is a year of reflection, recalibration, and renewal, offering a mix of calm energy and intellectual challenges. The Snake’s intuitive wisdom, paired with the nurturing Wood element, creates a time to refine your long-term goals and strengthen personal and professional relationships. It is a year for letting go of what no longer serves you and embracing meaningful change.

Set 5 Tasks:
1. Read a book where the MC makes a long-term goal.
2. Read a book whose cover is calming (your interpretation).
3. Read a book where a character nurtures someone or something.
4. Read a book where the MC makes a meaningful change.
5. Read a book with two of the numbers from 2025 in the page count or publication date.

Completion Post - Snake Level
Set 5 Tasks

Book/Author: Capture Me by Ana Zaires
Date read: 08/08/2025
Task 5. Read a book with two of the numbers from 2025 in the page count of publication date.
How it fits: This was book has 222 pages (edition I read) so it has 2 and 2 from 2025

Book/Author: This Memory by Kelly Elliott
Date read: 08/17/2025
Task 2. Read a book whose cover is calming (your interpretation)
How it fits: I think the colors in this cover are so calming along with the couple kissing.

There are many proverbs and idioms related to the snake in the Chinese language. Yan Yan Wang, a lecturer in modern Chinese at the ANU School of Culture, History and Language says 画蛇添足 (huà shé tiān zú) which literally means, ‘to draw a snake and add legs’, is one of the most famous.

“It is believed this idiom originated from an ancient Chinese story about a man who tried to improve a drawing of a snake by adding some legs, but this only ruined the artwork,” Wang says.

“The moral of the story? Don’t overdo something or make unnecessary additions that can lead to negative consequences!”

Set 6 Tasks:
1. Read a book where the MC goes too far and ruins something as a result.
2. Read a book where a character draws.
3. Read a book with an image of a snake on the cover.
4. Read a book that contains some kind of moral.
5. Read a book that has a proverb or an idiom in it (idiom examples: it's raining cats and dogs, to be under the weather, piece of cake, spill the beans, bite the bullet, etc....).