You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

⏳ Here we go -


📅 Months:
For each zodiac sign, read a book that is set at least 50% during the specified month, OR the specified month is in the title.

Aries – March
Taurus - April
Gemini – May
Cancer - June
Leo - July
Virgo - August
Libra - September
Scorpio - October
Sagittarius - November
Capricorn - December
Aquarius - January
Pisces – February

♈ Symbols:
Aries – Ram
- Dodge, a North American vehicle manufacturer, makes a model of truck called “Ram”. Read a book where a truck is on the cover, or the protagonist drives a truck.

Taurus – Bull
- Read a book from this list: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1..., OR where “western” is listed on the main book page as a main genre. In your personal thread report, list the page number where the book is found if it was selected from the list.

Gemini – Twins
- Read a book that has more than one title. For example, we recently read The Warded Man/The Painted Man. In your personal thread report, link both titles with the edition you read linked first.

Cancer – Crab
- These are the names of common crab varieties: Coconut, Hermit, Horseshoe, King, Japanese Spider, Dungeness, Rock, Snow, Blue, or Fiddler Crab. Read a book with any of those words (other than “crab”) in the title. I’ll get crabby if you try to sneak “Crab” in.

Leo – Lion
- Read a book that is set entirely in Africa.

Virgo – Maiden
- Read a book where the protagonist is a girl or young woman under the age of 20 and is unmarried.

Libra – Scales
- The scales of justice: Read a legal thriller using this Genre page as a tool https://www.goodreads.com/genres/lega.... Explain how your book fits this genre.

Scorpio – Scorpion
- When I think of scorpions, I think of poison. Read a book that has “Poison” in the title (may be imbedded in other words like poisoner, poisonwood, poisoning), OR contains the name of a poison (arsenic, oleander, etc) in the title, OR has a bottle of poison on the cover. If using a name of a poison, please provide link to definition that it is a poison in your personal thread report.

Sagittarius – Archer
- We grew up on John Wayne and cowboys and Indians shooting bows and arrows. It was a pretty skewed form of tv and movie entertainment. There are a lot of great North American authors and fiction available today to set things right. Read a book that is written by a Native American author or about Native American culture.

Capricorn – Goat
- Do you ever hear the tale of The Three Billy Goat Gruff? It’s a Norwegian Folk Tale. http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/type0122e.h.... Read a book that is shelved as Scandinavian Literature using this genre page as a tool: https://www.goodreads.com/genres/scan.... Explain how your book fits this genre.

Aquarius – Water-bearer
- Read a book that has an urn, jug, or other vessel used for holding water. (Glasses, cups, mugs are accepted).

Pisces – fish
- Time to go fishing! Read a book set near or on a lake or river, OR the words Lake or River are in the title, or is the author’s name. If going for title or author, the words must be exact. Plurals will be accepted

🐻 North American Zodiac 🐟 :

Aries – Falcon
- Falconry is a sport that was widely practiced throughout the world and throughout the ages. It was believed to have started in Mesopotamia. Read a book set primarily in Iraq, Syria, or Turkey.

Taurus – Beaver
- The beaver is Canada’s national symbol. Read a book where the majority of it is set in Canada, or written by a Canadian author.

Gemini – Deer
- Whenever I think of deer, I remember my trip to Scotland and the beautiful Red Deer there. Read a book where the majority of it is set in Scotland, or written by a Scottish author.

Cancer – Woodpecker
- The greatest diversity of Woodpeckers is found in South America. Read a book set primarily in a South American country, or by a South American author.

Leo – Salmon
- Salmon are native to North America tributaries that run into the Pacific Ocean. Read a book that is set in the Pacific Northwest Canada or United States.

Virgo – Bear
- The Polar Bear is native to the Arctic Circle. Read a book where the majority of it is set in Russia, or written by a Russian author.

Libra – Raven
- I found an extinct specifies of raven – the New Zealand Raven which was native to both the South and North Island, but has been extinct since the 16th century. Read a book that is set primarily in New Zealand or is written by a New Zealand author.

Scorpio – Snake
- Australia is home to some of the world’s most deadliest snakes. Read a book where the majority of it is set in Australia, or written by an Australian author.

Sagittarius – Owl
- From Wikipedia, “the modern West generally associates owls with wisdom. This link goes back at least as far as Ancient Greece, where Athena, Athens' patron goddess and the goddess of wisdom, had the owl as a symbol”. Read a book where the majority of it is set in Greece or Crete, or written by a Greek author.

Capricorn – Snow Goose
- Snow Geese migrate every year to their winter grounds. I found an interactive map showing sightings of the geese. Concentrated areas appear to be Kansas, New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico. Migrate like the birds and read a book set primarily in one of those areas.

Aquarius – Otter
- The Sea Otter is probably the most widely known otter with their cute antics. The European Otter is less well known and are found, needless to say, in Europe. Unfortunately, the population has been wiped out of Switzerland and the Netherlands years ago. Read a book set primarily in Switzerland or the Netherlands, or by Swiss or Dutch authors.

Pisces – Wolf
- Wolves were extinct from Yellowstone National Park and it was negatively affecting the ecosystem to the area. Wolves from Alberta were successfully relocated to the parks, restoring the balance. It’s really an amazing story. Read a book set primarily in Alberta, Montana, Idaho, or Wyoming

🔥Elements 💦 :

Aries – Fire
- Read a book where 70% of the cover is red.

Taurus – Earth
- Read a book where 70% of the cover is black.

Gemini – Air
- Read a book where 70% of the cover is white.

Cancer – Water
- Read a book where 70% of the cover is blue.

Leo – Fire
- Read a book with a significant amount of fire on the cover.

Virgo – Earth
- Read a book with an Earth-like planet on the cover.

Libra – Air
- Read a book with a significant amount of clouds on the cover.

Scorpio – Water
- Read a book with a significant amount of water on the cover.

Sagittarius – Fire
- Read a book with “Fire” in the title. Exact word.

Capricorn – Earth
- Read a book with “Earth” in the title. Exact word.

Aquarius – Air
- Read a book with “Air” in the title. Exact word.

Pisces – Water
- Read a book with “Water” in the title. Exact word

🔹 Stone :

Aries – Opal
- A famous opal called “The Burning of Troy” was owned by the Empress Josephine, first wife of Napoleon I. Read a book set between 1750 and 1850.

Taurus – Jasper
- Jasper is a very healing stone. It is thought to promote healing during illness or hospitalization. Read a book where illness (mental, emotional or physical) is a major theme.

Gemini – Agate
- Agate is an excellent material for cameos as the contrast between the different layers is used to heighten the relief. Read a book with a face in profile on the cover. An actual cameo on the cover will be accepted.

Cancer – Rose Quartz
- Read a book with a rose(s) on the cover, or the cover is 75% pink in colour.

Leo – Carnelian
- Over 4500 years ago, Egyptians were making Carnelian jewelry. Read a book set in Ancient Egypt.

Virgo – Amethyst
- The deep purple colour of amethyst is the colour of royalty. Read a book where the main character is a king, queen, prince, or princess.

Libra – Azurite
- Painters used to add Azurite to their paint for it’s brilliant colour. It is used as a colour base in some paints. Read a book set in the Renaissance period from 1400 – 1700.

Scorpio – Copper
- Copper is a metal, not a stone. Read a book with a metal weapon or tool on the cover.

Sagittarius – Obsidian
- Obsidian is formed when molten lava cools very quickly. The chain of islands that make up Hawaii were formed from undersea volcano eruptions. Read a book set in Hawaii.

Capricorn – Quartz
- Quartz crystals have been used in clock and watch making since the early 1920’s. Read a time-travel book. The words “Time Travel” must be on the main book page as a genre.

Aquarius – Turquoise
- The Navajos believe the blue stones are magical pieces that fall from the sky. Read a book where the main theme is magic.

Pisces – Jade
- How can you talk about Jade without talking about China? Read a book set in China.

🎬 Actors by Sign:

For each zodiac sign, select a movie the actor performed in.

Option 1: Read the book the movie was adapted from, or read another book with the same title. The movie doesn’t need to be an adaptation, but there needs to be a book by the same title. The titles need to match with no extraneous words in the book title. Subtitles are to be ignored.

Option 2: If the book is adapted, you may read another book written by the same author.

Note: Selections are restricted to film (no tv or stage titles). If an actor is listed as producer or director for the film, the title will only be accepted if he/she also acted in the movie.

Aries – Tim Curry: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Cur...

Taurus – Audrey Hepburn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audrey_...

Gemini – Johnny Depp: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_...

Cancer – Merle Streep: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meryl_S...

Leo – Sean Penn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Pe...

Virgo – Anne Meara: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Me...

Libra – Viggo Mortenson: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viggo_M...

Scorpio – Jodie Foster: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jodie_F...

Sagittarius – Ralph Fiennes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_F...

Capricorn – Sissy Spacek: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sissy_S...

Aquarius – John Hurt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

Pisces – Glenn Close: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glenn_C...

💪Superheroes :

Aries – Ares
- Ares’ team affiliation is the Olympians. Read a book shelved as mythology, or has the word “God” in the title. Plurals are accepted.

Taurus – Rhino
- Rhino’s alignment is “bad”. Read a book with Villain in the title. Series titles are included for this task.

Gemini – Copycat
- Copycat is a mutant from the X-men. Read a book from the dystopian genre, or set in the future. The word “Dystopian” needs to be listed as a genre on the main book page.

Cancer – Sandman
- I know it’s not the same Sandman, but I was always warned that if I didn’t go to sleep, the Sandman would come. Read a book in the horror genre. The word “Horror” needs to be listed on the main book page.

Leo – Kraven the Hunter
- One of Kraven’s powers is longevity. Read a book where the main character is over 60 years old.

Virgo – Rogue
- One of Rogue’s aliases is Anna Raven. Read a book with bird(s) on the cover OR the word “Raven” is in the title. Plurals are accepted.

Libra – Judge Dredd
- His first appearance was in 2000 AD No.2 (March 5, 1977). Read a book set between 1977 and 2000.

Scorpio – Anti-Venom
- Anti-Venom has no team affiliations. Read a book that is a stand-alone book in the Science Fiction genre. The genre must show on the main book page.

Sagittarius – Hawkeye
- Hawkeye will be in two new movies in 2018 – Avengers: Infinity War, and Ant-Man and the Wasp. Read a new release in 2018, never previously published.

Capricorn – Cannonball
- The cannon was first invented in China as early as the 12th century. For this task, you must pick your battle – land or sea. Read a book about the American Civil War, or about the Napoleonic War.

Aquarius – Aquaman
- Aquaman resides in Atlantis and his role is protector of the sea. Read a book with Atlantis or Poseidon in the title.

Pisces – Siren
- In mythology, sirens lured sailors with their seductive music to shipwreck on their rocky shores. Other similar spirits are, banshee, harpy, kelpie, mermaid, nymph, and rusalka (had to add it in). Read a book with “siren” or one of the alternate names in the title

📝📏📒
Books must be at least 175 pages long. They may be any format (audiobook, ebook, hardcover/paperback). In the case of ebooks & audiobooks, use the hardcover edition to determine page length.. If there is no hardcover edition, use the paperback edition. From the book page, select “all editions”, then select “hardcover”. If no hardcover editions, select “paperback”. If more than one edition, sort by “num ratings” and go with the first listing. If you are still unable to identify, ask for a ruling.

5. Books may be any genre unless specified in a task. In the case of graphic novels or books consisting of a lot of pictures, the text must be equivalent to that of a 175-page book.

6. If a task refers to the title, the subtitle or series title doesn’t count unless specified in a task.

7. If a task refers to the cover, it will be based on the cover of the issue you read

📝📏📒
Each book gets it own. Report each book as follows:

1. Challenge Progress: Identify where you are in the challenge – Badge 1, book 1 (2, 3, 4, etc.)
2. Task – List Zodiac Sign and Category
3. Link to book read. If the cover is part of the task, link the cover of the edition you read as well.
4. If not obvious, state how the book fits the criteria.
5. Specifications required in the task. Some tasks require that you report specific thing. IE – a) The “twins” task is to read a book that has two different titles. You are required to link the alternative title. b) If a task requires that you read a book from a Listopia, you need to identify which page number it was on so that it can be verified.


Badge 1, Book 5
Task – Aries, Month
Link – The Violets of March
March in the title

📝📏📒

Requesting a badge:
When you finish a badge requirement, you will need to post in the Year Long Reporting Thread as follows:
Badge Requesting (One, Two, Three or Four)
1. Aries, Category, Title
2. Taurus, Category, Title
3.
4…… continuing to 12

Sample:

Badge One completed
1. Aries, Month - March, The Violets of March
2. Taurus, Actor - Audrey Hepburn, War and Peace
3.
4….. continuing to 12

📝📏📒

Badges

There is a total of 84 tasks listed, so 84 books.

Badge One – Challenge Badge = 12 books completed. This is the only level you need to complete the challenge. Any additional reading is optional.

Badge Two – First Additional Badge = will be awarded when you read an additional 2 rounds of the zodiac signs (24 additional books). The same rules apply – each round includes one book from each zodiac sign. When you have completed this badge, you will have read a total of 36 books.

Badge Three – Second Additional Badge – will be awarded when you read 2 more rounds of the zodiac signs (24 additional books). The same rules apply – each round includes one book from each zodiac sign. When you have completed this badge, you will have read a total of 60 books.

Badge Four – will be awarded when the remaining 2 rounds have been read. All 84 tasks have been read.

💻📇📃📃📃📂

Aries-
March
Ram ▪ Truck on the cover or protaginist dives it
Ares•Mythology or the word God(s) in the title
Opal ♧set btw 1750 -1850
Falcon¤set in Iraq/Turkey/Syria
Fire*Red cover
Tim Curry

Taurus-
April
Bull ▪ from the given list or a western
Rhino•villian in the title
Jasper♧illness major theme
Beaver¤set in Canda/ by Canadian author
Earth*Black cover
Audrey Hepburn

Gemini -
May
Twins▪2 titles for a book.eg HP.link both.
Copycat•Dystopian/set in the future
Agate♧face in profile /Cameo on the cover
Deer¤set in Scotland or by a Scottish author
Air*White cover
Johnny Depp

Cancer-
June
Crab▪.Read a book with the name of any of the different crabs on it but not the word crab.
Sandman•Horror
Rose Quartz♧Rose(s) or pink cover
Woodpecker¤S.America/by S.American author
Water*Blue cover
Merle streep

Leo-
July
Lion▪set in africa
Kraven the hunters•MC >60yo
Carnelian♧ set in Ancient Egypt
Salmon¤PNW Canada/US
Fire*fire in the cover
Sean Penn

Virgo-
August
Maiden- young girl or <20yo unmarrried woman .
Rogue/Anna Raven• Birds in the cover or Raven(s) ib the title
Amethyst♧Royalty MC
Bear¤set in Russian/Russian author
Earth*earth like planet in the cover
Anne Meara

Libra-
September
Scales of justice▪legal thriller
Judge Dredd•set btw 1977-2000
Azurite♧Renaissance 14+00-1700
Raven¤set in NZ /NZ author
Air*clouds in the cover
Viggo Moertenson

Scorpio-
October
Scorpion▪word poison or the name of a poison in the title or a bottle of poison in the cover
Anti-Venom •standalone SciFi
Copper♧metal weapon / tool in the cover
Snake¤set in Auss/Aussie author
Water*water in the cover
Jody Foster

Sagittarius-
November
Archer▪Native.American author or about Native.American culture.
Hawkeye•new 2018 release
Obsidian-set in Hawaii
Owl¤set in Freece/Crete or by Gk author
Fire*
Ralph Fiennes

Capricorn-
December
Goat ▪Scandinavian Lit (list abv).
Cannonball•set in American civil or Napoleanic war from land/sea
Quartz♧Time travel book
Snow goose¤set in Kansas/Mexico/New Mexico/Texas
Earth*
Sissy Spacek

Aquarius-
Jan
Water bearer▪ with urn /mug/jug /such thing in the book (Cover? )
Aquaman•Atlantis or Posiedon in the title
Turquoise♧main theme Magic
Otter¤set in Switzerland/Netherland or by swiss /Dutch author
Air*
John Hunt

Pisces-
Feb
Fish▪Lake or River in the title or authors name/set nr a lake or river .
Siren• siren or other alt names in the title
Jade♧set in China
Wolf¤set in Alberta/Montana/Idaho/Wyoming
Water*
Glenn Close

Crab names -

Coconut, Hermit, Horseshoe, King, Japanese Spider, Dungeness, Rock, Snow, Blue, or Fiddler

Siren /other such spirits

banshee, harpy, kelpie, mermaid, nymph, and rusalka

Aries
Mythology- Aenid
Tim Curry Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

My Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk

1750-1850 - Silas Marner

Red cover-Put Yourself in His Place by Charles Reade

Taurus

Western
Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Or
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck


Hepburn,My fair lady-



The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

Villain by Shūichi Yoshida

Illness-
by W. Somerset Maugham
Or
by Daniel Keyes
or
When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Gemini

Dystopian - 1984

2 titles for a book -

Cameo - The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

Depp -

by Lewis Grassic Gibbon
Or
by Susanna Kearsley
Or
The Waverly Novels: Waverly by Walter Scott

Air•white cover

Cancer

Dracula

Streep Kramer vs. Kramer by Avery Corman

Blue cover- The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Or
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid . DONE

S.America -

Roses in the / a pink . cover - /

Crab -

Leo

In Too Deep by Jayne Ann Krentz PNW

Sean Penn - All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren

Africa- by Ben Okri
Or
by Yewande Omotoso

Ancient Egypt - Daughters of Isis: Women of Ancient Egypt by Joyce A. Tyldesley
Or
The Egyptian by Mika Waltari
Or
by Lynda S. Robinson

MC > 60 : by Marilynne Robinson
Or
by Paulette Jiles

Virgo

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers

The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsany

Light in August by William Faulkner

Anne Meara- by Milan Trenc
by Oliver Sacks

The Raven in the Foregate by Ellis Peters

Russia- The Brothers Karamazov

Libra

The Street Lawyer by John Grisham

The Works of Anne Bradstreet by Anne Bradstreet

The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

Viggo - by Cormac McCarthy
by Robert B. Parker

by Agatha Christie

Set in 1980s- Three Seasons: Three Stories of England in the Eighties by Mike Robbins

Scorpio

The Perfect Poison

Copper- The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White

The Blazing World by Margaret Cavendish

Jodie Foster - by the author of Nims Island

Sagittarius

Nikos Kazantzakis

Ocean Light

A Yellow Raft in Blue Water
Or
The Snow Walker
Or
The Painted Drum
Or
Green Grass, Running Water

Ralph Fiennes-Casino Royale by Ian Fleming

Capricorn



The Axe by Sigrid Undset
Or
Beartown by Fredrik Backman

The Poems of Octavio Paz
Or
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

Sissy - The Good Old Boys by Elmer Kelton

Dec-The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

Napoleonic war - War and peace

Aquarius

Coming Up for Air by George Orwell

John Hurt - Deathly Hallows/Rob Roy by Walter Scott

The Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

Otter - Het huis van de moskee by Kader Abdolah
or

Pisces


Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson

Glenn Close- by William Shakespeare

by Amanda Quick

by P.G. Wodehouse

Rusalka

You've got a great start on gophering.

Some serious gophering here already, Elena.

nice!!

Thanks everyone!
Love gophering and love these challenges.
But seriously ,most of these books are either in my TBR or I have been on two minds about it.

BADGE 1 📚 TALLY SHEET


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Wow - you've got so much done. I'm impressed ;-)

Thanks, Margo!

Gophering is fun.

I'm curious about The Princess Bride. I own the book. I wouldn't have thought it was a western though (I've not read the book but seen the film).

Princess Bride isn't a western.

Elena, you have it listed as page 1 on the Best Western listopia. I can't find it. There's a possibility that a librarian removed it. Plus, items move on the lists. Could you review that selection and tell me which page it's on? If it's still on the Best Western listopia, I'll let it go through.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1

This was the list I got Janice.

Hmm...will change it..I thought it was either a book from the list or a western...
Thanks.

Corrected the mistake.

:)

That is just bizarre! The link on the challenge thread takes you to The Best Western list. I don't know how you ended up with a different link.

I think, its like someone said on the Question page ..the whole link doesn't get copied..my actors link took me to their first name wiki..as in , the name 'Johnny' page in wiki not the actors page..

Moral of the story - refer to the challenge thread rather than copied links. :) I'm glad we got it figured out.

📋 Reporting :

Badge1, Book

1.Task -
2.Link-
3.Explanation-
4.Specification-

Spruced up some..

I have Housekeeping on my TBR list and I own Gilead, but have never read it yet.

The Wind in the Willows was recently available from Audible, narrated by Simon Vance. I like him. I read the book years and years ago, but hardly remember the story.

I hope I like all three.Gilead sounds very interesting.

Couldn't read wind in the willows this year..maybe next..

Updated MC over 60 and Ancient Egypt..

Alzheimer's Daughter for illness not painted veil

Currently Reading.January Readings.

Cranford - Tim Curry,Aries.
War and Peace - Opal,Aries.
Chronicles of Avonlea - Canada,Taurus.
Exit West - Blue cover,Cancer.

Paused Exit West
Started The Remains of the Day for MC>60 ,Leo

It looks like you have a lot going on!