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.

Book: Milkman
Title: Anna Burns
Date: 8 Feb
Task: sneaky character
How: Milkman sneaks up on the MC throughout the book, plus all the sneaky renouncers and informers

Book: In Five Years
Author: Rebecca Serle
Date: 16 Feb
Task: MC celebrates their birthday
How: MC Dannie has her 33rd birthday

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).

Book: Table for Two
Author: Amor Towles
Date: 16 Feb
Task: Intelligent and resourceful
How: The short stories all featured resourceful characters: the one forging signatures for $$, the one waiting in lines for $$, the one attempting to find fragments of a painting for $$; and Evelyn in the last novella one is intelligent AND resourceful

Book: Horse
Author: Geraldine Brooks
Date: 22 Feb
Task: strong character
How: Lexington is the strongest horse in history, and his trainer Jarrett has a strong mind

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.

Book: Bibliolepsy
Author: Gina Apostol
Date: 1 Mar
Task: magnetic character
How: Anna becomes a sort of prophet and has a cult following

Book: America Fantastica
Author: Tim O'Brien
Date: 8 Mar
Task: Secret
How: One of the characters takes blame for something he didn't do

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.

Book: The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers
Author: Samuel Burr
Date: 14 Mar
Task: works with wood
How: One of the characters makes wood puzzles

Book: Wow, No Thank You.: Essays
Author: Samantha Irby
Date: 24 Mar
Task: Initials in meticulous
How: SI

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.

Book: How to Age Disgracefully
Author: Clare Pooley
Date: 29 Mar
Task: character nurtures someone
How it fits: Ziggy is a teen dad who nurtures his baby girl

Book: Reasons to Stay Alive
Author: Matt Haig
Date: 29 Mar
Task: 1, 2, and 4
How it fits:
1. Goal to get over anxiety and depression
2. Clouds/sky are calming
4. Learns to get past anxiety

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....).

Book: Wandering Stars
Author: Tommy Orange
Date read: 11 Apr
Task: Proverb
How: one of the epigraphs is the proverb "Never trust a man who does not speak or a dog that does not bark"

Book: The Complete Poems
Author: William Blake
Date read: 17 Apr
Task: morals
How: Most of the book is long epic poems about the sin and Christianity

2025 is the year of the Wood Snake. The Wood Snake is a charming, intelligent and creative sign, but also secretive, cunning and sometimes ruthless. Mythology recognises the Snake as a creature of healing, which influences the physical body to shift to a more spiritual outlook.
The Year of the Wood Snake is a time for calculated growth, deep connections, and introspection. By aligning with its energy, Snakes can make 2025 a transformative and prosperous year. Whether seeking success, stability, or self-discovery, the wisdom of the Wood Snake will guide it.

Set 7 Tasks:
1. Read a book where a character makes a calculation (does not need to be mathematical).
2. Read a book whose author's initials can be found in the word INTROSPECTION.
3. Read a book where the MC makes a deep connection with someone else.
4. Read a book where a character goes through a transformation.
5. Read a book where the MC is seeking success in an endeavor.

BOOK: Tehrangeles
AUTHOR: Porochista Khakpour
DATE: 19 Apr
TASK: CHARACTER MAKES A CALCULATION
HOW IT FITS: ROXANNA IS AN INFLUENCER AND THROUGHOUT THE BOOK CALCULATES WHAT SHE SHOULD POST NEXT, HOW TO DO DANAGE CONTROL, AND HOW TO CONVINCE HER PARENTS TO ALLOW A PARTY...DURING THE LOCKDOWNS

Book: The Wedding People
Author: Alison Espach
Date: 26 Apr
Task: deep connection and transformation
How: MC has a connection to the groom in the story and leaves her city and job to start a new life after designing not to die

Congratulations!! You completed the Year of the Snake!