Happy May! I wanted to post something in celebration of my forthcoming novel Bestiary (available for pre-order now!) which was in part written because I was born in the year of the tiger. The mythological significance of tigers loomed very large in my life, especially because women born in the year of the tiger are supposed to be notoriously wild and difficult to “domesticate.” This book was my attempt to be wild, to lean into the idea of being uncontained. One of the folktales that forms the backbone of this book is the Fujianese/Taiwanese myth of Hu Gu Po, a tiger woman who eats the toes of children and calls it “snacking on peanuts.” (To this day I can’t eat peanuts without thinking about severed toes). If you’re able to, please consider supporting my work by pre-ordering and supporting the work of other diasporic writers and artists this month!

NOTE: To compile this, I consulted The Handbook of Chinese Horoscopes by Theodora Lau, which I excitedly purchased at a library dime-sale. My mom also contributed a few subjective interpretations. I am not an astrology expert by any means, and there are many nuances and varied interpretations for each of these signs. This is all for fun and games :) <3

 Year of the Rat

Rats are charming, innovative, success-oriented, and extremely resourceful. They believe in safety in numbers and are extremely perceptive creatures, with an inborn ability to sense danger. They are highly adaptable and clever, able to respond quickly to their changing environment, and they feel a deep connection to their elders. They may have a tendency to hoard and collect objects. The rat is the first animal in the zodiac for a reason - they are inventive, intelligent, and deeply intuitive (though sometimes too willing to trick others for the sake of their own success).

Compatible with: Monkey, Dragon

In Conflict with: Horse

For people born in the Year of the Rat, I recommend Mr. Fox by Helen Oyeyemi, which embodies flexibility and quickness to me: it is full of narrative twists and wit and brilliance.

Bonus recommendation: Borne by Jeff Vandermeer, a tender and twisty book about adapting-as-surviving and a changing world.

Year of the Ox

Oxen are the very embodiment of hard work, persistence, and endurance. They are dependable and methodical, often great listeners, but it is difficult to change their minds. They are reliable and strong, extremely responsible, and tend to adhere to set patterns, seeing life through a systemic lens. They are clear-minded and determined, seeking to ground themselves in routine, and are unstoppable when pursuing what they want. 

Compatible with: Snake, Rooster

In Conflict with: Sheep/Goat

For people born in the Year of the Ox, I recommend China Men by Maxine Hong Kingston, an experimental book that migrates between different places and time periods, full of wonder and resignation, myth and mundanity, labor and love.

Bonus recommendation: Red Sorghum by Mo Yan is another book that embodies an ox to me - it’s deeply grounded and rooted and about enduring/surviving, and it’s also so alive and vivid and full of love for its characters.

Year of the Tiger

Tigers represent power and passion, courage and rebelliousness. They are unpredictable and fearless, full of a warrior-like fire and dynamism. They can be impulsive and quick-tempered, always ready to leap into action. By nature, they are restless, which can lead to rash and reckless behavior. They approach everything sincerely and whole-heartedly, pouring themselves entirely into their endeavors. At their essence, they have a deep love for life and are able to stir up emotions in others, whether positive or negative.

Compatible with: Dog, Horse

In Conflict with: Monkey

For people born in the Year of the Tiger, I recommend Mulberry and Peach by Hualing Nieh, a wildly inventive and absolutely-nuts novel about migration, war, and appetite. It’s full of rebellious language and energy.

Bonus recommendation: I Wore My Blackest Hair by Carlina Duan, for the ferocity, defiance, and wildness of its spirit and language.

Year of the Rabbit

According to Chinese mythology, the moon is a rabbit (or the bones of a rabbit), and rabbits are deeply connected to the moon. They represent longevity and tranquility, as well as kindness and tenderness toward others. They have a love and appreciation for beauty and are sensitive toward others, always willing to offer their advice and guidance. Though sometimes moody, rabbits are good at negotiating and diplomacy, cultivating peace and harmony in their environments.

Compatible with: Pig, Sheep/goat

In Conflict with: Rooster

For people born in the Year of the Rabbit, I recommend The Unpassing, a book full of subtle yet lingering images and the terrifying/beautiful/hostile Alaskan landscape - it’s not so much a book about harmony so much as what happens when harmony is made impossible. It is masterfully crafted, both tense and tender.

Bonus recommendation: I also recommend The Carrying by Ada Limon, for its sheer beauty and the powerful subtlety of its language, its ability to craft silences as well as speech.

Year of the Dragon

Dragons are creatures of mythological importance that loom gloriously large in our imaginations: they represent magic and vitality, movement and strength. Dragons are sometimes self-centered and demanding, but they are also deeply admired for their ambition, idealism, and eccentric obsessions. Dragons are representative of the emperor, destined to be followed. They have the powerful, sometimes intimidating presence of natural leaders. They are full of energy and enthusiasm, loyal to their loved ones and to their immovable ideals.

Compatible with: Rat, Monkey

In Conflict with: Dog

For people born in the Year of the Dragon, I recommend The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King, a YA novel full of magic and experimental narratives that features an ambitious narrator who demands more than what she was given.

Bonus recommendation: I also recommend Bastard Out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison, because it is relentless, unsparing, and will probably cause you to breathe fire out of your mouth.

Year of the Snake

Snakes are believed to be baby dragons - they are deeply introspective, very intense, sometimes wily, and considered to be the most enigmatic out of all the signs. They are full of innate wisdom and tend to be introverted lovers of art, literature, and music. This is the sign of psychic powers and mysticism, of someone who trusts their instincts and inborn wisdom. Similar to the dragon, their life skews toward tragedy or triumph depending on their karmic debts.

Compatible with: Ox, Rooster

In Conflict with: Pig

For people born Year of the Snake, I recommend Tigers, Not Daughters by Samantha Mabry, a YA novel about grief and sisterhood, and most of all, about communing with yourself and harnessing/unleashing your own strength and instincts. It’s about the ghosts that haunt us and how we speak to our dead and allow them to love and inform us. 

Bonus recommendation: I also recommend a short story by Alice Sola Kim called Mothers, Lock Up Your Daughters Because They are Terrifying, which is both supernatural and very grounded/real (plus: a wonderfully, terrifyingly enigmatic ending).

Year of the Horse

Horses are down-to-earth, outgoing, and passionate, ruled by their hearts rather than their heads. They are independent and strong-minded, following their instincts to roam and travel. Horses are the ultimate adventurers and feel a strong desire to connect with the outdoors. While they can sometimes be almost militant in their drive and momentum, they learn quickly to adapt and respond to change.

Compatible with: Tiger, Dog

In Conflict with: Rat

For people born in the Year of the Horse, I recommend Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn, an epic and often experimental novel spanning many lives, with a lot of leaving and coming and going and staying. It’s full of explosive, daring, and adventurous language.

Bonus recommendation: I also recommend On Swift Horses by Shannon Pufahl, not just because of the title, but for its feeling of expansiveness and constant searching, desiring.

Year of the Sheep/Goat

The sheep/goat is considered the sign of femininity. They are artistic, creative, and deeply compassionate. They see the world through a subjective lens and are drawn to nurturing others, though sometimes they invest themselves too much in other people’s emotions or act passive-aggressively when resolving a conflict. Sheep/goats are kind-hearted and generous with everything they have, though sometimes they prefer to retreat from the world and stay at home. 

Compatible with: Pig, Rabbit

In Conflict with: Ox

For people born in the Year of the Sheep/Goat, I recommend Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante, a deeply interior “domestic” novel that also feels explosive and unhinged.

Bonus recommendation: I also recommend Saudade by Traci Brimhall, an innovative poetry collection that is elegant and brutal, full of women and their wants. 

Year of the Monkey

In the zodiac cycle, monkeys represent the trickster archetype. They are most representative of people and their strength and flaws: both their intelligence/problem-solving and their ability to lie or trick others. Monkeys are innovators, tricksters, and charmers. They are always seeking a new challenge. Though they can sometimes be self-centered and competitive, monkeys are incredibly charismatic and inventive.

Compatible with: Rat, Dragon

In Conflict with: Tiger

For people born in the Year of the Monkey, I recommend The Inheritance Trilogy by N.K. Jemisin (when you get to the third book, you’ll see why this is the perfect series for tricksters! One of the main characters is the ultimate trickster-god.) This series is wildly inventive and full of flawed and compelling characters.

Bonus recommendation: I also recommend Shelter by Jung Yun, a book with an incredibly complex narrator and scenes that will haunt you for the rest of your life (and show you the entire spectrum of human behavior and our capacity for care and cruelty). 

Year of the Rooster

Roosters are the hero-archetype of the cycle. They are fearless, confident, and outgoing, action-oriented and outspoken. They have larger-than-life personalities and are born to be center-stage, always attracting the attention of others. Roosters have strong opinions (sometimes brutally critical) and aren’t afraid to share them, and they enthusiastically persuade others to share their worldview. They are honest, decisive, and make excellent performers and storytellers.

Compatible with: Ox, Snake

In Conflict with: Rabbit

For people born in the Year of the Rooster, I recommend Revenge of the Mooncake Vixen for its sense of adventure and playfulness, as well as its fierce and innovative storytelling. It’s bursting with raucous humor and bold, unforgettable characters. 

Bonus recommendation: I also recommend The Best Bad Things by Katrina Carrasco, with a daring narrator and action scenes (and sex scenes) that are brilliantly, dramatically intense. 

Year of the Dog

Dogs are considered to be the most people-friendly and companionable of the signs: they are easygoing and lack pretension. They have a strong moral compass and an unwavering sense of what’s fair/just. Because they are so loyal, they sometimes place the needs of others over their own, and sometimes they may be loyal to people who don’t deserve it. A dog is always the reliable person who’s willing to come and aid you, especially when you need them the most.

Compatible with: Tiger, Horse

In Conflict with: Dragon

For people born in the Year of the Dog, I recommend Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson, a novel-in-vignettes that centers friendship between girls, beautifully illustrating a deep sense of rootedness to community, place, and people.

Bonus recommendation: I also recommend Small Country by Gael Faye, an intimate book about coming of age in a time of war and genocide; it’s a story that rattles the reader’s perception of justice.

Year of the Pig

Pigs are honest, persevering, and persistent in pursuing their goals. They are deeply trusting and seek simplicity and peace. Whenever possible, they prefer to avoid confrontation and fights. They’d rather let things go than continue to be in conflict. Rather than multitasking, pigs tend to focus on singular tasks and goals at a time. They are also pleasure-seekers, sometimes to the point of losing all reason, but there’s an essential goodness to them that can balance this out.

Compatible with: Rabbit, Sheep/goat

In Conflict with: Snake

For people born in the Year of the Pig, I recommend Gold by the Inch by Lawrence Chua, a queer, bodily book about the pursuit of pleasure (and the emptiness of it) in a violent, capitalist reality.

Bonus recommendation: I also recommend Postcolonial Love Poem by Natalie Diaz, a book that holds contradictions and conflicts and doesn’t shy from looking at itself painfully and directly.

Bonus-bonus recommendation: Crystal Boys by Pai-Hsien Yung, about a group of queer boys in Taipei who endure and survive and thrive within their fluctuating, precarious world.