Your Chinese Horoscope 2004: What the Year of the Monkey Holds in Store for You

This book starts out with a basic overview of the Chinese calendar, including the story of how the 12 animals came to represent the Chinese zodiac. There is then a calendar over the last 100 years, (to 1900), showing the lunar calendar, and when the Chinese New Years began, so you can determine what signs you and others belong to. After that, follows a basic description of each of the twelve animals.What I was concerned about when I bought this book was that, as a horse, I knew there would be a description of what would be in store for those born in the year of the horse, etc., but what about those born in the year of the fire horse, water horse, etc? Well, as it turns out, Somerville has also added the elements to his book, and you will not be disappointed. Following the basic overview of each animals' upcoming year, is a further detailed description of what the element of the animal will affect that person. I was really pleased to discover that. If you know anything about Chinese astrology, you know that the fire disposition is quite different from the earth disposition or water disposition. One thing I was disappointed with, is that there is no information on lucky directions or colors or charms, (such as stones or elements) to wear or display. For that, perhaps one should look in a combination Chinese astrology/ feng-shui book. I'm not sure, but I include it in this review for your information. One thing I especially enjoyed was the description of other monkey years and how the trickster behaved during them. This is not only entertaining, but it is also of great interest to note how the stock market and world events played out during previous Monkey years. It can help you decide for yourself if you think Chinese astrology is valid or not. You can also look back on your own life and reflect on where you were during that time and see how your own Monkey year was.