The world is crazy right now. We’re all holed up inside our homes seeing no one, going nowhere, and dreaming about the next adventure we’ll take. (One day, when things go back to “normal.”)
Blog posts like this one, that combine astrology and my other passions, flit in and out of my brain alllll the time. I have a running list of probably eleven or more ideas I want to get around to eventually. This one coming to fruition, however, I owe completely to Jordan. It was probably Autumn of last year when, on one of of our regular business / friend calls, Jordan said, “Hey, you like astrology and you like books– you should write a blog post about books to read for every sign. I’d read that!
As a concept, this isn’t completely new. In fact, if you search “books to read for your star sign” you’ll see a handful of hits pop up. However, it’s been awhile since a new one has been published, or so it seems, and I’ve never written one. So here we are!
I feel like it’s worth noting that this list is not exhaustive and I am not a professional astrologer. I love astrology and feel like I know a good amount, but I am always learning and have a longgg way to go until I feel closer to being able to speak more confidently about each sign without reference materials/hints.
That being said, I did a TON of research while penning this piece and I feel really good about the recommendations that I’ve made.
In this, the first half of the recommendation list, you’ll find two books for each of the first six signs: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, and Virgo. The other six are posted over on my blog; linked here and at the bottom of this post.
At the end of the day, this post is all about finding something new to read. Whether you’re looking for books to read based on your sign alone or simply looking for a list of new books to dive into; there are twenty-four recommendations between the two posts!
If the books I recommended for your star sign resonate with you please leave a comment letting me know! I truly hope this post brings a little stardust and joy into your life in these super weird times.
Happy reading!
“The Winner’s Curse” (The Winner’s Trilogy) by Marie Rutkoski
It’s Aries season, y’all! Spring is here and I feel like we are all a little more ready than ever to dive into the season with the blind optimism of an Aries.
If you’re an Aries you’ll relate to the bold, ambitious, direct-ness of seventeen-year-old Kestrel. A general’s daughter who enjoys a life of lavish luxury. Then she falls for Arin, a boy who has no worldly possessions to his name. There is spontaneity, competition, and passionate romance. Tell me this part of the book blurb doesn’t have you hooked?: “In order to be together, they must betray their people . . . but to be loyal to their country, they must betray each other.”
“Mosquitoland” by David Arnold
“Mosquitoland” is another story of spontaneity, but one without the dramas of romance. The book isn’t free of drama, however, because Mim Malone’s life suddenly falls apart and catapults her into a cross-country move from Ohio to Mississippi. When she discovers, not long after arriving in MI with her step-father that her mother is sick back in Cleveland, she hops on a Greyhound bus and sets out to head back home. She meets a mosaic of interesting characters on her long journey back and is brought face-to-face with her own internal dialogue. I laughed and cried out loud while reading this book.
Okay we’ve got the two sides of the “life of luxury” spectrum for my Taurus friends. (Also, characters who are as resilient and focused as you are.)
“Juniors” by Kaui Hart Hemmings
First up, “Juniors” by Kaui Hart Hemmings. Lea Lane is part Hawaiian, part mainlander and has grown up in her mother’s spotlight as an actress. Now she’s moving back to Hawaii and into the guest cottage of a wealthy family on the island. She starts becoming friends with Will and Whitney West siblings who, despite their differences, it ends up she has a lot in common with them. Like many Taurus, Lea has a tendency toward staying in unhealthy situations to prove a point and ultimately has to decide how far she’s willing to change in order to maintain their loyalty.
“The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue” by Mackenzi Lee
Now, “The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue” follows Henry “Monty” Montegue who was brought up to be a gentleman but has had a lifetime of difficulty sitting still. After spending his years gambling, drinking, spending the night with the arms of beautiful men and women, his days of merriment is threatened to end as he embarks on his Grand Tour of Europe. He’s expected to take over his father’s estate when he returns, but his inability to sit still, love of the finer things, and crush on his best friend and traveling companion Percy, may complicate things. While Percy represents the materialistic, comfort seeking, and resilient side of Taurus; Percy does a good job of representing the more relaxing, calm, and loyal side.
Gemini’s are frequently misunderstood as being two-faced, but in reality it’s more of a creative duality. Rule by Mercury, the messenger planet of communication, Gemini’s are social butterflies and love to talk to everyone about anything.
“Isla and the Happily Ever After” by Stephanie Perkins
“Isla and the Happily Ever After” follows hopeless romantic Isla, who has had a crush on Josh, an introverted comic artist since they first met during their first year at the School of America in Paris. Following in the same book family as two other books by Stephanie Perkins, many of her other characters make appearances. While Isla and Josh have to deal with some real-world situations, the potential of a long distance relationship being paramount, the majority of the book is playful, youthful, and charming, just like Gemini’s.
“Yotsuba” by Kiyohiko Azuma
The next book on the list has a main character who has a short attention span, social butterflies like the best of ‘em, and is completely 100% curious. Yotsuba is the titular character in a Japanese manga. She’s a young girl with green hair, green eyes, who doesn’t have a clue about how the world around her works. She lives her life with curious abandon and a short attention span. 😉
“Ten White Geese” by Gerbrand Bakker
Okay the book blurb for this book is way more gorgeous than I could ever write. “Ten White Geese” is a standalone novel about a women named Emilie who rents a remote farm in rural Wales after fleeing Amsterdam having just confessed to an affair. She finds ten geese on the farm, but one by one they start to disappear. We don’t know much about her other than she is an Emily Dickinson scholar. The book is cozy and melancholy which, I feel, will draw in the gentle, compassionate, and highly intuitive natures of Cancers.
“Red, White & Royal Blue” by Casey McQuiston
“Red, White & Royal Blue” is a novel about Alex Claremont-Diaz, son of the President of the United States (the first women President!), and Henry — one of the princes of England. What starts as a PR campaign to show the young diplomats being friends shifts into a secret romance. The boys are both extremely protective of one another and deeply loyal, just like you, Cancer; and we go on the journey of their themselves (and one another) in the midst of political shenanigans and external pressures and approvals.
“The Darkest Part of the Forest” by Holly Black
Brother / sister duo Hazel and Ben live together in a town where humans and fae live side-by-side. Hazel knows first hand how dangerous the fae can be and she used to know how to protect herself against them. In the middle of the town there is a glass coffin in the woods. Inside the coffin is a boy with horns on his head and ears that are as pointed as any they’ve ever seen before. Both Hazel and Ben were in love with him as children. In a theatrical turn of events the boy wakes up after having slept in his coffin for generations. “The Darkest Part of the Forest” is filled with intrigue and drama-filled romances — perfect for any Leo.
“Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things” by Jenny Lawson
“Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things” is a memoir by Jenny Lawson. She weaves her own experiences with severe depression, tragedy, and other life-challenges through her narrative as she explains how these combined things have led her to live her life to the fullest. While the subjects of her stories are sometimes sad and difficult; Lawson uses her vivacious, comedic life approach to relate to her audience around difficult topics that we sometimes struggle to find common ground on with a Leo-like bravery.
“Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power” by Rachel Maddow
Okay, here’s the deal: Virgos are logical, practical, and like to identify ways they can take action. That’s why I think a book like “Drift” is perfect for you. Rachel Maddow is crazy smart, like, I think I gained IQ points just listening to her narrate this book. In it she argues that we’ve shifted away from our founding father’s ideals and have become a nation who is, somehow, okay being constantly at war. I suppose it’s not so much a book about taking action as it is one that is as practical and truthful as it is funny and amusing. I enjoyed it and it just seems like the sort of book a Virgo would like.
“The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon
On the flip side, if you’re a Virgo you’re also kind, gentle, and fiercely committed. That’s where “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” comes in. A book about a young, autistic boy named John Francis Boone, who “sets out to solve the murder of a neighbor’s dog and discovers unexpected truths about himself and the world” in the process. This book has recently been adapted into a Broadway play, I haven’t seen it, but I’m sure it’s wonderful.