Feel overwhelmed by the vast number of books you could possibly read at this very moment? Chill out, and let's have some fun. I've got the best book recommendation for you, based on your Zodiac sign, which is obviously the deciding factor in determining whether or not you'll enjoy a book.
(Yes, I'm being a little bit sarcastic. It's in my nature; I'm a Capricorn.)
Look, no form of astrology is totally accurate, so I wouldn't go basing any major life decisions on whether or not Mercury is about to retrograde. Thankfully, choosing what book to read next is not a major life decision, so we can have a little fun with the Western Zodiac here.
If you've already read the book listed for your Zodiac sign below, don't fret! Just read a book for another sign — your moon sign, perhaps, or your partner's sun sign. Maybe even your dog's sign? Or you could check out one of the other Zodiac-friendly book lists here on Bustle. Here's one for graphic novels, if that's your thing. Really, the possibilities are endless.
Check out my best book recommendations for you, based on your Zodiac sign, and share your favorite reads — astrologically determined or not — with me on Twitter!
Aries: 'The Book of Joan' by Lidia Yuknavitch
Aries, a bold person like you needs a book to match your sense of adventure, and this 2017 novel from The Small Backs of Children author Lidia Yuknavitch is right up your alley. The Book of Joan is a genre-bending work of dystopian fiction, in which the story of Joan of Arc mixes with a decidedly science-fiction space station that orbits a blighted version of Earth, where Joan — in this case, "Joan of Dirt" — still lives.
Taurus: 'The Tale of Genji' by Murasaki Shikibu
Others might peg you as boring, Taurus, but not me! I know you have the tenacity necessary to read a 1,200-page classic in translation, and The Tale of Genji is as classic as it gets. Murasaki Shikibu's 11th-century Japanese novel has hundreds of cast members, but she exercises complete control over her massive tale of politics and romance, with a sharp focus any Taurus can appreciate.
Gemini: 'Homegoing' by Yaa Gyasi
Geminis are the multifaceted multitaskers of the Zodiac, which means I can trust you with a book that will pull you in different directions. Yaa Gyasi's 2016 award-winner, Homegoing, begins with two sisters whose lives are forever altered by European colonialism and the West African slave trade. The story spins outward, through history and into the modern era, with each chapter narrated by a different descendant of the two women at the novel's heart.
Cancer: 'The Mothers' by Brit Bennett
Cancer, you poor, misunderstood soul. Not many people can grasp your simultaneously nurturing, defensive, and moody nature, much less find a book that will match your self-contradicting personality, but I think you should try out The Mothers by Brit Bennett. This intimate debut from 2016 centers on three young adults — a woman who had an abortion before college, the ex-boyfriend she left behind, and her former best friend, whom he married — who are just trying to protect themselves and the people they love, rightly or wrongly.
Leo: 'The Power' by Naomi Alderman
As a Leo, you're not interested in reading about people who don't take charge and harness their natural talents, which means you should definitely check out Naomi Alderman's Baileys Women's Prize-winner, The Power. In this slim novel, teen girls suddenly gain the ability to kill men with a single touch, and this new phase of human evolution leads to global revolutions in religion, politics, and education. With young women at the helm of this new movement, The Power holds infinite appeal for Leos.
Virgo: 'The Luminaries' by Eleanor Catton
Virgos can appreciate a smart and elegant novel with intertwining plots and lots of luscious details, and that's exactly the kind of book The Luminaries is. Set in 19th-century New Zealand, Eleanor Catton's 2013 Booker Prize-winning novel follows a would-be prospector who finds himself entangled in a local mystery that involves an incredible sum of money, a missing man, and 12 other men who may have been involved somehow.
Libra: 'The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane' by Lisa See
Libra, you're an idealistic sort who values equality and justice above all else, so you'll love Lisa See's The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane. The story begins with Li-Yan, the educated daughter of mountain tea-farmers, who winds up pregnant in a society where tradition demands that children born out of wedlock be killed. Instead, Li-Yan leaves her baby in the city to be adopted by American parents, so that she can pursue an education and career away from her remote village.
Scorpio: 'In the Time of the Butterflies' by Julia Alvarez
Scorpios get a bad rap for being intense, passionate, and easily bored, but I have just the book to keep you engaged until the last page. Julia Alvarez's In the Time of the Butterflies focuses on the Mirabal sisters: real-life Dominican revolutionaries who organized a mid-century resistance movement against their country's tyrannical dictator, Rafael Trujillo. The novel's emotional tension and intrigue will hit every high note for the bookish Scorpio.
Sagittarius: 'Foreign Soil' by Maxine Beneba Clarke
For a Sagittarius, there's nothing more wonderful than traveling the world and meeting new people, but, let's face it, most of us don't have the money to be jet-setters. Thankfully, Maxine Beneba Clarke's Foreign Soil takes readers on a globe-hopping tour of the Caribbean, the Sudan, Australia, and the U.S., and this short-story collection is filled with protagonists who don't usually have a spotlight in mainstream fiction. It's a win-win-win.
Capricorn: 'Stay with Me' by Ayòbámi Adébáyò
Once Capricorns set their mind to do something, they'll go to whatever lengths necessary to achieve that goal, which means that any Capricorn can identify with Yejide, the woman at the center of Ayòbámi Adébáyò's Booker-shortlisted novel, Stay with Me. Unable to bear children for her husband, and in anguish at her mother-in-law's suggestion of bringing in a new wife, Yejide exhausts every option she has in her quest to get pregnant.
Aquarius: 'Memoirs of a Polar Bear' by Yōko Tawada
As an Aquarius, you're interested in big ideas and all things modern, so you're sure to love Yōko Tawada's Memoirs of a Polar Bear. This inventive little novel follows three generations of circus-performing polar bears across the Soviet Union, Canada, and East Germany, beginning with their memoirist matriarch and her publisher, Sea Lion.
Pisces: 'Bruja' by Wendy C. Ortiz
You, Pisces, are the ultimate daydreamer, the one who desires beauty and pleasure in all things, to an almost spiritual extent. Wendy C. Ortiz's Bruja is a "dreamoir" — a collection of the author's dreams, woven together to comment on life in all its amazing aspects. This is the surreal book you've been waiting to read, trust me.
