Welcome back to Book Break!
Today, I want to know your star sign
because I have made a list of book recommendations for each star sign.
And to make sure I got these right, I've been brushing up by reading Astro Poets
by Alex Dimitrov and Dorothea Lasky.
So this is this really fun, modern,
kind of tongue in cheek, funny guide to astrology.
It's perfect, everything you need to know about each star sign for the 21st century.
So you can know what they're like as a friend, what they're like in bed,
even how to text them for the best results.
It's really brilliant
and it's such a good companion to Linda Goodman's Sun Signs.
So this is kind of the original astrology bible.
This was published in the 60s
and actually became the first book on astrology to become a New York Times bestseller.
So these are really great companion books.
So based on everything I've learned from those two books,
I have pulled together my list of book recommendations.
And I've come here to the Atlantis Bookshop to tell you about them.
So this is the oldest independent occult bookshop in the UK,
possibly in the world.
It started in 1922 and it's this amazing, family-run business,
they've got books on magic, witchcraft and tarot.
This is the birthplace of modern-day witchcraft,
so where could be more perfect for me to come and talk about all of these books?
OK, so on with the list,
and if you look in the description box below, I have put the time codes for each star sign.
So you can jump straight to yours, but also make sure to go check out all of your friends'
and family's,
if you're planning the perfect gift to buy them.
And, I'm really intrigued, do leave your star sign emoji in the comments below,
because I really want to see if there are any patterns for which star signs watch more
BookTube.
So starting with Aries, and a famous Aries is Frank O'Hara.
He actually wrote my favourite poem, Having a Coke With You,
which is perfect because that's what they've quoted here at the beginning here.
They've quoted the line 'I look at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits
in the world'.
And another famous Aries is Elton John,
so I have to recommend his autobiography Me if you want to read about all that famous
Aries energy.
So what I've learned is that Aries are passionate, sometimes to the point of borderline obsessive,
when they're angry, they are very angry,
and they're likely to be wearing the most colourful outfit in the room.
Now the Astro Poets say, if an Aries were a city it would be Rome,
because of their love of power.
And if they were a punctuation mark, they would be an exclamation mark.
So it is no surprise that basically everyone I asked for suggestions for a book recommendation
for an Aries
said The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins,
because it combines their two favourite things:
competition and danger.
Next, Taurus.
Now a famous Taurus is Jack Nicholson.
Tauruses have this really stable energy.
And they sometimes get this reputation for being a bit boring,
which is actually really unfair,
it's just they live their life so in the present.
A Taurus could take the same walk every day for 20 years,
and truly be experiencing it every time.
The Astro Poets say that if a Taurus was a weather, it would be a moody summer rain that
goes on all afternoon and then brightens into a purple sunset.
So the book I've picked to recommend to all you Tauruses out there is Sense and Sensibility
by Jane Austen.
Because Tauruses are at once both so sensual and sensible, that you'll be able to identify
with both sisters equally.
Next we have Gemini,
and as a Gemini myself I was very interested to hear what the Astro Poets had to say about
us.
And they basically said, to anyone who meets a Gemini, good luck!
They said that we're charming, but that we do a million things at once,
make scary amounts of eye contact,
and need a scary amount of attention.
Which to be honest sounds pretty accurate.
And a famous Gemini is Walt Whitman,
and they quoted his line 'I am large, I contain multitudes' as pretty apt of Geminis.
Now the Astro Poets say if a Gemini were a punctuation mark, it would be the hyphen
endlessly connecting words that may or may not belong together.
So that made me think that my first book recommendation should be Ulysses by James Joyce,
especially as that is all set on the 16th June,
which is a day in Gemini season,
and incidentally my birthday,
but I actually think a better fit is Daphne Du Maurier's short story collection
The Birds and Other Stories.
Because a Gemini's mind is never at rest,
and these stories are deliberately designed to keep your mind whirring for days after
you've read them.
Next, Cancer.
Now Cancers are basically described as being kind-of know-it-alls,
which as someone who's married to one,
I can tell you is true!
They can also be a bit insecure, but deep down they know that they're in charge,
and they're homebodies.
When it comes down to it, home and family really is their happy place.
So basically they're a little bit shy, a little bit moody, but very very caring.
The Astro Poets say, if Cancer were a utensil it would be the big spain, and if it were
a weather, it would be a torrential downpour.
So the book I've picked for Cancers is A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith,
as it's this really emotionally rich book that is ultimately all about family.
Next, Leo.
Now Emily Bronte was a Leo,
so Wuthering Heights is a must-read for any Leo,
especially as the mega-Leo protagonist Catherine Earnshaw will be very relatable to you.
Leos can be a little bit self-interested, but in a very loveable way.
Now having a Leo around is never boring,
but that is because they can be slightly hyperbolic.
They make natural leaders, and having a Leo in your life means having a friend who will
always stick by you,
and will buy you great presents.
The Astro Poets say, if a Leo were a type of weather, it would be a heat wave.
So there's very strong personalities here,
so the book that I've picked is The Ensemble by Aja Gabel.
So this follows four members of a string quartet through their lives,
and it focuses on their friendships with each other,
their triumphs, their successes, and their losses,
and their intensity about their art.
Now Virgos.
Virgos love talking to you about your feelings, but they hate talking about their own.
That's not because they don't have them,
they actually think about their feelings all the time,
they just will never complain.
Virgos can come across as a little harsh at first, but they're actually deeply caring
and kind,
just make sure that you get your grammar spot on when you text them.
And Virgos love to champion big causes,
so Bernie Sanders is a famous Virgo.
The Astro Poets say, if Virgo were a punctuation mark they would be the full stop,
final, authoritative, and sometimes hard to read.
So that made me think of the book The Secret Barrister,
which is this really fascinating read which delves into the justice system in this country,
and how it's failing people who need it the most.
So that's perfect for the principled Virgo.
It would also be pretty good for a Libra, because they care a lot about justice,
their sign is the scales after all,
but let's go on to them next.
So, Libras.
Oscar Wilde and Truman Capote are two famous literary Libras,
so you could start with The Importance of Being Earnest, or In Cold Blood, as your book
recommendations.
Unsurprisingly with those two as our famous Libras,
Libras love drama!
They're known as being the peacemakers, but the Astro Poets say they are actually really
theatrical,
it's just that they see drama as entertaining rather than serious.
Another famous Libra is Kim Kardashian.
The Astro Poets say if a Libra were a flower, they'd be white tulips,
understated but elegant, placed in an expensive vase, and adding just the right touch of splendour
to a room.
What a compliment!
So my book recommendation is Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler,
which is about a young woman working in a high end restaurant in New York.
So it's got the perfect blend of life drama and elegance for all of your Libra needs.
Now Scorpios!
So Scorpios don't always wear their hearts on their sleeve,
but when they do get caught in their feelings they find that they have a lot of them.
And when a Scorpio tells you they love you, they really mean it.
The Astro Poets say, if a Scorpio were a type of weather it would be as hot as hell.
Another key thing about Scorpios is their love of power.
That doesn't mean that you'll find them running for office, or being a CEO,
they're more of a behind-the-scenes kind of powerful,
they like to be the ones pulling the strings.
And they're also very good at revenge.
So what book could I recommend here but Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.
So this book is all about power and revenge, with a very Scorpio main character,
who will either love you intensely, or turn the tables on you so fast you won't know what's
hit you.
Now for Sagittarius.
So the Astro Poets say that Britney Spears is the ultimate Sagittarius,
rebellious but sweet, constantly wanting to be loved,
but also constantly wanting to be free.
Sagittariuses definitely aren't followers, but they're not really leaders either,
they actually prefer just to be left alone to follow their own obsessions,
and make their own decisions, and they think that everyone else should have that right
too.
The Astro Poets say if Sagittarius were a city they'd be Las Vegas, and if they were
a weather, they'd be fog.
So the book that I've picked is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.
This is a dystopian novel that I think will hit particularly hard for Sagittareans,
because it's all about a world where people don't have that personal freedom that's so
particularly important to a Sagittarius.
Next, Capricorns.
Now Capricorns can endure and overcome anything life throws them.
Just listen to any of Dolly Parton's songs,
she is the quintessential Capricorn.
Capricorns have a lot of ambition,
and they're interested in other people with ambition.
But they can do anything on their own, and they'll do it all brilliantly.
Basically, Capricorns don't need you.
The Astro Poets say that if a Capricorn were a handshake, it would be the kind that involves
looking the other person dead in the eye,
emphasis on dead.
So the perfect book for a Capricorn is Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel,
which is all about Thomas Cromwell's ambitious ascent to power and fame in Henry VIII's court.
Thomas Cromwell, by the way, was totally a Capricorn.
Now Aquarius.
So being an Aquarius means being totally plugged in to the zeitgeist of the time,
not just in terms of what's actually happening,
but also in terms of what needs to happen.
So Aquariuses are often revolutionaries,
and also can be quite bossy.
Aquarius are also closer to dreamers than rationalists, so that's useful to know if
you're ever trying to argue with one.
The Astro Poets say that if an Aquarius were a part of a book they'd be the footnote,
specific, nerdy, and needing context.
Virginia Woolf was an Aquarius, and the Astro Poets also say that reading Mrs Dalloway is
a bit like swimming through Aquarean thought,
so that might be a good place to start to get to know them,
but my recommendation for all the Aquariuses out there is actually On the Road by Jack
Kerouac,
which is perfect for the Aquarius who wants to go off and wonder the world,
but also think about life while they're at it.
And finally, Pisces.
Now a Pisces is all about peace, love and communication.
They can feel 79 different feelings every minute,
and they live in those feelings at all times,
even when they're asleep.
Pisces aren't interested in the surface level of anything,
they want to go deep.
And they've got really strong emotional antennae,
which, warning, can see right through you.
And Pisces are also really nostalgic,
you probably will find their rooms covered in photos and old letters and ticket stubs.
So for that reason, the Astro Poets say that if Pisces were a room, they'd be a childhood
bedroom.
And I actually got this final book recommendation straight out of the Astro Poets book,
because they recommended Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
as the ultimate Pisces book.
They describe it as one of the longest, strangest, and most powerful books of our time,
and David Foster Wallace was himself a Pisces,
which you can totally tell in the way that
in Infinite Jest he tries to capture everything, even the totally uncapturable.
Reading Infinite Jest, you never know if you should be laughing or crying or feeling furious,
or feeling all of the emotions all at once,
which, according to the Astro Poets, is being a Pisces.
So those are my suggestions, but do click the link in the description box, because we've
got a blog post with even more recommendations for each star sign.
And that was just Western astrology!
If you're interested in looking up your Chinese zodiac sign,
Shelly Wu has got the definitive guide in her book Chinese Astrology.
And it's worth looking up which sign you are,
because different years can apparently bring you bad luck,
unless you wear something red given to you by a relative,
so it's worth doing some forward planning for that.
And do give this video a thumbs up and hit that subscribe button below for new videos
every week.
Coming up next week we're talking about the new books coming out from your favourite authors.
And in the meantime do go and follow us over on Instagram @bookbreakuk.
See you next time!