New Books to Read this Autumn (According to Your Zodiac Sign)

Searching for some stellar book recommendations? Look no further. We’ve consulted the astrology charts to pull together this star-studded list of books to read in autumn/ winter 2020 based on your zodiac sign.

Searching for some stellar book recommendations? Look no further. We've consulted the astrology charts to pull together this star-studded list of books to read in autumn/ winter 2020 based on your zodiac sign.

Whether you're a fiery Aries or Leo who can relate to a strong protagonist, a home-loving Cancerian with a penchant for poetry or a Virgo keen to get to the bottom this season's best-selling mystery, we've found the book you'll enjoy hunkering down with as the cold winter nights draw in.

Stellar recommendations: the best books of autumn/ winter 2020, based on your zodiac sign

A Promised Land by Barack Obama

Aries (21 March – 19 April)

Aries loves to be number one - after all, they're the first sign of the zodiac. They're a bold, determined bunch, driven by ambition and spurred on by challenge. As the US presidential election looks set to to be a fixture on our newsfeed for the foreseeable (aside from the C-word), we suggest that Aries dives horns-first into the first installation of Obama's two-part memoir, which charts his early political moves and first years in the White House.

Wild Silence by Raynor Winn

Taurus (20 April – 20 May)

This earth sign takes its cue from its spirit animal of the bull, a creature that's stubbornly loyal - Taureans make great friends and partners - yet also love to wallow in nature. So, what should they read? The Wild Silence, Winn's follow-up to her 2018 bestseller, The Salt Path. (If you haven't read it, you should.) The second installation recounts what happened after homeless Winn and her terminally diagnosed husband Moth finish walking the South West Coast Path and start to rewild the land around a neglected Cornish farmhouse.

Transcendent Kingdom by Yaa Gyasi

Gemini (21 May – 20 June)

Represented by the twin stars Castor and Pollux, Geminis are dualistic in nature; adaptable, curious, social butterflies at their best, two-faced at their worst. These are people who appreciate a character with depth - a character such as Gifty, the young scientist protagonist in Gyasi's multi-layered second novel. It's a profoundly moving portrait of a family of Ghanaian immigrants in Alabama that draws on the tension between cold, hard facts and the fictions that can never be understood about the human condition.

Home Body by Rupi Kaur

Cancer (21 June – 22 July)

Nurturing, security-seeking and sensitive, Cancers are best-known for being in their comfort zone at home. Nevertheless, much like their crab symbol drifting between sea and shore, these highly intuitive folk tend to have a good understanding of both our physical and metaphysical realities. It's an energy that flows through Kaur's third poetry collection which reflects on the past and present, nature and nurture, love and self-acceptance in times of change.

Hungry by Grace Dent

Leo (23 July – 22 August)

Fiery Leo is the lion king of the astronomical jungle. They're natural leaders - and it's likely that they'll enjoy books with a strong, force-to-be-reckoned-with protagonist. We suggest leafing through Dent's autobiography, subtitled "a memoir of wanting more". It takes readers from her growing up eating beige food to becoming one of the most-loved writers in the UK's food scene or, as she puts it: "from Frazzles to foie gras." It's a tale as toasty as Leo's warm heart and one that's delicious enough to satisfy its roaring appetite.

Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

Virgo (23 August – 22 September)

If there's a sign that's likely to be a member of the Thursday Murder Club - a group of four octogenarian friends who meet once a week to investigate unsolved murders - Virgo is it. Fact-loving and analytical, they are the detectives of the zodiac and the most likely to get lost in genres of crime, mystery and thrillers. In Osman's bestseller, a brutal murder takes place on the club's doorstep and the pensioners pursue their first live case.

Luster by Raven Leilani

Libra (23 September – 22 October)

Above all, Libras are lovers of love, harmony and equilibrium - but it would be too obvious to suggest they pick up a book about a smooth-running, monogamous relationship. Instead, we say: try Luster by Raven Leilani. Tilting Libra's symbolic scale off balance, it tells the darkly humorous and whip-smart story of 20-something Edie who navigates the shifting landscape of sex and politics as she joins an open marriage.

Poor by Caleb Femi

Scorpio (23 October – 21 November)

Fiercely passionate and determined, Scorpios are the activists among us. They're unafraid to challenge the status quo and fight against injustices. Owing to their stubbornness and willingness to face danger, Scorpios have a reputation as an intense bunch, but they nevertheless crave intimacy too. For this reason, we recommend Femi's deeply personal collection of poetry, which explores the experience of young Black men in 21st-century Peckham. Good recommendation? Pick up Whites by Otegha Uwagba next.

Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline

Sagittarius (22 November – 21 December)

Optimistic, adventurous, independent, progressive, curious - just a handful of the labels often associated with boundary-pushing Sagittarius. If you know someone who always asks "why?" there's a good chance they're from this tribe. Indeed, Sagittarians are the last fire sign of the zodiac and symbolised by the archer - they want to launch into dazzling adventures. To sate this desire? Cline's action-packed Ready Player Two, a sequel to his futuristic cult classic Ready Player One.

Intimations by Zadie Smith

Capricorn (22 December – 19 January)

Capricorns are well known for their tough exterior: they're hardworking, ambitious, good learners, rational, shoulder responsibility, have a tendency toward pessimism. We chose Smith's latest collection of meditations to appeal to their more sensitive, emotional side while keeping up with their intellect. Penned during lockdown (number one, in case you were wondering), this mind-opening yet intimate series looks beyond 2020's headline events and asks questions such as: what is the ratio of contempt to compassion in a crisis? What does it mean to submit to a new reality - or to resist it?

All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis edited by Ayana Eliza Johnson and Katharine K. Wilkinson

Aquarius (20 January – 18 February)

It's believed we are living in the Age of Aquarius, which may explain our tendencies towards technological innovation, scientific rationalism, rebellion, nonconformity and humanitarianism. Aquarians are often associated with intellectualism, innovation, problem solving and putting community first. They are the water bearer, the healer who gives life to the land and, therefore, likely to be inspired by All We Can Save, a collection of illuminating essays, poetry and art from the women - scientists, farmers, lawyers, activists, designers - who are shaping the conversation around climate change.

Funny Weather: Art in an Emergency by Olivia Laing

Pisces (19 February – 20 March)

Watery-wise Pisces is believed to have absorbed the lessons of the 11 signs before it. With a boundless imagination governed by creativity and compassion, they are the daydreamers of the zodiac - its symbol of two fish swimming in opposite directions represents a short attention span often divided between material and fantastical realms. For this reason, we recommend Laing's collection of essays on art as an antidote to our polarised socio-political climate. Expect a profile of Georgia O'Keefe and a love letter to Freddie Mercury.

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14 Great New Books to Read in Autumn 2020