With winter’s chill strong in the air and many of you staying in due to the weather, it’s about time we talked about what book genre you ought to choose for a great read! Whether you’re a long-time reader, haven’t picked up a book in years, or never really got into reading before — we’ve outlined the perfect genre for you.
Check out the best book genre for you based on your Sun, Moon, & Venus signs — then grab a cozy blanket and curl up for the evening! ((BONUS TIP: find a book that combines all of your “big three” genres!))
Aries — Thriller & Suspense
Action. Danger. Murder. What your favorite stories are all about, eh, Aries? If you haven’t tried a good thriller/suspense novel in a while, or even ever, trust me when I say that this genre was made for you. You like it best when even the books you read can get your adrenaline pumping, my bold and daring Aries!
You’re not one to curl up on the couch for a relaxing morning with your book. No — you prefer stories that suck you in completely, leaving you on the edge of your seat as you frantically flip through the pages. You usually devour your books, finishing within a few days or staying up all night because you can’t sleep until you know what happened!
Already a thriller & suspense reader? Try a book that flips the genre on its head, like Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, where the truth is never very clear, or like In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware, where an unseen killer is watching your every move…
Book Recommendations for Aries: Strangers on a Train by Patricia Highsmith ♦ Misery by Stephen King ♦ The Counselors by Jessica Goodman ♦ We Were Liars by E. Lockhart ♦ Go Hunt Me by Kelly deVos ♦ Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn ♦ In a Dark, Dark, Wood by Ruth Ware ♦ Who We Were in the Dark by Jessica Taylor ♦ You’ll Be the Death of Me by Karen M. McManus
Taurus — Action & Adventure
Taurus, you need a book when you need a reminder that life is meant to be lived — on those days when your life feels like it’s fallen into too much of a mundane routine.
Whether it’s a classic novel like Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, or a more modern story like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson — you love to live vicariously through the main character’s daring and bravery as you follow along with them on their action-packed, whirlwind adventures.
Action and adventure books help you leave your comfort zone without ever leaving your harmonious home. It’s a win-win! Plus, these novels branch into loads of subgenres, so there’s something for your every mood — and you and your loved ones who all have different genre preferences will find so many stories to connect on.
Book Recommendations for Taurus: Fable by Adrienne Young ♦ The Book Thief by Markus Zusak ♦ The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky ♦ The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares ♦ Graceling series by Kristin Cashore ♦ The Princess Diaries series by Meg Cabot ♦ 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson ♦ The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series by Stieg Larsson ♦ Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
Gemini — Historical Fiction
Historical fiction transports you back through time and lets you experience the world in a completely different light — making it the perfect book genre for you, my adaptable Gemini.
You’ll enjoy flitting through all sorts of different eras. Experience London during World War II in The Alice Network by Kate Quinn, or become exiled to an ancient Greek island in Circe by Madeline Miller! In these adventurous and enchanting stories, you’ll travel through time to live life in another era, rich with happenings and encounters you’d never find in your day-to-day life.
Knowing you, you’ll enjoy testing the accuracy of each story — putting all your random knowledge to the test and weeding out the real versus faulty historical story elements. Who knows, you may be writing one of these yourself after a while!
Book Recommendations for Gemini: The Alice Network by Kate Quinn ♦ Circe by Madeline Miller ♦ All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr ♦ Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon ♦ The Tea Rose series by Jennifer Donnelly ♦ A Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande ♦ The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah ♦ The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore
Cancer — Romance
Love is your forte, my sweet Cancer. You already try to experience your life as if it were a romance novel. It only makes sense that this is the genre you’d enjoy the most!
You would relish the classics by Jane Austen, like the rich, complexities of Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility and the more modern stories, like It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover. Love in all its glory — you devour each romance and all the different quirks, foibles, heartaches, and bliss that come with it.
Nothing brings your heart more joy than seeing two characters’ love blossom. You delight in riding the emotional rollercoaster with the main characters, and you expect a story where love will conquer all!
Book Recommendations for Cancer: To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before series by Jenny Han ♦ It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover ♦ Glow by Raven Kennedy ♦ The Gallagher Girl series by Ally Carter ♦ When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon ♦ Just Listen by Sarah Dessen ♦ The Fault in Our Stars by John Green ♦ The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon
Leo — Comedy
When it comes to books, my loveable Leo, you need a story that will make you laugh — and from which you can gather material to use on your friends and family later on. You will like novels that make your spirit feel light and refreshed. Laughter is the best medicine, after all!
The comedy genre has a lot of nuanced choices — no matter how serious or frivolous you feel at the moment. You have plenty of authors and styles to choose from. You have a wide range when it comes to taste, and you can feast on classics like The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde or The Lady’s Not for Burning by Christopher Fry — witty, fast-paced comedy (that may go over another person’s head, but will have you howling).
On another day, you might have a desire for a goofier humor and enjoy a copy of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Whatever you decide to read, you need something that will make you smile.
Book Recommendations for Leo: How to Excavate a Heart by Jake Maia Arlow ♦ How to Date a Superhero (And Not Die Trying) by Cristina Fernandez ♦ Mere Mortals by Erin Jade Lange ♦ The Field Guide to the North American Teenager by Ben Philippe ♦ Last Chance Books by Kelsey Rodkey ♦ Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Virgo — Science Fiction
Science fiction (sci-fi) features futuristic, speculative concepts in science, technology, space, and time travel — just to name a few. The imagination of our preeminent sci-fi writers correctly predicted things from the atomic bomb to robots!
You, my dear Virgo, have an imagination that can run wild with the possibilities of what the future might bring. You love dissecting these far-fetched, science-based ideas! Whether it’s a trip into space or a fabulous, futuristic new world here on Earth — anything can happen!
Names like Isaac Asimov (the Foundation Series), Robert Heinlein (The Moon is a Harsh Mistress), and Arthur C. Clark (The Sentinel) — were considered the “Big Three” thinkers in the sci-fi genre — but now, it’s time for your verdict! Sit down, grab something to drink, and get ready to ponder what the future holds!
Book Recommendations for Virgo: How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu ♦ Vagabonds by Hao Jingfang ♦ To Be Taught if Fortunate by Becky Chambers ♦ Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke ♦ The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter ♦ The Employees by Olga Ravn ♦ The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
Libra — Folklore & Fables
The best stories for you are ones where all the angst, trials, and tribulations are worth it — and everything comes together in the end! Of course, you could read some fairly simple ones, like Aesop’s Fables or Grimm’s Fairy Tales — however, don’t worry, that’s not what we mean!
We mean the wonderful fiction books — like Cinder by Marissa Meyer or The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey. These are modern retellings that twist the classic stories on their heads!
Folklore and fables can take many forms — they may have lovely (or scary) creatures, princesses and princes, magical creatures, and a lesson or two buried within it all. There are romantic stories, magical stories, historical stories, and whatever else you can think of.
Book Recommendations for Libra: Cinder by Marissa Meyer ♦ The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden ♦ The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert ♦ The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey ♦ A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer ♦ Geekerella by Ashley Poston ♦ Red Wolf by Rachel Vincent ♦ Hunted by Meagan Spooner ♦ A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas ♦ To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo ♦ The Traitor Prince by C.J. Redwine ♦ Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes ♦ The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan
Scorpio — Mystery
You like to put your mind to work when you slip off into a storybook world, my spellbinding Scorpio — in fact, you can’t help it. Keeping your mind engaged and constantly challenging you — mysteries were made for you!
You, yourself, are so mysterious, and you have a natural distrust of even the narrator! This is matched with your keen eye for detecting clues and red herrings. You will love racing the detective to uncover the truths and solve the mystery!
Whether it’s the classic Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express or Poe’s The Murders in the Rue Morgue, or more modern mysteries like All the Devils are Here by Louise Penny, or Beast in View by Margaret Millar, you will love the challenge. Don’t limit yourself to a specific author — choose a variety to keep you on your toes! As long as there’s a trail to follow, there is no case too large or convoluted for you to crack!
Book Recommendations for Scorpio: A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series by Holly Jackson ♦ One of Us Is Lying by Karen M. McManus ♦ Truly Devious by Maureen Johnson ♦ Sadie by Courtney Summers ♦ The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas ♦ Ink and Ashes by Valynne E. Maetani ♦ Jackaby by William Ritter ♦ The Missing Season by Gillian French ♦ Pretty Little Liars series by Sara Shepard ♦ They Wish They Were Us by Jessica Goodman
Sagittarius — Philosophy
You are a life-long student of human nature and the human condition, my favorite traveler. It may not be obvious upon first meeting you, but you have developed a rich philosophical mind. You’ve seen and experienced so much through your travels.
No doubt, you would find other philosophers interesting to read. You’ll enjoy comparing and contrasting their impressions and conclusion on life to your own. You will see that the interesting questions philosophy brings to you are also relevant to your own experiences with the different cultures you come across on your epic travels!
You can try your hand, first, with traditional philosophy books from ancient Greece or Rome, like Meditations, which is a collection of writings by Marcus Aurelius, or the Republic by Plato — or dabble in the more modern, like Café de Sophia by M.A. Alsadah, which gives a modern take on Plato’s philosophy. Any of these will add depth to your understanding of the people you meet on your travels.
Book Recommendations for Sagittarius: Café de Sophia by M.A. Alsadah ♦ Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver ♦ Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes ♦ The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini ♦ The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho ♦ How Much of These Hills Is Gold by C. Pam Zhang ♦ The Midnight Library by Matt Haig ♦ The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
Capricorn — Dystopian
You are a natural-born evaluator, my capable Capricorn. You spend your days looking intuitively at trends and fads and analyzing where this is going to take everyone. To be honest, you probably have a bit of a running dystopian novel in your head right now.
You will find kindred spirits in dystopian writers. Like you, they look at the bigger picture and tend to have that darker sense of humor. In dystopian stories, you can be the one to lead a rebellion, burn down a totalitarian government, and build a newer, better world.
Since transforming society as we know it takes time, dystopian novels tend to be written as a series, like The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins or Matched by Ally Condie. However, there are really great standalone novels, as well, like The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Attwood or World War Z by Max Brooks. Read multiple authors until you find one that clicks for you!
Book Recommendations for Capricorn: Arc of the Scythe series by Neal Shusterman ♦ The Last One by Alexandra Oliva ♦ Divergent series by Veronica Roth ♦ The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins ♦ Matched series by Ally Condie ♦ The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Attwood ♦ Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld ♦ The Maze Runner series by James Dashner ♦ The Giver by Lois Lowry ♦ We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehlor Kay Mejia
Aquarius — Graphic Novels & Manga
My eccentric Aquarius, reading for you can be a gateway to explore ideas and perspectives outside of yourself. You’ll appreciate that the themes explored in graphic novels are unfiltered and raw, varied and interesting.
Like you, many graphic novels host main characters that are fighting for what they believe in! These books are mostly written as sagas, continuing on for a long time with rich story arcs. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that the vibrant and colorful images in the stories will keep you engaged, as you’ll appreciate the added visual aspect of the story telling!
You can check out Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe or Saga by Brian K. Vaughan to get you started. With the variety of graphic novels and manga out there, you can find anything to suit whatever you’re in the mood for!
Book Recommendations for Aquarius: Alice in Sunderland by Bryan Talbot ♦ Watchmen by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons & John Higgins ♦ Day Tripper by Fabio Moon ♦ Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe ♦ Saga by Brian K. Vaughan ♦ One Piece by Eiichrio Oda ♦ Dragonball series by Akira Toriyama ♦ My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi ♦ Spy x Family by Tatsuya Endo
Pisces — Fantasy
Looking for a good fantasy lately, my dreamy Pisces? I mean, fiction books were probably invented by a Pisces! You love to escape your reality by immersing yourself in another one.
You’ll enjoy living vicariously through an adventurous character, visiting different mythical universes — the more magical, the better! You can also appreciate the work the authors put into world building and creating that intricate lore. While some may struggle keeping track of the strange sounding names and places, it’s easy for you to follow along (once you get used to it, LOL)!
Classic series like Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martinand Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling could be some of your all-time favorites — if you haven’t read them yet, grab a copy and get to reading! There are also great standalone fantasy books like Uprooted by Naomi Novak or The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Whichever you decide to read first, it will inspire you to keep your brain working on all its levels — both a getaway and a creative pursuit.
Book Recommendations for Pisces: Uprooted by Naomi Novak ♦ The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern ♦ Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien ♦ Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling ♦ The Chronicles of Narnia series by C.S. Lewis ♦ A Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L’Engle ♦ The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake ♦ The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood ♦ The Invisible Library by Genevieve Cogman ♦ A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
