In Focus Astrology: Your Personal Guide

In Focus #1

by Sasha Fenton

In Focus Astrology provides all you need to know about the characteristics and workings of the zodiac signs, along with instructions on how to create your own astrology chart. Included inside the back cover is a beautifully illustrated 18 × 24–inch wall chart detailing the main characteristics of each astrological sign. Who is your perfect mate? A Capricorn, Libra, or Virgo? Why are you not getting along with your coworker, who is a Gemini? Why are you constantly making the same mistakes? In Focus Astrology will give you a deeper understanding of your own nature , as well as those closest to you—and, perhaps, those you should keep at arm's length. This artfully designed guide covers the full breadth of astrology topics,
The In Focus series applies a modern approach to teaching the classic body, mind, and spirit subjects. Authored by experts in their respective fields, these beginner's guides feature smartly designed visual material that clearly illustrates key topics within each subject. As a bonus, each book includes reference cards or a poster, held in an envelope inside the back cover, that give you a quick, go-to guide containing the most important information on the subject. Also available in the In Focus In Focus Crystals , In Focus Meditation , In Focus Palmistry , In Focus Tarot , In Focus Essential Oils & Aromatherapy , In Focus Chakra Healing , In Focus Reiki , In Focus Numerology , In Focus Reflexology , In Focus Auras , In Focus Sacred Geometry , and In Focus Shamanism .

Genres: Astrology, Nonfiction, Witchcraft, Spirituality, Ebooks, Wicca, Magick

160 pages, Hardcover

Published July 31, 2018

About the author

I’m an author, speaker and publisher. My husband, Jan Budkowski, and I run two publishing companies:
Stellium Ltd (www.stelliumpub.com) for fiction, digital and self-publishing services, and
Zambezi Publishing Ltd (www.zampub.com) for Mind, Body & Spirit titles.

I became a professional astrologer, palmist and Tarot card reader in 1974, but I tailed off my consultancy business when my writing took off. I’ve written 136 books, mainly on mind, body & spirit subjects, with total sales of around 7 million copies, and translations of some titles into twelve languages. Like an addict, I still write, most recently a trio of time travel, action romance novels – the Tudorland series (Sophie’s Inheritance, Lucy’s Dilemma and Emily’s Mistake), a gentle spell book (Spells in Focus) for our publishing company, and In Focus: Astrology for Quarto.com

I’ve taught, broadcast and lectured all over the world, and written for many magazines and newspapers. One of my favourite features was a detailed Chinese Astrology column in Prediction magazine, starting with the January 2012 issue, until the magazine sadly closed a year later. I’ve been interested in Chinese Astrology for some time, and I concentrate on making it more accessible to our western minds.

As a past President of the British Astrological and Psychic Society (BAPS), past Chair for the Advisory Panel on Astrological Education and past member of the Executive Council of the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, I like to think I have contributed to the writing and mind, body & spirit communities in the UK.

More recently, Jan and I created MBS Professionals Ltd, a unique, international accreditation/certification home for Mind, Body & Spirit professionals. (www.mbsprofessionals.com)

Although I still love to write, Jan and I now spend more time in running our MB&S publishing business (Zambezi Publishing Ltd), and in our brief spare time, a spot of fly fishing in the beautiful South West of England is a great way to relax...

Reviews

[Dannii Elle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of four titles in this beautifully-created series, that each focuses on a different spiritual area.

Astrology is something I know so little about and so hoped this book would provide me with the basic information I needed, without overwhelming me with things I knew too little of to begin to yet fathom. The slimness of the volume appealed and I found it did deliver exactly all I required, whilst also covering topics I felt too much of a novice to fully comprehend but was given enough of an initial understanding to know whether it was something I wished to return to in the future. Birth charts, zodiac houses, sun signs, and moon signs were covered here and yet more was hinted at that I have yet to fully explore.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Sasha Fenton, and the publisher, Wellfleet Press, for this opportunity.

[Selma · Rating 4 out of 5]

a pretty good introductory book for astrology hoes in the making

[Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are interested in more than just your daily horoscope in the newspaper, then read this book. From drawing a birth chart to the interpretation of the sun signs, the houses, etc, it is all in this slim volume to get you started on your astrological journey.

[Heather Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very in depth & explanatory! Definitely a tool for anyone new to astrology & worth the read.

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Focus Astrology in an in-depth book about using astrology to help plot the course of your life. It includes ways to work with your birth chart, It instructs how to use predictions and how to tell what your sign is most useful for such as strengths and weaknesses. There are examples used to help decipher what it all means. It includes 12 signs of zodiac, ascendents or rising sun, the 12 astrological houses, the planets, the aspects and simple predective techniques. Very well written and easy to follow for those with an interest on this subject. I quite enjoyed reading about my sign and how it affects me. I received this book from Net Galley and Quarto Publishing Group-Wellfleet Press for a honest review and no compensation otherwise.

[Etienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about astrology but that goes beyond the original signs of your birth date. It goes with the sun and moon signs, the astrology charts that you can makes to see where you are in that, your aspect and others things. Well done, easy to read even if you don't know much, but I think that if you want to goes through that book you may be well into it, because let's be honest, there is not much people who do their astrology chart. So easy to read for newcomers but certainly a book for more serious astrology lovers!

[Tapasya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awesome.
I love Astrology books and this one is no exception.

Thank you to the author and the publisher for the Arc.

[BookDrunkard is on storygraph as bookdrunkard78 · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's getting a three, though it's more of a 2.5, because as someone who is still fairly new to astrology, I did learn a few things. However, a lot of it didn't match up with other reliable sources for the topic. The continual use of masculine pronouns instead of a mix of pronouns or simply replacing the masculine pronoun with a universal they would have also made it more accessible/relatable.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've always been interested in Astrology but most of the books I have picked up over the years have been a bit overwhelming. I have to be honest I was totally surprised how this small book was more useful to me than any other book I have had. It not only explains each of the signs but also gives you the sun, the moon, the houses and so much more. It shows you how to make charts, how to read them, and how to make them useful in your day to day life. The book is very well written and written for the beginner, I do believe that more advanced people could also find the information in this book useful if for nothing more than a refresher course.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

[Amna Ikhlaq · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book for review.

This is a beautifully illustrated volume which helps introduce the basic as well as some of the more overwhelming concepts of astrology. As a casual admirer of this field, I quite enjoyed the quirky art and detailed analyses provided by the author which helps familiarize the reader with different types of astrology, the use of different space bodies in charting your own birth data and their effects on different aspects of your personality. This could be an interesting choice for coffee table browsing or a stepping stone for those eager to learn more about the vast subsets of astrology.

[Ela Merit · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I started being interested in Astrology I got my information online only. But if I've got the chance I prefer using actual print books - nevermind liking people getting paid for giving me information because that's a lot of work and I'm grateful for every useful tidbit of information.

So I was really happy when I saw this title on NG and got approved!

But the happiness didn't last. There may be people who like the way and the... the how? of information in In Focus Astrology but I didn't. I started skim reading and then I dnfed because I don't need this in my life - witchy or not.

ARC provided via NetGalley. Thank you.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting primer for anyone who's wondered about Astrology beyond the newspaper horoscope. I found the info on rising and moon signs really fascinating, and it was neat to see examples of charts using celebrities. Towards the end I started to get a little lost with the aspects, nodes, etc., and it would've been helpful to have some visuals about how these are indicated on charts. Same with the final chapter where Fenton gives an example of a chart interpretation - some type of visual indicator for where on the chart she was looking for each piece would've been really helpful.

*Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC, provided by the author and/or the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Maxime Hons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great if you’re first learning about astrology, really well explained for most parts, but the miscellany at the end is pretty brief. I would definitely recommend using an astrology website with your own birthchart whilst reading this. It definitely doesn’t cover everything but it’s a really good basis so you can then dive deeper with another book.

[jessica ☾ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fantastic introduction into Astrology for beginners like myself. A few things definitely went over my head so I’ll have to give it another run through. But I also really enjoyed the illustrations!

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great reference book that can be useful to people who are beginning to study astrology and as reminder to those who are experienced.
It's full of charts and example and it's a pleasant and useful read.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Quarto Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC

[Hannah Woodside · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book really helps to clarify the basics of astrology. My only complaint is that towards the end of the book when more advanced elements are brought up there is a lot that left me confused.

[Sam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Take my review with a grain of salt. I'm not one that ascribes to astrology, and although I can see how it can be fun or a way to do /some/ introspection, I might be more harsh in my review given my secular perspective. And unlike cartomancy, astrology claims to be attributes of who you are as a person and purports to apply directly to your life, so I'm going to be more nit-picky.

tl;dr:
I would not say this is a beginner book on astrology. You would definitely need some hand holding with other resources if you were to get this book. That said, it's not one I'd recommend. There is a lot of information not explained, things overlapping or jumbled together, with very dry writing. I got more out of reading random other free sources online to help me with this book than anything from the book itself.

Not tl;dr:
Here are my thoughts as I read the book:

The book effectively has no introduction and just dives right in. While I know the bare bones basics of astrology, it was rather jarring to not introduce the subject of your book and instead, immediately jump into various concepts of it. (And the most complicated parts as well.) Starting with more familiar/popularly known things, then expanding on that, touching on the history and such I think would've made a much stronger start. It read more like notes for a draft than a fully edited/polished opening of an informative book.

I did appreciate the charts though with the information break-downs, elements, gender, etc. Makes it easy to reference back to later if need be.

The description of the sun signs was difficult for me to get through. I've learned a /bit/ over the years of what stereotypes various signs have, but reading here, there is a LOT of overlap that I think could've been made more clear. The author uses a ton of the same descriptions, interests/hobbies, careers, and other examples for most of the signs, to where finding the unique parts that separate each one was rather frustrating. (And the "common [sign name] attributes" bit, where the author gives some sort of stereotypical statement/judgement about each sign was, to be frank, absurd to me. Some examples: "In European races, many Arians have fair or red hair." or "Many Sagittarians have a lovely smile." What??)

Several descriptions also were entirely open-ended, saying 'this sign may be into or like x, or not." Which is literally everyone. Everyone is either into something or not into that something, have a certain attribute or not have it. It's meaningless and unhelpful information.

While reading the book, I had also looked up additional information elsewhere, and kept finding other sources that explained things better and were more sensical. If other people can freely provide descriptions of the sun signs that make them more distinct and individual, how can this author not for a book you pay for?

The examples and personality descriptions jump from insanely vague as to all blend together, to wildly specific like the author is talking about one particular person. Several times the author mentions certain signs to be 'confusing' or that things 'didn't make sense'. If you're writing a book on a subject, you're placing yourself in a position of authority. I feel like you should, you know, understand what it is you're talking about before you try to teach other people? I understand new age and spiritual subjects can have vagueness to them, that comes with the territory, but the author writes as if they themselves don't understand it.

As an example of something the author consistently said was confusing is gender, where there are signs that have overlapping masculine and feminine aspects with their planets. But like...if the author knew anything about gender, they would realize that makes perfect sense? Okay, the people with those signs exhibit traits of both masculine and feminine. It's not hard to understand. (This book is cisgendered, using he/him pronouns in effectively all the examples and descriptions, but literally every tarot book I've read, no matter how cisgendered, understands the fluidity of gendered attributes, so...?)

This seriously reads like a first or second draft. I'd almost say this would be a book more aimed at kids, but it brings up adult topics/life experiences.

The author mostly only briefly covers information with no examples given. It's like we're barely dipping our toes into the topic before skipping to the next thing. Such as chapter eight on "aspects". I have no idea what I just read. There are descriptions of different aspects of how relationships to things on birth charts can be read, but without any examples, it's unclear to me how to really use this information. It's like an info dump with vocabulary I don't understand and not even any visuals to put a picture in your head. (With some words given and never even described, such as "firmicans". No idea what that is. Never told.) And quite a lot of the book is like that. Short info dumps, no depth, and little to no examples to put that information into practice. (There is a chart reading example several chapters later, though after having had nothing up until that point, reading how the author states that a more in-depth reading example would be "boring", I was rather peeved. In fact, of the only TWO examples the author gives, the author mentions not wanting to go in-depth or be long-winded to avoid being boring.)

The writing style as a whole is also incredibly dry. There's no flavor or excitement, really. It didn't feel engaging to me.

I had read another book in this "In Focus" series, and while I know they are done by different authors, I still had higher expectations, as their tarot book was really good. So I'm pretty disappointed here that the quality between books isn't consistent.

In the end, I would have to not recommend this book. I think a nice resource I found for free that I would recommend is Co-Star. I used their website's descriptions to get a better understanding of what this book failed to explain.

[Sosanna Olson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Generally I like to start out with a disclaimer. I am an atheist witch. I look for the connection between magic and science without the need for a deity. I receive no compensation for these reviews and all my links are standard Amazon links and not affiliate links. I am a practicing photo reader and have spent the last 12 years honing my craft. I offer personal readings by request and have a strong online history that boasts nearly 400,000 views.



Each book I have in this series has the same high quality hard cover and is filled with great images. As a bonus each one has a pocked in the back that contains either a set of cards or a full color poster related to the topic of the book. This one in particular has a huge single sided color poster with the sun signs in a list and several tables related to the qualities, genders and elements.



We have all opened a newspaper or website to read out horoscope of the day. This book takes that simple prediction and breaks it down by elements, and puts it all together. Each sign is broken down in to common attributes, gender, symbols and ruling planet. But taken a step further the author includes astrological houses, moon signs as well was rising and falling signs. I particularity like the way the author used famous people in the natal and event charts in the book. You'll find familiar names like Tom Hanks, Jimmi Hendrix, Joan Collins and JFK to name a few.



This is a great reference book as well. It is packed with tables, charts and other reference materials that would make it a great on the go book for any reader or medium to keep handy. All and all, I believe this is a well written, easy to understand and excellent resource for those beginning their journey or looking to have a quick go to reference book in their possession.

[Iza Soares · Rating 4 out of 5]

That's totally the book I wanted! That kind of book I will leave on my nightstand and read a bit every day. I love Astrology and yeah I already knew a lot, but not like this book taught me. It's so much more complex and deep than I thought! This one I would kill for having the hardcover copy. Honestly. I'm ready to sit with all my friend and discover all the hidden truths about them lol

If I need a rating, it would be 4/5, but I don't like the idea of rating a non-fiction book. Which is actually funny, bc I don't ever read non-fiction. But this - and a few others - really picked my interest.
On a side note, the absence of a kindle edition really annoyed me, since I had to read it on my laptop, instead of my kindle


♥I got a copy from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my most honest uninfluenced review♥

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book difficult to follow once it got past the more basic information about reading your natal chart. Once it got into transits and conjuncts etc. it become difficult to understand especially when I didn't have my natal chart with me. The first 2/3rds of the book did have a lot of interesting information and a lot of information of the signs and how they relate to a person's upbringing/childhood. I gave the book 3 stars because I didn't think it was successful at trying to cater to beginners, but also cover some more advanced topics. (that may be the fact that I'm a visual learner and I need to see things explained when it's more mathematical/scientific based) Disclaimer- You will need to use a website to create your natal chart in order to use most of the information in the book.

[Cathy Geha · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Focus Astrology by Sash Fenton

Interested in learning about astrology and perhaps more about charts and how to create and read them? This book is jam packed with information to absorb and that will help you understand a bit more about the subject. I believe it is a book best taken in small sittings so that what is read can be retained then added to what comes next. There are more complex books on the subject but this would be a good book to begin with. It will take some time to learn it all but it is a treasure trove of ideas and knowledge gleaned over the years by the author who gladly shares it with the reader.

4 Stars

[Audrey Stars in Her Eye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting looking into the procedure that goes into the art of astrology. I learned how zodiacs are derived and how people use the movement of the galaxy to try and predict the future. I was having some trouble following, so I suggest you go online and bring up the charts they are talking about so you can work your own as you go. I enjoyed how the author used famous people, as examples and was interested in the insight she pulled from them.
This is a pretty good primer if you want to learn about astrology.


I received an ARC through NetGalley; all opinions are my own.

[Amanda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked up this book expecting a beginner's introduction to astrology. I was quickly overwhelmed by charts, symbols, and repeated statements that I would need an app or computer program to calculate charts which seemed to be needed if I were to understand anything else in the book. Maybe a good read if you've already got some experience with the more complex side of astrology, but left a complete novice like me confused and bewildered.

I received a digital ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

[Eves · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic and detailed enough for a beginner to pick up astrology. The illustrations and graphics definitely helped me visualise and understand this subject matter so much easier than I wanted as reading block text can be quite intense and boring. This makes it fun! The author is knowledgeable but the tone of the book keeps it light, informational and engaging.

I can't wait to study this more intensely, make notes and thoroughly learn about astrology with this as my guide. I'm a beginner who doesnt feel overwhelmed but excited to apply this information to my own birth chart.

[Andreea · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was sent a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I got into Astrology because it's the passion of a friend so I was really excited when I got this book for review. And I think it is a good start for someone who does not know much about it, but at the same time it does not go into enough detail or explain things in such a way to help you better understand some concepts.

But it was a fun easy read.

[Kassandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 / 5

I think this was a great beginners book for anyone wanting to learn about astrology and it even goes into the charts descriptively . It goes over all the planets, rising and moon signs . Which is more than a lot of other astrology books . I didn’t like some of the writing especially various words like “lame ducks “ , it took away from the information and book.


Other than that it’s a good book to start on info reading .

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say this is a pretty good primer book for someone interested in astrology. The information for the most part is fairly basic and easy to follow. The only part that’s a little difficult is some of the more technical aspects discussed at the end. Overall, I think it’s a good read, but definitely not a in-depth comprehensive guide if you complete information.

[Megan Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an alright reference guide for learning to get familiar with the basics of astrology. The author didn't always explain new terms or themes well before diving in with info dumping, so some info in this guide is useless without proper context/understanding.

I got the gist of the main themes for the information I plan to be working with, so this guide is still useable for me.

[ida · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book contains beautiful imagery and is perfect for you if you wanna learn more about astrology than just your sun sign’s horoscope. i’ve been into astrology for a while and for me it didn’t give me any new info, so if you’re a little more advanced and wanna learn, i’d search my way to another book.it’s perfect for beginners though, and the imagery stunned me.

[Lenka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a pretty well-written book about the basics of astrology. I would say it is suited for beginners or if you are advanced and want to revisit the basics. It provides a great overview of the basics. If you are already familiar with the basic meaning of signs, houses, planets and overall charts, you will not benefit much from it, though.