Reading the Stars: Astrology for Book Lovers

by Book Riot

An original and entertaining mash-up of literature and astrology for book lovers and star watchers alike.

Astrology continues to be a popular trend—people are looking to the stars, the moon, and the sun for guidance, for relationship advice, even for cocktail recipes. Book Riot offers a new take on reading your sign, aimed appropriately at book lovers. Reading the Stars is where your favorite books, authors, and characters meet astrology, answering key What should you read based on your sign? Do you and your favorite fictional characters share the same sign? What about authors? And what does that mean for you? You’ll gain more insight into your own personal life and your favorite books with this in-depth guide.

Reading the Stars opens with an introduction to astrology, teaching you how to read your sign, what your rising sign is, and more. Then it takes that information a step further, allowing you to learn even more about yourself in a new way. Let’s say you’re a Sagittarius—optimistic, friendly, and curious—what book should you read? What author also shares your sign and speaks to those traits? What protagonist embarks on a journey that tempts you to join them? Or maybe it’s a tale that features your astrological soulmate, an Aries, whose vibe complements your own. Open up a whole new world of astrology with this literary exploration!

Including Color Illustrations

Genres: Nonfiction, Books About Books, Astrology, Spirituality, Adult, Reference

160 pages, Hardcover

Published October 18, 2022

Reviews

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine for an introduction to basic sun/moon/rising signs, but really, the bulk of this book felt like someone jazzed up the results of a personality quiz online and then printed it out and published it.

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[Meike · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a fun concept, and I like that the book points out that astrology is of course NOT a science, but just an ancient concept that helps to start conversations and ponder oneself and social relationships - which connects it with literature. This Aquarius sun and Taurus moon is rather clueless about the whole thing, and I agree with other reviewers who called the text an extended blog post, but it was an entertaining pastime.

[Sabi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice concept to mix the two fields. The book has basic knowledge but that's great for beginners!

[Sue Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fresh perspective on the use of astrology. Like many others, I am not sure that I believe in it. Yet, it sure is fun to read your horoscope and sign characteristics. So as an avid book reader, maybe an addict as my husband says, this really appealed to me. First there is the general discussion on sign characteristics which is clearly written and that info is applied to types of books one likes to read. I found the description of my favorites types of books to be pretty on the mark Definitely could be used for buying gifts or assessing dynamics at your book club. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay. I probably could have read it while standing at a bookstore and got everything I needed from it. I love astrology but this was very basic and probably should have just been a fun online quiz or blog post.

[abby · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was basically a buzzfeed quiz

[Xhina Rexhaj · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book — it was such a fun and enjoyable read from start to finish. The way book recommendations were thoughtfully paired with each zodiac sign was both clever and fascinating. I loved the artwork so much, I’m going to use the illustrations as my wallpaper!

[Allie Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to netgally for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. See an additional review on my tiktok; @spellbooktok

This book is truly great if you take it with a grain of salt. It is semi-accurate to it’s marketing although there wasn’t a character-to-sun-sign comparison like the description mentions, only authors. My main concern was that the signs were going to be described as caricatures of what they actually are, but I didn’t find this to be the case. Unfortunately there was some inaccurate information, but to anyone who only skims the surface of Astrology, this will only cause confusion if you were ever to try diving deeper into the topic, but for casual reading it could be much worse (ex. the book refers to a concept called “cuspers” which is mathematically impossible in Astrology)

The book itself reads like a giant blog post, which makes sense as it was written by a blogging company. The main meat of the book was its book recommendations which felt like it covered a wide variety of genres and was diverse enough in its author and character body, however it it important to mention this is coming from a white perspective on diversity.

It wasn’t a poor experience but I was glad when it was over, and it might make a great coffee table book for any witchy bibliophiles.

[Rachel ♥⁷ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up.

A fun “to-read” recommendations book based off your astrological sign. The book gives you a nice intro into the basics of astrology, while also giving the reader an insight into what their sign’s reading habits are.

I wish it gave us more about the moon and rising signs, like hinted in the intro. BUT I did like that the manga series Haikyu!! was recommended for Aries. A solid fun read!

[LittleRead · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no dearth of reading options in my life as I read quite a few series and they keep me sated. However there are times when I wish I could find something new that will speak to me as well. This met the need and will help me find more books that will also fill that need.

A different approach to astrology that will help you understand the stars and how they relate to you…and how to find books that will pair up to your sign and sate your specific reading desires. I’m in!

[Raven Nivhaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a fun book!

[Alice Rand · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a noble effort, but making book recommendations by sun sign alone is not going to be too accurate, since individuals are a sum of quite a few signs. I found a few book titles that I would like to read, but they were recommendations for other signs. I wasn't very interested in the recommendations for my sign.

[Shirley Andrade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful information

The author begins this book with a little background on the key concepts of astrology, what shapes the signs of the zodiac, and how the signs interact with each other. After that, each of the signs are discussed in more detail and how each sign is read is explored. The author aims to teach readers how to read their sign, what your rising sign is, and more.

The author states that the readers can get a pretty good idea of what makes someone tick with their sun sign, moon sign, and rising sign because all three of these are determined by the movement of the planets at the exact date, time, and location of your birth.

The author states that an aid to remembering the differences between the twelve different signs, understanding the different signs, and especially how they interact with each other, is to consider their elements. Each sign falls under one of four elements: fire, earth, air, and water, and the pattern of elements repeats through the signs in that order, starting with the fire sign Aries. Knowing someone’s element can give you a general idea of their priorities, values, and view of the world.

In addition to discussing the twelve zodiac signs, the author briefly discusses the qualities of the zodiac signs, which are:
1. Cardinal
2. Fixed
3. Mutable

The author provides information on reading each zodiac sign discussing each's element, quality, ruling planet, and symbol. Additional information is also provided concerning the basic qualities and traits.

Overall, the author states that this book is designed to help readers to better understand the planets, their impact on them, and how their zodiac sign shapes their reading life.

This is a very fascinating book and I found it very helpful as a beginner in learning astrology. I feel others can benefit from this book.

[Damiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read of recommendations based on the current popularity of astrology.
The focus is on the Big 3 of astrology (sun, moon, and rising signs) and their reading style. Each of the chapters based on the zodiac are given a brief overview of the sign, their reading style, types of books they should read for growth, their "literary soulmate" among the other zodiac signs, famous authors who have that as their sun sign, recommendations and further reading.
The overview was basic but decent though with some reliance on stereotypes. The reading style I thought was pretty insightful and spot on.
I did check my Big 3 and didn't care for the recommended reading for any of them. I did like Pisces recs...but I'm not a Pisces (don't even have any planets in Pisces). I guess you could say it fits in that we have all the zodiac in us because of houses and angles and what not but...then that would mean that all the books are recommended to all people and that would just be...kind of silly.
Overall, it is a cute idea that probably would have been better as a series of blog posts rather than a book.

[Julia Stephenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book connects the readers aspects of their astrological charts, to determine what readers choose to read, how they read, why they read, where they would prefer to read and other signs who enjoy similar books. It also recommends books to readers based on their sun sign. The main astrological signs the book recommends focusing on are their sun, moon and rising sign (Ascendant or 1st house). They are the keys that reveal the personality of the reader most. Taken to account this information the book was eerily accurate about my reading life for about 85% of my astrological reading life. I enjoyed it. Learning about the connection between astrology and reading personalities was something I've wanted for awhile. It has finally happened, and I'm excited to reveal it.

[KimBear · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Astrology continues to be a popular trend—people are looking to the stars, the moon, and the sun for guidance, for relationship advice, even for cocktail recipes. Book Riot offers a new take on reading your sign, aimed appropriately at book lovers. Reading the Stars is where your favorite books, authors, and characters meet astrology, answering key questions: What should you read based on your sign? Do you and your favorite fictional characters share the same sign? What about authors? And what does that mean for you?"

I love astrology, and obviously I love books and reading. I would really have liked the authors to suggest older book titles. The astrology parts of the book were much more interesting than the book recommendations.

[Joanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is a nicely designed, attractive hardcover-I happened upon it at the public library. But I don’t think I’d want to ever purchase it though, because while it gives a short description of your sun sign and books that might appeal to you, they only suggest about 5-6 for each sign. Once you’ve read them, I don’t think there’s enough of an appealing reference section to warrant keeping the book. I think this info would make a popular website, though, with constantly updated recommendations….much like Book Riot itself.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a beginner's level knowledge of astrology, but I am for sure a book lover, so I gobbled up this eArc and read parts of it to one of my book club besties. We both really loved the book recommendations the most, but also loved how it breaks down what kind of reader each sign is- I felt very seen as a Gemini.

This is just a great gift book- for yourself, or for your book club. I plan on buying a finished copy to take to our annual book club Christmas party.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book. Fun read. Provides a basic overview of the signs and meaning of one's sun. moon, and rising signs in regard to how you approach reading. It also offers book recommendations based on your sign (mine were hit or miss) and authors who share your sign. As others have said, you could probably browse through this in the library or bookstore and read the sections pertaining to you in 15 minutes or so. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun astrology read for bookworms! The author gives the reader a quick lesson on astrology for those that don't know very much. This was super helpful for someone like myself that only knows my sun sign. They later dive into what each sign likes to read and suggestions for them. All the books suggested were great picks. This book is so cute for gift ideas and being given as a gift.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fun! As someone with little to no understanding of astrological signs, I appreciated the background information provided at the start of the book. I don't know that the reading preferences or recommendations for my sun, moon, and rising signs really hit home, but I enjoyed exploring the book. It was a great concept and a fun time.

[Bookish_Pixie · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a self proclaimed bookworm, i enjoyed this book. I found it fun. I definitely would gift them to some of my friends who also are into reading and astrology. I received this book as an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All of these opinions are my own.

[Lizzie (Dizzy Lizzie’s Book Emporium) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Harry N. Abrams Publishing for an eARC of Reading the Stars: Astrology for Book Lovers put together by Book Riot in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever wondered how your sun sign, moon sign, and rising sign affect your reading preferences? Do you know who your bookish soul mate is? Have you ever wanted book recommendations tailored specifically to your zodiac sign? Look no further than Reading the Stars!

Like many, I am a sceptic when it comes to the Zodiac. I think it is a fun thing, but don't really see it as a serious framework for how to conduct my life. Nevertheless, this was a fun and quick read! I learned some new things about my own Big Three that gave me some questions and curiosity about some aspects of my personality that I'd never contemplated before, and I added numerous books to my TBR. I was able to skim through and get some good recommendations for myself and my husband. I love that I can use this as a gift guide for buying books for my family and friends, what a great idea! So fun, loved it.

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read. I enjoyed seeing how the signs corresponded to books and reading styles. The books recommended for my sign didn't fit my preferred genres, but they did nail that I have a rainbow bookshelf.

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was slower than I thought it would be. It was also more about specific books than the astrological personality traits. Still, an interesting book with great book recommendations for all the signs.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was a lot of fun. It's exactly what you expect- nothing more, nothing less. Including the typo in the third line of the book. Added quite a few new to-reads from a bunch of the signs and had fun thinking about where my family members fell across the signs.

[Steve Willey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well written book. Interesting in an astrology for a non-astrology reader kinda way. I did learn a lot about the foundational basics of Astrology in the early chapters. Much more complex than I thought. I am glad I read the book.

[Mare · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about how books can crossover into the personality of each sign and I like how it breaks down what the signs are like in a book club, what kind of books they like to read, reading buddies, and recs for each sign! v nice lil book to have :)

[fatru · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was so cute

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting