Claire Comstock-Gay

This book rocks. Using artists/writers/celebrities/athletes etc. it creates a narrative that sails through all 12 signs, and instead of cherry picking the best and worst from your sun and rising really encourages a way to think not just about the best and worst in signs but in people. I truly believe that astrology is REAL but also a metaphor for personality that helps us understand each other better. Lots of flavors of pop culture analysis out there but this one really shines, it's intelligent and unironic, incorporates lots of high and low brow influences to tell a story. And it uses celebrities not because they're better than us but because we're all tuned into that same channel, we all know who Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are, and for me at least, watching the narrative of public lives has been a useful way to interpret and think about my own, as my "Kanye friends" understand, as my obsession with Princess Diana (cancer/ox, INFP) attests. It's not a competition but of the new and radical astrology books out there this is my favorite.… (mais)

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Harper Books) in exchange for an honest review.

I LOVED this book!

Ever since quarantine started, I’ve developed an interest in astrology. I used to be really into astrology when I was a young girl, but then never thought much of it as I got older. I’m so glad I got back into it. I’ve been doing more research on it, and it is a lot more complex than you think. For example, I finally figured out all of my three signs (Taurus sun sign, Virgo rising sign, Aquarius moon sign).

This book is not your typical astrology book. It does not give the same stereotypical information you get everywhere else. Instead, the book is a collection of essays that goes beyond the superficial. Each sign gets its own essay where the author does a deep dive into the sign and provides examples of famous icons who embody the sign. There is also an emphasis on the fact that we embody elements from all of the signs, not just our sun sign.

I did find that some essays were better than others, but that is to be expected in a book like this.

I liked that the book had both an introduction and a conclusion. One of my pet peeves in non-fiction books is when books have a strong introduction but no conclusion. Having a conclusion helps brings the book full circle, which is exactly what this book did.

Lastly, I just want to talk about how gorgeous this book is. The cover is a vibrant blue with shiny gold details. But the best part is the color of the font. The entire book is in blue font. How cool is that? (In case you’e wondering, it is totally readable).

Overall, I really recommend this book to astrology lovers, both new and seasoned.… (mais)