Books byHoroscope · Western Zodiac

Aries is ruled by the element of Fire in Western astrology, which means that books about risk, exploration and adventure are right up his literary alley. Classic true to life accounts, such as The Pirate Hunter; The True Story of Captain Kidd by Richard Kidd and Alive: Airplane Crash in the Andes Mountains by Scott P. Werthers appeal to Rams. They also love books by Robert Louis Stevenson and Mark Twain. Extremely ambitious, Rams are interested in self-development and instruction on how to get ahead in life. Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, and Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion are "how-to" books that an Aries would find informative. These intelligent individuals also love thick, glossy coffee-table books that feature their favorite subjects: photography, art, cinema and cars.

Taurus individuals are ruled by the element of Earth, which means that they most enjoy reading practical books about self-improvement and weight management. Bulls love food, yet at the same time are very self-conscious about their weight, so they collect a contradictory mix of cookbooks and diet books. This occasionally conservative sign often keeps religious texts by the bedside. Bulls are known to delve deep into works of philosophy in an attempt to understand and survive the trials of modern society. Fearing the fallibility of human nature, these insecure individuals are drawn to fictional works like The Plague by Albert Camus and 1984 by George Orwell.

Gemini natives are intellectuals that are ruled by the cerebral Air element. They are avid readers of everything from Mad magazine to romantic novels, self-help books, and treatises on science and philosophy. Geminis love psychology and social anthropology and are quite happy reading works by Margaret Mead, Susan Sontag and Carl Jung. Their enormous imaginations are captivated by science fiction and fantasy and love nothing better than to escape with a good novel by J.R.R. Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, or J.K. Rowling. Geminis love rereading fairy tales and myths by authors such as Rudyard Kipling, Hans Christian Anderson and Oscar Wilde. They are also riveted by Stephen King’s horror novels, and true tales such as In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.

Cancer natives are emotional, idealistic individuals that are ruled by the Water element. They love to learn and consider all literature to be tools for their personal epiphanies and realizations about life. These profound thinkers are avid readers of philosophers such as Plato and Sartre who examine the conundrums of human existence. Cancerians are also drawn to self-help books such as Manifest Your Destiny by Wayne Dwyer and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra. Crabs are also addicted to classic romance novels such as Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, and The Color Purple by Alice Walker. They also love to analyze their relationships and are drawn to books like Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus.

Leos are ruled by the restless Fire element, which means that they are usually too busy to read books. This flashy sign often buys items to impress other people. Leos subscribe to the notion that it is advantageous to "judge a book by its cover." Materialistic Lions are fond of large, glossy, coffee-table books (the heavier the better) that feature their favorite subjects: horses, fashion, human portraits, cars, exotic places and anything to do with Hollywood or the movie-making business. Lions also love gossip, scandal and reading about the rise and fall of celebrities. Biographies such as Hollywood Babylon: The Legendary Classic of Hollywood's Darkest and Best Kept Secrets by Kenneth Anger and Hollywood Madam by Heidi Fliess are books that would hold this excitable sign's attention.

In Western astrology, the profoundly analytical Virgo is ruled by the practical element of Earth. Structure, order, purity and balance are important components for these people and they are inspired and motivated by books about the arts or the sciences. Books such as The Theory of Everything by Steven Hawking, or Math and Physics Across Cultures by Maurice Bazin would make good gifts for this inquisitive and intelligent sign. Virgos love cinematography and photography so they tend to have at least a few thick, hardcover books on these subjects sitting on their coffee table. They are also greatly interested in fine art and would enjoy compilations from famous photographers such as Helmut Newton or Ansel Adams, and illustrious painters such as Georgia O'Keefe or Frida Kahlo.

Libra is ruled by the artistic element of Air in Western astrology. These romantic and sensitive creatures love collections of poetry and glossy books that feature the works of the world's finest artists and architects. The perfect gift for a Libra would be a comprehensive resource text such as The Oxford History of Twentieth Century Art. As poetic structure represents the perfect balance between body and soul, Libras tend to own many collected works by such classic and modern poets as: William Shakespeare, William Blake, Robert Browning, Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, E.E. Cummings, Ted Hughes and Maya Angelou. These lyrical souls are eager consumers of biographies of ancient and modern luminaries such as Beethoven, Mozart, the Beatles, Janis Joplin and Judy Garland.

Secretive Scorpio is ruled by the Water element, which gives them a great fascination with books about metaphysics, the occult, and psychology. Scorpions love classic and modern horror writers such as Mary Shelley and Stephen King. Metaphysical guides to personal power such as The Secret Teachings of All Ages by Manly Palmer Hall, Jr. or Discover the Power Within You: A Guide to the Unexplored Depths Within by Eric Butterworth appeal to this sign's desire to dominate others. These sexual individuals are also lovers of erotic literature. Ancient and modern classics such as La Fleurs De Mal by Jean Genet, Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller, Fear of Flying by Erica Jong and Hollywood Madame by Heidi Fleiss make excellent bedside reading for lusty Scorpions.

Inquisitive Sagittarius, ruled by the Fire element, possesses the mixed blessing of both a thirst for knowledge and a short attention span. Sagittarians prefer short stories and magazine articles to novels, and are the sign most likely to buy the Cliff Notes version of a classic work to avoid reading the whole thing. Archers love language and are great collectors of encyclopedias, thesauruses and dictionaries. They are also fond of thick, heavy tomes that cover centuries of art, socio-political history and theory. Although they seem flighty, Sagittarians are very concerned with morals, ethics and correct behavior. For this reason, many of them keep a Bible or similar religious text by their bedside.

Capricorn, ruled by practical Earth, is an intelligent sign that loves philosophy, economics and history. For entertainment, Capricorns read well-written biographies, autobiographies and historical romances. A comprehensive book such as Civilization by Kenneth Clark makes an excellent gift for this inquisitive sign. Capricorns stock their bookshelves with classical and philosophical works such as Symposium by Plato and Beyond Good and Evil by Friedrich Nietzche. As they enjoy surveying economic trends, a book such as Financial Reckoning Day: The Guide to Surviving the Soft Depression of the 21st Century by William Bonner may be of interest. They are also drawn to practical, somewhat moralistic self-help books such as The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovell Shinn and Scientific Meditations by Paramanhansa Yogananda.

Aquarians are creative and imaginative individuals who are ruled by the Air element. These idealistic, heavy readers love all literature, especially dramatic novels about the future such as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and 1984 by George Orwell. Their constantly ticking brains love a good mystery and many of them are addicted to the works of the great mystery writers such as Agatha Christie, John Grisham and Patricia Cromwell. Science fiction and fantasy also thrill them. A perfect gift for an Aquarian would be a collection of fairy tales by Hans Christian Anderson or a compilation of the works of H.G. Wells. Many of them are also activists in ecology so they would appreciate a book such as Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine Benyus.

Pisces are spiritual individuals who love literature that examines the soul. Many of them keep a Bible or other religious text by their bedside, or in the office, to inspire them when they feel down. Ruled by the Water element, this creative and self-aware sign is attracted to spiritual self-help books such as The Lightworker's Way: Awakening Your Spiritual Power by Doreen Virtue and The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success by Deepak Chopra. Female fishes love historical romances and are big fans of writers such as Mary Stuart and Barbara Cartland. Both sexes are fond of classic novels about obsession and passion such as Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Brontë, and The Girl on A Swing by Richard Adams.