BY JOANNA C. VALENTE
SAGITTARIUS - Vi Khi Nao’s “Fish in Exile”
Sag's love experiencing the full range of emotion - both the beautiful and tragic - and this exploration on the death of a child does just that.
CAPRICORN - Tobias Carroll’s “Reel”
You often live in the here and now, so your book choice should bring you into the opposite kind of world - one that is surreal and otherworldly.
AQUARIUS - Alexander Chee’s “Queen of the Night”
You love sensuous stories that captive the imagination, and what could be better than a story about betrayal?
PISCES - Natalie Eilbert’s “Swan Feast”
These poems take us into a strange world of beauty and ugliness - and raises many questions for a Pisces to ask.
ARIES - Natalie Diaz’s “When My Brother Was an Aztec”
This books is raw and honest and takes emotional risks, just like an Aries does.
TAURUS - D. Foy’s “Patricide”
This novel focuses on fatherhood - and what the figure of an absent father means both personally and existentially - and Tauruses love a good existential journey.
GEMINI - Sherman Alexie’s “Reservation Blues”
A story that has more than meets the eye - a true tale of duality, just like a Gemini.
CANCER - Marie Howe’s “What the Living Do"
These poems focus on the death of a loved one, as well as narrate the complicated coming of age in a world where sexuality is too narrowly defined. For cancers, the intense is ideal.
LEO - Francesca Lia Block’s “Weetzie Bat"
This is a dizzying and glittery tale of love and identity, and is all about being bold just like you.
VIRGO - Colson Whitehead’s “The Colossus of New York”
This is a love story to New York City, but a love story that encompasses all of the beauties and struggles of the story - a well rounded portrait for a spirit that loves diplomacy.
LIBRA - Dennis Cooper’s “Closer”
Sex and violence is the theme here - which is a sure way to get a Libra's attention.
SCORPIO - Toni Morrison’s “Beloved”
This book portrays the intimacy and bond of a female friendship, the kind of closeness Scorpio's desire.
Joanna C. Valente is a human who lives in Brooklyn, New York. She is the author of Sirs & Madams (Aldrich Press, 2014), The Gods Are Dead (Deadly Chaps Press, 2015), Marys of the Sea (2016, ELJ Publications), & Xenos (2016, Agape Editions). She received her MFA in writing at Sarah Lawrence College. She is also the founder of Yes, Poetry, as well as the managing editor for Luna Luna Magazine and CCM. Some of her writing has appeared in Prelude, The Atlas Review, The Feminist Wire, BUST, Pouch, and elsewhere. She also teaches workshops at Brooklyn Poets.