Welcome to Book Riot’s January 2023 Horoscopes and Book Recommendations! Perhaps you’ve set a lofty reading goal for the year. Well, we’re here to help you start your bookish year with a bang. Check out your horoscope for an idea of what’s ahead this month, along with a recommendation for a new or upcoming book perfect for your sign.

Retrograde: It’s not just for Mercury! All planets go into retrograde from time to time, and it’s not always a bad thing. Retrogrades are more of a time to slow down and reflect on the area of your life that planet represents. That’s going to be important in January, as we’re entering the new year with three planets in retrograde. The dreaded Mercury retrograde started on December 29 and will continue through January 18. That means you may experience some slowdown and frustrations in communication, technology, and travel. Mars, the planet ruling action, ambition, and aggression, has been in retrograde since late October and will station direct on January 12, making it easier to make moves toward your goals. And Uranus, which rules innovation and rebellion, has spent five months in retrograde, putting a wrench in how you handle change. That will end on January 22. So while 2023 may have a bit of a slow start, things will be back in forward motion by the end of the month.

January 2023 Horoscopes and Book Recommendations

Note: Book release dates may have shifted between the writing and publication of this article.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni (Jan. 31, Berkley Books) The planets are on your side, Aries. New endeavors are popular in January for all signs, but you’re in particular luck. As Jupiter enters Aries for the next five months, you’ve got an optimistic outlook and are primed for personal growth. Your love life is especially pleasant right now, and there’s lots of fun to be found in romantic escapades. Travel may be complicated by Mercury retrograde. I recommend Sorry, Bro by Taleen Voskuni. When Nar’s tech bro boyfriend proposes, she realizes she’s been looking for love in the wrong places. Her mother excitedly plans a month-long search for Nar to find love and her cultural roots in Armenia. But instead of falling for the guys her mom lines up for her to meet, Nar falls for her wingwoman Erebuni. Nar isn’t out as bisexual to her family, but with Erebuni by her side, she’s ready to proudly embrace her true self.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita (Jan. 10, Berkley Books) Don’t ignore red flags, Taurus. Uranus retrograde has you dragging your feet on big decisions and life moves. It’s okay to take time to weigh pros and cons. But not making a decision is a decision in itself, and one that could hurt you. Your path forward will become clear in the second half of the month. If you’re stuck, travel may be what’s necessary to find answers. You should read City Under One Roof by Iris Yamashita. The small town of Point Mettier, Alaska, is so frozen and remote that it can only be accessed by one tunnel, and the entire town lives and works in the same high rise building. So when Anchorage investigator Cara Kennedy is called in after a severed hand and foot wash up on Point Mettier’s shore, she knows it’s a unique case. Things get even more complicated when a blizzard blocks the tunnel out of town, trapping Cara with the town’s 205 residents — one of whom is possibly a murderer.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

The Love You Save: A Memoir by Goldie Taylor (Jan. 31, Hanover Square Press) Feeling stuck in your head, Gemini? As the new year begins, you find yourself more focused on the past than what’s ahead. Your introspection can cause frustrations in relationships and at work. Others may not understand why you struggle to hit the ground running in January. But your reflections will pay off in the months ahead, so ask your loved ones and colleagues for patience. Check out The Love You Save by journalist and human rights activist Goldie Taylor. Taylor grew up amidst abuse and neglect in East St. Louis. But during her traumatic childhood, she found comfort and her own voice through books. Authors like Toni Morrison and James Baldwin helped her find hope and a path to a better future.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer (Jan. 31, Berkley Books) Get back to your roots, Cancer. January calls on you to find comfort in the people and activities you’ve loved the longest. Family time will be joyful, as well as enlightening for solving any problems lingering from last year. Your creativity is abundant this month. Returning to forgotten hobbies can bring full-circle realizations. Frustrations may lie ahead in your love life, though. I recommend River Sing Me Home by Eleanor Shearer. When Barbados’s 1834 Emancipation Act is announced to the enslaved people at the Providence plantation, it seems like cause for celebration. But they quickly realize it’s being replaced with “apprenticeships” that are no different, and they still aren’t allowed to leave. Rachel runs away, determined to track down the five children that were taken and sold throughout her life.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao (Jan. 17, Berkley Books) Ready for a fast-paced month, Leo? Big things are ahead for you, from travel opportunities to exciting career prospects to new courses of study. Your goals for the year are likely off to a quick start. But beware of getting so wrapped up in your own momentum that you miss what’s going on with your loved ones. Family life may be stressful if you don’t give it the attention it needs. You should read The Fraud Squad by Kyla Zhao. Samantha Song grew up in a working class family, but she’s always dreamed of a posh lifestyle and writing for a high society magazine. Luckily, she finds two friends willing to help her position herself as a socialite: Anya, her wealthy coworker, and Timothy, the jaded son of an elite Singapore family. But faking her way into the circles of the rich and famous is harder than Samantha expects, especially with a gossip columnist digging for juicy secrets.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

The Villa by Rachel Hawkins (Jan. 3, St. Martin’s Press) You’ve got a fresh slate, Virgo. There’s nothing more thrilling to you than a brand new planner and a chance to start over. Learning opportunities abound in January, so open yourself to new ways of approaching old problems. In love, follow your instincts. Great things might be ahead, but only if you trust your gut. Conflict with coworkers can make work difficult, so avoid ruffling feathers. Check out The Villa by Rachel Hawkins. Childhood best friends Emily and Chess are looking to reconnect over a stay at a swanky Italian villa. Emily, an author, becomes fascinated by a 1970s summer at the very same villa that led to a best-selling horror novel, famous music album, and a murder. As Emily investigates the villa’s secrets, long-brewing tensions between Emily and Chess surface as well.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

As You Walk On By by Julian Winters (Jan. 17, Viking Books for Young Readers) You’re a peacemaker, Libra. Finding common ground among opposing parties is one of your super powers, and January requires you to put it into action. Mercury retrograde comes with many communication and travel snafus. If you keep a level head and find solutions, you’ll be rewarded. Just don’t let your family feel neglected while you focus on others’ problems. This month, read As You Walk On By by Julian Winters. Seventeen-year-old Theo feels brave when his best friend dares him to ask his crush to prom in the middle of a big house party. But then he gets publicly turned down, and he hides in an upstairs bedroom while panicking about his true self and future. But he isn’t alone for long, as other partygoers join him one by one to be the true selves they don’t feel they can show outside of the room. Soon, they’ve started a genuine, accepting party-within-a-party where new friendships and crushes are forged.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff (Jan. 17, Ballantine Books) It’s time to get creative, Scorpio. The planets will throw many roadblocks into your path this month. Your success depends on how you choose to get around them. Your regular tactics may not be enough to keep you on track. Look to family members or trusted colleagues for advice, or try something new. Finances are especially tricky, so avoid new or risky investments and spend wisely. I recommend The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff. Geeta’s husband went missing five years ago, and local gossip says Geeta murdered him herself. But there’s an upside to the situation: Geeta has more freedom to run her jewelry business, and few people are brave enough to cross her. When women in town start asking Geeta to help them off their own abusive husbands, she must decide how far she’s willing to go to keep her reputation.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Windfall: The Prairie Woman Who Lost Her Way and the Great-Granddaughter Who Found Her by Erika Bolstad (Jan. 17, Sourcebooks) You’ve got a winning attitude, Sagittarius. Planetary retrogrades may mean nothing is going to plan, but your positive outlook in January will take you far. Good health and high energy will put you ahead of your competition. Romance is in the air and new relationships may be formed, as long as you don’t misrepresent yourself to new partners. Beware of travel disappointments. Check out Windfall by Erika Bolstad. As Bolstad’s mother neared death, she told her daughter that they had inherited the mineral rights to a patch of land in the North Dakota prairies, one that was highly desirable to oil companies. Bolstad knew only that this land once belonged to her homesteading great-grandmother, whose husband mysteriously sent her to an asylum she never escaped. With a background in writing about fossil fuels and climate change, Bolstad set off to North Dakota to learn more about her family’s history and how the oil industry continues to impact the American West.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor (Jan. 3, Riverhead) Are you feeling boxed in, Capricorn? The year is getting off to far too slow of a start for your taste. And unfortunately, the planetary positions aren’t giving you much power to change things. Bringing your frustrations home can only make for conflict with your family or partner. A little introspection now will make it easier to get things moving in a few weeks. You’ll be back on track soon. You should read Age of Vice by Deepti Kapoor. In contemporary Delhi, the powerful Wadia family always gets what they want, sometimes through nefarious means. We meet the Wadia family at the scene of a car crash, where the family’s Mercedes crashes into a sidewalk and kills five people. But when the chaos settles, none of the Wadias are present; just a servant who can’t explain how this tragedy happened.

Aquarius (January 20-February 18)

The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai (Jan. 10, Harper Voyager) Share your vision, Aquarius. Your creativity is off the charts this month. That will prove very useful, especially when Uranus stations direct on the 22nd and makes way for big changes. But you can’t innovate alone. Build a team of trusted partners and communicate your ideas clearly. Travel is an important part of your journey in January, so look for answers to your problems on the road. I recommend The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai. Nehal wants nothing more than to hone her waterweaving abilities and join the first all-women military regiment, but instead her family is marrying her off to an aristocrat to solve their own money woes. And Nehal’s husband seems to only have eyes for a poor bookseller named Giorgina. Giorgina has her own secrets too: she’s an earthweaver and part of radical women’s rights group. As Nehal and Giorgina’s paths intersect, they find they have much to offer each other.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Jan. 17, William Morrow & Company) Say what you mean, Pisces. Your people pleasing tendencies can keep you from being fully honest about things that matter. Mercury retrograde will ensure any confusion is amplified, so there’s no room for polite subtlety. Extra clarity will be surprisingly helpful in financial dealings. It can also help a romantic relationship take a big step forward. If you’re feeling drained, recharge with family. Read Independence by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. Three sisters find love and safety at home amidst a violent political revolution in 1940s Bengal. But when their physician father is killed during a riot, they can no longer avoid the changes happening in the partition of British India. As they move toward their futures on different paths, they wonder if it’s possible to keep their family safe and together.

Thanks for joining us for your January 2023 horoscopes and book recommendations! Looking for more books you’ll love based on your sign? Check out your October, November, and December horoscopes and book recommendations!

The new year is just around the corner, and it’s the perfect time to plan your 2023 reading goals! How do you want to grow or shift your reading life next year? Do you want to build a stronger bookish community? Do you want to dive into writing your own book? There are so many ways to embrace your love of books, and I see resolutions as a great way to stretch yourself to try something different. Take this bookish new year’s resolution quiz to get a suggestion for a fresh way to approach your reading life in 2023.

There are several bookish new year’s resolutions that come up again and again among readers. Read more books! Weed your TBR! Try new genres! Diversify your reading! All of those are great ideas, and things I personally try to do all the time. (Minus weeding my TBR. That’s one I always say I’ll do, but don’t often get around to it.) But with this quiz, I tried to shake things up a bit. There are eight possible results that I hope will inspire you to try something new in your reading life. Scroll to the bottom of this article to check out all the ideas for a very bookish 2023.

Catalog Your Home Library

Do your bookshelves seem to have grown a mind of their own? Make 2023 your year to organize and document all the books in your collection. Whether it’s in a spreadsheet or with a personal home library kit, a little tidying up of your bookshelves will bring a fresh mindset to your reading.

Use a Reading Journal

Keeping a book journal or reading log can be transformative. It’s a fantastic way to remember what you’ve read, engage more critically with the text, and meet your reading goals. We’re obviously partial to this Book Marks reading tracker from Book Riot, but any journal — or even a digital log — will do.

We hope you enjoyed this inspiration for your 2023 bookish new year’s resolutions! You might also like:

8 Bookish New Year’s Resolution Ideas to Improve Your Reading Life

Reading Resolutions You’ll Actually Keep

8 of the Best Books for New Year’s Resolution Lists

Welcome back to Cookbook Showdown, where one brave Book Riot contributor tests multiple recipes for the same dish from various popular cookbooks to find out which one comes out on top! I genuinely love performing these culinary experiments because it’s not only a great way to improve my cooking and baking skills; it’s also a fascinating approach to exploring various cookbooks and getting a feel for their style. Today, we’re talking about one of my favorite foods: fried chicken. Almost every great chef has their own take on fried chicken. I tested recipes from chefs Alton Brown, Carla Hall, and Zoe Adjonyoh, and Eric Kim. Which fried chicken had the perfect mix of crispiness, juiciness, and flavor? Stay tuned to find out!

I usually start these things with a brief exploration of the history of the food, but let’s be real: Every culture has their own version of fried chicken, and there’s no use arguing over who did it first. Scotland apparently makes some claims, but ah dinnae kin if I buy that argument. It’s just as likely that the dish was found earlier in Africa, Asia, or South America.

So instead of spending too much time on history, let’s look at what separates all the different kinds of fried chicken. There’s no universally agreed upon method for making fried chicken, beyond the fact that it involves chicken that’s fried. Here are some of the techniques and ingredients that vary from recipe to recipe:

• Parts of the chicken: We can generally agree that it’s best to fry the chicken in pieces rather than the whole bird, but which pieces? Thighs? Breast meat? Wings? Drumsticks? All of them?
• Breading: Ingredients for a crispy coating can include flour, breadcrumbs, cornstarch, potato starch, and more. Some recipes also call for dredging the chicken in egg and/or milk to help dry ingredients stick to the surface. And when it comes to seasonings in the breading, the sky is the limit.
• Frying liquid: Many kinds of fats can be used to fry, including vegetable oil, canola oil, peanut oil, and palm oil (although I didn’t test that because I love orangutans).

When choosing the best fried chicken recipes for this Cookbook Showdown, I shot for variety in all of the above categories, as well as general flavor profiles. To be honest, I could have spent a year testing dozens of recipes and still not gotten tired of fried chicken. I especially enjoyed making sides and sauces suggested as accompaniments to some of the chicken recipes from the same cookbooks. I’ll share what those were as we go through, but they won’t count toward the fried chicken’s scores.

Speaking of scores, I’ll be judging the recipes on flavor, crispiness and effectiveness of the breading, and how well the leftovers held up, as I find that to be an essential quality in good fried chicken. Those will be considered as a group for the overall score. I should also warn you that fried chicken isn’t the most photogenic of foods, and I’m not the most talented food photographer, so you’ll have to take my word on the taste and not give the photos too much weight here. Alright, let’s get to frying!

Cookbook Showdown: Fried Chicken

EveryDayCook by Alton Brown Alton Brown is one of the most iconic TV chefs and food personalities, known especially for his show Good Eats and hosting Iron Chef America. His unique blend of science and humor make for educational and entertaining content. In this 2016 cookbook, Brown focuses on the personal recipes that most often make appearances in his home or are meaningful for his family. And interestingly, all the photos in the cookbook were taken on Brown’s iPhone! EveryDayCook breaks down its recipes into time of day (morning, noon, afternoon, late, etc.), and his “The General’s Fried Chicken” recipe falls into the anytime section. This spoke directly to my soul, as someone who could eat fried chicken at any meal. Based on one of Brown’s more frequent Good Eats characters and the bourbon in the batter, I believe this recipe is meant to imitate a certain fried chicken chain. But was the result finger-licking good?

Alton Brown’s “The General’s Fried Chicken”

Brown’s recipe calls for eight pieces of chicken, preferably legs and thighs. The chicken is seasoned and left in the fridge for at least four hours and up to overnight. It’s dredged in a buttermilk, egg, and bourbon mixture, then coated in flour, cornstarch, and spices before being fried in peanut oil.

In my test, Brown’s chicken went pretty much according to plan. The batter flaked off in places and didn’t fully adhere to the chicken skin. But overall, the process worked as described, and I was more than happy to eat the finished product.

Alton Brown’s Fried Chicken Scores

• Flavor: 2.5/5 — The blend of sumac, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper in the dry rub and breading wasn’t the most thrilling, but it was nice. I wish some of the bourbon flavor had stuck around.
• Breading: 3/5 — The coating was crispy but a little dry in the end and broke off in places. Brown promises that keeping the oil at the perfect temperature should cook the chicken to a safe temperature at the exact moment the breading is golden brown, but I think the breading got a little too dark in my case.
• Leftover-ability: 4.5/5 — I actually thought this chicken tasted better leftover than the first time around. The breading crisped up nicely in the toaster oven.
• Overall: 3.5/5 — I definitely wasn’t mad at it, but more complex flavor would have been nice, and the breading was a little too flaky.

Carla Hall’s Soul Food: Everyday and Celebration by Carla Hall with Genevieve Ko Carla Hall is also a beloved TV chef, known as a fan favorite from seasons 5 and 8 of Top Chef and as a cohost of The Chew. With roots in Nashville and Washington, DC, Hall is known for fresh, vegetable-forward takes on classic Southern comfort food. I first checked this cookbook out of the library for my Macaroni and Cheese Cookbook Showdown, and after trying a few recipes from it, I all but ran to my nearest independent bookstore to buy my own copy. Ahead of Hall’s recipe for “Pineapple-Habanero Honey Fried Chicken” is a short essay on the role fried chicken has played throughout her life and a historical note on how fried chicken was once (and should still be) considered a special occasion food, an indulgence between more earth-friendly vegetable dishes. While Hall says the seasoning in her fried chicken can stand alone, she also suggests making her hot sauce recipe and drizzling the chicken with that and honey. As a spicy lover, I had to give it a try.

Carla Hall’s “Pineapple-Habanero Honey Fried Chicken”

I started with the hot sauce, using a combination of peppers from the farmers market that weren’t exactly what the recipe called for but had some of the types she suggested. And holy cow, was it spicy! The cooking process made all the air in my apartment spicy too. I had to make it in a KN95 mask and was still coughing and crying! The sauce turned out potent but delicious.

The chicken recipe involved breaking down a whole bird into drumsticks, thighs, wings, and breasts. This, it turns out, is my favorite method of making fried chicken. It takes a little more work and practice to break down a chicken, but I love using the carcass to make chicken stock. The chicken pieces are coated in seasoning and a pickle juice brine, then coated in flour and fried in vegetable oil. This chicken turned out just as expected and was completely delicious, especially with the hot sauce and honey. I barely managed to hold onto enough extra to try it as leftovers!

Carla Hall’s Fried Chicken Scores

• Flavor: 5/5 — Sweet and spicy is extremely my jam, so I absolutely loved the pineapple-habanero hot sauce and honey. For seasoning, the chicken included onion and garlic powder, sweet paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, and dill pickle juice. This all led to a wonderfully complex flavor.
• Breading: 4/5 — The breading worked really well, with the pickle juice helping the flour mixture stick. Some small bits fell off and it got a little overcooked on the dark meat pieces, but it had a great texture.
• Leftover-ability: 5/5 — This reheated well in the toaster oven, and I think it also would have been tasty cold.
• Overall: 4.5/5 — This was near-perfect fried chicken. I would happily eat it again and again.

Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen: An Introduction to New African Cuisine — From Ghana with Love by Zoe Adjonyoh Zoe Adjonyoh has spent years working to introduce the culinary world to beloved Ghanian flavors and dishes. From her beautiful cookbook full of personal stories to her pop-up brand Zoe’s Ghana Kitchen in London and New York, her food is full of big flavors and big heart. I’d been wanting to try recipes from this cookbook for a while and was excited to break it in with a full meal. Adjonyoh’s “Jollof Fried Chicken” recipe is inspired by one of the most popular street-food and restaurant dishes throughout Ghana. I made a few other simple recipes from the book to accompany it, including “Waakye Rice”, “Simple Fried Plantain”, and “Nkatse Cake” for dessert, a nut brittle served over ice cream. I was really pleased with all the other dishes.

Zoe Adjonyoh’s “Jollof Fried Chicken”

This fried chicken recipe calls for chicken breast strips coated in seasoning and left to marinate overnight. They’re then breaded with cornflour and seasonings and fried in vegetable oil. Full disclosure: Cornflour is a more popular ingredient in recipes from the UK, in my experience, and can be tricky to find in the states. I couldn’t find it at my grocery, so I substituted cornstarch with a bit of cornmeal as suggested online.

I had a lot of trouble with this breading falling off of the chicken. Hopefully it works better with proper cornflour. In my case, it fell off almost as soon as it hit the oil. I also wish more of the seasoning was added to the breading instead of just in the marinade so more of those flavors would have come through. But it still worked well with the other sides from Adjonyoh’s cookbook.

Zoe Adjonyoh’s Fried Chicken Scores

• Flavor: 3/5 — For how much jollof seasoning, nutmeg, salt, and pepper went into the marinade, I was surprised at how bland the final product was. It was tasty, but I think I would add jollof seasoning to the breading if I were to do it over.
• Breading: 1.5/5 — I had lots of trouble keeping the breading on the chicken while it was cooking and once it came out of the oil. It was nice and crispy but hard to wrangle, and lacked seasoning in the breading itself.
• Leftover-ability: 3/5 — Losing so much of the coating while cooking meant the reheated chicken was a little naked in spots, but some of the flavors were more apparent the second time around.
• Overall: 2.5/5 — I would love to try this recipe again with proper cornflour to see if my results vary, but the breading was a letdown. The other dishes I made from the cookbook for this meal all turned out better than the centerpiece.

Korean American: Food that Tastes like Home by Eric Kim Eric Kim has a big fan-following for his recipes and food writing at the New York Times. His debut cookbook digs into his roots as a first generation Korean American, with recipes that marry Korean flavors and ingredients with traditional American comfort foods. It’s got gorgeous pictures and moving stories from Kim’s time visiting his mother in Georgia while creating and testing recipes. Kim’s “Aunt Georgia’s Soy Sauce Fried Chicken with Jalapeños” is not only the most talked about recipe from the cookbook; it’s also the cover dish. Looking at the photos alone, you can tell it’s crispy yet juicy and coated with a glistening sauce. Kim insists the chicken be served with his pickled “Chicken Radishes.” I also made his “Charred Cauliflower with Magic Gochugaru Dust” as well as his “No-Churn Ice Cream with Dalgona Butterscotch Sauce” for dessert.

Eric Kim’s “Aunt Georgia’s Soy Sauce Fried Chicken with Jalapeños”

The recipe calls for a whole chicken cut into parts (more chicken stock for me!), then coated with salt, pepper, and potato starch. Then it’s coated again with potato starch, giving each piece a thorough breading. The chicken is par-fried in vegetable oil, pulled out to rest, then fried a second time until cooked through. This creates beautifully crispy chicken with a stable coating. It’s then tossed in a skillet of simmering sauce made from garlic, jalapeños, brown sugar, and soy sauce.

The method of double-coating and double-frying worked wonders for this chicken, and the sauce was absolutely incredible. All the other dishes I made alongside the chicken were also spectacular. After this meal, I would die for Eric Kim. No questions asked.

Eric Kim’s Fried Chicken Scores

• Flavor: 5/5 — Can I give it a 6/5? The spice of the jalapeños with the brown sugar, the sticky sauce on the crispy chicken, the perfect cook from twice frying…I’m literally drooling thinking about it now.
• Breading: 5/5 — I’m fully converted to potato starch as the superior fried chicken coating. It stuck to the chicken skin perfectly, and although it doesn’t turn the same golden color as wheat or corn flour, the texture is incredible. The way you can cover it in sauce and it still stays crispy blows my mind.
• Leftover-ability: 5/5 — I honestly can’t tell you how this reheated because I ate it cold straight out of the fridge, and it was still remarkably delicious.
• Overall: 5/5 — This is dream fried chicken, in my opinion. Crispy yet saucy, spicy and sweet, tender perfection. I will absolutely be making it again.

Fried Chicken Cookbook Showdown Final Results

I usually take a moment at this point to reflect on what I’ve learned about the dish I’ve tested. In this case, I’ve learned that there are many ways to fry a chicken, and plenty of them will turn out to be delicious. In fact, I would happily undergo this experiment again with four different fried chicken recipes. My best advice for you, I suppose, is to not be afraid of making fried chicken at home. It’s not as intimidating as it seems, as long as you’re careful not to splash yourself with hot oil!

So without further ado, I present to you…

The Winner: Eric Kim’s “Aunt Georgia’s Soy Sauce Fried Chicken with Jalapeños” from Korean American

I love this chicken. I would eat this chicken for every meal. I’m going to tattoo a picture of this chicken on my body. (Not really, but wouldn’t that be cool?) It defies the laws of physics with its juicy center, crispy coating, and sticky sweet sauce. How can all those things exist at once? And not only fresh out of the oil, but later at room temperature, and even days later refrigerated? It’s magic. That’s the only answer. Based on how much I loved this and every other dish I’ve tried from Eric Kim’s cookbook, I say: Run, don’t walk, to your nearest independent bookstore and buy Korean American. You won’t regret it.

Runner Up: Carla Hall’s “Pineapple-Habanero Honey Fried Chicken”

I couldn’t let this article rest without also mentioning how much I adore Carla Hall’s fried chicken recipe. It’s approachable and fairly simple to make, and the results are spectacular. It also inspired me to make more hot sauce at home. This is another recipe I’ll absolutely return to, and Carla Hall’s Soul Food is a cookbook with many recipes I can’t wait to try.

We hope you enjoyed this test of the best fried chicken recipes! Check out these other Cookbook Showdowns:

Cookbook Showdown: The Best Lemon Meringue Pie Recipes, Tested

Cookbook Showdown: The Best Chocolate Cake Recipes, Tested

Cookbook Showdown: The Best Cornbread Recipes, Tested

Cookbook Showdown: The Best Iced Tea Recipes, Tested

An oversized TBR (or “to be read“) stack is a problem familiar to many book lovers. A massive stack of unread books can even lead to a case of bibliophile’s existentialism. You know, that feeling when you realize you’ll never have the time to read every book you hope to someday read? When your enormous stack of unread books reminds you that you will eventually die and your books will linger on? Yeah, that feeling. The larger the TBR, the more intimidating it becomes. Mine was so large and had been around for so long that I think it had started to gain sentience. But I found a solution to tackling my TBR in an unexpected place: 20 sided dice.

It all started when my wife found a new hobby. (Well, technically, the TBR problem started decades before that, when I first started hoarding books.) My wife has a recently reignited love of Dungeons and Dragons, or D&D if you’re in the know. After joining a virtual D&D campaign with some friends, she decided to figure out how to make her own dice sets using resin. I’m not personally a D&D fan, but as I understand it, a typical set of dice for the tabletop roleplaying game includes six different die shapes with varying numbers of faces: 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and the signature D&D die with 20 faces.

Making D&D dice at home is, from my observation, an intricate and multi-step process. But when it comes to what you can put in the resin to make a set of dice unique, the sky is the limit. After watching my wife play around with different colors and add-ins, I asked her to make me a 20-sided die (or D20) filled with sprinkles. She did! And it’s so cute! I love it so much! But, as mentioned earlier…I don’t play D&D. So what was I to do with my adorable little die? Use it as a tiny paperweight? Convince the cat to play with it? Turn it into a brooch?

Then I thought of something in my life that could use a little game of luck and chance: the aforementioned towering TBR. What if I used my D20 to help me choose what book to read next? Convinced my idea was completely original, I decided to make a list of 20 books on my TBR and roll the die to pick my next read. My wife later informed me that “roll tables” are in fact a fairly common thing in and out of D&D games. There’s even a TikTok user who has gone viral for making chaotic sandwiches using dice to select his ingredients. Although mine wasn’t as original an idea as initially thought, I boldly went forward with my D20, my giant stack of books, and a dream. Here’s what I learned.

Using Dice for Multiple TBR Formats

Before I even began, I realized creating a roll table could be useful for more than just my physical stack of unread books. I’m typically in the middle of three books at any given moment: a print book, an ebook, and an audiobook. And I have a backlog of books in all three categories. (What’s my secret to having so many books at my disposal, you ask? Well, one of the benefits to writing for Book Riot for 5+ years is infinite advanced copies from publishers.)

So I created three roll tables for my game of reading chance. One list included 20 titles from my overcrowded bookshelf of physical copies of unread books. For the second, I pulled 20 of the…yeah, okay, hundreds of unread ebooks on my Kindle. The vast majority of these came to me via NetGalley, a site booksellers, librarians, and book reviewers use to access digital advanced copies of books. For my third list, I went to Libro.fm, an audiobook platform that splits the proceeds with independent bookstores, and pulled titles from my to-be-listened shelf. This way, when rolling the die for my next read, I can leave the book up to chance while still choosing a specific format.

If you want to recreate this experiment at home, you can use a fully random list of 20 books across different formats. But for me, when I set out to start a new book, I already know what format I’m looking for. There’s definitely value to both!

Reflecting While Making the Roll Table

The first unexpected benefit to my experiment was thoughtfully and honestly reflecting on my TBR. When sitting down to make a list of 20 potential reads from my bookshelf, I had to face the facts. I could only fit 20 books on this roll table, and some of the books on my shelf simply didn’t excite me. Assigning many of the books a number gave me hope that I’d finally get to them. I’ve been staring down Docile by K.M. Szpara for years now, eager to dig in but intimidated by its length. Maybe now the die would give me the sign I needed to crack it open.

But I hesitated to give some of the books on my shelf a spot on my list. I realized that this was a sign. If even the idea of the die landing on that title disappointed me, I likely wouldn’t ever get around to that book. I think this had similar energy to Marie Kondo’s “sparking joy” principle. If the possibility of reading a book on my shelf didn’t excite me, it was time to let it go. Simply making my list of 20 potential reads gave me the courage to weed books from my physical TBR.

This is a great tool for facing down unread books across formats. If the idea of reading that book now or even in the near future has you feeling meh, it’s time to say goodbye! Maybe you bought that book a few years ago when you were in a different place and it no longer interests you. That’s okay. I’m planning to take a similar approach to my TBR Goodreads shelf. Some of the books on that list have been hanging out there for almost a decade. And as for my ebooks from NetGalley, it’s probably time to try that new “I will not be giving feedback on this title” option.

When the Dice Roll Just Right

Once my roll tables were made, it was time to give it a try. My first roll directed me to the recently republished version of Rules of Engagement by Selena Montgomery, a.k.a. Stacey Abrams. Great! I’d been wanting to read one of her political romantic thrillers for years. Thanks, D20, for giving me the prompt I needed.

I used the die again shortly afterwards to pick my next audiobook. It chose My Monticello, a short story collection from Jocelyn Nicole Johnson. Awesome! I didn’t even realize that the first story was narrated by LeVar Burton. Thanks, D20, for pushing me to choose something that had otherwise fallen into the backlist.

The D20 chance method isn’t how I’ve decided every new book I’ve picked up since I first started this experiment. Sometimes I need to push a book to the top of my TBR for Book Riot or other professional purposes. Other times, I’m looking for a specific genre or vibe to fit my mood. Occasionally I acquire a book that I have to drop everything and read immediately. But I think using dice intermittently to determine my next read is a great way to mix things up.

When the Dice Roll Doesn’t Fit

Here’s another unexpected benefit I found from my experiment: Sometimes the dice tell you what you already know deep down. There were a few occasions when I rolled my beautiful D20 and as soon as I saw what book it turned up, I knew I didn’t want to read it. At first, this felt like a bad thing. Oh no, my chance game sucks! It gave me a book I don’t want to read! But this, too, is a gift. If my gut feeling in that moment is, “I don’t want to read that,” then…get rid of the book. It’s kind of like when you’re flipping a coin and while the coin is in the air, it suddenly doesn’t matter where it lands because you realize what you wanted all along.

Of course, it didn’t always work that way. One time the die landed on a horror novel right after I’d finished another book in the same genre. I still wanted to read that book, but I needed a palate cleanser before I could face more thrills and chills. That book stayed on my roll table for its number to come up again on another day.

Let the Good Books Roll

After trying my D20 method out on my TBR, I found many benefits, both expected and unexpected. As I hoped, my die inspired me to try out books that might have otherwise spent years collecting dust on my shelves. It helped me select some unexpected books from my digital and audiobook backlists.

But even better, it helped me let books go. I’m terrible about keeping books around for years, unable to admit I won’t get to them. Those books could find a better home if gifted to friends, donated to the library, or dropped on a “take a book, leave a book” shelf in a public space. I was able to be more honest with myself about my reading time when faced with those books while making my roll tables, and again for other books when the die landed on their numbers. The immediacy of rolling my D20 — of chance telling me it’s now or never(ish) — made it much easier to purge titles from my collection.

If you, too, have a stack of unread books gathering dust in your home, I highly recommend giving this a try. You don’t even need dice to get started, as there are plenty of free dice rollers online. But having your own dice is a lot more satisfying. You can use the more common six-sided die if you have one on hand, and makes lists of six books instead of 29. Or, if you don’t have a wife to make custom dice for you, you can find handmade dice of all kinds on Etsy. May bookish chance roll in your favor!

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‘Tis the season for baking! Well, I bake all year long, but the winter holidays are an especially sweet time for pies, cakes, and cookies. I’ve collected eight of the best new baking cookbooks here that provide excellent inspiration for your holiday treats. But even better, they make excellent gifts for the bakers in your life. I’ve also paired each cookbook with a kitchen tool or utensil that plays a big role in that book’s recipes to make your loved one’s present really stand out.

All of these cookbooks came out within the past year, and most of them were released in the past few months. That means they’re great for holiday gifting, as it’s less likely that your baking friends already have them on their shelves. They include a variety of sweet and savory bakes, experience levels, techniques, and flavors. As for the cooking utensils and kitchen accessories I’ve paired with each book, they’re all inspired by what each cookbook author prioritizes in their recipes. Each item also comes in under $30 on Amazon. But if you’re looking to give a swankier gift, you can find more expensive versions of each item listed elsewhere. For any cookbook, I highly recommend this Marble Rolling Pin and Holder Set from The Pampered Chef ($55). It’s especially great for working with pastry and pie crusts, as you can chill it in the refrigerator or freezer before using to keep your butter extra cold.

For the Great British Baking Show Fan Baker

Nadiya’s Everyday Baking: From Weeknight Dinners to Celebration Cakes, Let Your Oven Do the Work by Nadiya Hussain The Great British Baking Show has inspired home bakers the world over. One of the most beloved contestants from the show, Nadiya Hussain, has gone on to write multiple cookbooks and host her own cooking and baking shows. Her latest cookbook celebrates baking at every meal, not just dessert. Whether you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner, a veggie-forward healthy meal, or a show-stopping celebration dish, Hussain has the perfect recipe.

Gift it with: Sage+Stitch Heat Resistant Oven Mitts ($19)

Since Hussain’s newest cookbook celebrates dishes made in the oven, it’s a great opportunity to upgrade your favorite baker’s oven mitts. The neoprene nonstick grips on this pair give them great functionality, and they come in six different adorable designs.

For the Stress Baker

Baking by Feel: Recipes to Sort Out Your Emotions (Whatever They Are Today!) by Becca Rea-Tucker I love to channel my stress and anxiety into baked goods, and I know I’m not alone. This cookbook is the perfect gift for your loved ones who find themselves channeling their anger into kneading bread dough or curbing their sadness with pastries. Becca Rea-Tucker is the baker behind the viral @thesweetfeminist Instagram account, where she brings messages of reproductive rights and self-love to her beautiful cakes and pies. In her debut cookbook, she encourages bakers to embrace the wide range of their emotions and choose flavors and dishes that match their feelings. The recipes are separated into happy, sad, mad, anxious, and hopeful sections, and each recipe has affirmations or activities to make your baking experience more therapeutic.

Gift it with: Greater Goods Kitchen Scale ($10)

Kitchen scales are a fantastic way to take home baking to the next level. They’re more precise, they save you from having to pull out a bunch of measuring cups, and as Rea-Tucker shares in her cookbook, “You can get a scale for $15, but it feels fancy.” It will help your loved one follow recipes written by weight instead of volume in this cookbook and many others. And for an extra stocking stuffer, throw in a sheet of The Sweet Feminist stickers for $8.

For the Pie Loving Baker

Justice of the Pies: Sweet and Savory Pies, Quiches, and Tarts Plus Inspirational Stories from Exceptional People: A Baking Book by Maya-Camille Broussard Pie is the most important food group. If you know a baker who agrees, this new cookbook will be their favorite holiday gift of the year. Maya-Camille Broussard, who can be seen on Netflix’s Bake Squad, is the owner of Chicago’s Justice of the Pies bakery. Her bakery gives back to the community in honor of her late father, a criminal defense attorney and self-designated Pie Master. Her new cookbook features 85 pie recipes, both savory and sweet. Even better, those recipes are presented alongside stories of activists and changemakers fighting for justice outside the kitchen.

Gift it with: Wisenvoy Ceramic Pie Dish ($26)

With so many delicious pies to make, you can never have enough pie dishes! This one is particularly adorable, and its fluted edge makes it easier to create a perfect fluted pie crust.

For the Busy Baker

Bigger Bolder Baking Every Day: Easy Recipes to Bake Through a Busy Week by Gemma Stafford Baking is a hobby that can take up a lot of your time, but it doesn’t have to! Irish-born chef Gemma Stafford, known for her incredibly popular Bigger Bolder Baking YouTube and social media channels, wrote this cookbook to help home bakers fit beautiful and delicious creations into their busy schedules. From approachable bread recipes to confections you can make in 15 minutes or less, this cookbook is great for experienced bakers and newbies. It’s also got kid-friendly recipes and impressive dinner party delights. Gemma Stafford has suggestions for every occasion, so it’s a versatile gift for the bakers in your life.

Gift it with: Now Designs Tin Cake Stand ($17)

Even the simplest, fastest baked goods look fancy on a cute cake stand! This is a great way to display many of the cakes and pastries in Stafford’s new cookbook. If you’re looking for an especially unique cake plate you can customize for your loved one, check out great options on Etsy.

For the Sweet Tooth Baker

What’s for Dessert: Simple Recipes for Dessert People by Claire Saffitz Do you know someone who believes dessert is the most important meal of the day? Then this cookbook is a must-have! Claire Saffitz has made complicated recipes like croissants and croquembouche accessible to home bakers in her popular YouTube videos and recipes at The New York Times. Her newest cookbook includes a huge range of flavors and techniques to shake up your dessert course. Not only does What’s for Dessert include tons of tastes, it also has desserts made on the stovetop, the refrigerator, and the freezer. Even better, the recipes don’t require expensive equipment like stand mixers or difficult to find ingredients.

Gift it with: Katbite Silicone Baking Mats ($16)

Saffitz’s cookbook includes lots of tips for reducing waste in your baking. I personally use silicone baking mats and have found them to be a total game changer. They’re even more nonstick, sturdier for transferring baked goods, and easy to clean than parchment paper.

For the Impulse Baker

A Good Day to Bake: Simple Baking Recipes for Every Mood by Benjamina Ebuehi Do you ever get the urge to bake on a whim? That’s what former Great British Baking Show contestant Benjamina Ebuehi wants to enable home bakers to do with her newest cookbook. These recipes celebrate the quiet, contemplative moments of watching your creations turn golden brown in the oven or pouring ganache over a finished cake. Her dishes are full of unexpected yet delicious flavors, built around herbs, teas, and fresh produce. They’re less about showy presentations and more about taste and baking experience.

Gift it with: Kitchen Measurements Chart Magnet ($15)

This magnetic kitchen measurement conversion chart makes baking a breeze, even when you’re using cookbooks written in other countries with different forms of measurement. It even has a handy metric for converting oven temperatures and timing for boiling eggs!

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We hope this list of baking cookbooks helped you find the perfect gifts for the bakers in your life! You might also enjoy:

8 New Cookbooks to Level Up Your Culinary Skills

8 Essential Filipino Cookbooks to Read After Devouring Arsenic and Adobo

I Cooked My Way Through a Jane Austen Cookbook. Here’s How It Went.

An original and entertaining mashup of literature and astrology for book lovers and star-watchers alike. 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 answering key questions: What protagonist embarks on a journey that tempts you to join them? What author also shares your sign and speaks to those traits? What you will learn in Reading the Stars will enrich your reading experience and personal life.

Welcome to Book Riot’s December 2022 Horoscopes and Book Recommendations! It may be the last month of the year, but it’s definitely not too late to grab a fantastic newly released book. Find out which new title is the perfect match for your sign below, along with a glimpse at what you can expect in the month ahead.

While there are many winter holidays this month, one with special astrological significance is the Winter Solstice. December 21 has the shortest daylight in the year, and it’s a time to celebrate the coming of the light in brighter days ahead. Take some time on the 21st to consider what difficulties you’ve made it through and what you look forward to in the coming months. As we enter Capricorn season, it’s also an auspicious time to make plans for what you’d like to achieve in the coming year.

On a more unfortunate note, Mercury enters retrograde on December 29, ushering in plenty of confusion and frustrations as we enter the new year. Communication, travel, and technology are especially susceptible to tangles. As Mercury won’t leave retrograde until January 18, it may be a sign for you to stay home, avoid the chaos, and jumpstart your 2023 reading!

December 2022 Horoscopes and Book Recommendations

Note: Book release dates may have shifted between the writing and publication of this article.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra Rehman (Dec. 6, Flatiron Books) Where are you putting your time and energy, Aries? You give great power to the things and people you choose to prioritize. The planets are asking you to assess your focus in December. Traveling to new places may give you a fresh perspective. At work, you may interpret advice given in good faith as an attack. Open yourself to constructive criticism from people you trust. You should read Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion by Bushra Rehman. Razia Mirza is coming of age in a tight-knit Pakistani American community in Corona, Queens. As friendships are made and broken, Razia rebels like any teenager: wearing short skirts, listening to music that shocks her parents, and skipping school. But when she’s accepted at a prestigious Manhattan high school and finds herself falling for a girl named Angela, the colliding worlds of her new school and neighborhood force Razia to choose between her true self and who her family wants her to be.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Orchid Muse: A History of Obsession in Fifteen Flowers by Erica Hannickel (Dec. 6, W.W. Norton and Company) Beauty is all around you, Taurus. But if your eyes never leave your regular path, you might miss it. December will push you to be more aware of the wonderful and surprising things in your life that you might be ignoring. Learning a new skill or taking a class might spark your excitement and lead you somewhere unexpected. Don’t let adversity stop you from exploring your own range. Check out Orchid Muse by environmental historian Erica Hannickel. Orchids have been one of the beloved and mythologized flowers for centuries. This book traces the history of orchids through Chinese palace gardens, royal obsessions, and famous works of art. Additionally, it includes fascinating facts about cultivation, advice for the caring and growing of orchids, and beautiful illustrations.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

The Sugar Jar: Create Boundaries, Embrace Self-Healing, and Enjoy the Sweet Things in Life by Yasmine Cheyenne (Dec. 17, HarperOne) Celebrate things that matter, Gemini. As the year comes to a close, the planets want you to recognize your successes and the good things in your life. You have a tendency to detach yourself from your emotions, even the positive ones. December is the time to sit in those happy feelings with the people you love. Financial success this month may also allow you to indulge in a luxury. Read The Sugar Jar by wellness coach Yasmine Cheyenne. This book introduces the metaphor of the sugar jar, representing your supply of energy. Cheyenne explains how setting healthy boundaries is like putting a lid on your sugar jar to preserve and protect your energy for yourself and your priorities, rather than leaving it open for anyone to deplete or spill. The small but meaningful adjustments Cheyenne suggests can help you heal and find joy in the new year and for a long time to come.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Twice in a Lifetime by Melissa Baron (Dec. 6, Alcove Press) Face your troubles head on, Cancer. Although you’ve been known to suffer your frustrations silently, the planets are pushing you to take an active role in addressing your problems before the year is out. Now is the time for initiating hard conversations or removing negative influences from your life. Your relationships will grow stronger for it — including your relationship with yourself. I recommend Twice in a Lifetime by Book Riot’s own Melissa Baron. After losing her mother and moving out of the city, Isla’s chronic anxiety is running high, and she doesn’t know who to reach out to for help. Then she gets a text from a stranger named Ewan who claims to be her husband from the future. Can it be true? And if it is, can he save her from what tore them apart in his timeline?

Leo (July 23-August 22)

An Impossible Return by Caroline Laurent, translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman (Dec. 1, Amazon Crossing) Beware of keeping secrets, Leo. While it’s healthy to keep some thoughts, feelings, and experiences to yourself, hiding parts of your life from loved ones can cause trouble this month. Conflict may be ahead in romantic relationships if you’re not trusting your partner with things that are important to you. Look for activities this month that help you connect with others instead of isolating. Check out An Impossible Return by Caroline Laurent, translated by Jeffrey Zuckerman. Set in 1967, it tells the story of Marie and her beloved homeland of the Chagos archipelago in the Indian Ocean. Marie falls hard for debonair Gabriel from the neighboring island Mauritius, and when they have a son, their life together seems to be only beginning. But Gabriel is hiding a dark secret. He’s involved in negotiating Mauritius’s freedom from Britain, a deal that puts Marie’s homeland at great risk.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

In it to Win it by Sharon C. Cooper (Dec. 13, Berkley) It’s time to make some changes, Virgo. Who says you have to wait for the new year to shift things in the right direction? After all, you love running ahead of schedule. The planetary positions are putting you in the driver’s seat this month. Although you prefer incremental change, sometimes you’ve simply got to accept a fresh start. Spend cautiously as money may be tight. Read In It to Win It by Sharon C. Cooper. An eccentric real estate developer is looking to sell a promising piece of property, and he decides to host a competition for interested parties. Morgan sees the property as the perfect place to expand her nonprofit supporting teens aging out of the foster care system. But to win, she’ll have to compete against the developer’s mentee Drake — who just so happens to be Morgan’s ex-boyfriend from college.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton (Dec. 6, Grand Central Publishing) What can you learn from difficult experiences, Libra? As you reflect on the year behind you, you might be tempted to forget the hard parts and focus solely on the good. But the universe wants you to learn from everything you’ve been through. December will show you how past problems have helped you grow. But be sure to forgive those involved in tough memories, including yourself. I recommend The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks-Dalton. In a near future Florida, devastating weather events have eroded the state’s coast and infrastructure. The Lowe family is determined to stay, regardless of what comes their way. A daughter is born to the Lowes during a hurricane and given that storm’s name: Wanda. As Wanda grows up, she finds herself with unique abilities to survive disastrous weather events and adapt to civilization crumbling around her.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson (Dec. 6, Berkley) Have a backup plan handy, Scorpio. Your best laid plans may be upended this month, especially close to the new year. Hyperfocus on your goal has served you well in the past, but now it’s important to spread your attention and stay aware of your circumstances. If you find yourself overwhelmed, consider taking a short trip away from home. Changing your surroundings may clear your mind. Read A Dash of Salt and Pepper by Kosoko Jackson. Xavier is less than thrilled to return to his small hometown in Maine after a breakup and a career setback. Logan doesn’t want to give up any control over the kitchen of his hip new restaurant, but he and his tween daughter can’t keep up with demand. So when Logan hires Xavier as a prep chef, they’re both pretty pessimistic. But soon the energy between them is hotter than the restaurant kitchen.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev (Dec. 1, Mindy’s Book Studio) Don’t let fear rule your life, Sagittarius. You like to be perceived as bold and brave, but secret doubts can be your downfall. The planets want you to open yourself to new experiences and relationships this month. Connections with others are crucial to your happiness; you are not an island. If trying something new sounds scary, travel is the best way to get out of your comfort zone. Check out The Vibrant Years by Sonali Dev. Sixty-five year old widow Bindu Desai’s life changed drastically when she received a surprise inheritance from a secret past lover, and now she’s finally finding a life on her own terms. Bindu’s daughter-in-law Aly, separated from her husband, is trying to break through racism and sexism as a news anchor. And Aly’s daughter Cullie, a coding prodigy, wants to prove she’s got more in store than the first app she created. But as all three generations of the Desai family look for fulfillment and love, long-hidden secrets come to the surface.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

The Spice Master at Bistro Exotique by Samantha Vérant (Dec. 6, Berkley Books) Strive for authenticity, Capricorn. Is your public persona in line with your true self? You’re always looking to gain respect from others, but the universe will remind you this month that respect means nothing if it’s cultivated through misrepresenting yourself. December is a time to be vulnerable with family and loved ones, but maybe also with colleagues, mentors, and acquaintances. Read The Spice Master at Bistro Exotique by Samantha Vérant. Kate has spent what feels like a lifetime working toward her goal of opening a restaurant in Paris. But when a series of setbacks leads to her entire staff quitting, Kate worries it all might fall apart. The self-proclaimed Spice Master of Paris, Garrance, offers to help Kate turn things around — if she hires his son Charles, a talented chef, total prick, and certified hottie.

Aquarius (January 20-February 18)

The Book of Everlasting Things by Aanchal Malhotra (Dec. 27, Flatiron Books) Self-awareness is key, Aquarius. December will push you to open your eyes to your behaviors and habits in a new way. Being mindful of yourself doesn’t necessarily mean aligning yourself with societal standards. You can break the mold; just be cognizant of how that impacts the people around you. In love, the quiet moments hold the greatest power for your relationship this month. I recommend The Book of Everlasting Things by Aanchal Malhotra. In 1930s Lahore, a perfumer’s apprentice named Samir and a calligrapher’s apprentice named Firdaus fall in love with their own ancient professions and each other. But their beautiful love story is interrupted by political unrest and the fight for Indian independence. Can their relationship survive when suddenly Samir is Indian and Firdaus is Pakistani, making their love forbidden?

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar (Dec. 13, HarperCollins) You set the tone, Pisces. Whether you’re with family, friends, or colleagues, you’ve got great social awareness. December will call on you to use that for the good of the group. You can shift conversations in a healthier and more positive direction. That might also require you to be more direct or confrontational than you prefer. A transformative learning opportunity may arise this month. Check out A Million to One by Adiba Jaigirdar. Aboard the Titanic on its maiden voyage is a valuable secret: a book dripping with gems called the Rubaiyat. Four women who know the Rubaiyat could change their lives — an actress, an acrobat, an artist, and a thief — plan a dangerous heist to steal it. But complicated histories and budding romances between them threaten to ruin their carefully laid plans.

Thanks for joining us for your December 2022 horoscopes and book recommendations! Looking for more books you’ll love based on your sign? Check out your September, October, and November horoscopes and book recommendations!

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and there’s no better way to decorate your dinner table for the big meal than with some seasonal DIY crafts! Even better, these three craft projects can help you show your family just how much you love books. A colorful leaf garland makes a beautiful table runner or a lovely way to brighten up your walls. You can reuse the same stencils to make lovely name cards for your table place settings. And finally, a carved book turns into a vibrant pumpkin that makes the perfect centerpiece. We’ve got DIY steps for each of these projects and tips for which are best to do with kids or how to mix up your crafting with the supplies you already have on hand.

A warning: These craft projects are all made using old books. If the idea of ripping up a book makes you feel squeamish, turn back now. But in my opinion, upcycling books is a great way of breathing fresh life into something that may otherwise only find its way into the dumpster. I found the three books I used for this project in a Little Free Library, and all of them had enough aging and water damage to make them unlikely candidates for finding readers. This way, they’ll be enjoyed in a new way rather than being thrown out or left to rot in Little Free Library space better reserved for less damaged books.

How to Make an Autumnal Leaf Garland from Old Books

This leaf garland was easy to make and added some festive color to my space! You can hang it on a wall, display it above a window, or lay it down the center of your table. It’s a great project for kids, especially if adults can provide help with making the stencils.

Step 1: Make leaf stencils. I went on a walk in my neighborhood and picked up a handful of fallen leaves. You could also print off leaf outlines or freehand draw leaves. I personally like the more organic shapes from the real leaves. I traced the shape of the leaves onto cardboard and cut them out with a combination of scissors and X-acto knife. Cardstock would also work well in place of cardboard.

Step 1B: Remove cat from workspace (optional). You’re a book person, so this might be an important step for you too.

Step 2: Trace stencils onto book pages and cut out shapes. With the older book I used, it was easy to rip out pages to make the shapes easier to trace. I ripped out five pages at a time, traced the shape with pencil, then cut the five pages in a stack to save on tracing and cutting time.

Step 3: Paint leaves. This is the fun part! I painted the leaves with watercolors. They’re easy to find and cheap, and I like how the water aspect gave the book pages a wrinkly texture to make them look more like real leaves. I started off painting them one color each, but later experimented with mixing and blending colors. Anything goes here, which makes it an especially fun project with kids. They can get creative and later find their own artwork among all the leaves on the garland.

Step 4: String leaves together with twine. I had white twine on hand, but a variety of twine or string or even fishing line would work here. Before stringing, I folded the leaves down the center and gave them some additional folds to have a more leafy texture. Then I pierced each leaf roughly through the center using a sharp pencil and strung them on the twine. Finally, I tied large knots on each end of the garland to keep the leaves from falling off. Done!

How to Make Thanksgiving Leaf Name Cards from Old Books

These colorful leaves make great name cards for your Thanksgiving place settings, and you can make them using many of the same materials and steps as the leaf garland above. Kids can again get involved cutting out the leaf shapes and painting them. I have a surplus of wine corks I always hold onto for potential craft projects, and they worked perfectly for keeping these leaves upright, but you could also set the leaves down at each setting. And best of all, you can send your guests home with their own name card to keep as a bookmark!

Step 1: Follow steps above to make leaf stencils and cut leaves from book pages. If you’re also making the garland, then you’ve already done most of the work here!

Step 2: Paint leaves. I again used watercolors for ease and texture. In this case, try to keep a lighter color in the middle of the leaf where you plan to write the name so it will be easier to read.

Step 2B: Remove cat from workstation (optional). This step is especially crucial if you’re working on a rectangular shaped piece of cardboard or paper, because you know they can’t resist it.

Step 3: Write names of guests. I used a thick black Sharpie marker and wrote in my best cursive. Bonus points if you’ve got any calligraphy skills!

Step 4: Cut wine corks. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut into wine corks from the round end to almost halfway down the length of the cork. This creates an easy and cheap stand to set the leaves upright. Once you slide a leaf into the cut in the cork, you’re done!

How to Make a Pumpkin from an Old Book

I’ve seen carved books all over Etsy and Pinterest, and I decided to give it a try myself. While I’m happy with how it turned out, I will warn you that this is a slightly more difficult DIY project. And considering that most of the work involves sharp objects or spray paint, it’s not the best choice for crafting with kids.

Step 1: Trace half pumpkin shape on paperback book cover. I started out printing an outline of a pumpkin as a guide, but I ultimately ended up free-handing the shape. If you’re not using a jigsaw, you will also need to trace the shape onto the back cover. I cut out the shape on the front cover and folded the book down the middle so I could trace the same shape onto the back cover.

Step 2: Cut all pages of book to traced shape. This was the hard part. I used a combination of scissors and an X-acto knife to cut about five pages at a time. It was time consuming, imprecise, and left a lot of tiny pieces of paper on my workspace. That’s why I’d recommend using a jigsaw to get a cleaner cut, if you have one available. But fear not: the final product still ended up looking great, even though I was worried about my messy cutting job at this stage!

Step 3: Hot glue covers together and fan out pages. I used the hot glue gun not only to glue the front and back cover together; I also used hot glue at random pages throughout to encourage the whole thing to fan out. I was able to keep the top of the spine intact, so I glued the edges of that together to create a stem. It would be easy to add cardboard or construction paper for a stem if that doesn’t work out with your book.

Step 3B: Avoid hot gluing cat to book (optional). If yours is like mine, they will be curious about what you’re up to and try to get in the way.

Step 4: Spray paint outer edges of book orange. You don’t need to douse the whole book in paint; focus on the edges of the pages, the top, and the bottom. Make sure to spray paint outside in a well ventilated area, and let it dry thoroughly.

Step 5: Make green leaf (optional). I had a spare leaf from my other projects, so I watercolored it green, folded it to give it texture, and tucked it on top. You could also do this with construction paper. Stick that sucker on top and you’re done!

Hopefully these bookish crafts inspired you to get creative with your old and/or damaged books! You might also enjoy:

Bookish DIY Kits to Buy and Make for Holiday Gifting

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Hello, my name is Susie, and I’m obsessed with books that completely emotionally wreck me. Some people seek out books with uplifting themes and tidy, happy endings. I seek out books about death and grief and loss and heartbreak and tragedy. I don’t know why I’m like this. But if you also can’t resist a cathartic crying session through a devastatingly beautiful book, then I see you, I feel you, and, well, I’ve got some recommendations. While I can’t make any guarantees — after all, people find themselves moved by very different things — this list is full of books to make you ugly cry. We’re not talking a dainty little tear here. We’re talking red faced, snotty, better make sure you have a second box of tissues kind of crying.

Beware of reading these books in public, because you might catch some weird looks. Although crying over a book in front of strangers isn’t always a bad thing. I finished A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara on a plane. This book is so emotionally crushing that it’s been called trauma porn, and you better believe I was downright sobbing at 30,000 feet. But the flight attendant either thought I was really going through something or had read A Little Life herself, because she gave me free drinks for the duration of the flight. Consider this a free tip from me to you: crying over books in public might get you sympathy drinks.

Fiction Books to Make You Ugly Cry

Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng Twelve year old Bird has limited memories of his mother, a Chinese American poet who went missing three years ago. But he’s not the only person wondering what happened to a loved one after a law was passed encouraging Americans to report their neighbors for “unpatriotic ideas,” particularly those of Asian descent. When Bird receives a curious drawing he believes is from his mother, he goes on a dangerous journey to find her. Children being separated from their parents during political upheaval is some surefire crying material for me. The last few chapters of this book have some of the most beautiful and heartbreaking writing I’ve read in a decade.

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune When readers start Under the Whispering Door, its protagonist, Wallace Price, is already dead. The worst is over, yes? No. Wallace wasn’t such a great person in life, but as two strangers escort him to a strange tea shop where he’ll cross over to the other side, he sees he might have a chance to do better in death. Wallace has seven days to learn that there’s more to life than money and success. This book’s reflections on life, death, loss, and purpose are incredibly moving and will quite possibly make you ugly cry. But the good news is that it’s ultimately a hopeful, sweet, and uplifting story that won’t leave you miserable.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong Leave it to poets to get readers all up in their feels. Ocean Vuong’s poetry is stunning and also liable to make you cry (see Time is a Mother), but his debut novel is what we’re crying over here today. This alone is enough to get you started: the story is told through a series of letters from a son called Little Dog to his mother who can’t read. In shifting timelines, Little Dog explores his youth, his family history rooted in Vietnam, his queer identity, and so much more. It’s hard to describe this book, but trust me, it’s absolutely stunning and will break your heart before sewing it right back together.

The School for Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan Thanks to an unsatisfying career and a cheating husband, Frida is having a rough time. The only bright spot is her daughter Harriet, who sees Frida as perfect. But a government program on the lookout for bad mothers disagrees. One bad day could lead to Harriet being taken to a reform school while Frida is taken into custody until she proves she can be a good mother. Yet again, children being forcibly separated from their parents and parents being made to feel inadequate hits hard. This may be set in a dystopian world, but it’s going to turn you into a human puddle in this world right here.

Light from Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki You might think a sci-fi/fantasy novel about violins and a donut shop owned by an intergalactic spaceship captain couldn’t possibly make you cry. But if you give it a read, you’ll probably prove yourself wrong. In order to save herself from eternal damnation, Shizuka made a deal with the devil to deliver the souls of seven other violin prodigies. She only needs one more, and she’s certain a young trans runaway named Katrina Nguyen is her key to breaking her curse. But Shizuka’s plans go awry when she’s charmed by retired starship captain Lan. Light from Uncommon Stars is a delightful and unexpected adventure, but it’s also a moving tale of finding belonging in a hostile world. Pick up an extra box of tissues before you settle down to read it, is all I’m saying.

Memphis by Tara M. Stringfellow The women of the North family have had more than their share of tragedy — violent men, racism, and lynching, to name a few. But they also have incredible gifts. Some can heal through nursing. August has a singing voice that can blow people away. And Joan’s paintings might just change the world. Following three generations of the North family, this book is a love letter to Memphis and to the resilience and passion of Black women. And if you thought you were crying before, wait until you realize this novel is based on the author’s real family history.

Afterlife by Julia Alvarez Antonia Vega expects peace and quiet after retiring from her job as an English professor. But then her husband dies, her sister disappears, and a pregnant, undocumented teen shows up on her doorstep. In an increasingly distrustful world, Antonia’s plight explores what we owe to our families, and how wide the net of family extends. Who is Antonia without her beloved? How can she gather the pieces of her life without him? How can she grapple with the mental illness of someone she loves? This book had a stop-drop-and-cry moment for me, where I had to put it down to let out all the tears. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Nonfiction Books to Make You Ugly Cry

From Scratch: A Memoir of Love, Sicily, and Finding Home by Tembi Locke This book gets the prize for quickest start-to-crying time. I think I was audibly sobbing by, like, page 30. Actress Tembi Locke met her husband, professional chef Saro, while traveling in Sicily. His family didn’t approve of their marriage, but they built a beautiful life together in Los Angeles anyway and adopted their beloved daughter, Zoela. But then Saro was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer that took his life far too quickly. Saro’s death finally brought his parents closer to Tembi. In this memoir, Locke tells the story of their love, Saro’s loss, and her journey to Sicily to introduce Zoela to her father’s family, homeland, and favorite foods. Hot tip: this book is now streaming as a TV series on Netflix starring Zoe Saldaña, so read it and then watch it to cry twice as much!

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner I mean, come on, crying is right there in the name! This memoir by Michelle Zauner, also known as the musical artist Japanese Breakfast, isn’t your typical musician’s memoir. It talks a little about her music career, but is primarily focused on losing her mother to cancer, her relationship to her Korean heritage, and the food that tied it all together. It’s a vulnerable, emotional, and deeply human story of grief and its impact on identity. Read it and you’ll never look at your old family recipes the same way again.

Diary of a Misfit: A Memoir and a Mystery by Casey Parks “Unwelcome” is an understatement for how Casey Parks felt in her home state of Louisiana after coming out as a lesbian. Not only did her family reject her; her pastor outright asked God to kill her. But then her grandmother pulled her aside with a fascinating secret: “I grew up across the street from a woman who lived as a man.” He sang country music under the name Roy Hudgins. Casey’s questions about Roy brought her back to rural Louisiana for a decade of research about him. In this nuanced memoir and journalistic exploration of Roy Hudgins’s life, Casey Parks examines how her acceptance of her own queer identity became wrapped up in the story of a stranger. It’s a beautiful tale of family, belonging, and self-acceptance.

Savor: A Chef’s Hunger for More by Fatima Ali It’s probably pretty obvious that the biography of someone who died of cancer at the age of 29 will be a tearjerker. But Pakistani chef Fatima Ali’s story is so much more than just her death, and the stunning way her story is told here had me downright sobbing. Top Chef fan favorite Fatima Ali’s star was only beginning to rise when she was given a terminal cancer diagnosis. She was determined to complete her bucket list in her last year, traveling the world and eating all the delicious food she’d always dreamed of trying. This memoir includes writing by Ali, writer Tarajia Morrell who she hired to help record her story, and interludes by her mother. The way their voices are woven together creates a complex and poignant portrait of a beautiful life cut far too short.

This is Not a Pity Memoir by Abi Morgan Abi Morgan may not be asking for pity, but her story will likely give you some very big feelings. Abi Morgan’s life was upended one day when she found her partner Jacob unconscious in their home. She spent a hellish six months trying to hold their family together as Jacob was in a coma, with doctors desperately trying to find out what had gone wrong and how to save him. When Jacob finally woke up, it seemed like their family had been granted a second chance — until they realized Jacob didn’t recognize Abi and was convinced she was an imposter.

We hope this list of books to make you ugly cry helped provide you a little catharsis! If you’re looking for more emotional reads to kickstart the waterworks, check out these lists:

The Books That Made Us Sob

13 LGBT Books That Will Make You Cry

11 Books With Sad Endings to Devastate You

It seems like each year brings even more Christmas romances than the last, doesn’t it? Winter holiday romances were hitting the shelves as early as August this year, which may be attributed to the “Hallmark effect.” People need joy and feel-good stories, and Christmas is a known mood-booster during the darkest time of the year. We’re also seeing a rise in Hanukkah romances, like The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer, and New Year’s romances, like This Time Next Year by Sophie Cousens. All the holidays are getting a share of the love, with one notable exception. So I must ask, where are the Thanksgiving romances?

Look, I get it. Christmas is flashy. It’s got all the decorations and pretty lights and cute songs. Romance novel protagonists can kiss under the mistletoe or flirt while gift shopping or argue over which Christmas tree to bring home from the farm. This year, we’re even getting a good number of queer holiday romances, including Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun and You’re a Mean One, Matthew Prince by Timothy Janovsky, among others. Historically, holiday romances have been overwhelmingly written by white authors, but that’s starting to change too with books like The Christmas Clash by Suzanne Park.

But I’ve got to get something off my chest: I’m a Grinch. I hate Christmas. It’s the worst holiday, okay? It’s overly commercialized, it’s stressful, freezing weather sucks, Santa is creepy, and everyone seems to forget that it’s not a secular holiday but actually associated with a colonialist religion that’s harmed a lot of people. “But the stockings! And the reindeer!” I hear you saying. Yes, I know I’m a party pooper. I’m the character in the novel who needs a hot lesbian in a Santa suit to show her the true meaning of Christmas.

I won’t try to pry anyone’s beloved Christmas romance novels out of their cold, mittenless hands. I’m just here to argue that we can spread a little love to the other seasonal holidays, right? And let’s start with Thanksgiving. It’s not a perfect holiday by any means. It’s also colonialist and it erases Indigenous history. That’s something I’d love to see recognized in a Thanksgiving romance, or explored in a romance by an Indigenous author. In fact, let’s normalize holiday romances that point out the problematic nature of the holiday at its center!

Here are the reasons I think this holiday deserves just a little of the romance novel treatment Christmas has received.

There are a handful of Thanksgiving romances out there — you know you can count on self-published authors to deliver the content traditional publishers are lacking — and the ones I’ve read largely revolve around family drama. Jackie Lau’s novella A Match Made for Thanksgiving is part of the Holidays with the Wongs series where each sibling gets a chance at love during a different holiday. In the first, the Wong parents set up each of their adult children with a surprise date for Thanksgiving (Canadian Thanksgiving, which totally counts). But Nick just had an unforgettable one-night stand with Lily, the date his parents invited for his brother Greg. Confusion, jealousy, and secret flirting obviously ensue.

An original and entertaining mashup of literature and astrology for book lovers and star-watchers alike. 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 answering key questions: What protagonist embarks on a journey that tempts you to join them? What author also shares your sign and speaks to those traits? What you will learn in Reading the Stars will enrich your reading experience and personal life.

Welcome to Book Riot’s November 2022 Horoscopes and Book Recommendations! If you’re like me, you’re starting to wonder how you’ll wrap up your year of reading. It’s not too late to fit in a few more new releases. But which new November book should you add to your TBR? Let the planets be your guide! Check out your horoscope below for a look at the month ahead, along with a book recommendation perfect for your sign.

This month marks five years that I’ve been writing horoscopes and book recommendations for Book Riot, and that fact has me feeling all grateful and weepy. But maybe that’s the impending lunar eclipse on November 8 making me notice how everything always comes back around. Astrologically speaking, eclipses tend to bring about a period of clarity for your path forward or a clearer perspective on any issues you’ve been facing. Step outside to take a look at that full moon eclipse on November 8, especially if you’ve got a clear view of it on the West coast of North America or on the opposite side of the Pacific. Bring any big life questions with you, and you might just find the answers you’ve been seeking.

Aries (March 21-April 19)

Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse (Nov. 15, Saga Press) Is there something you need to set right, Aries? The end of the year is sneaking up on you, and the stars are pushing you to address your problems rather than sweeping them under the rug. A rocky relationship may be in need of some attention. Perhaps it’s time to return to a project you put on the backburner. Loose ends from past months may trip you up in the future if you ignore them now. Check out Tread of Angels by Rebecca Roanhorse. In an alternate 19th century American West, the town of Goetia is a prospecting center for a strange new element that’s leading to big technological advancements. But Goetian society is strictly divided by class, and two sisters raised in very different circumstances must overcome their differences when one is accused of murder.

Taurus (April 20-May 20)

Small Game by Blair Braverman (Nov. 1, Ecco Press) Be cognizant of the company you keep, Taurus. You aren’t often susceptible to others’ opinions, but this month finds you especially vulnerable to outside influence. Beware of advice from untrusted sources. On the flip side, people may be looking to you as a mentor in November. You have great power to set an example. Time spent guiding others may karmically return to you sooner than you think. You should read Small Game, a new novel by adventurer and dogsledder Blair Braverman. Wilderness survival teacher Mara has long been acquainted with the dangers of the wild. When she’s cast on a reality show where she can win big prize money for surviving six weeks in the Northern wild, she’s more equipped for the challenge than most of her five teammates. But when tragedy strikes during the game, they don’t know if it’s part of the show or a terrible accident that puts them all at risk.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)

Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson (Nov. 8, Ecco) Your thoughts have great power, Gemini. Curiosity and creativity are two of your most impactful gifts. But letting your mind go down dark and dangerous paths won’t just impact your November, but also those around you. You can’t control every passing idea, but you can control what you act on. Meditation can be especially useful for you this month, or a trip away from home may change your perspective. Read Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson. Two lonely teenagers — aspiring writer Frankie and aspiring artist Zeke — find creative inspiration and a romantic spark together over a summer in a small Tennessee town. Together, they craft an eye-catching poster and decide to post it around town. But a harmless act snowballs into something much larger that will continue to impact their lives for decades to come.

Cancer (June 21-July 22)

Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win by Susan Azim Boyer (Nov. 1, Wednesday Books) Put yourself first this month, Cancer. You prioritize caring for your family and loved ones, but you can’t let your own tank run empty. It’s okay to accept care from others. At work, it may be time to demand some recognition for your contributions. Even if it feels awkward, being overlooked will hurt your career in the long run. Consider returning to an old hobby or relaxing activity to replenish your spirit. I recommend Jasmine Zumideh Needs a Win by Susan Azim Boyer. In a 1979 California suburb, Jasmine is a senior in high school with big dreams of going to NYU to become a journalist. Listing herself as Senior Class President-Elect on her NYU application ahead of the election seemed like a good idea at the time; all she has to do was clench the win. But then Iran makes international news, and her competitor’s anti-Iranian campaign against her makes trouble abroad Jasmine’s problem too.

Leo (July 23-August 22)

Better than Fiction by Alexa Martin (Nov. 8, Berkley Books) It’s time to make a change, Leo. You’ve come round the bend of a difficult period, and things are looking brighter ahead. Now is the time to decide what you really want and what you’re willing to do to get it. Career changes for Leo are auspicious in November, and better financial security might come with it. Make your decision based on what you’ve learned from the universe in recent months. Check out Better than Fiction by Alexa Martin. Inheriting a bookstore may be someone’s dream, but it definitely isn’t a dream for book hater Drew Young when her grandmother dies and she’s left in charge of her store The Book Nook. Bestselling author Jasper Williams sees an opportunity when he meets Drew at a book signing: if she shows him around Denver to research his next book, he’ll convince her there’s magic in reading.

Virgo (August 23-September 22)

Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake (Nov. 22, Berkley Books) Pay attention to the signs, Virgo. The planets are pushing you toward something better, but you must open yourself up to receive the message. You deserve the good things coming to you. It may be time to let go of some of the negative forces in your life to make room for the positive. November may also require you to speak up on behalf of someone who can’t speak for themself. You should read Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail by Ashley Herring Blake. Astrid’s life was upturned when she ended her engagement a year ago. Romance is the last thing on her mind when she gets a job remodeling an old inn for a reality TV show. But when sparks fly during her disagreements with the lead carpenter, Astrid realizes her love life and the inn may both be getting a much-needed revamp.

Libra (September 23-October 22)

Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light: Fifty Poems for Fifty Years by Joy Harjo (Nov. 1, W.W. Norton & Company) Ready for some soul searching, Libra? Life circumstances will lead you to important introspective work in November. Although trusted mentors may have helpful advice, beware of letting others take control of your big decisions. Romance is fortuitous this month, especially if you’re honest with yourself and partners about your needs. New love may be found while traveling. I recommend Weaving Sundown in a Scarlet Light, a poetry collection by former U.S. poet laureate Joy Harjo. These poems taken from half a century of Harjo’s work show the powerful words and moving themes that have made her an unforgettable voice in the world of poetry. Even better, it includes an introduction by Sandra Cisneros, Harjo’s notes on inspirations for various poems, and a reflection on what her poems reveal about the current world.

Scorpio (October 23-November 21)

White Horse by Erika T. Wurth (Nov. 1, Flatiron Books) Don’t give up now, Scorpio. A finish line is just around the corner, but taking a shortcut could foil everything. You’ve always known how to keep your eye on the prize, and the planets will remind you of that power in November. A journey away from home may bring a fresh perspective. It could even highlight a new job opportunity. In love, don’t let suspicions ruin a good thing. Trust is key! Check out White Horse by Erika T. Wurth. The last thing Kari wants is to deal with her ghosts; she’d much rather hang out at the local bar or listen to heavy metal. But when a cousin gives her a bracelet that belonged to Kari’s murdered mother, her mother’s actual ghost is conjured, along with a dark creature that won’t stop hunting Kari until she uncovers the her family’s darkest secrets.

Sagittarius (November 22-December 21)

Saha by Cho Nam-Joo, translated by Jamie Chang (Nov. 1, Liveright) You’ve got the vision, Sagittarius. Even if others question your decisions this month, trust your instincts and rely on what you’ve learned in past experiences. Your work may require you to take the reins in a difficult situation. Clear communication can help you lead effectively, especially if disagreements seem insurmountable. Finances are strong in November; treat yourself or a loved one accordingly. Read Saha by Cho Nam-Joo. In this dystopian sci-fi, former fishing village Town has been taken over by a large conglomerate and now has every luxury. Only those with “valuable skills and assets” are considered true citizens. Just outside of Town lie the Saha Estates, where those considered disposable are left to live without electricity or basic necessities. Saha tells the stories of those who live in the shadow of Town, fighting for their own futures.

Capricorn (December 22-January 19)

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama (Nov. 15, Crown) Trust the process, Capricorn. You’ve got less control over your circumstances than you prefer this month. But while you can’t direct every situation, you can be intentional with your own actions. Details can make all the difference in November. Pay close attention so they don’t trip you up. It may be time to set things right with an estranged member of your family ahead of the holidays. I recommend The Light We Carry by fellow Capricorn Michelle Obama. Through a combination of stories and heartfelt advice, Obama discusses finding optimism, hope, and strength in an increasingly unstable feeling world. Not only is her writing life affirming and empowering, it also provides concrete tips for building your support network, dealing with self-doubt, navigating interpersonal disagreements, and more.

Aquarius (January 20-February 18)

The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On by Franny Choi (Nov. 1, Ecco Books) It’s time to step up, Aquarius. Some might accuse you of being flighty, but November is the time to prove them wrong and commit to what matters to you most. At work, taking the lead in a challenging situation can change how your colleagues see you. The planets may push you to take on a new educational endeavor. Your family is blessed this month, so look for time with relatives to recharge. Read new poetry collection The World Keeps Ending, and the World Goes On by Franny Choi. Set around past, present, and future apocalyptic moments, it explores dystopian themes and fear. But even more, these poems explore togetherness, strength, responsibility, and hope when everything feels hopeless.

Pisces (February 19-March 20)

Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun (Nov. 1, Atria Books) What loose ends do you want to tie up before the end of the year, Pisces? The planets are pressuring you to set things right in your relationships, as well as in how you treat yourself. You may need to call on your loved ones for help and support in November. They want to be there for you when you need them. If you make room, important new people may soon enter your life. You should read Kiss Her Once for Me by Alison Cochrun. After getting fired from her job as an animator, Ellie is barely scraping by working at a coffee shop. The shop’s landlord Andrew makes a drunken offer of a marriage of convenience so he can get his inheritance. But things get complicated when Ellie meets Andrew’s family and realizes she might be in love with his sister.

Thanks for joining us for your November 2022 horoscopes and book recommendations! Looking for more books you’ll love based on your sign? Check out your August, September, and October horoscopes and book recommendations!