Born between January 20th and February 18th? Good news: you’re an Aquarius! Smart, independent and super idealistic, Aquarius is the brilliant rebel of the zodiac.
According to modern astrology, Aquarius is ruled by Uranus, the planet of progress, technology and revolution. More than any other zodiac sign, Aquarius looks to the future, always up for new, unconventional ways of doing things. This could mean keeping up with cutting-edge tech, dreaming about going to Mars or just having big dreams about how to make the world a better place.
Aquarius is also one of the zodiac’s three air signs (the other two being Gemini and Libra). These signs tend to be more logical than emotional, more interested in ideas than feelings. In other words, Aquarius is always looking for intellectual stimulation: whether that comes from art, books and movies, or just from great conversation with other bright minds.
We’ve put together a list of page-turners to suit every type of Aquarius: from the stargazer to the tech lover, the utopian dreamer to the smarty who just wants a brilliant new novel to hold their attention. Whether or not you’re a true believer in astrology, you’ll love these great reads!
Books to read if you're an Aquarius
"The Disordered Cosmos," by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
No list of books for Aquarians would be complete without one about space. Whether their interest tends toward UFOs, moon missions or science fiction, it’s a bit of a stereotype that this air sign is obsessed with the cosmos. While this certainly doesn’t describe every Aquarius, there’s at least a bit of truth to it.
In "The Disordered Cosmos," theoretical physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein writes beautifully about her love for physics and astronomy, about the ways that science hasn’t been equally accessible to everyone…but in the future, it could be. The science is fascinating and the idealistic vision at this book’s core is stirring and beautiful: a perfect Aquarian combination.
"The Body Scout," by Lincoln Michel
If your interest in science and the future runs more to fiction than fact, try Lincoln Michel’s "The Body Scout." In a future New York City where cloning, biohacking and cybernetic limbs are commonplace, a genetically modified star baseball player dies a bizarre death at the plate — and his brother, baseball scout Kobo, is called on to investigate.
Kobo’s investigation through a high-tech, dystopian city is sometimes funny, sometimes unsettling and always a completely wild ride. Michel’s writing combines smarts and playfulness (both classically Aquarian traits!) to make a book that’s fun and satisfying from beginning to end.
"Lurkers," by Sandi Tan
In spite of the stereotypes, Aquarius isn’t all about tech and the future. Sometimes, an Aquarian just wants a classic, smart novel: one about people, about families, about our lives and dramas and relationships.
Enter Sandi Tan’s "Lurkers." The follow-up to Tan’s award-winning Netflix documentary "Shirkers," "Lurkers" tells the interconnected stories of residents of a fictional Los Angeles suburb, including a pair of Korean American teen sisters desperate to avoid a move to Korea; a cynical horror novelist dealing with aging; and a young woman whose childhood crush has troublingly re-entered her life. Propulsive, funny, often sarcastic but surprisingly life-affirming, "Lurkers" is brainy, imaginative and totally original.
"Winter," by Ali Smith
Of all four lovely books in Scottish writer Ali Smith’s seasonal quartet, "Winter" is the most Aquarian — and not only because Aquarius is a winter sign. In the book, four people gather in a big old house for Christmas: Sophia; her estranged sister Iris, a longtime peace activist; Iris’s son Art, a nature blogger; and a young woman named Lux who is posing, at Art’s request, as his girlfriend.
Plot-wise, it’s a simple book about a complicated family coming together for the holidays. In spite of its chilly setting, the book is unendingly warm and hopeful; Ali Smith taps into an Aquarian kind of humanism, a belief that there’s enough space at the table for everyone.
"The Seed Keeper," by Diane Wilson
Dakhóta writer Diane Wilson’s beautiful debut novel tells the story of Rosalie Iron Wing, who returns to the cabin where she grew up after the death of her husband. During a long, difficult winter, she must reckon with her history and seek new connections with her land and her people.
It’s a moving multi-generational story about the destruction of Native American families, communities and lands — but also about reconnection, hope and the natural world. In "The Seed Keeper," new “progressive” technology is more likely to harm — both people and land — than help, but Wilson offers a different kind of idealism: one where community, famil and the seeds can create the future we're seeking.
For more stories like this, check out:
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