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Culture > Entertainment

New Books to Read During Winter (According to Your Zodiac Sign)

Dorilyn Toledo
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UC Irvine chapter.

I am exploring different genres to expand my horizons in continuation of my hot book summer and autumn reads. You’ll never know if you like something you never try. Here is my winter-inspired TBR list.

Capricorn Season – Mystery

Mystery suits Capricorn well for their goal-oriented personality. The reverse is also true: your ambition and grit can make y’all some emotionally tough nuts to crack!

In honor of Capricorns, I picked up the first in the cozy murder mystery series by Mia P. Manansala. Arsenic and Adobo was an absolute delight to read. It’s fast-paced, has a diverse cast of loveable characters, a bit of a love triangle going on (with two POC love interests for the mc—Netflix could never!), and lots of Filipino food. 

I’m salivating at the thought of the sequel, Homicide and Halo-Halo. NetGalley publishers, if you’re reading this, please send me the next part(s) of the Tita Rosie’s Kitchen Mystery trilogy!

While I thoroughly enjoyed reading this light-hearted Filipino American novel, I think the genre of detective fiction could be triggering due to the presence of police/copaganda. Racial profiling, tampering of evidence, and the laissez-faire attitude to human life and capital punishment are traumatic practices to reckon with.

Seasonal Depression – Self-help

For this darker time’s seasonal depression, self-care and self-help are critical; we need to be well-taken care of to engage in community care. 

I read The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck —LOL, no. Imagine? Anyways…in the pursuit of communal and self-care, I read adrienne maree brown’s Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good. I’m completely in love with this book, and not just because of its directive to have an orgasm before each section.

I’ve never wanted to be more in-tune with my erotic self — erotic in the sense of informed, unashamed, and direct. I’ve tweeted threads of my favorite quotes among which encourages masturbation to move through creative blocks, and recognizes that focusing on suffering is not inspiring liberation. Like relationships, activism and organizing are necessary and pleasurable because we can imagine new possibilities and be in-tuned with ourselves enough to pursue them.

This reads more as a series of political essays, so I can’t yet determine if the self-help genre is for me. I enjoyed having my ideology tinkered with and expanded because I felt seen by the editor. Moving forward, I’ll welcome recommendations from other QTBIPOC authors.

New Year, New Me – Dystopian

Now, I’m not saying that saying “new year, new me” is necessarily rooted in fantasy…but the new year does present a reflective time to consider what we’ve been and what we have the potential to become. Dystopian novels are a chilling example of ill-informed improvement.

Admittedly, the book I read was prompted by my dad. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is his favorite book for its inventive social hierarchy. While this was definitely interesting, I didn’t feel compelled. This put me into a reading slump, so I had to DNF it (sorry, dad!). I might try to revisit it sometime in the future. 

If classics aren’t your thing, don’t worry. The Hunger Games YA trilogy is a great place to start. Themes of wealth disparities, bodily autonomy, and revolution are entirely accessible, especially considering the movie franchise. I revisited the series via audiobook over qQuarantine and consequently re-fell in love with reading (and Peeta Mellark). Much thanks to its author, Suzanne Collins!

So I know I can like dystopian novels. adrienne maree brown devotes a section of Pleasure Activism to the imaginative works of Octavia E. Butler, so I’ll probably continue there.

Aquarius Season – Graphic Novel

The NLOGs of the astrology signs, Aquariuses, deserve something unique. While there is a discourse (naturally) on the merits of graphic novels, these books build the same reading and visual processing skills as traditional books. And needless to say, they’re fun to look at! Jillian Tamaki’s SuperMutant Magic Academy proves graphic novels to be compelling, complex, and lengthy reads. The art style took a while for me to get used to. Each page is its own stand-alone comic but still contributes to a larger narrative. The work is quirky, LGBTQ+ inclusive, and all sorts of wonderful.

Valentine’s Day – Poetry

Since I already connected the romance genre to cuffing season, for Love Day, I considered the romantic side of prose: poetry

Sea of Strangers by Lang Leav attracted me immediately with its bold cover and curious title. It is both poetry and prose with themes of love, betrayal, and heartache. I adore the incorporation of a writer’s perspective. I enjoyed reading the prose more, but this work does make me want to continue seeking out poetry. 

I now have Adrienne Rich and Yesika Salgado on my TBR.

Pisces season – Memoir

The mutable water sign, emotional and adaptable, reminds me of memoirs. Distinct from biographies, memoirs intentionally focus on an emotional, topical, lived experience rather than presenting chronological facts.

I began with Little Weirds by Jenny Slate. Definitely off-center, however, never off-putting, Slate communicates in a way that is intrinsically optimistic and deeply humanizing. If she can be vulnerable and weird yet remain loveable, so can I. Honestly, this book can be A LOT. I recommend consuming this in bits, savoring Slate like the treat she is.

Reading Speak, Okinawa by Elizabeth Miki Brina was a different experience. I cried so often reading this, I had to take a break because the tears blurred my vision. Brina writes about her parents: an Okinawan war bride and a white American war veteran—documenting the power dynamics and shame about her mixed identity. Apologizing along the way, Brina breaks and heals my heart over and over again. Multilayered and employing historical story-telling, I can imagine anyone affected by Empire (ahem, everyone) being able to relate to parts of this.

These were deeply personal and moving. Literary fiction might have to watch out—memoirs may become my favorite genre! 

Let me know your thoughts or tell me your favorite genre!

Reading these different genres made me realize they all have something fresh to offer, yet they have something in common—any genre can center the lived human experience. It’s all subjective. Understanding and loving a book requires empathy, inhabitation, and investment. I hope you read a book you love soon.

Books Discussed:

You are what you love. In my case, it's riot grrrl music, healing reads, and bell hooks quotes. I am a national HC writer and a chapter editor at UC Irvine, where I study political science and social ecology.