written by Senior Circulation Librarian Thomas Rutigliano
September is here and October is near, which means it’s time to celebrate two zodiac signs with very different but equally lovable energies: Virgo and Libra.
Whether you’re a Virgo who loves a meticulously organized plot or a Libra who can’t resist a gorgeous romance, we’ve got books at the library that match your vibe.
Virgo Energy: Thoughtful, Analytical & Detail-Oriented
Virgo season is all about quiet confidence, curiosity, and noticing the little things. These books are for readers who love clever characters, intricate stories, and a plot worth thinking about long after the last page. Here are some picks from fellow Virgo Senior Circulation Assistant Thomas
Adult Fiction:
Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reed
Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That is, until she comes across an advertisement seeking the first women scientists to join NASA’s space shuttle program. Suddenly, Joan burns to be one of the few people to go to space.
Selected from a pool of thousands of applicants in the summer of 1980, Joan begins training at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, alongside an exceptional group of fellow candidates: Top Gun pilot Hank Redmond and scientist John Griffin, who are kind and easygoing even when the stakes are highest; mission specialist Lydia Danes, who has worked too hard to play nice; warmhearted Donna Fitzgerald, who is navigating her own secrets; and Vanessa Ford, the magnetic and mysterious aeronautical engineer, who can fix any engine and fly any plane.
As the new astronauts become unlikely friends and prepare for their first flights, Joan finds a passion and a love she never imagined. In this new light, Joan begins to question everything she thinks she knows about her place in the observable universe.
Then, in December of 1984, on mission STS-LR9, it all changes in an instant.
Fast-paced, thrilling, and emotional, Atmosphere is Taylor Jenkins Reid at her best: transporting readers to iconic times and places, creating complex protagonists, and telling a passionate and soaring story about the transformative power of love–this time among the stars.
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Sisters in Yellow in Mieko Kawakami
Hana has nothing – she’s fifteen years old and living in a tiny apartment in a suburb of Tokyo with her young mother, a hostess at a local dive bar. They have no money, no security. Then Kimiko appears.
Kimiko is older, a bright light in Hana’s dark world. Together they set up Lemon, a bar that, despite its shabby setting and seedy clientele, becomes a haven for Hana. Suddenly Hana has a job she loves, friends to share her days with, and the glittering promise of money. She feels like a normal girl. She feels invincible.
But in the narrow alleys of Sangenjaya, nothing is as it seems. Soon all of Hana’s hope, her optimism, and her drive will be pushed to the limit . . .
A story of enduring friendship and deep betrayal, Sisters in Yellow is a masterpiece of teenage dreams and adult cruelties that confirms Mieko Kawakami as one of the great writers of her generation.
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte Mcconaghy
Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore.
Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again.
But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late–and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.
A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.
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Mina’s Matchbox by Yoko Ogawa
In the spring of 1972, twelve-year-old Tomoko leaves her mother behind in Tokyo and boards a train alone for Ashiya, a coastal town in Japan, to stay with her aunt’s family. Tomoko’s aunt is an enigma and an outlier in her working-class family, and her magnificent home–and handsome foreign husband, the president of a soft drink company–are symbols of that status. The seventeen rooms are filled with German-made furnishings; there are sprawling gardens and even an old zoo where the family’s pygmy hippopotamus resides. The family is just as beguiling as their mansion–Tomoko’s dignified and devoted aunt, her German great-aunt, and her dashing, charming uncle, who confidently sits as the family’s patriarch. At the center of the family is Tomoko’s cousin Mina, a precocious, asthmatic girl of thirteen who draws Tomoko into an intoxicating world full of secret crushes and elaborate storytelling.
In this elegant jewel box of a book, Yoko Ogawa invites us to witness a powerful and formative interlude in Tomoko’s life. Behind the family’s sophistication are complications that Tomoko struggles to understand–her uncle’s mysterious absences, her great-aunt’s experience of the Second World War, her aunt’s misery. Rich with the magic and mystery of youthful experience, Mina’s Matchbox is an evocative snapshot of a moment frozen in time–and a striking depiction of a family on the edge of collapse.
Sunrise by Téa Obreht
Three lives, one hundred years, one ghost town: an explosive novel about a mysterious place called Sunrise, where the secrets of the past refuse to stay buried, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger’s Wife.
A Little Life by Hanya Yanighara
A Little Life follows four college classmates–broke, adrift, and buoyed only by their friendship and ambition–as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. While their relationships, which are tinged by addiction, success, and pride, deepen over the decades, the men are held together by their devotion to the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man scarred by an unspeakable childhood trauma. A hymn to brotherly bonds and a masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century, Hanya Yanagihara’s stunning novel is about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves.
Frankenstein written by Mary Shelley
The epic battle between man and monster reaches its greatest pitch in the famous story of Frankenstein. In trying to create life, the young student Victor Frankenstein unleashes forces beyond his control, setting into motion a long and tragic chain of events that brings Victor himself to the very brink. How he tries to destroy his creation, as it destroys everything Victor loves, is a powerful story of love, friendship . . . and horror.
Non Fiction
Matriarch: a memoir by Tina Knowles-Lawson
Here is a page-turning chronicle of family love and heartbreak, loss and perseverance, and the kind of creativity, audacity, and will it takes for a girl from Galveston to change the world. Matriarch is one brilliant woman’s intimate and revealing story, and a multigenerational family saga that carries within it the story of America–and the wisdom that women pass on to each other, mothers to daughters, across generations.
Keanu Reeves’ Excellent Adventure – An Unauthorized Biography by Marc Shapiro
Keanu is seen as a hero by everyone, on screen and in real life. Life is like a matrix with many ups and downs, many successes and sufferings that have made Keanu Reeves talented and extremely kind.
Happy Go Lucky written by David Sedaris
The best-selling author offers a new collection of satirical and humorous essays that chronicle his own life and ordinary moments that turn beautifully absurd, including how he coped with the pandemic, his thoughts on becoming an orphan in his seventh decade, and the battle-scared America he discovered when he resumed touring.
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Libra Energy: Romantic, Stylish & Social
Libras appreciate beauty, balance, relationships, and—let’s be honest—a little drama. These are the books for readers who want a beautiful setting, complicated relationships, swoony moments, or a story that simply feels aesthetic.
Adult Fiction:
Mona’s Eyes by Thomas Schlesser
Ten-year-old Mona and her beloved grandfather have only fifty-two Wednesdays to visit fifty-two works of art and commit to memory “all that is beautiful in the world” before Mona loses her sight forever.
While the doctors can find no explanation for Mona’s brief episode of blindness, they agree that the threat of permanent vision loss cannot be ruled out. The girl’s grandfather, Henry, may not be able to stop his granddaughter from losing her sight, but he can fill the encroaching darkness with beauty. Every Wednesday for a year, the pair abscond together and visit a single masterpiece in one of Paris’s renowned museums. From Botticelli to Basquiat, Mona learns how each artist’s work shaped the world around them. In turn, the young girl’s world is changed forever by the power of their art. Under the kind and careful tutelage of her grandfather, Mona learns the true meaning of generosity, melancholy, love, loss, and revolution. Her perspective will never be the same–nor will the reader’s.
Mona’s Eyes is a heartfelt, enlightening journey across five centuries of Western art history. With the emotional impact of The Elegance of the Hedgehog and the readability of The Little Paris Bookshop, Thomas Schlesser’s sensational debut novel is at once a moving book about the beauty of life and a deeply touching story about the special bond between a girl and her grandfather.
The Healing Season of Pottery by Yon, So-Min
After breaking down at the office and abruptly quitting her job, thirty-year-old Jungmin holes up in her apartment, speaking to no one for days on end. When she finally emerges, she stumbles upon a pottery studio in her neighborhood and is invited in by the mysterious workshop teacher. The smell of clay, the light filtering through the plant filled windows, the friendly cat, and the incredible coffee the students drink awaken her senses and make her feel alive and inspired for the first time in months.
As the seasons change, Jungmin slowly returns to herself and builds a new community with the other members of the studio, who are all working through their own pasts at the pottery wheel. When the holidays approach and snow piles up on the studio windowsill, Jungmin realizes how much she has changed–with her hands busy and her mind clear, she may be ready to face the memories she’s been running from and open her heart.
For fans of What You Are Looking For Is in the Library and Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop, Yeon’s charming English-language debut is a testament to the joy of slowing down in a fast-paced world, and an homage to the art of ceramics and the power of friendship. Readers won’t want to leave the enchanting world of The Healing Season of Pottery after the final page.
Go Gentle:A Novel written by Marie Semple
Adora Hazzard has it all figured out. A Stoic philosopher and divorcée, she lives a contented life on New York City’s Upper West Side. Having discovered that the secret to happiness is to desire only what you have, she’s applied this insight to blissful effect: relishing her teenage daughter, the freedom of being single, and her job as a moral tutor for the twin boys of an old-money family. She’s even assembled a “coven”–like-minded women who live on the same floor in the legendary Ansonia. Adora’s carefully curated life is humming along brilliantly until a chance meeting with a handsome stranger.
Soon, her ordered world is upended by black-market art deals, secret rendezvous, and international intrigue . . . and her past–which she has worked so hard to bury–lands like a bomb in her present. Inflamed by unquenchable desire, Adora finds herself a woman wanting more: and she’ll risk everything to get it.
Romantic, hilarious, intelligent, and bursting with the stuff of life, Go Gentle is a thrilling story of one woman’s midlife transformation, cementing Maria Semple in the pantheon of our most exciting and important contemporary writers.
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Adult Nonfiction
How to Relax written by Thich Naht Hanh
The fifth book in the bestselling Mindfulness Essentials series, a back-to-basics collection from world-renowned Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh that introduces everyone to the essentials of mindfulness practice.
Thich Nhat Hanh says that when we relax, we “become calm water, and we will reflect reality as it is. If we’re not calm, the image we reflect will be distorted. When the image is distorted by our minds, it’s not the reality, and it causes lots of suffering.” Relaxation is essential for accessing the tranquility and joy that lead to increased personal well-being. With sections on healing, relief from nonstop thinking, transforming unpleasant sounds, solitude, being peace, and more, How to Relax includes meditations you can do to help you achieve the benefits of relaxation no matter where you are.
Scientific studies indicate that meditation contributes tremendously to well-being, general health, and longevity. How to Relax is a unique gift for those who want a simple guide to achieving deep relaxation, controlling stress, and renewing mental freshness and clarity, appropriate for those practicing in any spiritual tradition, whether seasoned practitioners or new to meditations.
With sumi-ink drawings by celebrated artist Jason DeAntonis.
When Virgo Meets Libra…
Some books simply refuse to choose between the two. They’re smart and beautiful, thoughtful and romantic, structured and delightfully dramatic. Here are two that come to my mind!
Akiko’s Quiet Happiness by Jan-Phillipe Sendker
Still grieving the death of her mother, 29-year-old Akiko is single and lives in self-imposed isolation in Tokyo. Then one evening, she unexpectedly runs into Kento, her first love from school. Kento now leads a reclusive life as a hikikomori, only venturing out at night.
At the same time, Akiko discovers evidence that her mother had been lying to her about their family, causing her to doubt everything. She has to admit to herself that she doesn’t know who she is.
With Kento’s help, Akiko embarks on a journey into her own history, which takes her life in surprising directions and leads her to questions she had never dared to ask herself before: How do I want to live? And do I have the courage to love?
Intention Obsession: A Practical and Fun Witchcraft Companion with Self-Care Rituals and DIY Projects, Embrace Your Inner Witch and Manifest Your Dreams by Erica Feldman
Conjure an intention-filled life with this practical astrology guidebook of magickal rituals for every season of the zodiac, from Erica Feldmann, owner and founder of the Salem-based store, HausWitch.
Let’s face it, we could all use a bit more magick in our lives. Even if you’re not ready to commit to a black velvet cloak or join a coven (yet), Intention Obsession is a book for every kind of modern witch, sharing practical magick and self-care rituals for any lifestyle. Think of the magick in this book as an antidote to our world of relentless productivity, oppression, and estrangement.
As the owner of the popular HausWitch store in “Witch City” Salem, Massachusetts, Erica Feldmann knows firsthand that many people are curious about witchcraft, but don’t quite know where to start. This book is her invitation into a new, enchanting realm, where you can learn to create and manifest the life you want to live by working with intention.
Organized by the seasons of the zodiac, from Aries to Pisces, this guide will showcase the archetypal powers of each season and teach you how to create a ritual regimen you can honor all year long. Filled with fun spellcasting and DIY projects, like:
- Planting a pleasure garden for indulgent Taurus season
- Creating a DIY Shower Salt Scrub for watery Cancer season
- Mixing up magickal sun tea recipes to celebrate the sun in Leo
- Throwing a super-organized dinner party for type-A Virgo season
This book will empower you to craft a life of intention; defy oppressive structures like capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy; and connect deeply with the energies of the universe. Just let each page awaken your intuition and empower you to manifest your most intentional life.
Stop by Lynnfield Library and browse the shelves for your next zodiac-coded read. You might just find the book that matches your energy.
Which sign are you and what book gives off your energy?