November 2023 Horoscopes and Book Recommendations

Good things take time, Libra. Everything in your life feels to be moving at a glacial pace in November, and your patience is wearing thin. But if you adjust your expectations, you can make good use of this waiting period. It’s a perfect time to travel and learn from other people and places. Even if it seems like you’re standing still, the end of the month will reveal how far you’ve come. I recommend To Free the Captives by Tracy K. Smith. In these essays, award-winning author and poet Smith reflects on her father and grandfather’s lives, using their challenges in 20th-century Alabama as a window into American history and how it continues to shape the present for Black families. It’s a powerful, personal narrative with an expansive message about how we understand our country’s and our own histories.

Where do you fit in, Scorpio? The planets are giving you an expansive view of the big picture this month. Expect some big questions about your priorities and how you approach problems in your life. While this reflection can be uncomfortable for you, it’s also crucial for your growth. Taking time now to figure out the intersections of the forces in your life will be massively important in the year ahead. Read A Grandmother Begins the Story by Michelle Porter. Newly single young mother Carter is determined to connect with the Métis roots she only learned about as a teenager. Carter’s mother, Allie, wants to protect her daughter from the cycles of violence and grief she’s experienced. Through lyrical, spiritual storytelling, we see five generations of women in Carter and Allie’s family determined to maintain the thread of their connections to each other and grow their legacy into the future.

You can turn things around, Sagittarius. November is full of obstacles for you and your loved ones. But with your unique perspective and creativity, you can find the bright side of any situation. You’ve got the vision; you simply have to get everyone else on board. In your romantic life, a relationship that starts slow can transform into something unexpectedly great, given a little time. You should read The Vulnerables by Sigrid Nunez. A creatively stifled writer, an adrift young adult, and a particularly clever miniature macaw named Eureka share a luxury apartment in New York City during the coronavirus lockdown. As they attempt to care for each other under unusual circumstances, the writer wonders, what does it mean to write a timeless story? How does our present shape our view of the past? It’s a tender, moving portrait of a writer’s reflection on how our stories can bring us together.

You’re growing in new directions, Capricorn. The planets are prodding you to expand beyond your comfort zone and prove what you can do. All that growth can be uncomfortable, but it will be rewarding this month, too. With patience and a little courage, you’ll surprise yourself — and the people in your life — with how much you can achieve. If you feel stuck, look for inspiration in nature. Check out Seek by Scott Shigeoka. Curiosity is frequently considered an innate personality trait or something that wanes with time. But curiosity is also a practice, one that can be used for personal growth, finding understanding with others, and so much more. In this book, Shigeoka explores the lives of highly curious people, from ancient wayfinders to today’s young people looking for new perspectives, and shares useful tools for engaging your curiosity across aspects of your life.

November is off to a rocky start for you, Aquarius. The first week of the month will throw a wrench in your plans and force you to reassess what truly matters. That doesn’t mean the whole month is a waste! If you take advantage of the frustrations and craft a new plan, it can take you far. Money, travel, and education are all fortuitous for you if you’re capable of thinking on your feet. This month, read Gator Country by Rebecca Renner. This true crime book follows Officer Jeff Babauta on his undercover operation into the Florida Everglades’s alligator poaching circles. Babauta created a fake persona and business to bring illegal alligator trappers to justice. But as he was welcomed into their circles and witnessed the realities of their lives, Babauta realized their motives were more complicated than he realized. It’s a twisty, swampy, true story about human survival in a dangerous natural landscape.

Protect your heart, Pisces. November will bring many challenges to your door. You’ve got the courage to face them as long as you put yourself first. Avoid taking setbacks at work personally, and stay away from toxic colleagues who take advantage of your generous spirit. Difficulties with family and romance are harder on your boundaries. Find time for yourself to recharge. Check out Gwen & Art Are Not in Love by Lex Croucher. Princess Gwendoline and future lord Arthur have been betrothed for their whole lives, and neither of them is happy about it. They’re given a summer to bond at Camelot before their wedding. In short order, Gwen catches Art kissing a boy, and Art finds out Gwen is hiding a secret crush on a lady knight. They realize they can put aside their hatred for each other and instead work together to get what they want. But they’ll get into plenty of messes along the way.