Madame Clairevoyant’s Guide to the Stars: Astrology, Our Icons, and Our Selves

Comstock-Gay, who writes as Madame Clairevoyant for New York magazine’s The Cut website, draws on her personal life and pop culture in this delightful exploration of ways to use astrology in day-to-day life. Once an astrology disbeliever, Comstock-Gay embraced it after learning that her rising sign of Cancer belied what she thought was her set Sagittarius personality—and described her startlingly well. After stating her book is not “a reference...or study guide,” she delves into the 12 zodiac signs, listing common traits and predilections, and offering advice. Using the sun signs of writers (Virgos such as David Wojnarowicz and Leslie Feinberg), film directors (among them Leos Sandi Tan and Richard Linklater), singers (Nicki Minaj and Miley Cyrus, both Sagittarius), politicians (Gemini Rob Ford), and actors (including a touching section on Pisces Fred Rogers), Comstock-Gay demonstrates how each person’s life can be read through the prism of their sun signs. She also touches on how other zodiac signs play a part in natal astrology, emphasizing that celestial placements at birth and in life can help one think about one’s sense of self. Comstock-Gay’s wide-ranging introduction will please fans of her horoscopes, as well as any amateur astrologist. [em](Apr.) [/em]