Sunshines: The Astrology of Being Happy

According to long-practicing astrologist and author Lutin (Made in Heaven, Childhood Rising), happiness comes from knowing ""who you really are and what in the name of tarnation you are doing here on Earth."" In this sprawling guide to ""how our Sun Sign (and other major forces) can overcome almost anything,"" Lutin attempts to impart that knowledge in the irreverent, inimical manner his fans have come to expect. The format of the book is straightforward enough: in part one, entertaining entries for each birth sign and birth year provide the standard breakdown of strengths, weaknesses and advice. Part two, ""Going Deeper,"" is more esoteric; covering ""the desires that undo us all,"" Lutin shows how ideas like ""Independence,"" ""Communication"" and ""Love"" can become misery-sustaining obsessions. While it's refreshing to read horoscopes with a little pizzazz, Lutin's fondness for made-up examples (""We all have issues, even the nice little old grandma who puts only eight thousand miles on her Pontiac in fourteen years"") serve only to lengthen his already overlong explanations-not once does Lutin write in one paragraph what he can drag out page after page. For fans of his past books or his column in Vanity Fair, this title will probably gratify; for everyone else, it could prove counter-productive.