ASTROLOGICA: An Encyclopedia of Myths and Legends From the Planets, Stars and Skies

ASTROLOGICA: An Encyclopedia of Myths and Legends From the Planets, Stars and Skies
SUKI FERGUSON (illus. Camelia Pham)
Wide Eyed Editions (non-affiliate Bookshop.org link)
$30.00 all editions, available now

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: Astrologica is a visually stunning illustrated guide to the stories behind zodiac signs and systems from around the world.

Big, bold, and beautiful, this is the enthralling celestial follow-up to Mythologica: Amazon's No. 1 Children's Non-Fiction Book of the Year 2019.

How did the moon influence mighty emperors in Ancient China? Why are star signs so popular around the world? How did constellations help early seafarers sail safely across the vast Pacific? Blending science and storytelling, Astrologica introduces you to the marvels of our cosmos like you’ve never seen them before.

This gorgeously illustrated book is designed to introduce young stargazers to the celestial. Across the magical chapters, you'll learn about the antics of ancient gods, indigenous traditions, and scientific breakthroughs. You’ll delve into zodiac lore as you journey around the globe, from Mali to Hawai’i, Norway, and Australia. You’ll also travel through time, visiting early civilisations and empires to learn about the dawn of storytelling itself—and that's just the start.

Astrologica includes:

• The history of astronomy and astrology, including ancient rites and customs

• The global star-lore behind famous constellations

• The lore behind the Tropical and Chinese zodiac systems, plus their dates, traits, and quirks

• Stories of the gods and goddesses associated with the planets

• How stars have served as maps, clocks, and calendars for millennia

Featuring over 100 pages of unforgettable artwork, fascinating facts, and powerful stories, this book is the perfect gift for curious young minds aged 8+.

I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA EDELWEISS+. THANK YOU.

My Review: I don't believe in astrology. I do feel very sure some things aren't explainable by science...yet...because we don't know how to frame the questions. In the meantime, we have other existing systems to give the unusual coincidence a context our simple brains can comprehend.

Giving this beautiful book to its intended audience, kids eight years old and up, seems...fraught...to me. I'm not the least bit comfortable educating children into belief in any kind of supernatural stuff; I would not do this to any child in my authority.

I am not everyone. I offer this beautiful, costly book for you to consider, more especially for you or for another adult; but that is not my call. The art is gorgeous, as expected, and the stories well retold.

From here it's all you and your desire for your juvenile giftee.

See what I mean? Beautiful, just to have around!

Camp NaNo Approacheth: Some writing tools reviewed THE NEW ASTROLOGY by Suzanne White

THE NEW ASTROLOGY
SUZANNE WHITE
St. Martin's Griffin
$21.99 trade paper, available now

Rating: 5* of five

The Publisher Says: Though the practice of astrology is many centuries old, it is only perhaps once in a generation that a thoroughly new, totally original way of looking at the zodiac is discovered. The New Astrology is such a system.

For those convinced that there is nothing new under the sun--or the stars--Suzanne White offers a startling and provocative thesis: There are not 12 but 144 signs of the zodiac, each distinct, each unique, each vital to everyone's quest for self-understanding.

By combining the astrological systems of the traditional Chinese (terrestrial) with that of the Occident (celestial), Suzanne White demonstrates that each of us is governed by two signs. Hence, a Capricorn Tiger is likely to be quite different from a Capricorn Cat, as is a Leo Dog from a Leo Dragon, and so on. This unique blend of Western and Chinese Astrology gives detailed analyses of each of the 144 signs, including individualized sections of love, sex and romance, business, money, careers, home life and compatibility (or lack of it) with other signs.

Already a best-seller in France, The New Astrology is a massive undertaking and the result of more than a decade of research and study of the two systems. It offers insights into not only our own lives, but also those of all who are close to us. Suzanne White's prose is lucid, candid, and suffused with a sense of fun, but The New Astrology is above all a serious tool for self-awareness and understand the rich variety of human nature all around us.

My Review: No, I don't believe in astrology's powers of prediction; no, I don't subscribe to the practice of astrology for any purpose other than entertainment.

So why review the book at all? Because, writer friends, if it's not on your shelf today, get it on there via Prime in two days. Like, order now, I'll wait.

You see, Ms. White has thoughtfully made 144 character sketches in some detail for you! And she has helpfully diagrammed the best matches and the worst nightmares of each character!! MC needs to be brave? Pick a Leo sign...Leo/Dragon works. MC needs a bad first marriage? Pisces/Cat (her term for what traditionally is called Rabbit). Then a HUGE chunk of your work is done for you. It is AWESOME.

Oh, and real people? Well, they all have birthdays. Go look 'em up! Don't know which Chinese zodiac year 1677 is? There's a chart in the back of the book!

So what with this, and with Michael Moorcock's truly, absolutely never-fail method of fast execution (for which link one is grateful to one's minion Dantastic Book Reviews' own Dan), you are so good to go it's not funny.

My own tip to add to the pile: Always, always, always have poetry anthologies, Bartlett's Quotations, and the Bible nearby. You will need a title, at the very least; an epigraph is handy, too; and goodness knows a quick cheat-sheet of sonorous sentences can be a fabulously useful thing, too.


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