December 2021 Horoscopes and Book Recommendations

Your sensitivity is a gift this month, Cancer. This is especially true in your love life, where your intuition will make for passionate and meaningful encounters. At work, your emotional intelligence helps the whole team succeed. Beware of trouble ahead with family, especially while traveling. Your guidance can help smooth conflict, but only if you avoid past wounds. I recommend The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale. Set against the backdrop of the cutthroat professional ballet world, it follows three young dancers whose friendship is threatened by their desire for perfection and the dark secrets they keep. Delphine leaves her prestigious soloist role at the Paris Opera Ballet and her two ballerina best friends for a new shot in St. Petersburg. Over a decade later, she returns to choreograph a performance and finds everything has changed.

Leo is crushing their end-of-year goals. At work, you’re unstoppable, earning you the respect of your bosses. But a focus on your career can cause tensions at home. Be honest about your time commitments and try to leave stress at the door. Romance may also pose troubles, especially if you’re being dishonest with your partner. Solve conflict with vulnerability and clarity. Check out The Big Reveal by Jen Larsen. Addie has never let other peoples’ opinions about her body stop her from dancing. When she’s accepted into a prestigious dance program and doesn’t have the funds to attend, she plans a secret burlesque performance to raise tuition money. But she can’t keep the secret hidden for long, and soon she’s the target of body-shaming and slut-shaming. Even so, nothing can keep her from living her dream.

Virgo will have many new experiences in December. Your social calendar is full of exciting opportunities, and you’ll meet plenty of interesting people along the way. Romance is ahead for you, as long as you’re willing to open up to someone. At work, despite your best efforts to stay on track, you may be distracted and struggle to hit targets. Helping colleagues will smooth ruffled feathers. Read If This Gets Out by Sophie Gonzales and Cale Dietrich. Saturday is the biggest boy band in the world, drawing many swooning fans. But inside the band, friendships are strained and management is controlling the performers’ public images. When Ruben tells his bandmate Zach that their managers are forcing him to stay in the closet, they become confidants and then something more. Can they ever share their truth with the fans?

December is all about relationships for Libra. With family, you bring everyone together and set the tone for a memorable month. Your love life is also exciting and full of opportunity, whether for new connections or taking a big step with a current partner. Work may not be so easy. Use your professional connections to your advantage. Travel may also pose problems, so plan for delays. Check out The Love Con by Seressia Glass. Kenya Davenport has always felt like an outsider thanks to her love of cosplay. But now that she’s been cast in a cosplay reality show, she’s ready to show the world what she can do. When the show requires her to bring in a significant other for a challenge, Kenya’s best friend Cameron agrees to be her fake boyfriend. Will the show ruin their friendship or bring out feelings they didn’t know they had?

Do what feels good, Scorpio. Your intuition will guide you this month, and with a positive health outlook, you’ll be in excellent spirits. Focus on filling your emotional needs. Romance abounds if you’re willing to open up. It’s a propitious time for travel, so embrace a chance to go far from home. Career and finances are less lucky, so spend carefully and avoid conflict with colleagues. You should read A History of Wild Places by Shea Ernshaw. When an author of dark children’s books goes missing, Travis is hired to find her, thanks to his special skill of finding missing people simply by holding an object that belonged to them. But this journey leads him somewhere far more sinister than anywhere before: Pastoral, a secretive community promising a simpler life. But as soon as he finds Pastoral, Travis disappears too.

Ready to make a move, Sagittarius? December finds you faced with big choices, and you’re itching to pick a path and run down it. Don’t let restlessness send you in the wrong direction. Relationships may experience transformation this month. Someone unexpected may earn your trust. Travel is ahead for you and may provide a valuable new perspective for the year ahead. I recommend The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes. After inheriting her father’s cocoa plantation, Puri and her husband Cristóbal set off on a ship from Spain to Ecuador, hopeful for a new opportunity after the devastation of WWII. But then Cristóbal is murdered by someone jealous of Puri’s inheritance. Puri continues her journey disguised as her husband, and finds her father had many secrets to hide in his plantation.

Change is coming, Capricorn. If you work with it instead of against it, it will be to your advantage. Let go of what isn’t helping you make space for new opportunities. You may rub others the wrong way this month. Communicate clearly and try to understand other perspectives. Romance is ahead as long as you are willing to compromise, not take control. Check out Death Under the Perseids, the first book in a new mystery series set in Havana by Teresa Dovalpage. Mercedes and her husband Nolan win a cruise to Cuba and, although they’re confused by how exactly they came to win it, they’re excited about the relaxing vacation. But once they’re on board, Mercedes is surprised to find two other people from her past who also won a free trip, making her even more skeptical of the cruise. Then people start disappearing.

Aquarius seeks balance in December. You’ve been known at times to throw yourself into one aspect of your life while neglecting things like your health or relationships. With attention to all sectors, this can be a wonderful month for you. Plan wisely and leave time for rest. Unexpected money may arrive, allowing you to take action on a unique idea. Ask a loved one for their input before committing. Read Find Your Unicorn Space by Eve Rodsky. In this book, Rodsky explains why we need time and space to explore ourselves and our creative interests, what she terms “unicorn space.” She explores how to create this space, how to use it, and why it’s absolutely essential to happiness and success.

Sit back and enjoy the ride, Pisces. December holds many big moments for you. You may not be in the driver’s seat, but that doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate and benefit from the journey. When meeting new people, trust your instincts. Love may happen quickly and unexpectedly. You can learn something new from charitable work, so take time to do something kind. You should read Fools In Love, a new romance anthology edited by Ashley Herring Blake and Rebecca Podos. These short stories, many of them LGBTQ+, feature love in fan-favorite tropes like enemies to lovers, fake dating, love triangles, and more. Featuring stories from beloved authors like Mason Deaver, Malinda Lo, Lilliam Rivera, and more, this is a collection that will warm your winter-chilled heart.