Calling all Leos! Have you got a burning desire for a great read? We all know you’re the life and soul of the party, and as a fire sign ruled by the sun, you’re bold, passionate, and not one to shy away from a little (or a lot of) drama. Symbolised by the lion, you thrive as the centre of attention, spreading warmth, creativity and plenty of charisma around you. That’s why your perfect read is full of intensity and larger-than-life characters. Whether it’s bold women uniting against injustice, the simmering tension of a heatwave, gothic short stories that will delight and disgust or witty memoirs from magnetic personalities, Leo, you’re sure to find your literary twin flame here.
Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Dream Count was basically made for Leos. After a 10-year hiatus, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie returns with a vengeance with this latest novel, which showcases her signature emotional clarity through four interwoven tales. We meet Chiamaka, a sentimental travel writer, reflecting on her past loves in solitude during the pandemic; Zikora, a stoic lawyer navigating pregnancy and abandonment; Kadiatou, a Guinean housekeeper raising her daughter in America and Omelogor, a high-flyer in Nigeria who begins to question what she knows about herself. At the centre of the novel is Kadiatou’s experience, inspired by the real story of Nafissatou Diallo, a hotel maid who accused a powerful French politician of assault. Adichie proves she is a master in crafting fully realised characters and worlds, and these bold, fiery women channel classic Leo traits. Plus, that flame on the cover. Need we say any more?
Evenings and Weekends by Oisín McKenna
The theme: tension and miscommunication. Add in 30-degree temperatures and you’ve got Evenings and Weekends. If you’re a Londoner right now, you know the feeling – sweltering streets, restless nights and the desperate search for distraction. Oisín McKenna’s brilliant debut is a kaleidoscopic, high-drama tale of a sticky weekend of heatwave hedonism told through the an ambitiously large cast of characters. All of them are living for the evenings and weekends, and they are all trying, and failing, to pin someone down long enough to say what truly matters – which is notoriously hard in the capital city. Perfectly capturing the tension and stickiness of an overheated London and packed with lots of sharply observed asides about city-dwellers, Leos will love the intensity and heat of this propulsive read.
A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez
From the queen of the macabre comes a short story collection that delves into the lives of ordinary Argentine people who are confronted with the supernatural. This collection of gothic stories sees Mariana Enriquez turn her unflinching eye on the grimy, grotesque and haunting, blurring the lines between reality and nightmare. Here, women are transmorphed into birds, clothing has paranormal properties and bodies are laid bare in all their gruesome glory. It’s horror that burns slowly, and it hums with just the kind of unforgettable drama that a Leo can appreciate.
Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux
Short, but not necessarily sweet, this is 60 pages of pure obsession. In Simple Passion, Annie Ernaux is subsumed by a brutal, vivid two-year affair with a married man. She waits for her lover in raw agony and, when he arrives, is ecstatic for only the moments he is with her – until he inevitably must leave. She waits for his calls, rearranges her life and lives only for his presence. All the indignities of unrelenting passion and the erosion of the self in place of desire are laid bare by the author. It’s terribly French, and it’s Annie at her best. You’ll tear through it in the time it takes you to drink a black coffee in a café (chic), then give it to everyone you know. For the Leo who lives for intensity, drama and passion, this is an essential read.
Raven Smith’s Men by Raven Smith
Made famous by his biting Vogue columns and meme-worthy Instagram presence, Raven Smith is the life of the party, and this book is like grabbing mimosas with your chaotic bestie the morning after a truly raucous night out. Exuding charisma and confidence, Raven is at his most gregarious in this tell-all memoir. Raven Smith’s Men details the various men that have shaped Raven’s life: lovers, friends, relatives, enemies. His trademark wordplay and wit are unmatched, and he dissects everything from heartbreak to self-esteem and queer identity. There are plenty of passages you’ll never forget (like the delightfully offensive text he sent to a guy who ghosted him). Beneath the one-liners, this memoir is also surprisingly emotional, but always obscenely fun and endlessly entertaining – it’s got Leo energy from page one.
