Leo Season Book Recommendations (July 22nd – August 22nd): The Diva/Performer & The King

Keywords & Leo in a Nutshell (including a bit of technical stuff)

Welcome to Leo season, make way for the king (or queen) of the zodiac. This sign, like Aries, is a passionate fire sign and it is ruled by the Sun. As the sun is the center of our solar system, Leos like to be center stage. Leo is a fixed sign, meaning it is associated with the middle of a season (high summer) when things are stable and static. Like Taurus, this can give Leos a dose of stubbornness and immovability in the face of conflict. Leo shares a lot in common with Aries, but the fact that this fire sign is fixed rather than cardinal helps to differentiate between them. Leos are much less impulsive than Aries. Think of it this way, Aries is the spark that lights the fire and Leo is the blazing fire itself. Leo is also represented by the majestic figure of the lion (dare I say, The Lion King and now Mufasa) which provides a visual cue of just how in charge folks with prominent Leo placements tend to be, or at least think that they are. 

I will discuss this at greater length later, but if we take a look at the great humanitarian sign of Aquarius which is exactly opposite Leo on the zodiacal wheel, we can get a sense of some of Leo’s flaws. Leo folks can be very egotistical and narcissistic if they aren’t careful. They also tend to be very individualistic and if in positions of power can border on authoritarian or tyrannical. (Note that this is not always the case, it’s really just a word of warning). “Me, me, me! Mine, mine, mine!” can be Leo mantras. Think of the hilariously annoying seagulls squabbling over food in Finding Nemo.

Aquarius helps to balance this out by focusing on the collective, challenging the status quo, and promoting the voices of folks on the margins of society who are often discriminated against and even oppressed. Existing between both extremes, Leo and Aquarius, lies the healthy and balanced ego, and by extension, society. Leo gives voice to the silenced folks on the margins of society (Aquarius). 🙂

Were you born during Leo season (July 22nd – August 22nd)? If not, do you have other prominent Leo placements, besides the Sun, in your chart? Take a look at your Moon, Ascendant/Rising Sign, and Ascendant Ruler (the planet ruling your rising sign). Perhaps you have Scorpio rising and its ruler, Mars, is in Leo in the 10th house. (Don’t worry about the houses for now, though if you want to have a basic understanding of them, take a look at this article. I picked this as an example because the 10th house and Midheaven are associated with career, vocation, your public persona and/or legacy (here’s another article about the 10th house significations) since it is where the sun reaches its peak/highest point/zenith midafternoon before beginning to set).

The Sun at its Zenith at Chichén Itzá    (see Youtube video)        

Zenith Wikipedia Article       

Don’t know which planets rule which signs? Check out this chart (also captured below) which enumerates planetary rulerships, both ancient and modern:

Positive attributes:

• Cheerful
• Courageous
• Entertaining

Negative attributes (the shadow side of Leo: an overly-inflated ego and all that comes along with that, even as far as behaving like a childish tyrant):

• Conceited & Pompous (not quite the same thing, but they have a lot in common, so I paired them).
• Domineering
• Snobbish

For more keywords, see here.

6 Renowned Leo Writers (Fiction) 

• Isabel Allende (born August 2, 1942)
• James Baldwin (born August 2, 1924, died in 1987)
• Emily Brontë (born July 30, 1818, died in 1848)
• Jonathan Franzen (born August 17, 1959)
• Frank McCourt (born August 19, 1930, died in 2009)
• Celeste Ng (born July 30, 1980)

For more Leo writers, both fiction and nonfiction, check out this list. 

Finally, since this is a blog post series catering to adults I haven’t included any children’s or young adult (a.k.a. teen) authors, but J.K. Rowling (like her magical hero and epic fantasy series Harry Potter) is a Leo: both born on July 31st. Beatrix Potter of Peter Rabbit fame was a Leo as was P.L. Travers, the mind behind Mary Poppins. Since Leos often display a childlike enthusiasm, or on the negative side, can behave rather childishly, I thought it was worth offering a handful of Leo book/author recommendations for kids and/or teens. (Not to exclude adults, like myself, with a healthy inner child). 🙂

6 Fiction Recommendations

6 Renowned Leo Writers (Nonfiction & Poetry) 

• Wendell Berry (born August 5, 1934)
• Ross Gay (born August 1, 1974)
• Robert Graves (born July 24, 1895, died in 1985)
• Edith Hamilton (born August 12, 1867, died in 1963)
• George Bernard Shaw (born July 26, 1856, died in 1950)
• Alfred Lord Tennyson (born August 6, 1809, died in 1892)

For more Leo writers, both fiction and nonfiction, check out this list. 

A little librarian confession: Sorry, y’all. It was a bit of a struggle to find contemporary nonfiction authors, poets, and playwrights born during Leo season. Alas. In lieu of that, I found many 20th and even 19th-century writers, two of whom had a love affair with mythology (namely Robert Graves and Edith Hamilton). Graves is known for his very poetic The White Goddess and Hamilton was a mid 20th-century expert on Greek mythology.

6 Nonfiction Recommendations (including Poetry) 

Genre-specific

During Leo season, indulge in books in the following genres or based on the following themes:

• Books about acting and theater or performance art as Leos are nothing if not great actors on the world stage, or at least the stage of their lives.
• Books about celebrities and celebrity gossip. 
• Books about entrepreneurship, a very Leo, dare I say, enterprise. 🙂
• Books about leadership and world leaders (especially of the fierce and indomitable variety).
• Books about royalty and the monarchy.