Pisces season is a special time that makes us feel everything, right in the last lap of winter. Sometimes, the best way to navigate this unique stretch of time (February 19th – March 20th) is to retreat into your headspace and own your individuality and creativity rather than milling about like a fish out of water (Pisces pun intended).
Although we Pisces get a bad rap for being big crybabies, we’re also undeniably big dreamers. In fact, because Pisces is a sign ruled by Neptune, we’re known to be natural mystics with a powerful inner dreamscape. In short, we simply love to live inside our heads! And so, it’s no surprise that some of the most Pisces-adjacent reading one could do is in the genre of surrealism. The kind of books that push you out of your comfort zone, send you down the rabbit hole, and generally feel like one big fever dream. Now that’s a true Pisces read. Here are six trippy books to get you started this season:
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
by Haruki Murakami
What begins as a simple journey to find a missing cat evolves into a mesmerizing netherworld adventure as leading man, Toru Okada, looks to reconcile his elusive wife, their disintegrating marriage, and his inherent loneliness. Encountering a slew of strange characters of past and present, Toru’s journey examines life and reality, suffering, history, and more all while projecting into another realm at the bottom of a well. In all, this wacky surrealist masterpiece is a wholly unique, immersive experience that makes the ordinary extraordinary and vice versa.
Lapvona
by Ottessa Moshfegh
Ottessa Moshfegh’s newest release transports us back in time to a medieval village called Lapvona to explore themes of power, religion, ignorance and madness with both beauty and grotesquerie. Her raw and unique storytelling style captures the bleak medieval setting and its fearful inhabitants in four parts (one for each season). Prepare for a haunting and profoundly weird tale of magic, tragedy, and desperation that is sure to have you staring into space upon completion.
Note: Do check the trigger warnings before picking this one up as it is a very dark read.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
by Neil Gaiman
A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home in Sussex to attend a funeral. The house itself is long gone but loosely buried youthful memories are swift to bubble back to the surface of his mind. Specifically, that which regards a childhood companion, Lettie, who once told him the pond behind the old farmhouse was an ocean. Intricately weaving together past and present, Neil Gaiman’s immaculate storytelling reads like a fable of infinite wisdom about humanity, memory, loss, and time.
In the House in the Dark of the Woods
by Laird Hunt
This bewitching tale set in colonial New England follows a woman lost in a consuming, dense forest. What has brought her here? No one can say. Maybe she has fled her family. Maybe she’s been kidnapped. However, her obscure journey through the dark, changes when she comes across another woman in these woods, kickstarting an atmospheric turn of events hinging on anger, repression, and revenge. Author Laird Hunt creates a symphony of surreal horror elements in this short read which translates as a lyrical, bizarre fairy tale.
The Order of Time
by Carlo Rovelli
Italian theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli — one of the minds behind the loop quantum gravity theory — takes the mystery of time to new mind-bending heights in this 2017 release. Mixing science, philosophy, and art in his exploration, this book will undoubtedly kindle your curiosity with engaging, approachable prose. You really can’t get deeper that the confounding study of what makes time and how time flows at different speeds at different places in the universe. No matter your Zodiac sign, you’ll surely be looking up at the stars after this eye-opening read.
The Anatomy of Dreams
by Chloe Benjamin
Bookworm Sylvie Patterson falls in love with the new kid at her boarding school. Together, they embark on a life-changing experiment stemming from the research of their enigmatic headmaster, Dr.Adrian Keller, who has built a career upon studying a therapeutic application of lucid dreaming. However, as reality begins to blur and the ethics of Dr.Keller’s work becomes shrouded, this psychological coming-of-age journey takes an unforgettable, mind-warping turn.
For more Zodiac-inspired bookish content, click here.