Hi Deana,
Another newbie here.
One thing I've observed in all my reading around is that it's important to keep a journal so you can look back at a later date and reevaluate.
People frequently mention that the things they thought they were asking about and the answers they got, didn't match, until months later, and they realized there was a pattern of some sort in the cards that they hadn't seen at first. Maybe the cards want to talk about something else, for example.
It's not so much about memorizing meanings and establishing a one to one correlation with specific questions.
I've been reading around mostly so I can sort of hear the voices of the authors as they talk tarot, what it means to them, how they think about it, etc. For me, for now, it's not so much about finding specific answers, just getting a feel for the cards, the imagery, my impressions, historical meanings, etc.
My tarot wanderings are more a meditative sort of thing, just finding a focus for my oh, so busy brain. My daily card has been a source of inspiration for my imagination, giving me some specific something to think about across the day, and sometimes, something to research online or in books. (For example, one day I did some interesting readings about justice, in many different contexts, mostly because my daily card hinted that it was something to consider that day. I had some interesting thoughts, deep thoughts, even, that I wouldn't have had, if not for that card. I do need to get better about journaling that, just to see what patterns develop in my random thoughts. And hey look, the journal itself is written proof that I do sometimes have deep thoughts, whee! )
In terms of decks, I like the Ultimate Waite, The Wild Unknown, the International Icon Tarot and the Anna K Tarot. As others have said, deck acquisition is a slippery slope, and I'm learning to research those pretty carefully before I get spendy. I've bought a few just out of idle curiosity to see the images, and, well, that's pretty much all I got out of those decks. (Glad they weren't expensive, LOL!)
I guess for me, it's been a kind of learning curve to figure out which styles of decks spark my imagination and intuition, and which don't, which authors can talk to me in language I understand, and which don't. The way I see it, so many tarot decks exist because there are so many different ways of experiencing life itself.
I do hope you're having fun.
