Which book to buy next?

Hi everyone! I am so enjoying this forum and want to thank everyone for the excellent info and camaraderie. My question is, I am hoping to buy another tarot book and would like to avoid duplication. Often, when I am really interested in something, I go crazy and buy a ton of books. I am trying to choose more carefully from now on

I currently have 'The Ultimate Guide to Tarot' by Liz Dean and really enjoy it. I like the way she begins each card description with a little story. I am finding that I have no problems remembering the meanings for the ones I have seen already, after I consult this book. I have downloaded a few tarot books using my Kindle Unlimited subscription, and while they have had the odd tidbit of use, I don't think I need any more books specifically to learn the meanings of the cards.

What I want to do is learn how to use the cards for personal development. I am very interested in using them to journal, and to improve myself as a person. I did a reading the other day on a sleep issue, for instance, and it was very illuminating as to what might be going on. But I am not yet sure how to convert that into fixing the issue.

Two books have jumped out at me in my review-perusing; I know Holistic Tarot has its own thread. I am more interested here in comparing it to see which one I should buy next. The two books I am considering are:

Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen. This book looks massive, and I am worried it will read too dry and encyclopedic. But I skimmed the table of contents and it has later chapters which seem to specifically address 'building resilience' which seems right up my alley...

Tarot Journaling by Corrine Kenner. This looks like exactly what I am looking for, but since the other book is much longer, I am wondering if it covers the same material and I might be better off choosing that one if I only get one of them...

Also, I will be getting Kindle editions so if either of these will simply not work as an eBook, I welcome feedback on that.

Thanks for reading, I look forward to your advice on my next purchase!

I personally would not get the Wen Book as an e-book, as it is so massive. I suspect that is one that you would want to leaf through back-and-forth. And while I am hearing rave reviews about it, it sounds like the other book would be more suited to your immediate purpose. I have not read the journaling book, however her book on writing has considerable merits.

Have you considered "Tarot for Yourself" by Mary Greer? It is available on Kindle.

Of the two you have quoted, I would choose Tarot Journalling as it is the sort of book you want to read straight through so it works better on the Kindle.

Hi, ficbot! Welcome to the forum.

I’ve read all of Holistic Tarot except the card meanings, which I skipped (but plan to get back to soon…er…eventually), and I have to say I don’t think it’s what you’re looking for. Most of the book is concerned with reading for other people. She has one 10-page chapter on reading tarot for yourself, one 3-page chapter on meditation, and the rest — including the chapter on building resilience, which is about how to counsel people and teach them resilience — is very focused on reading for others. So…that’s only about 13 pages out of 691 (the other 200 being appendices, footnotes, and index) devoted to self-development.

It’s also massive, as 3ill.yazi pointed out, and it’s more of a reference book than a reading book, if you know what I mean. It’s full of spreads and techniques, so you’d want to be able to flip back and forth. Also, it has lots of charts and diagrams that might not translate well in an e-book.

Like you, I prefer to use the cards for personal development and self-improvement, and I’m always looking for books that will help with that. Holistic Tarot, though interesting, was a deep disappointment to me in that sense. It had this great subtitle about using tarot for personal growth — but it turns out the “growth” is meant for querents, not for tarot readers themselves. Some of it could translate, I suppose, but it's really not the book's focus.

But now I might want Tarot Journaling by Corinne Kenner. Thanks for telling me about its existence! Anyway, it has my vote as the one I think you should get.

avalonian said:

Have you considered "Tarot for Yourself" by Mary Greer? It is available on Kindle.

Of the two you have quoted, I would choose Tarot Journalling as it is the sort of book you want to read straight through so it works better on the Kindle.

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I love that suggestion too, that looks like a great book. But very expensive, so maybe for later I am going pass on the 800-pager for now too. Bookwight, thank you for the comments on it. If it shows up at the library, I might give it a look but it sounds like it is not what I am looking for right now.