Book Review: Will You Give Me A Reading?

Let's face it, tarot books can be really dry. Either they are directories of card meanings, or possibly high brow studies of symbols or correspondences. What I wanted was a book about what it feels like to be a tarot reader, and to answer some of the questions I have as a tarot reader for others - where are the messages coming from? Why is there only one prediction when surely the options are many? And what's the best way to deal with a tarot reading gone wrong?

Lucky for me, I found Will You Give Me A Reading (what you need to read tarot with confidence), by Jenna Matlin. In this book she covers tips and techniques for those who are already reading for others, as well as how to discover 'fluency' quickly, for beginners (note: it involves feeling the fear and doing it anyway). Jenna's writing style is easy to read, humourous and to the point - like a tarot lesson from your best friend.

It's a great intermediate tarot book which makes me feel seen. I couldn't work out why on social media, everyone offers 'three card' readings, when in my experience, you can't get the whole story with a small amount of cards (Matlin agrees, the more cards, the more likely you are able to see the whole story - she recommends three cards as a minimum, and also not having to be tied to specific spreads).

The book covers what it feels like to receive psychic information (fast, unemotional, multiple impressions) and how to deliver those messages to the person you are reading for in a non-judgemental and sensitive way. It also has really useful (and I mean practical) tips for readers along the way, including practice activities for tricky pain points, for example, 'Don't Hate The Hierophant - how to build new relationships with difficult cards'.

I loved this book and definitely recommend it if you are a professional tarot reader, just 'coming out' as a reader or just thinking about how to take your practice deeper.