Hello friends! Hope everyone is staying safe, this heat is no joke!

I’ve been having a nice start to my month. Where I live cherries are in season, so yesterday my neighbour invited me to spend the afternoon at their house, picking cherries from their trees and dividing them up between bags to give to the rest of the neighbours. With my share of the cherries I’m intending to make cherry syrup! 🍒♡ I’ve also been eyeing this lemon cherry turnover recipe, so maybe I’ll try making some pastries as well… 🙂‍↕️

Anyway! I will let you all know how that goes for me when I get to it (as I’m sure you’re on the edge of your seat to find out), but before then, let us sit together and pull some cards for July… Let’s see if we can get some book inspiration and maybe some advice on making our reading more enjoyable this month. _

How this works

I pull some cards for us and write a little bit about what I’m seeing when it comes to reading inspiration for the month ahead. You are welcome to simply take what resonates from the reading and move on with your day, or, if you think of any specific books that align with what I’m describing, comment those titles down below for people to check out. These readings don’t aim to be particularly predictive, and they aren’t meant to be taken as gospel. This is simply a bit of fun, something to bring you some reading inspiration if you need it, and an opportunity for us to further connect as a community. _

I’m using the Lilifer tarot deck, created by Marion Costentin, published by Little Darkness. The spread is designed by me. Here are the questions we will be looking at, and the cards we got. For a better experience, I recommend viewing the pictures below on the Pagebound website!

As our general inspiration and potential, we have the Knight of Wands, and the potential issues are represented by the Ace of Pentacles.

Look at that Knight, they are really going places! There is passion, determination and joy in this Knight. On the other hand, we have the first (some may call it last) card in the suit of Pentacles, the suit which is more concerned with concrete, material manifestations of our goals.

What I’m getting from these two cards is an encouragement to follow our passions with our reading this month. The energy in July might be less suited for keeping up with community quests and online book trends, and more for just reading what sounds enjoyable. There is a focus on the journey, rather than on the end goal; All those curious feelings and ideas you get while reading, rather than the number of books you finish in a month.

This Knight has a lot of energy, but if we try to be too rigid and bring in too much of that practical, Pentacles influence, this energy may not be utilised to its highest potential. I suggest we lean into mood-reading, let our passions take us through this month (much like the fiery creature in the Knight of Wands), and we may find that this is exactly what we needed in our reading practice at this time. _

If you’re thinking about reading some non-fiction in July, we have the Strength card here as the inspiration for the general topic. This is a mature kind of energy. This card often talks about self-knowledge, and the work we do to grow as a person. Now, looking at what aspects of this main topic we should focus on, we have the Four of Swords. The Swords are the suit of the mind, and what’s coming up for me with this card are the issues of self-isolation and inaction due to mental blockages.

Perhaps this card pair talks about those things we struggle with in life but often choose to battle with alone instead of reaching out for help from our community. There is a nudge to look at our mindset around what we deserve, what our community can do for us, as well as our role in community with others. It’s a reminder that we can ask for help when we need it, and that we don’t get any brownie points if we choose to deal with difficult things in life all on our own, all of the time. Nobody is going around handing out medals for people who never asked for help.

In July, it might be good for us to read books which remind us that many people share our same struggles, and that we can learn from each other if we just open ourselves up a little bit. We can see this energy in the third card as well. The Three of Cups is all about community, friendship, and the emotional connection and support between people. As our approach, we are encouraged to look for resources which center community and connection as a path to healing and personal growth. Not just connections between people but also with nature as a whole. I’m thinking about books with a more gentle approach, those which make you feel less alone in whatever it is you are dealing with at this point in your life. _

As we move into the fiction part of this reading, can we please take a moment to acknowledge the beauty of The Star card in this deck?? What a DIVA. And it comes to us in this reading as the general story theme for the fiction books we might want to check out in July. What I’m seeing as the main focus here is hope, the kind of faith in ourselves and the world that gives us purpose.

There is defiance in this card. To believe in all the wonderful things this world could be, even with its many flaws, is not always easy for our characters in the story. We can see this push-back illustrated in the Seven of Wands, where the figure is being made to defend what they hold close to their heart by being brave and inventive. To me, these two cards together describe the kind of stories where the journey is the main element, and where the main characters are not afraid to fight for their hopeful idea of the future.

The author’s style and approach in these types of books are symbolized by the Queen of Pentacles. What I see here is books with the kind of writing that is not scared of itself. It is the kind that is deeply beautiful and poetic, with luscious details and gorgeous descriptions. There is attention to detail, and a reminder of the wonders that are found even in the most mundane of things, if we are willing to pay attention. All of this together makes for a dreamy story full of optimism, a tonic for an exhausted mind. _

I hope some aspects of that reading resonated with you! If the book inspiration part reminded you of any specific book titles that you think would match the vibes, let us all know in the comments. _

When it comes to reading for the past month or so, I’ve been kind of… scattered? The energy of the Eight of Wands from last month’s reading was definitely there, and its more chaotic aspects came through for me in June. I still read and started some really good books, so I’m not complaining too much!

Last month I started “It was Vulgar and it was Beautiful: How AIDS activists used art to fight a pandemic” by Jack Lowery which I thought matched pretty well with the non-fiction cards from last month’s reading. Happy to report that I’ve been loving it! It was perfect for what I wanted to read at that time, and I’m excited to finish it in July. _

Previous readings: June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 . .

And you bet I was listening to The Last Unicorn by America on loop the entire time I was drawing this!!

Stunning cover design by Upamanyu Bhattacharyya. _

There isn’t too much online about Upamanyu aside from the fact that he is an illustrator and animation director based in Kolkata, India. He co-directed the award-winning animated short film ‘Wade' and he’s a writer-director on his first animated feature, ‘Heirloom'. He worked with Penguin Random House and Harper Collins and illustrated numerous book covers, picture books, and graphic novels. He founded Otter Studios with his wife Swati in 2021 and is a part of Ghost Animation, a collective of animators, artists and filmmakers from all across India.

Some other books Upamanyu worked on as an illustrated are: ~ “Dhanapatir Char: Whatever Happened to Pedru's Island?” by Amar Mitra ~ “Scare Walk” by Andaleeb Wajid ~ "The Case of the Missing Water" by Shalini Srinivasan ~ ”Sometimes Mama, Sometimes Papa” by Nandini Nayar

You can support Upamanyu Bhattacharyya through: Instagram: @upamanyubhattacharyya

Some examples of Upamanyu's other work: (For a better experience, I recommend viewing the pictures below on the Pagebound website!)

*(if any of the links are broken, please let me know and I will update the post. Thank you!)