Hello to everyone hanging about on Pagebound! I hope you're entering into August with a commitment to yourself and a determination to make the best out of whatever you are dealing with this month.

I’m feeling particularly in my element today sitting down next to the cards I pulled for us. I have loads of very messy notes in front of me, and two stacked cups from my coffee and tea on the side of my laptop, the top one which I started to use as a garbage can for candy wrappers and pencil shavings. You get the picture. 🍬

Anyway! I am excited to talk about book inspiration for this month. This is usually a bit of a longer blog, so if you are interested, I’d love it if you’d keep me company for a bit, and let’s talk about books! :) _

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!

For our general reading potential and inspiration for August we have Ten of Wands, and potential issues are represented by the Ace of Swords. We have been getting high-powered Wands cards in this position since June. That fiery energy seems to still be there, and lots of it, and the Tens often symbolize a culmination of something. The thing with this kind of active energy is that being exposed to it for long periods of time can be overwhelming and hard to manage successfully. Considering we've been riding this wave since June, we might want to be cautious about how we proceed in our reading practice. The moment when we receive the Ten of Wands might just be a perfectly timely reminder to reassess our plans and strategies in order to prevent ourselves from taking on more than we can handle and burning out as a result.

The Ace of Swords as the potential issues hints at our ideas of what a successful reading practice looks like, prompting us to think about our reading not in relation to other people, but in relation to what we want to ultimately get out of it. There is nothing wrong with impulse reading, or jumping in on books our friends are planning for August, as long as we are honest with ourselves regarding how much we can handle at this time, and as long as we are clear that we are getting something valuable out of it. _

Let's look at some book inspiration for August. Five out of Six cards is of the Major arcana, so we are dealing with some big themes this month!

For non-fiction books, we have the Queen of Wands as the main theme, with Strength symbolizing the specific aspects of the theme. Our approach is illustrated by the The Hierophant (I love the way this artist depicted The Hierophant in this deck!)

The main theme is of the passionate and creative nature. This Queen is a mature figure that does not shy away from being who they are. They don’t consider themself as ever being too much, or too loud, or too weird. This Queen embodies confidence, inspiration, and all our passionate pursuits in life. They are led by a stubborn determination to achieve their goals and they have valid reasons for that self-assurance.

With this general theme in mind, the Strength asks us to look beyond what’s easily apparent. It asks us to explore what it takes to follow our heart despite everything that may be in our way. We’re talking about books that directly or indirectly pay homage to the creative and the “unusual” souls in this world (individually or as a whole) diving deep into the complexities of what it means to take part in any creative act or passion project that is openly out there for other people to see: the road blocks and the problem-solving, the failures that stand behind every success, and the constant inner battle to stand firm for what we believe without becoming self-destructive.

This interpretation aligns with our book style and approach. The Hierophant is an experienced teacher and a wise guide. This card might suggest that those kinds of books that may be best for this are the books written by our elders, or generally by people who have much experience on the topic and are happy to share their stories if it means helping the community as a whole. We are looking at a wide selection of reading material: from books about specific artists or artist groups, to those about activists, community organizers, authors, figures from the occult world, and all kinds of performers (actors, singers, dancers, drag queens, etc.). This selection also includes books that are written as practical guides for the reader to directly engage with, so we might also want to consider how we show up in the world when it comes to our passions and what books might have useful tips and exercises for us to work through. _

Let’s look at the bottom row of cards here, the ones that pertain to fiction books. We have nothing but the major arcana, and if you look at the illustrations, there is fiery energy in every single one of them! We aren’t dealing with the kind of stories that talk about quiet everyday life. This is the stuff of legends and adventures!

Our story theme is symbolized by the Judgement card. This is a card of transformation, one that has been in making for a long time. Often, this card talks about a welcomed change, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a hard one. Our characters are vulnerable and at times very scared, but they are led by something bigger than themselves.

The card that represents our characters’ biggest struggles is The Emperor. This card often talks about leadership, authority and tradition, and in this position it’s telling us that our characters are going against the grain in these stories and challenging the status quo. The change we are talking about in the Judgement card has to do with those in power. Our characters know that things have stopped working a long time ago and that change is necessary.

Our last card is The Chariot talking about the approach and the story framing. This is the card of the journey. This is a dynamic kind of story, one that is hard to put down. The road ahead is unclear, and there are most definitely hurdles and moments of weakness… but the commitment to the journey takes our characters through. There are growing pains, dangers and inconveniences, but they ultimately learn how to ride this chariot to victory. This kind of liberatory journey brings a chaotic energy, and our characters have to be okay with leaving what they once knew as their comfort zone in pursuit of a better world for everybody. _

That’s some August musings, from me to you! If there were any specific book titles you thought of while reading, you can drop them in the comments, and maybe we can give some recommendations to one another. _

When it comes to my reading practice, I technically only finished one book in July, however I started and read most of one that aligned well with last month's cards, and then also went back to some of the ones I started before. I’m pretty happy with myself.

I honestly felt like I read every available second in July, but as someone who takes a bunch of notes and goes on research tangents every time something's interesting, I read very slowly. I read so many books in the past where I felt like I forgot the contents only a few months after, and that was getting to be a big problem for me. I didn’t feel like it was because I was not paying attention, things were just not sticking. Eventually I decided to take notes every time a book is interesting to me, so even if I have to re-read it, I can still look at my notes and remind myself of the important sections more easily, as well as reference them later on if needed.

Anyway! Just figured there may be other people like me who feel like they don’t always retain information well. I think our brains all function a bit differently to one another, and we just have to find what work best for us. That said, I don’t think that simply taking notes fixes everything for me, but it does make me feel more comfortable knowing that even if I don’t remember important information, it will likely be somewhere in my notes where I can easily find it.

Thank you for sitting with me for a bit today. Happy reading, and I hope something really nice and comforting happens for you in August. :) _

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

Hello to everyone hanging about on Pagebound! I hope you're entering into August with a commitment to yourself and a determination to make the best out of whatever you are dealing with this month.

I’m feeling particularly in my element today sitting down next to the cards I pulled for us. I have loads of very messy notes in front of me, and two stacked cups from my coffee and tea on the side of my laptop, the top one which I started to use as a garbage can for candy wrappers and pencil shavings. You get the picture. 🍬

Anyway! I am excited to talk about book inspiration for this month. This is usually a bit of a longer blog, so if you are interested, I’d love it if you’d keep me company for a bit, and let’s talk about books! :) _

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!

For our general reading potential and inspiration for August we have Ten of Wands, and potential issues are represented by the Ace of Swords. We have been getting high-powered Wands cards in this position since June. That fiery energy seems to still be there, and lots of it, and the Tens often symbolize a culmination of something. The thing with this kind of active energy is that being exposed to it for long periods of time can be overwhelming and hard to manage successfully. Considering we've been riding this wave since June, we might want to be cautious about how we proceed in our reading practice. The moment when we receive the Ten of Wands might just be a perfectly timely reminder to reassess our plans and strategies in order to prevent ourselves from taking on more than we can handle and burning out as a result.

The Ace of Swords as the potential issues hints at our ideas of what a successful reading practice looks like, prompting us to think about our reading not in relation to other people, but in relation to what we want to ultimately get out of it. There is nothing wrong with impulse reading, or jumping in on books our friends are planning for August, as long as we are honest with ourselves regarding how much we can handle at this time, and as long as we are clear that we are getting something valuable out of it. _

Let's look at some book inspiration for August. Five out of Six cards is of the Major arcana, so we are dealing with some big themes this month!

For non-fiction books, we have the Queen of Wands as the main theme, with Strength symbolizing the specific aspects of the theme. Our approach is illustrated by the The Hierophant (I love the way this artist depicted The Hierophant in this deck!)

The main theme is of the passionate and creative nature. This Queen is a mature figure that does not shy away from being who they are. They don’t consider themself as ever being too much, or too loud, or too weird. This Queen embodies confidence, inspiration, and all our passionate pursuits in life. They are led by a stubborn determination to achieve their goals and they have valid reasons for that self-assurance.

With this general theme in mind, the Strength asks us to look beyond what’s easily apparent. It asks us to explore what it takes to follow our heart despite everything that may be in our way. We’re talking about books that directly or indirectly pay homage to the creative and the “unusual” souls in this world (individually or as a whole) diving deep into the complexities of what it means to take part in any creative act or passion project that is openly out there for other people to see: the road blocks and the problem-solving, the failures that stand behind every success, and the constant inner battle to stand firm for what we believe without becoming self-destructive.

This interpretation aligns with our book style and approach. The Hierophant is an experienced teacher and a wise guide. This card might suggest that those kinds of books that may be best for this are the books written by our elders, or generally by people who have much experience on the topic and are happy to share their stories if it means helping the community as a whole. We are looking at a wide selection of reading material: from books about specific artists or artist groups, to those about activists, community organizers, authors, figures from the occult world, and all kinds of performers (actors, singers, dancers, drag queens, etc.). This selection also includes books that are written as practical guides for the reader to directly engage with, so we might also want to consider how we show up in the world when it comes to our passions and what books might have useful tips and exercises for us to work through. _

Let’s look at the bottom row of cards here, the ones that pertain to fiction books. We have nothing but the major arcana, and if you look at the illustrations, there is fiery energy in every single one of them! We aren’t dealing with the kind of stories that talk about quiet everyday life. This is the stuff of legends and adventures!

Our story theme is symbolized by the Judgement card. This is a card of transformation, one that has been in making for a long time. Often, this card talks about a welcomed change, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a hard one. Our characters are vulnerable and at times very scared, but they are led by something bigger than themselves.

The card that represents our characters’ biggest struggles is The Emperor. This card often talks about leadership, authority and tradition, and in this position it’s telling us that our characters are going against the grain in these stories and challenging the status quo. The change we are talking about in the Judgement card has to do with those in power. Our characters know that things have stopped working a long time ago and that change is necessary.

Our last card is The Chariot talking about the approach and the story framing. This is the card of the journey. This is a dynamic kind of story, one that is hard to put down. The road ahead is unclear, and there are most definitely hurdles and moments of weakness… but the commitment to the journey takes our characters through. There are growing pains, dangers and inconveniences, but they ultimately learn how to ride this chariot to victory. This kind of liberatory journey brings a chaotic energy, and our characters have to be okay with leaving what they once knew as their comfort zone in pursuit of a better world for everybody. _

That’s some August musings, from me to you! If there were any specific book titles you thought of while reading, you can drop them in the comments, and maybe we can give some recommendations to one another. _

When it comes to my reading practice, I technically only finished one book in July, however I started and read most of one that aligned well with last month's cards, and then also went back to some of the ones I started before. I’m pretty happy with myself.

I honestly felt like I read every available second in July, but as someone who takes a bunch of notes and goes on research tangents every time something's interesting, I read very slowly. I read so many books in the past where I felt like I forgot the contents only a few months after, and that was getting to be a big problem for me. I didn’t feel like it was because I was not paying attention, things were just not sticking. Eventually I decided to take notes every time a book is interesting to me, so even if I have to re-read it, I can still look at my notes and remind myself of the important sections more easily, as well as reference them later on if needed.

Anyway! Just figured there may be other people like me who feel like they don’t always retain information well. I think our brains all function a bit differently to one another, and we just have to find what work best for us. That said, I don’t think that simply taking notes fixes everything for me, but it does make me feel more comfortable knowing that even if I don’t remember important information, it will likely be somewhere in my notes where I can easily find it.

Thank you for sitting with me for a bit today. Happy reading, and I hope something really nice and comforting happens for you in August. :) _

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

The next major app release (1.2.0) is now available on iOS and Android - this one comes with a ton of updates, so make sure your apps are updated to see the latest! Web users, the majority of these updates are already on web (with a few exceptions, addressed below):

Midnight Theme (aka dark mode): very excited to share our version of dark mode! You can choose your theme in Account & Settings -> Preferences. The Midnight theme incorporates accessibility principals (high contrast, sparse use of bright color, no pure blacks/pure whites) while maintaining Pagebound's unique visual identity. We know this is highly anticipated on web as well - we're working on it! Midnight will be available on web hopefully this fall, latest this winter.

Notifications Upgrade: Notifications are split into categories so you can reference what is most important to you. You can also sort/filter your notifications, and mark them read/unread one by one by clicking the blue dot (if the dot is gray, click it to mark the notification as unread).

Browse your library when adding books: When adding a book to a list, your plan, or a shelf, you now have the option to search from "All Books" or "My Books". Tapping "My Books" lets you browse your own library, and filter by status/shelf. This is helpful if you want to browse your tbr while adding books to your plan, for example.

Library Improvements: You can now search, sort, and filter your library with additional sort/filter options (such as average rating and owned/not owned) and view your library books in list view or book cover grid view

Improved Book Status Modal: The book status modal (ie the popup where you change a book's status and add to shelves) got a major quality of life update: you can edit read dates, format, and page length in the modal when a book is in "reading" or when you move a book to "finished", you can create a new shelf in the modal, and you can search your shelves

New Preferences & Account Management options: A new feed preference was added (toggle on/off seeing posts from people you follow when the book is not in your library) as well as library management tools (library export & mass editing/deleting library options)

Discover Quests & Discover Lists upgrade: Discover Quests got new categories and will show new quests in each category on every site/app visit. The Quest card and List card shown on discover got upgrades to show more relevant info & make them more browsable

Additional tiny upgrades: Pull down to refresh your profile, browsing past plans shows in descending month order, plan performance enhancements so loading and editing is snappier, UI cleanup, and various bug fixes.

Community Updates We announced the Fall Readalong book picks last week - if you missed the announcement, head to the Seasonal Readalong page to see the picks! The Fall Readalong starts September 1st.

We also have partnered with Simon Maverick to bring a Dark Romance limited time quest - we've gotten so many requests for a Dark Romance quest, so we're very excited to have this out!

This was a long one, thank you if you made it this far 🙏 Happy reading! Jennifer + Lucy

Hi everyone, we're considering making quite a big change to Pagebound and want to get the community's opinion - please leave your feedback here!

We have debated for a long while the merits of upvotes/downvotes vs a pure "like" system. We deeply believe in community moderation and community curation, and felt that an upvote/downvote system would provide the tooling for such community moderation.

In practice, we've also seen a lot of downsides with this system. While there's no guidance for how to use downvotes, many people use it as a "disagree" button which can make people with unpopular opinions feel unwelcome to share their opinion (for example, if you share that you dislike a beloved character, you may receive downvotes).

Moving to a "likes" only system would hopefully foster an environment where opinions are discussed rather than silently judged, and people are less anxious to engage in the forums.

In the past there have been some very strong opinions both for and against downvotes - let us know what you think below

Hello to everyone hanging about on Pagebound! I hope you're entering into August with a commitment to yourself and a determination to make the best out of whatever you are dealing with this month.

I’m feeling particularly in my element today sitting down next to the cards I pulled for us. I have loads of very messy notes in front of me, and two stacked cups from my coffee and tea on the side of my laptop, the top one which I started to use as a garbage can for candy wrappers and pencil shavings. You get the picture. 🍬

Anyway! I am excited to talk about book inspiration for this month. This is usually a bit of a longer blog, so if you are interested, I’d love it if you’d keep me company for a bit, and let’s talk about books! :) _

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!

For our general reading potential and inspiration for August we have Ten of Wands, and potential issues are represented by the Ace of Swords. We have been getting high-powered Wands cards in this position since June. That fiery energy seems to still be there, and lots of it, and the Tens often symbolize a culmination of something. The thing with this kind of active energy is that being exposed to it for long periods of time can be overwhelming and hard to manage successfully. Considering we've been riding this wave since June, we might want to be cautious about how we proceed in our reading practice. The moment when we receive the Ten of Wands might just be a perfectly timely reminder to reassess our plans and strategies in order to prevent ourselves from taking on more than we can handle and burning out as a result.

The Ace of Swords as the potential issues hints at our ideas of what a successful reading practice looks like, prompting us to think about our reading not in relation to other people, but in relation to what we want to ultimately get out of it. There is nothing wrong with impulse reading, or jumping in on books our friends are planning for August, as long as we are honest with ourselves regarding how much we can handle at this time, and as long as we are clear that we are getting something valuable out of it. _

Let's look at some book inspiration for August. Five out of Six cards is of the Major arcana, so we are dealing with some big themes this month!

For non-fiction books, we have the Queen of Wands as the main theme, with Strength symbolizing the specific aspects of the theme. Our approach is illustrated by the The Hierophant (I love the way this artist depicted The Hierophant in this deck!)

The main theme is of the passionate and creative nature. This Queen is a mature figure that does not shy away from being who they are. They don’t consider themself as ever being too much, or too loud, or too weird. This Queen embodies confidence, inspiration, and all our passionate pursuits in life. They are led by a stubborn determination to achieve their goals and they have valid reasons for that self-assurance.

With this general theme in mind, the Strength asks us to look beyond what’s easily apparent. It asks us to explore what it takes to follow our heart despite everything that may be in our way. We’re talking about books that directly or indirectly pay homage to the creative and the “unusual” souls in this world (individually or as a whole) diving deep into the complexities of what it means to take part in any creative act or passion project that is openly out there for other people to see: the road blocks and the problem-solving, the failures that stand behind every success, and the constant inner battle to stand firm for what we believe without becoming self-destructive.

This interpretation aligns with our book style and approach. The Hierophant is an experienced teacher and a wise guide. This card might suggest that those kinds of books that may be best for this are the books written by our elders, or generally by people who have much experience on the topic and are happy to share their stories if it means helping the community as a whole. We are looking at a wide selection of reading material: from books about specific artists or artist groups, to those about activists, community organizers, authors, figures from the occult world, and all kinds of performers (actors, singers, dancers, drag queens, etc.). This selection also includes books that are written as practical guides for the reader to directly engage with, so we might also want to consider how we show up in the world when it comes to our passions and what books might have useful tips and exercises for us to work through. _

Let’s look at the bottom row of cards here, the ones that pertain to fiction books. We have nothing but the major arcana, and if you look at the illustrations, there is fiery energy in every single one of them! We aren’t dealing with the kind of stories that talk about quiet everyday life. This is the stuff of legends and adventures!

Our story theme is symbolized by the Judgement card. This is a card of transformation, one that has been in making for a long time. Often, this card talks about a welcomed change, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a hard one. Our characters are vulnerable and at times very scared, but they are led by something bigger than themselves.

The card that represents our characters’ biggest struggles is The Emperor. This card often talks about leadership, authority and tradition, and in this position it’s telling us that our characters are going against the grain in these stories and challenging the status quo. The change we are talking about in the Judgement card has to do with those in power. Our characters know that things have stopped working a long time ago and that change is necessary.

Our last card is The Chariot talking about the approach and the story framing. This is the card of the journey. This is a dynamic kind of story, one that is hard to put down. The road ahead is unclear, and there are most definitely hurdles and moments of weakness… but the commitment to the journey takes our characters through. There are growing pains, dangers and inconveniences, but they ultimately learn how to ride this chariot to victory. This kind of liberatory journey brings a chaotic energy, and our characters have to be okay with leaving what they once knew as their comfort zone in pursuit of a better world for everybody. _

That’s some August musings, from me to you! If there were any specific book titles you thought of while reading, you can drop them in the comments, and maybe we can give some recommendations to one another. _

When it comes to my reading practice, I technically only finished one book in July, however I started and read most of one that aligned well with last month's cards, and then also went back to some of the ones I started before. I’m pretty happy with myself.

I honestly felt like I read every available second in July, but as someone who takes a bunch of notes and goes on research tangents every time something's interesting, I read very slowly. I read so many books in the past where I felt like I forgot the contents only a few months after, and that was getting to be a big problem for me. I didn’t feel like it was because I was not paying attention, things were just not sticking. Eventually I decided to take notes every time a book is interesting to me, so even if I have to re-read it, I can still look at my notes and remind myself of the important sections more easily, as well as reference them later on if needed.

Anyway! Just figured there may be other people like me who feel like they don’t always retain information well. I think our brains all function a bit differently to one another, and we just have to find what work best for us. That said, I don’t think that simply taking notes fixes everything for me, but it does make me feel more comfortable knowing that even if I don’t remember important information, it will likely be somewhere in my notes where I can easily find it.

Thank you for sitting with me for a bit today. Happy reading, and I hope something really nice and comforting happens for you in August. :) _

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

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 . .