AHH! I love all things Tarot. This book was great, and it was fun to read, too! Which is always a plus. One of the things I liked most about this book was how it was easy to read. The author didn't weigh the reader down with a whole bunch of information, she made it understandable and interesting.

For years I have been tinkering (you might say?) with Tarots and I have always looked for a text that can give me their meaning in a simple and immediate way. Along the way I found several but here’s that "Kitchen Table tarot" turned out to be what I was looking for!
Vivid and direct descriptions accompany the reader in the discovery (and rediscovery) of the meaning of the cards. One of the things I appreciated most was the fact that it is a book that can also speak to people who are approaching the world of tarot cards for the first time.

Better late than never.... I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley, to read it prior to publication.

A year ago.

Uh... my bad.

It made that much of an impression on me, though, that I wanted to review it. Even after all this time had passed!

So, nutshell: I loved it. I loved the style, feel and tone. I loved the layout and design. But most importantly, I loved the methods in which the author "taught". It's not about the precision of the art, but rather, how you intuit the cards.

YES. I love this, and learned a similar outook when taking a card reading class from Doreen Virtue years ago. (Yes, that Doreen Virtue).

Would I buy this for myself? A friend? As a gift? Yes, yes and a wholehearted, yes.

A very nice look at the Tarot and how to approach it in a comfortable and casual way. This would be great for beginners

What a fun book! The advice is down-to-earth and the writing style is inviting and entertaining.

The book is readable but I have actually found this book too casual for me probably it would have its niche but unfortunately not me.

Melissa Cynova teaches Tarot out of her kitchen table, and she distills her lessons in this book. Though the book seems more geared towards women, I still liked it, and I felt that I can get some good things out of it.


The book does include quite a bit of spiritual elements, so if you are more secular you may want to keep this in mind. Additionally, the book has a bit of a kitschy charm to it. I can certainly see folks who use the Housewives Tarot deck as their deck keeping this book handy. Both items share a bit of that folksy charm. However, you can use this book with any Rider Waite Smith (RWS) deck or deck that draws on the RWS tradition. The author does recommend using an RWS based deck with the book.


The book is arranged as follows:


Author's introduction
Eight chapters covering the following topics:
Getting started
Care and keeping of You and Your Tools
The ethics of reading
The Major Arcana
The Minor Arcana: The Pips
The Minor Arcana: Court Cards
Professional Tarot Reading
When Readings Go Weird
Conclusion
Recommended reading



The author takes readers from the basics of getting started to the rudiments of reading professionally. That is an ambitious agenda.


For me, a strength of the book is in the author's casual and informal tone. Yes, the author can be pretty prescriptive at times like your aunt or granny making sure you get that apple cobbler recipe right. There are some things the author insists upon, or at least feels strongly about. Just keep in mind that in the world of Tarot, you can take what works for you and leave the rest behind. Some prescriptions aside, she is very casual and accessible. Her explanations are clear, and if you are a beginner, this is a good text to help you get started.


Overall, this is a book I really liked, and I'd consider adding it to my personal collection. I also say it can make a good selection for public libraries that collect Tarot and other divination books.

An interesting read, definitely something I will look back on when I pick up my tarot cards. It made the whole learning process and card reading process feel so much easier and personal.

Absolutely loved Melissa's conversational take on Tarot. Bravo!

A different and fun take on tarot. Perfect for beginners ir more advanced tarot readers who are looking to try new things

Kitchen Table Tarot by Melissa Cynova I am fascinated with Tarot and have been for years. I own several tarot decks and have reads tons of books. Some of the books I have read have been more like a text book, others were written so hard no one could actually understand them. This book on the other hand was very simple to read and understand. I love the easy to follow directions. I love how this book is also to the point while adding some life experience and even a little humor. I love that this book was written by a person who has actually used tarot cards and has come up with the simple to follow ways of the book. A lot of books just seem to be written by someone who has never picked up a card much less used them.

This is one of those books you want to keep around as well. A refresher is always a good thing when working with tarot cards since most of us do not use them on a daily basis.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com to read and review.

Having not picked up my cards for years, this book is a brilliant read, for beginners to tarot and those who have dabbled but want to reaffirm their knowledge of the cards. Each card is looked at individually and there's a wealth of information about each one, along with witty up to the moment commentary. It's a great and informative read and one I'll return to time and again.

I am a professional intuitive advisor (Medium, Psychic, Oracle and Tarot Reader) and have been reading cards off an on since I was 16. I have gone through numerous books about learning tarot in the past. I wish that Kitchen Table Tarot had been available in the 80s, it would have saved me so much stress! Ms. Cynova is very down to earth, direct and gets straight to point about learning, reading and working with your deck. You will also learn how to give readings and how to handle when readings go wrong (which they do!).

People are drawn to Tarot but then get very intimidated when they think they have to "memorize" long meanings about all 75 cards. The truth is, reading the cards is 20% card meaning/80% intuition. In Kitchen Table Tarot, you feel like you are at your BFF's house or best next door neighbors house learning in a relaxed and fun way. The book starts an intro on how the author got into Tarot, then chapter one getting started with a deck. Chapter 2 is all about keeping your self and your cards energetically and physically clean. In Chapter 3, she gets into the ethics of readings. It's important to remember people come to you in various emotional states and you don't want to bluntly give sensitive information. The the book dives into the cards, their stories and meanings. Chapter Four is The Major Arcana and Chapter Five & Six are all about the Minor Arcana. Chapter Seven goes into detail about doing professional Tarot readings and chapter Eight is about "When Readings Go Weird". There are also exercises to get to know your cards, and how to practice to become a better reader. The is a list of book recommendations in the back as well.

This is a fun, informal book on learning the tarot and worth a read even for advanced card readers. I received a pdf of this book from NetGalley for my honest review, but I will be buying a hard copy because I love it.

I've read a number of books on tarot, own more than I like to admit, but figured I can always learn something new so decided to read "Kitchen Table Tarot" by Melissa Cynova.

I like this book, Cynova gets to the point and doesn't bemoan anyone doesn't necessarily want to do the spiritual acts that some people associate with tarot like cleansing, bonding and so on. I appreciate that, not everyone can sleep with cards next to their bed or spend hours bonding with a specific deck every week.

This book is great for beginners, as it has the usual topics needed to review when first starting out. There are some basic spreads with explanations, how to's on doing a reading for yourself vs. someone else, the ethics of doing a reading, how to care for yourself and your tools (real world examples), and so much more. I found the ethics chapter especially useful for, as she brings up a lot of good information about your responsibility as a tarot card reader (to a client and yourself) and the expectations you and your client should have for a reading.

The meat of the book is going through the tarot cards, breaking them down into their meanings (including reversals). Nothing terribly new here, but I've read many books so I wasn't expecting profound new insight. Cynova does share some new tidbits on a few cards. Overall well done, but like I said if you're intermediate and above reader this isn't anything surprising.

Great sections in the back of the book, like book recommendations for continuing your studies and what to do if your reading goes weird. Because let's face it, sometimes a tarot reading gets all crazy and how to proceed isn't clear at all.

Great introductory book, I like Cynova's writing style and her straightforward approach to the cards. Worth a read if you are a more advanced reader as well. you may pick up a few new things or think of something differently. Its always nice to get another perspective.

This was one of the best tarot books I have read in a long time. Melissa Cynova writes about the tarot in a relaxed, fun, "this makes total sense" kind of way. I like her common sense approach to the cards, rather than some books that are so serious and arcane that they make you want to burn your tarot deck with frustration. Cynova brings the tarot down to Earth and writes about her personal experiences during readings to help learners relate to the cards. Her many years of tarot experience shine in this fabulous new book! A must have reference for any new or experienced card reader.

Normally I'm a romance kind of girl - historical, paranormal, YA, etc. In fact, aside from playing around with a tarot deck in middle school (kinda like how this author started), tarot had fallen off my radar until I read Kresley Cole's Arcana Chronicles. That series got me interested in the symbolism, the deeper meanings, and the relationships between the tarot cards...which lead me to this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Llewellyn Publications for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, I thought it was fabulous. The entire tone and voice is one of a friend or mentor. Melissa may have started this book as a blog to help friends and avoid phone bills, but it works for the general reader and provides all sorts of information. There is the stuff you would expect: tarot history, how to perform common reads/card drawing, what the card positions mean, and a fabulously informative dictionary of each card (Major and Minor Arcana) that includes an image of each card. But, there were also fabulous sections about how to run a tarot reading business, social media, what to do when readings go sideways, etc. And, if you're ready to move on from this book, there is well-done-to-this-newbie amount of secondary reference materials cited and listed both throughout and at the end of the book.

This book gives the reader enough information to feel comfortable performing and interpreting a tarot reading, but also a wealth of resources for where to further expand their knowledge. All while using the almost conversational tone of sitting with a friend at the kitchen table over a cup of coffee. Well done!

I have numerous tarot card books, and none of them has resonated with me like the Kitchen Table Tarot. The author gets straight to point when it comes to working with your tarot deck. It felt as though I was talking to a friend - who was guiding me through the lessons.

So many times people can feel intimidated when they are giving readers to others. I believe there's this pressure on tarot cards readers to be able to predict the future, etc. I think Tarot cards can be used as self-improvement tools on this journey we call life. This book is for anyone that wants to learn how to work with their deck and become comfortable giving readings to others. And also be able to take the fear and stigma of tarot cards when they are giving readers. There's never a bad card in the deck - no matter how many movies tell you otherwise.

Highly Recommended!

I loved everything about Melissa Cynova’s KITCHEN TABLE TAROT: PULL UP A CHAIR, SHUFFLE THE CARDS, AND LET’S TALK TAROT. From the cover design by Kevin R. Brown to the inclusion of the actual Llewellyn Classic Tarot images to Cynova’s personal touch with writing — this book is a major asset to anyone curious about tarot. She is a dynamo with being blunt and laying things out clear as day. Reading KITCHEN TABLE TAROT genuinely feels like sitting down with her and getting a whole workshop series delivered one-on-one.
She uses a basic Rider Waite Smith style deck and explains that lack of diversity in order to give the first level of understanding the cards and meanings. In the early pages, she even provides a short sample list of some decks that are more inclusive or more specific like all-female decks or ethnic specific decks.
The chapters are well organized with brief introductions to the content to follow. After all the introductory information, she spent time explaining the way to care for your tarot cards. Then the chapters dove into the nitty gritty of interpretations: Major Arcana, Minor Arcana (Pips), Minor Arcana (Court cards), doing professional readings, and some fun stories of memorable readings she’s done.

Wish you had someone who could sit down with you and tell you everything you need to know about tarot cards? You do! Melissa Cynova has been reading cards for friends, acquaintances, and clients for mumblemumble years and she shares much of what she's learned. Not just about the meanings of the cards, but also things that no one else tells you. What do you do when a reading goes bad--or really well? How do you deal with strangers who want a reading? What does it feel like when you read someone's cards? How do you get to know the cards? Sit down with Melissa and you'll be ready to start your tarot journey.

The book, of course, does spend plenty of time on card meanings. I like the way this section is arranged. The Major Arcana come first and the Minor Arcana go in order of the pips, not suit, This way you see the meanings of the numbers and it helps a lot with learning. Melissa gives exercises to do before she gets into the meanings so that the reader's intuition is exercised before they try to start memorizing. It's a very organic and friendly way of doing things.

Early on in the book, Melissa talks about some of her experiences while giving readings. They're a little--other-worldly. I was afraid the book would be too woo-woo for me, but the last part of that section let me know this is the right book. Melissa asked how the reader knows she's not making it up and said we don't. "Things work because you believe in them...Don't spend a bunch of money on learning how to get to know your cards. Just do it. Say hi to them and get to work." That right there is what I want in a tarot book. It's about the reader's belief and what they want out of it. Spend time with the cards, treat them like a valued resource, and use them!

Great writing, fluid and open. As a reader myself, I enjoyed how relatable the stories and tips were, and I would buy this for any of my friends thinking of getting into tarot. I think it's a must for my bookshelves!