If Our Book Recommendations Were Tarot Decks

If we put our most recommended books of the year into a tarot deck, there’s three in particular we would hope to draw. So, imagine with us that we’ve drawn these books. There’s one for your past, one for your present, and one for your future. But before we get to these, let’s go to where it all started: our November Book Club pick, The Cloisters. The Cloisters and Tarot Decks are so intertwined that we’re not only presenting you with just 3 books (plus The Cloisters) that we’re convinced everyone should read, but we’re also presenting you with tarot decks that match the books. So, prepare yourself for your bookish tarot reading because we’re here to help you add tarot and books to your cart. 

The Book the Started It All

We’re firm believers that The Cloisters will appeal to fans of The Night Circus with the way it transports you into its pages, captivating readers with its mystery and intrigue. What happens when a woman desperate to escape her past finds a way to predict the future via a deck of 15^th-century tarot cards? This genre-bending story of a deadly game of power, seduction, and ambition. 

We couldn’t help but pair this book with a tarot deck perfect for fans of The Night Circus (in fact, the cards are illustrated by the author, Erin Morgenstern). The Phantomwise Tarot is perfect for readers of The Cloisters with its whimsy and mystery that will intrigue tarot readers while reminding readers of the very same atmosphere in the book. And then there’s this brilliant book all about one specific (and historical) tarot deck. While a 15^th-century tarot deck was discovered in The Cloisters, we are ecstatic for the recently discovered tarot deck of acclaimed British-born artist Leonora Carrington. These two decks are perfect for readers of the novel as you immerse yourself within its pages. 

The Book For Your Past

All’s fair in love and chemistry. It’s 1960s California and there are certain things that women just don’t do. When scientist Elizabeth Zott finds herself the host of a television cooking show, she kicks off a revolution that does more than just challenge the status quo. You will fall in love with the cast of characters in this debut novel that has already been picked up as an Apple TV+ series.

Science and food remain at the center of this book that is great for any reader, so we chose two tarot decks to accompany Lessons in Chemistry, the Barnes & Noble Book of the Year.  First up, we have the Women of Science Tarot Deck which would definitely be Elizabeth Zott approved. Just as Elizabeth Zott took a scientific approach to cooking, this deck takes a scientific approach to tell stories about the future, and each of the cards features inspirational women who have changed the course of STEM. Elizabeth Zott’s cooking had our mouths watering throughout the entire book, and if you love pasta, The Pasta Tarot is the deck for you! So, pick up the deck to accompany your reading of our book of the year for 2022!

The Book For Your Present

In a Midwestern town that’s run out of luck, a group of teenagers live together after they aged out of the foster care system; home is The Rabbit Hutch, an apartment complex that’s seen better days. Powerful and taut, this is a beautifully written story of community and loss, escape and healing, loneliness and hope. Readers won’t soon forget eighteen-year-old Blandine, the beating heart of this novel. The writing is so assured, it’s hard to believe this is Tess Gunty’s debut, which made it an easy choice for our 2022 Discover Prize winner. 

The Rabbit Hutch is one of those books that lingers in your mind long after you’ve turned the final page, and with a book all about the community of the apartment complex, we wanted to make sure we had decks that reflected it. The Modern Witch Tarot Deck celebrates the excitement and diversity of magic within our world, and there’s a certain magic that comes with a tight knit community weathering triumphs and tragedy alongside one another. Along with that love and loss, there’s a certain type of wisdom that comes with reading a book like The Rabbit Hutch, the kind that feels as though you’ve lived another life by the time you close the last cover, and Sacred Symbols Oracle Deck is the perfect deck to help you unlock your own wisdom from deep within. 

The Book For Your Future

A dark academia standalone that dives into the power of language and the evils of imperialism, student revolutions and a history of violence, Babel swirls with magic, lore, and Kuang’s signature attention to detail. It’s smart, witty and terrifying; the type of book you can’t stop reading and recommending!

Speaking of what we can’t stop recommending, we won’t stop recommending these tarot decks to accompany Babel! The Modern Nirvana Oracle Deck is perfect for readers of Babel. While the main characters of the book are exploring knowledge and translation, this deck helps readers unlock the answers to questions big and small from within. In Babel, Robin Swift explores his linguistic gifts while studying Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, and in The Wild Unknown Alchemy Deck & Guidebook, you, too, can awaken your gifts to engage with the world.