Amanda Reads: Issue 34

Your reading recommendations and Tarot reading for the week of 3/13/2023

Hello, my friends! As you may or may not have noticed, there was no newsletter last week. Our house lost power for three days due to a wind storm knocking a tree right through our power lines, and as a result I didn’t have reliable access to internet at home. I was also the kind of exhausted we routine-loving folks get when life disrupts all sense of normalcy.

Thankfully, the power is back, and so am I with this week’s reading recommendations and Tarot pull for the week!

This week brings St. Patrick’s Day on Friday, a holiday I love largely because it also happens to be my birthday. We’re also approaching the spring equinox, so there’s a general sense of waking up and coming back into green after a long winter, at least here in the Northern Hemisphere. That said, it’s snowing where I live this morning, so still plenty of cozy vibes for curling up with a good book. Let’s dig in to the recommendations for the week!

Book Rec of the Week

This is another one of those times that I’m loving a current read so much, I’m going out on a limb to recommend it even though I haven’t finished it yet. Will a book one day teach me to regret this practice? Possibly.

But I doubt it will be Emilia Hart’s Weyward, a multi-generational tale about a family with a history of being labeled as witches. A history that just might bear out in their magical tendencies. I’m very much enjoying learning the stories of these three women and seeing how their lives connect across generations, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

Tarot Reading of the Week

Card of the Week: Eight of Charisma

Deck Used: The Dungeons & Dragons Tarot Deck

I recently stumbled upon this officially licensed D&D tarot deck and naturally had to pick it up. Unlike the more loosely inspired deck I pulled from last issue, this one follows the traditional Rider-Waite structure a bit more closely, which I enjoy. The four suits are replaced with stats from D&D, a fitting adjustment to match a theme if I do say so myself.

This week’s card pull is the Eight of Charisma. This card reminds us to pay attention to doing the simple things well. It’s an invitation not to get too bogged down in the big picture at the expense of putting energy and effort into your day-to-day. Make that homemade meal, spend some time developing your hobby, or find pleasure in doing your day job well. Whatever it is that you do routinely, don’t forget that there’s a benfit in doing it well and with your full attention.

Words from the Web

I’m entering a chronic pain flare phase and feeling quite antisocial, so I very much appreciated this hilarious and relatable story, “Reasons Why I Can’t Attend Your Party” by Nat Hrvatin.

As for me, well, naturally I had to write a little memoir essay about our power outage marathon. I also had a good bit of fun creating a list of book recommendations based on songs from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, just because.

I’ve been hanging on to some other ideas and trying to pitch them, so if you know of any venues that would love to let me go on about the increase in pop culture themed Tarot decks out and about, please do let me know!

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That’s all for this week! I hope you have a great week and that you enjoy my birthday—er, St. Patrick’s Day—if you celebrate.