Kitchen Table Tarot: Pull Up a Chair, Shuffle the Cards, and Let's Talk Tarot

by Melissa Cynova

Learn to read with your own voice and get the answers to all of your questions.

For years, Melissa Cynova has been sitting down with friends and neighbors who are curious about the tarot. She's heard all the questions and misconceptions that can confuse newcomers (and sometimes more experienced readers, too). Kitchen Table Tarot was written as a guide for anyone looking for no-nonsense lessons with a warm, friendly, and knowledgeable teacher.

Join Melissa as she shares straightforward guidance on decks, spreads, card meanings, and symbols. Filled with real-life examples and personal explanations of what it's like to read the cards, this book tells it like it is and provides the information you need to read with confidence.

Genres: Tarot, Nonfiction, Witchcraft, Spirituality, Reference, Divination, Occult

271 pages, Paperback

First published April 8, 2017

About the author

Tarot cards are pieces of paper with a series of symbolic art on them. That's it.

Tarot READERS, though, now there's some magic.

I've been reading tarot cards for 30 years and I can tell you that they're not magical, mystical or otherwise. The cards are cards, and you're the one who makes them amazing.

I live in St. Louis with my husband, Joe (who is my favorite), my kiddos, five black cats, two dogs, and our tortoise, Phil. I really, really like superhero movies and when I'm not reading or writing, I'm hanging out with my friends. I'm a lucky girl.

Reviews

[Maggie Stiefvater · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will be my new go-to recommendation when folks ask me about starting tarot.

For some folks, tarot is a highly mystical experience, requiring ritual and song, candles and wall-hangings, crystals and gnomes. I respect that. Go for it. But for me, tarot's always been a more mundane spiritual experience, one that notches into many spiritual beliefs and lifestyles. A conversation starter when people come to my house for the first time, or for connecting at the end of a long conference day. It's just a way to dig into issues that you don't otherwise know how to solve, celebrate the good parts of yourself, and connect with people in a way that digs deep beyond that odious poison, small talk.

Cynova tackles the tarot with this same big-picture, no-nonsense approach. If you're looking for a deep study of the cards' history or an analysis of why the color blue appears on such card or a guide for how to spiritually dishwash the bad energy out of your cards, this isn't the book for you; there are others that do that well. If you're looking for an intuitive overview of how tarot might work for you and a pragmatic guide to learning the cards' core meanings, this book is the one. It's a warm, fast read with plenty of swearing, and I wish it could be bundled with every one of my tarot decks instead of the little one I wrote. It's that good. Buy one for you and one for your best friend, and go through it together. A+

[Patrick McG · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was going to give this four stars, but then I remembered I gave Moby Dick four stars.
So I'm gonna have to reevaluate the star system.

It is fun to learn tarot.

Moby Dick probably deserves five stars.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kinda loved this one...what a pleasant surprise. In our library, the new fiction and nonfiction are side by side, so I often wind up with a book I would never seek out but this definitely tops the list. I don't even read tarot cards! Nonetheless, this book was a delight. It offered lots of information and interesting interpretations of the meanings of the cards, as well as some tips and practical advice, all delivered in a friendly manner. I can only imagine how much someone who actually reads tarot would enjoy it!

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

From the reviews, I thought this would be a straightforward, grounded book that was more about the intuitive aspects of tarot etc. Instead, there are a lot of anecdotes in which the writer suggests she has psychic abilities, which is definitely not what I wanted, and the main advice seems to be on ignoring any symbolism in the cards at all and just creating your own meanings.

Because of that, the section of the book that explores the meanings of the cards is very inconsistent: there are some helpful ways to understand the symbolism of different numbers and court cards, but some cards have two pages of description (often anecdotal, again), while others have less than half a page.

I do like the writer's personality and conversational style, but for some of the card descriptions, style is all there is - after looking up card meanings in this book, I've frequently had to go elsewhere to find descriptions that are helpful. I'm on the look out for a better book, but I'm guessing I'm not going to find anything that beats Biddy Tarot for card meanings.

[Dusk · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I wanted to do was learn more about tarot, but I got so, so much more out of this book.

Yes, this book provides lovely little summaries of the traditional (and some non-traditional!) meanings of all the tarot cards, including their inversions. But the author's voice is so strong, her perspective so clear and unique, that it was like having a conversation with an old friend. The prose was so lively and interesting that I read it cover-to-cover in less than a week, and enjoyed every page.

But I hear you asking, "I don't believe in psychics or fortune tellers, why should I care about this book?"

I hear you. Personally, I don't believe there's anything mystical or magical about tarot. But I do believe in stories, and that's really all the tarot cards are: little vignettes, archetypes of humanity, illustrated and organized into themes. And just reading about those archetypes helped me think about my own life, which archetypes I have been and which ones I have known. You know, the couple that's destructively too passionate and flames out ("The Lovers" card) or that great feeling when you know exactly how to accomplish something, you're the expert, and you know it ("The Magician").

The author of this book does an incredible job of making these archetypes relatable to modern life, with a feminist and LGBTQ-friendly bent, so whatever situation you find yourself in, there's a card for that.

[Kirsty ❤️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few months ago I went to a seminar that taught a quick and dirty way to understand tarot that made it far clearer than any book I'd read. Now finally there's a book I wish I'd had years ago when I started playing with the cards. The first section is a potted history of how the author got into tarot and some what and what no to do's with biographical anecdotes. Then we get to the meat of the book - a step by step explanation of all the cards of a basic deck.

And this is one of the things I loved. With each one there's the meaning of the card but it's peppered with fun and witty dialogue, Melissa's personality really shines throughout each bit. Not just the intended meaning but her viewpoint and funny asides. I loved it. Now I just need to remember where I put my cards.....

[Anna (Bananas) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a down to earth, helpful, relatable tarot book. I love that she shared a lot of stories about readings she’s done throughout the years, the good, the bad, and the downright crazy. She also talks about the business side of tarot, which I appreciated.
What I wasn’t thrilled about is that more than half of the book is the standard breakdown of each tarot card. I thought this book was going to be more about the act of tarot reading, the art, the intuition. I mean it is. I guess you kind of have to talk about the cards, but we get this with every tarot deck that we buy and also most of the books on tarot. They go through each of the 78 cards, one by one one by one... After a while it feels a bit tedious. That being said, you could still find new perspectives on every card and the author certainly has them. I ended up enjoying almost every description she wrote.
The court cards are still tough, no matter what she says. I’m trying to think of them as embodying the zodiac signs they represent. That helps me remember the personalities. I do like her interpretation that the court cards should always represent people. That certainly seems simpler than allowing them to represent situations or how you should act/be.
I also love that she organized the card descriptions by numbers rather than suits. She would go through each of the fours, each of the fives, each of the queens, rather than going through an entire suit and starting over with a new suit, which most books do.
So despite my few complaints, I really enjoyed this and found it extremely helpful. I underlined a LOT and I’ll be going back to this book many times I feel.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first put this book on my TBR list, it was a "generic" listing: I put almost every new tarot book on that list unless I can tell from the description that I'm not going to like it. But when I realized that the author was a blogger whose blog I enjoy, I pushed this book to the top of the list. I'm happy to report that this is a fine book for beginning tarot readers.

Like the cover and title suggest, this is a casual introduction to the tarot. Cynova has focused on the practical aspects of reading the tarot, so most of the book is descriptions of the individual cards, including reversed ("inverted") meanings. She talks about choosing a deck, with suggestions which absolute beginners will probably find really useful, and how to take care of it. She describes a few spreads and talks about what it's like to give readings, plus a helpful chapter on how to do this professionally. But there's basically nothing on the history of the tarot or long discussions of the symbolism or anything like that. (If those kinds of things interest you, don't worry—many other books cover those topics.) She delivers all this in a friendly, readable style. From reading her blog, I was expecting that, and I'm happy to see she didn't get edited into an artificial formality.

I think beginning readers will get the most out of this book. More experienced readers may very well enjoy reading it (I did!), but they'll have probably learned these basics already.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first actual tarot book. I really feel like Melissa loves the sound of her own voice. I got a real "I'm talking a lot because I like doing that, and I'll frame myself as an expert while I waffle" vibe from this. There was some interesting stuff at the start. I found her initial pitch for the minor arcana enlightening, but then it didn't follow through?

For example, she says the sixes through the suits are about recognition. Great! This is helpful for learning. But then the individual descriptions don't really draw back clearly to this assertion. Maybe she uses poor examples? Or doesn't explain it well? Or is she just wrong, or making stuff up? Is she trying to explain something she doesn't really have a clear understanding of herself? I will need to read something else for better clarity.

At this point I'm just tired of reading Melissa say "I think..." We get it, Melissa. You have all the answers. Wooo.

Would love any recommendations for a better book.

[carol. · Rating 5 out of 5]

WSPANIAŁA, najlepsza do rozpoczęcia swojej przygody z kartami

[Tree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you so very much to Netgalley and Llewellyn Publications for allowing me to have the opportunity of reading and reviewing this ARC.

I couldn't be happier to have read Kitchen Table Tarot. I sent a request for this book on a whim. I bought my first tarot deck nearly 6 years ago, I was 17. I practiced and practiced and then mental illness struck and I put my cards away. Today, I picked them up again after reading this very insightful and meaningful book.

Melissa Cynova feels like a friend. The writing style and humor throughout the book was so encouraging and lighthearted. This is a Tarot book for people of all skill levels, but especially for beginners. From the first page on, you experience a sense of belonging and welcoming to a community you already love but have been intimidated by.

I love that Melissa makes a point of saying that there is a place for all readers in the Tarot reading world. Community over competition is so important to me and being able to read the experience and expertise of someone who agrees with that sentiment gave me the warm fuzzies.

I learned so much throughout this book and many of the explanations helped me understand and process aspects of reading that I hadn't considered those 6 years ago.

I will read anything Melissa Cynova writes from here on out.

[Cherise · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this book is just is not my taste.. The book was basically her humorous thoughts on each card and how she reads professionally.. I do not read professionally and so the information provided no use to me. I also do not feel like I learned much about each card, except for her opinion on what they mean. I think I just prefer more traditional books.
Also, she explained why the rider waite deck was important to learn from but then didn't use the deck in the book or explain much about it aside from saying we should look up Pamela Colman Smith. I agree we should know about her but maybe as an author, she could have explained a little about the illustrator of the original deck? I feel this is good if your looking for an entertaining perspective on each card and some inspiration on being yourself as a reader. I personally wouldn't recommend this to beginners though, but thats just me.

[Sue Fernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

THANK YOU to Net Galley and Llewellyn Publications for an ARC of this title. I am almost, but not quite done, and had to review it immediately. Prior to this, my all time favorite Tarot book was Tarot Made Easy. I'd hoped this one was similar and not too heavy, and it surpassed all my expectations. The author has a way of writing that makes me feel like I'm really at the table with her, learning, and in just the first few chapters, I learned more about the Tarot than I'd learned in previous reads, and it wasn't elitist...you realize you can do this. Thank you again for this book. I've already pre-ordered a hard copy for my shelf.

[Lindsay Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! I've read many books on tarot over the years, this one is completely accessible to a beginner while still being interesting enough to keep the experienced card reader invested. I love how down-to-earth she is!

[Lobo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dobra książka dla początkujących - pomagać pozbyć się presji związanej z uczeniem się Tarota. Autorka podchodzi do wszystkiego bardzo na luzie, bez dzikich wymogów, z zaznaczeniem, że każdy rozumie karty na swój sposób. Dużo praktycznych wskazówek związanych z wróżeniem, jeśli do tego prymarnie chce się stosować karty. Porady co i jak mówić potencjalnym kwerentom, jak zatroszczyć się o siebie w czasie pracy z cudzymi problemami.

Moje zastrzeżenia wywodzą się z tego, że autorka bazuje znaczenia kart na ich ikonologii, a ta z kolei znacząco różni się od tej, którą znam jaką podstawową, tj. kanon tarota marsylskiego. Jej talia jest unowocześniona, co wcale nie jest minusem, ale zdarzają się też reinterpretacje graficzne starych motywów. I jeszcze fakt, że z symboliką autorka jest na bakier i nie rozpoznaje symboli chociażby czterech ewangelistów, których w tarocie pełno. Nie twierdzę, że to podważa wiarygodność, bo znaczenia tarota też się zmieniają i różne talie oferują różne wytłumaczenia, ale osobiście miałam dysonans poznawczy. Wciąż uważam, że to świetna pozycja dla początkujących i dla mnie też była takim głębszym wdechem, bo przypomniałam sobie, że nie muszę się tak spinać odnośnie tarota. Dla kogoś, kto uczył się talii z "Tarota magów" Sulgi takie przypomnienie jest zawsze potrzebne.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. It was very just-okay.

She's definitely on the "fortune telling" side of the tarot spectrum, while I'm on the personal development/meditation/empowerment side. And she's more on the traditional interpretations rather than more modern, inclusive tarot meanings.

This book would probably be good for someone that's looking to learn tarot in the traditional way, where you look at a certain card and it "tells you what's going to happen." Since I don't believe that's how they work, I didn't really vibe with the book. I think modern, empowered tarot readers will feel the same.

Also...am I the only one that thinks it's bizarre that the cartoon woman on all of Melissa Cynova's books is not anything like her, the author? I just find it strange. It's like this weird fake woman

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yes, I was gifted my first Tarot deck. Thank you Kathyanne!!
Yes, I have been pulling cards every morning and journaling about them.
Yes, I did a single card "reading" (I use that term loosely because I haven't a clue what I'm doing yet) on my bestie and I made her cry! Oops? or Yea!!

BUT, am I doing it right? This was the easy to understand confidence boost I needed. In short, there is no wrong way to read Tarot. You do you!

[Lisa Kuhn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an incredibly eye-opening and simple explanation of the Tarot. I feel like my understanding of the cards has deepened significantly thanks to the author's down-to-earth style and voice. This is great for beginners like me.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I received an ARC copy of this book via NetGalley.

This is a tarot book aimed at beginners and no prior knowledge is assumed or necessary as Melissa Cynova goes step-by-step through everything you need to know to get started with Tarot. The tone is informal, which one might expect from the title, and it does indeed feel like sitting down with a friend who is happy to share the wisdom gained from tarot-reading since 1989.

With such an engaging style and accessible cultural references, Kitchen Table Tarot contains everything a beginner needs to know and brings the individual card meanings up-to-date. In fact, the meanings are presented in a way that is both humorous and memorable, for example: "Usually, when a fish pops out of my cup, I'm a bit put out, but this guy loves surprises" (the Page of Cups).

Without being too lengthy, card meanings are very clear and reversals are also included. I found it particularly helpful to have the meanings presented by number, not by suit. So all the aces are together, all the twos together and so on. Some previous books have left me confused between the different court cards, but reading about them as a set helps to distinguish them. It highlights their similarities and differences.

The Llewelyn deck is referenced throughout, including clear (black and white) pictures so you can follow along without having a deck to hand. If you already have a Rider-Waite deck, or a variant of that, the commentary will work perfectly well too. I was using a Radiant Rider-Waite deck and the images were close enough to understand and interpret the imagery. The author states that learning the meanings of a basic deck like these is the best way to help understand other diverse decks (a selection of which are listed).

As well as providing meanings and reversals for all cards, there is also guidance on picking a deck, getting started with tarot reading for others (don't be afraid to work from a book!), and a list further resources, as well as other miscellaneous advice and tips.

I would definitely recommend this book for tarot beginners.

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitchen Table Tarot is a great introductory text to someone who knows nothing about tarot. Cynova is big into trying to explain that there is no one tarot practice. You choose your own methods and rituals, and you figure out what works best for you. She's a bit more woo than me, but that's what works for her, so I didn't feel pressured that I was somehow doing tarot wrong if I didn't use crystals.

A bulk of the book is devoted to talking about the cards. She has some interesting observations I had not thought of before, and her organisation was really helpful. Instead of going through the Minors suite by suite, she did them number by number to draw comparisons. I think her descriptions of the court cards were a bit wanting, and some of the Majors were perhaps too simplistic, but this is meant to be an introductory text, and I think it does that job quite well.

All in all, this feels like a very modern, approachable text for tarot beginners. I still prefer Pollack and Bunning, but this might be easier to draw people into the practice with.

[Miss Syreena · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book that someone might read after the little white book that comes with tarot cards but before tackling Rachel Pollack. I would strongly caution that the interpretations of the cards shared are based on the authors experience as a reader. The author also seems to be clairvoyant, which is not a requirement for reading tarot cards. There’s a lot missing from this book, but someone who connects with the author’s tone might enjoy it as part of their studies.

[alice. · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 || On today's episode of me reading anything Maggie Stiefvater rates 5 stars...
___
This is one of those rare cases where a book on the occult can be enjoyed by people in all different areas of life, not just the witchy crystal hoarder zodiac expert types. The descriptions of the cards were rich with tiny vignettes of the human experience, which made the entire book feel like a warm hug, ty Melissa Cynova for the free counseling session <3

However, I do wish she had delved more into the (incredibly!!!) interesting history of tarot and divination in general. I would've loved to see her modernize such a dense topic with all the fresh, nuanced flair she gave to the tarot meanings. The landscape of books on Pagan/occult history has always been frustratingly unwelcoming, filled to the brim with primarily old white male authors whose dialogue is heavily opinionated, fustian, and lacking in intersectionality, and though this issue has gotten less prominent over the years, it still feels like a huge missed opportunity on Cynova's end. Though I did appreciate the more unorthodox perspectives she shared on the more niche topic of tarot, I found myself constantly yearning for her to use it as a jumping-off point to explore more expansive, macro topics instead of just the more typical, "this card means this" format I've grown tired of over the years.

I also felt like there was simply one too many personal anecdotes, which had this book feeling more like a memoir of Cynova's spiritual journey than the ultra-grounded reference book I initially had in mind, and some of it could've been chopped, but it was a short charming read nonetheless. 10/10 coffee table book, cover and all.

I do foresee the more millennial-style humor + references aging poorly as the years go on (the entire Facebook business advertising bit at the end can be fully cut imho), but Cynova's way of delivering so much useful information in an accessible, heartfelt, and welcoming way is something that'll definitely stand the test of time! A lovely read all around, may get myself a physical copy soon haha :D <3

[Zoe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I put a little too much pressure on this book for it to be everything I needed in a tarot guide. The humor and personal anecdotes were enjoyable, and I greatly appreciated the acknowledgements that one needn't take tarot to a spiritual place, though I still found it a bit too mystical/religious for my taste at times. For a book that sells itself on being relatable and literally grounded at the kitchen table, the constant references to how one might read for a client detracted from the actual explanations of the cards. And the layout of the book, particularly regarding how in the Minor Arcana we go through all of the Aces, then all of the Twos, etc., makes it hard to understand the journey and meaning to be derived from the suits. By the time we get to the Court cards, all the Kings seem to have the same stereotypical meaning with only slight variations between Wand and Sword. That said, when referenced along with other tarot guides, I think this one can lend a helpful and comparatively practical light to how one interprets the cards.

[Lillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 out of 5 Stars

This book is an excellent beginner’s guide on how to step up to the plate and start learning how to tackle tarot.

Cynova’s writing style is very straightforward, conversational, and personable. She tells the reader that she started writing this book as a series of blog posts, which is something that totally comes through in her tone. Her reasonable and down to earth perspective was a real strength for this book, in that it puts the reader at ease. If I was a new tarot reader looking for help learning the cards, this book would’ve calmed so much of my anxiety around tarot, and given me a great foundation to build off of. Hell, even as someone who has been reading for a few years now it still did a bit of that.

The initial chapters consist of tips on getting a deck, how to take care of it, basic spreads, intro exercises, grounding yourself, cleansing your deck, and finally how to give a reading for someone else. The bits I personally benefited from the most were Cynova’s discussions and teachings regarding reading for others. There was a good chunk of information in this book about the do’s and don’t of a professional reader. I don’t know if I’ll ever be in the position of reading Tarot full time for a living, but this information and perspective was quite helpful to me as I really enjoy reading for other people (sometimes strangers). Cynova has been reading for 20+ years and has some great anecdotes and personal examples to accompany the points she makes.

The largest chunk of the book (200 pages) consisted of her interpretation of each of the cards in a tarot deck. For a reader just starting out, this would have been incredibly helpful. As someone who has been reading for a little bit, I was slightly hesitant, but intrigued. Yet I found her interpretations to be insightful and the descriptions well thought out.

My one hitch being, Cynova strongly recommends starting out with a deck of the Rider Waite Smith tradition. When I was first starting out, my first deck was the classic Rider Waite Smith, but I found that I couldn’t connect to it. The decks I acquired later, followed the structure of the original deck, but had different art styles that spoke to me more. Each of the card outlines in this book follow the art style and symbolism of a Rider Waite Smith deck.
For me this is a matter of personal preference. I think for someone else just starting out, having someone point out all of the traditional symbolism as a way to help remember a card’s meaning would’ve been really helpful. However, for someone who has never connected to the art of that deck, it doesn’t do much for me.
Otherwise, after I glossed over those parts of the card descriptions, I felt like I was back in familiar territory.

Overall, I think this book is excellent. It’s one that I will eagerly shove into the hands of any beginner reader that comes to me with questions. Not only is it a great primer, but also a reference to keep coming back to and learning from.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was promised swearing and there was like none. At all. Unless I have just become immune and didn’t notice but seriously, not one f-word or anything. That being said, I do think it is a good introduction to tarot (disclaimer: it is currently the only tarot book I’ve read but I’ve browsed around the internet a good amount), however it was not the best book for me. There is a lot of talk about reading for other people and less about reading for yourself, which is more where my interest lies. It does have a very good guide to the cards. There are some parts of the book that I did not vibe with, but all of them are about my opinions, not any problem with the book. Four stars because it is exactly what it is advertised as, a light introduction to tarot.

[Ramona Mead · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an absolute newbie to Tarot, this book is exactly what I needed! Melissa gives thorough explanations of each card and suite. She also adds in personal anecdotes and guidance. I appreciate the positive tone of the book, and her emphasis on staying true to oneself and being kind when giving readings. Her writing is straightforward and easy to understand. I have a lot more confidence about reading the cards than I did before I read this. There are lots of great tips for what to do and not do regarding everything from handling your cards to eventually charging money for readings.

[Geenah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy-to-follow and straightforward book geared towards beginners. I don't agree 100% with all of the interpretations and there where a handful I feel like the author didn't explain very well. But I did love that she explained how she got to her conclusions. I think her explanation on how the cards tell stories was really helpful for a noob like me. I also like how she divided the minor arcana by aces, pips and court instead of by suits. It was a very effective way to illustrate the synchonicity between the suits.

[Jaimee Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a complete Tarot newbie (I just got my first deck a month ago) and I've been reading every book I could get my hands on. Of all the ones I've read, I've enjoyed this one the most because it hits everything I was looking for: informative, holistic, and really fun to read! Cynova puts a lot of her personality into this book & I love that! She's funny and insightful and shares from personal experience as a professional tarot reader.

[Claire G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I skipped the chapter about doing readings as a business since I don't plan on pursuing that, but read everything else.

As a complete newbie, it really gave a great overview of what doing tarot readings is all about while applying it to real life and making it relatable to someone who is still learning. Based on tidbits from others on tarot, I've heard to go off of the vibes of the images on the cards, which is exactly how I felt the author described the cards. Tremendously helpful resource right here!

[Lainey Godwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Literally read this book in less than 24 hours. I have so many tarot books, but always feel overwhelmed or information overloaded when I read them. This is the first time I’ve read a tarot book from cover to cover. It literally felt like chatting about the cards with a friend, hence “kitchen table tarot.” Can’t recommend this book enough!