The Book Goddess Reads

Birthdays always tend to make me reflective. I’m another year older today, and if I’m honest, my life doesn’t look the way I once thought it would. The grand plans my younger self imagined have shifted, paused, or turned into something entirely different.

Yesterday, my friend took me for a Tarot reading as a birthday treat, and I’ve been reflected. The Magician, The World, the Seven of Pentacles, the Ten of Cups… it was like the universe had slipped me a little birthday note saying: You’re not lost, you’re in between chapters.

Because here’s the thing: if 13-year-old me could peak into my world now, I think she’d actually find me pretty cool.

The truth, I live on my own, in a house overflowing with books (truly – if you can find a surface without a stack, congratulations, you’ve won!) I have a job in the NHS – not with the fancy uniform I always wanted, but a quieter role that matters nontheless. Who knew you could build a career out of pretending to be ill (shout out to my Simulated Patients), or juggle timetables, emails and endless processes to keep things running? Not glamorous, but important. I’ve built a home that feels entirely mine, surrounded by stories, candles, mugs of tea, and the occasional pile of laundry (because Balance, right?) And most importantly, I share it with Smudge, my loyal, slightly bossy and endlessly comforting cat.

This past year hasn’t been easy. It’s been marked by new experiences – my first cruise for one, which was a completely different kind of adventure than I’d done before, not to mention my first Etsy sale (even if it was my friend). But it’s also been a year of grief and loss, of navigating spaces that feel heavy and sharp-edged. Grief never arrives politely, and it certainly doesn’t keep tidy hours. It’s lingered at my side, even in the moments of joy.

And yet, as the Ten of Cups reminded me, alongside the hard parts, there’s been so much love woven through it all. My parents, my brother and sister-in-law, steady and kind and always up for a laugh, and my nephew, whose hugs could absolutely heal anything. My friends who cheer me on (and occasionally drag me out of the house when I’d rather stay buried in a book) and make me laugh until I can’t breathe. And of course Smudge who seems to know instinctively when I need him close. Love has been the thread stitching this year together, even when the fabric felt frayed.

The cards felt like a mirror to all of that. A cycle has closed, and you’re ready for the next; be patient, the seeds you’ve planted are still growing; new opportunities are on their way – solid ones, foundations you can build on; clarity is coming, speak your truth and follow your ideas. The Queen of Wands reminded me to take up space, to leace with confidence, while the Nine of Wands admitted that yes – I’m tired. I’ve been through battles but I’m still standing. And the centre of it all, sat the King of Pentacles, groundedness, stability the slow and steady building of a life that feels solid under my feet.

Looking back, maybe my life isn’t what I once pictured. But when I zoom out, I see something worth celebrating: independence, creativity, resilience, and love. I see shelves of books carrying memories, the glow of fairy lights and candles, the comfort of a cup of tea, the purr of a cat on my lap. I see someone who’s still here, still dreaming and still building.

Looking Ahead ✨

So what now? The Tarot spread felt like a message that I’m standing on the edge of something new – opportunities in career, creativity, even in home life – but they’ll take patience and clarity.

I’m not writing a list of resolutions, but I do want to carry some intentions with me.

• To keep writing – stories, blogs, marginalia.
• To make space for joy in the smallest rituals.
• To say yes to adventures I wouldn’t have pictured.
• To lean on my people, and be someone they can lean on too.
• To trust that what I’m planting now will grow – even if I can’t see the harvest just yet.

So here I am: another turn around the run. A little older, hopefully a little wiser, still surrounded by all the things my 13-year-old self would have though impossibly cool. My own space, my own library and my own cat.

Here’s to the year ahead – cycles closing, new ones beginning, messy, unpredictable but undeniably mine.

Kate 💫