Recent Arrivals chronicles the books that have made their way onto the Today, I Read… bookshelf. Here’s the latest arrival: The Tarot Cafe by Sang-Sun Park

First line: It’s not difficult to guess what happened to my clients in the past. (Volume 1)

Initial thoughts: I’ve always been a fan of anime, and though I’d heard about manga over the years, it wasn’t until very recently that I decided to take it seriously.

I decided to give it a real try when I saw a number of titles discounted and figured why not? I initially snagged the first volume of each title that caught my eye, then went back and grabbed subsequent issues for those with stories that pulled me in. TTC was one of them.

The Tarot Cafe struck my fancy because the subject matter intrigued me—a tarot reader for the supernatural—and I loved the art.

Book description:

Meet Pamela, the owner of The Tarot Cafe–what she offers on the menu isn’t always a treat for her customers. Pamela is also a clairvoyant who caters to an elite clientele that frequents the cafe for more than just tea. Vampires, fairies and other creatures that live among humans come to learn of their future from the predictions of this young woman. But Pamela must come to terms with a deep dark secret before she can move onto the next life…

Book Details: 184 pages (each volume); TokyoPop; Pub. March – December 2005