It's Monday and you know what that means... Monday Mail Call!
Each Monday (give or take), I use this feature to highlight a few of the things that have made their way in over the past week or so. Packages, purchases, and emails -- oh my!
This past week was a big one with packages coming in left and right! Though, truth be told, I think I ended up placing even more orders this week than things I received so I'll likely be getting a lot more soon too!
Up first, four decks from Jocu! I received the rewards from the Samhain & Imbolc Wheel of the Year Playing Cards Kickstarter campaign, also including two add-on decks. All in all, the box I opened contained:
- 1x Samhain Deck
- 1x Imbolc Deck
- 1x Beltane Deck
- 1x Lughnasadh Deck
I had missed the original campaign (with the latter two decks), so I was really happy to be able to add them on and not have to go for crazy after-market prices. This specific campaign, for Samhain and Imbolc, celebrates Winter and the coming of Spring. The campaign itself was in November and December, so it made sense at the time =P
They're absolutely gorgeous tuck cases, but the decks themselves are pure Jocu greatness when it comes to artwork. I haven't opened mine yet (but will soon enough), but the photos on Kickstarter and Instagram have been quite nice. I'll almost feel bad using them for magic. Almost.
Up next, two books that also arrived in the same box... because they were from the same company -- Neat Review! I went a little brand-fan crazy and jumped on ordering both MAINSPRING and Magic as Medium.
I didn't know until after I received them, but Neat Review actually says that both books play off of each other as a coupling. One's for the mind, one's for the body. That'll be neat.
They're very different physically. MAINSPRING is tinier and flimsy; it's a paperback, about the size of a deck-and-a-half both in height and width. Magic as Medium is hardcover, an interesting textured cloth cover, about the size of a ... well, a book I guess. Is there a normal size for a book? I guess not. I'm looking at my different shelves and yeah, someone should really standardize book sizes!
Both of these books are more towards the theory side of the house, less the "here's how to do a routine" one. The initial vibe I'm getting is that they're both a collection of essays that relate towards a common theme and are merged into a book. And I like that.
So there it is folks, 4 new decks and 2 new books. I'm still riding my Talk About Tricks high so I doubt I'll dive into these two within the next week or two but I am excited to see what they hold. They might actually be Fall books for me; I can see myself bundled up and kicking back next to the fireplace with a hot chocolate reading them. And it's currently around 100 degrees outside as I type this, so I'll stop =P
Stay tuned for the next iteration of Monday Mail Call, there's a lot more to come!
Oh also, if you'd like to offer suggestions for books, tricks, decks or if you have questions about magic (performing, routines, sleights, etc.), just reach out here.