I find that often times when people purchase or receive Tarot cards, they are so quick to jump to reading the meanings in a book somewhere and then reading (or trying to read!) with only those meanings to fall back on. That's not how I do things, and that's not how I'll ever do things with my cards or any I receive/purchase in the future, and you shouldn't either.
When I want to acclimate my personal energy and vibration with new cards, or even just to reconstitute my already-existing (possibly faltering)connection with a current deck, I will first sit down quietly with that deck. I like to sit on the floor of my bedroom, but many will try to convince you that you should never have your cards on the ground. False . I have done wondrous readings absolutely fine with every deck I've ever had when I worked on the floor with them, so I am disproving that claim right now. I understand that some will say it's a respectful thing to keep your cards off of the ground (because that's where people walk and freely roam not to mention germs and such), but as a Modern dancer whose main energetic source in this particular dance style IS the ground, I know for certain that the floor is a place of power and energy, and that you should never be so quick to adopt someone else's views before you contemplate your own first. You choose your place, though. Nowhere is wrong to be.
After sitting, I will pull one card from the top of the deck and just take a good moment to look at it assess it, analyze it. Notice the colors, the faces of the people (if present), amongst everything else. Look at the images and symbols before you. Feel the images and symbols before you. I tell myself the story(s) I am witnessing in the card, and I weave it (them) into a symbolic meaning for that card. This part of the process helps you to really get in touch with the beauty and the innate gut feeling of your Tarot cards. It develops a strong sense of appreciation for your cards, which is extremely important to have in general with your cards. Try reading with cards you aren't fond of and see how far you get!
I repeat with each and every card after that until I am at the end of my deck.
Once I have gotten to the end of the deck, I will then actually read the meaning of each card in a Tarot book or the little booklet that came with the cards. Sometimes your own perceived meaning will match to a T the meaning written in the book(let), and sometimes it will be completely off, having almost nothing in common with the meaning in the book(let). If the latter occurs, DO NOT be discouraged! Do you know why? Because 1.) neither of the two meanings are incorrect in any way ( especially not your own), and 2.) now you have two meanings for your intuition to go off of during readings. If the former occurs, great! You've lost nothing, which is good.
Once I have read through all of the book(let) meanings and have familiarized myself with each one (along with your own personal meanings as well), I will just shuffle my cards and feel them running through my fingers as I manipulate them; feel their texture, see their beauty, etc. I take this time to do any last-minute things if I feel them necessary to further put myself into my Tarot cards.
Getting to know your cards should be a fun experience, not a task, so make sure that you make it as worthwhile as you can to ensure that your cards feel like your cards, because THEY ARE, now and forever.