Hi everyone,

How are we all coping this week? I have officially got a week break between my old job and new job which means I have lots of time to get reading – and that’s great because the OWLS are here! Last year, I participated in this readathon and had so much fun, even though I was overseas visiting family for the whole month and couldn’t really be hugely involved.

For those who haven’t heard of the Magical Readathon, it’s created by Book Roast on YouTube. Based on the exams from the Harry Potter series, it has two parts, where we sit OWLs and NEWTs. Book Roast creates a huge careers guide, and for each career gives subjects and grades we need to achieve for it – with each subject (in the OWLs) and each subject AND grade (in the NEWTs) having a seperate prompt. I’ve probably not explained that well at all so do please watch Book Roast’s introduction to the readathon where it is explained much more clearly!

This year, unlike last, I’ll have a bit more time to devote to the readathon so I’m going for a more intense career. I trained for the Librarian career last year, but this year I am going to be a….CURSE BREAKER! Curse Breaker’s need “precision, excellent memory and throughness” but I chose this career mainly because I think these are the subjects I would have chosen if I was at Hogwarrts. For this career I need to get my OWLs in Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Charms, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Potions and Transfigurations. This year, some really cool additional courses have been added so I’m doing a course in Merpeople Linguistics which also requires an OWL in Herbology.

So without further ado….my TBR! I’m so excited about all these books and have spent a while choosing ones to make this pretty much my favourite TBR for a readathon ever.

Ancient Runes

Prompt: Heart rune: Heart on the cover or in title

Okay, I admit the heart on the cover is a little bit hidden for this one – but it is there!! The key on the right has a heart in the middle of the end bit, and it’s literally the only book on my TBR that has a heart on the cover so this was my only option for this prompt. Luckily, I loved The Night Circus and I have been meaning to read The Starless Sea since it published last year and so now is the perfect time!

Arithmancy

Prompt: Magical properties of number 2: balance/opposition read something outside your usual genre

Last year I read very heavily in YA, but this year I want to make an effort to read more adult fiction, particularly literary fiction. Lit fic for me is always particularly polarising: I either adore a novel, or I dislike it, there’s just simply no middleground which makes it really hard for me to pick books up because I have such a large chance of not really liking it. However, as I have read Garth Greenwell’s first novel What Belongs to You, I have faith that Cleanness will be thought provoking and beautiful, so I can’t wait to read this one.

Charms

Prompt: Lumos Maxima: White cover

Grey is a type of white okay. I am so excited to read my first Silvia Moreno-Garcia book. Her other 2020 release, Mexican Gothic, is one of my most anticipated reads of the year, I have her fantasy Gods of Jade and Shadow on my Kindle and I have Untamed Shore! This book sounds incredible, a historical mystery with an edge of literary fiction and an “eerie seaside setting”.

Defence Against the Dark Arts

Prompt: Grindylows: book set at the sea/coast

I’ll raise your book set at the sea with a book set in the sea. I’ve heard really amazing things about this novella about the water breathing descendants of African slave woman who were thrown overseas and my library reservation came in just before all the libraries were closed here, so luckily I have it to read now!

Potions

Prompt: Shrinking Solution: book under 150 pages

Finna just gets in under 150 pages, and it sounds like the most fun 144 pages ever: two Ikea employees have to go into a wormhole to retrieve a lost customer. And it just so happens they’re exes. This sounds like pure, chaotic, queer fun!

Transfigurations

Prompt: Animagus lecture: book/series that includes shapeshifting

Wolfy horror, yes please! I actually had two Red Riding Hood retellings to choose from, both super dark, horrory retellings so I tossed a coin and this one won!

Herbology

Prompt: Mimbulus Mibletonoia: book beginning with M

Another of my most anticipated reads of the year, I predict this is going to be on a lot of award lists later in the year. Disturbing, discomforting, and distinctly relevant, I have a feeling it will be a while before I stop thinking about this one.

So that’s it for my “official” Curse Breaker and Merpeople Linguistics TBR, the ones I definitely need to finish. But, because I have a lot more free time this April compared to last year, I’m going to aim for all the OWLs! Here’s my plan for the last few subjects.

Astronomy

Prompt: Night classes: read majority of book when it’s dark outside

Care of Magical Creatures

Prompt: Hippogriffs: creature with a beak on the cover

Divination

Prompt: Third eye: assign numbers to your TBR and use a random number generator to pick your read

History of Magic

Prompt: Witch hunts: book featuring witches/wizards

Muggle Studies

Prompt: Book from the perspective of a muggle (contemporary)

And that’s it for my OWLs TBR! Are you participating? And if so, what career do you plan to go for? I can’t wait to get started on April 1!