Magical Readthon 2019 -O.W.Ls TBR

Get ready to colour coded your revision time table, find a seat in the Hogwart’s library and prepare to spend long evenings surrounded by notes in the common room, as the 2019 round of the Ordinary Wizarding Levels are upon us.

Gintare at Bookroast is back with another round of the Magical readathon and this time she has surpassed herself with the preperations.  This has clearly been a labour of love for Gintare and I urge you to go check out her announcement video and follow the official Twitter for all the details. A huge, open and friendly community has built itself around these readathons over the last year. From the Discord group to the Twitter account everyone is so encouraging, just demonstrating the best of bookish people. You don’t need to be a Harry Potter fan to join in, you will be welcomed with open arms regardless.

This round runs from:

1st -30th April 2019

Letter from McGonagall

Again, G has produced a unique list of reading prompts associated with one of the 12 O.W.L subjects. These prompts are beautifully presented as an official letter from McGonagall, which can be found here.

Wizarding Careers

G has also gone above and beyond to make the experience as immersive as possible and incorporated a careers option into this years readathons. The premis behind this being at each year you participate in the Magical readathons your would refer to the Wizarding Career’s booklet and choose a new career. This career should then help guide you in the O.W.Ls and NEWTs. The full booklet can be found here.

The booklet is a thing on beauty, which I of course delighted in printing off and pouring over. After lots of deliberating, I have stayed true to form and have ended up drawn to the Sciencey Wizarding careers.

If I was a part of the Wizarding world, I would most likely be an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries, but all unspeakable must specialise in something. Therefore, instead of going down the Ministery track I am torn between the Alchemy or Curse breaker careers. Lets face it, I will always be a scientist, wizard or not and these are the closest wizarding careers to my actual career.

Alchemy

I really am such a predictable Ravenclaw. Alchemy is the most ambitious and studious of the career choices requiring all 12 O.W.Ls to pass. I was always going to attempt all 12, it is the Ravenclaw way! But Alchemy genuinely appeals to me. I love fantasies that include a bit of Alchemy in their plots.

Curse Breaker

Nothing beats a good puzzle! As a Computational Biologist I spend my day working with code both Biological and Computational so this would be a very natural Wizarding career for me. In order to incorporate this as a potential career path I am going to focus on the prompts for Curse breakers first.

Extra Credit

Back in October 2018, Professor Flitwick offered us all a chance to gain some Extra Credit towards our 2019 Charms O.W.L. I managed to read 3 books gaining myself 3 extra days! (See my extra credit wrap up) This means I can start reading my choice for the Charms O.W.L on the 29th of March.

MY TBR

Charms – Age Line: Read a Book Marketed as General Audiance/Adult

Breaking the Lore
Andy Redsmith

This is an eArc that I have to get to ASAP so I will be diving in straight away – due to my three days extra credit. I think a book steeped in magical investigations is a great way to start this readathon, its billed as being for fans of Ben Aaronovich and Douglas Adams, which means it has big shoes to try and fill as they are two of my favourite authors.

Ancient Runes – A Retelling

A Thousand Beginnings and Endings
Various
Editied by Ellen Oh and Elise Chapman

Why read just one retelling when I can read 15!. A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is a short story collection full of retellings of East and South Asian mythology and Folklore. I have not read a lot of Asian based mythologies so I am keen to dive in. And with two days to read each story I think it will be nice to space this out over the readathon and dive in and out of it.

Aritmancy – A Work Written by More than One Author

Once and Future
Amy Rose Capetta, Cori McCarthy

I think this book was destined to be read in this readathon. It can fulfil so many of the prompts. A retelling of Arthurian legend, set in the future and written by multiple authors. I have been anticipating the release of this book and will be picking it up quickly.

Defence Against the Dark arts – Reducto: Read a Book Beginning with the Letter R

The Raven’s Tale
Cat Winters

Another ARC that needs to be read before the middle of the month I will have to make time for this reimagining of the teenage life of Edgar Allen Poe. It’s such an interesting concept who could resist.

Potions – Next InGrediEnt: Read A Sequel

Ruin and Rising
Leigh Bardugo

Who didn’t see this one coming? I have been loving this series so far of course I was going to find a way to fit it into my TBR for the O.W.Ls

Transfiguration – Sprayed Edges or A Red Cover

Crown Of Feathers
Nicki Pau Preto

While this has already come out in the U.S. It doesn’t launch in the U.K. until the end of April. I was lucky to receive an EARC of this book and with the big bright Phoenix on the cover I think it counts as having a red cover. It needs to be read this month regardless so I am counting it.

Astronomy – with the Word Star in the title

Even the Darkest Stars
Heather Fawcett

I received this in a Fairyloot box ages ago and never picked it up, but recently it has resurfaced with the release of the sequel so I have decided to pick it up and see if I like it before I add the second book to my shopping cart.

Care of Magical Creatures – A Land Animal on the cover

Soulbinder
Sebastien De Castell

Continuing on with my Countdown to Queenslayer series, eagerly awaiting my pre-order to arrive in May! I will be reading the fourth book in the Spellslinger series! And yes it has a land animal on the cover. None other than the nefarious SquirrelCat. This book broke me the first time I read it, I am sure it will do it again. I will have my Thoughts while re-reading post for Charmcaster up soon and then Soulbinder at the end of the month.

Divination – Set in the Future

Only Human
Sylvian Neuvel

This is another series I have been working my way through and it would be really nice to finish. I was granted access to the eARC of this due to the impending release of the paperback here in the UK at the beginning of this month and it would be great to fit it in and review it.

Herbology – Plants on the cover

Gilded Wolves
Roshani Chokshi

I am really intreguied by this book. Set in Paris, with magical secret societies and puzzles to solve! My kind of book I think.

History of Magic – Published over ten years ago

Peril at End House
Agatha Christie

There is nothing like a bit of Agatha Christie to get the pages turning during a readathon. She is also the perfect choice for this prompt. This is the eighth tale in the Hercules Poirot mysteries and it was originally published in 1935, so if most definitely older than 10 years. I am also hoping to do an update of my Agatha Christie challenge soon to fill in all the ones I have read so far this year.

Muggle Studies – A Contemportary

Giant Days Vol#3
John Allison et al.

I don’t read a lot of contemporary and while I was thinking of picking up a thriller for this prompt I remembered I needed to catch up with the Giant Days series. Also It is always nice to include shorter reads in readathons for those busy days or days you just cant be bothered to read. So Giant Days Vol 3 it is.

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Wow! If you have made it all the way here you are a star. Ten points to your Hogwarts House for your determination!

I cant wait to get reading (I get to start today due to my Extra Credit for charms!). Are you participating in the O.W.Ls this year? Have you choosen a Magical Career?

I would love to chat all things bookish and Magical Reathaton with you! You can comment down below or find me on Twitter or Goodreads!
Happy Reading!