O.W.L.s Magical Readathon 2020 | TBR

This year I'm finally able to participate in the O.W.L.s Magical Readathon and I'm so excited! It's a readathon that runs in the entire month of April, with a bunch of different events happening throughout the readathon (which you can find details about on their Twitter). It's based in the O.W.L. exams of the Harry Potter world and it's so intricately detailed it's mind boggling. I'll leave you with the video announcement so you can get all the information necessary and show some love to the brilliant woman behind all this.

The career I chose was Auror (Gryffindor much?) as well as extra Animagus Training and Merpeople Linguistics. To become an Auror I need O.W.L.s in Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Herbology, Potions and Transfiguration. For the Animagus Training: Arithmancy, Potions and Transfiguration and for Merpeople Linguistics, Herbology.

I found it incredibly hard to choose the books for each prompt, seen as I wanted to read only books that I already owned. But here are the prompts for each subject and the book I chose to go with it:

1) Charms – Lumos Maxima: White cover

The book I chose for this was Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. I started reading this book a few years ago at the bookstore – which was when I decided to buy it – and have not gone back to it since. I really love the idea of historical fiction, specially set in WWII seen as I love learning about it, but have only read The Book Thief, so now's the time to change that.

2) D.A.D.A. – Grindylows: Book set at the sea/coast

For this I have to go with The Lady's Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee. I adored book one and, although from what I've seen this one isn't as good, I really want to see Felicity's journey. I shall be listening to this just like the first book and, given the title, I assume there's a lot of this book set in the middle of the ocean aboard a pirate ship and I can't wait.

3) Herbology – Mimbulus mimbletonia: Title starts with an M

The only book on my TBR that starts with an M is Minimal: how to simplify your life and live sustainably by Madeleine Olivia so that's what I'm choosing for this. Also, I think a nonfiction will be nice to break things up a bit.

4) Potions – Shrinking solution: Book under 150 pages

Another prompt that leaves me with only one option, I'm gonna go with The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I am currently halfway through A Study in Scarlet but, since you can't use a book that you've already started for the O.W.L.s, I'm going with the second of the Sherlock Holmes stories – and you'll see some more popping up in a while.

5) Transfiguration – Animagus lecture: book/series that includes shapeshifting

For the last class I need to become an Auror, my book of choice is Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare. Seen as Tessa is a shapeshifter, I thought this was the perfect pick. I really enjoyed the first book and would love to finish this series this year.

Now onto the prompts for my extra training:

6) Arithmancy – Magical qualities of number 2: balance/opposites - read something outside your favourite genre

This is the one prompt that I haven't made my mind on yet, but at the moment I'm gonna go with Us by David Nicholls. My favourite genre has got to be Fantasy so a romance book seemed opposite enough.

So, to get the extra training you don't need to read a different book for a subject that already shows up on your career path but I decided to do that anyway. If I don't get around to reading the following ones it's completely fine though.

7) Potions – Shrinking solution: Book under 150 pages

Remember what I said for the other Potions book? The same applies here. I'll be reading The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

8) Transfiguration – Animagus lecture: book/series that includes shapeshifting

I did the most googling I could without spoiling anything for myself and, according to a Tumblr post The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon has shapeshifting, so that's gonna conclude all the books I need to read to learn to become an Animagus.

9) Herbology – Mimbulus mimbletonia: Title starts with an M

This one could be considered a stretch but I wasn't gonna buy a book just for this and did not want to give up on the subject so, to be skilled in Merpeople Linguistics, I'm going with The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (THE doesn't count, right?) again by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

I had so much fun picking out the books and, although I recognize this is incredibly ambitious, I can't wait to make my way through all of these and hopefully get all my O.W.L.s! Also, it was just announced yesterday that there will be a stay at home edition of the Reading Rush (previous BookTubeAThon) happening from the 16th to the 19th of April. I'll see if I can use any books from this readathon for that one as well, but expect a TBR very soon! And make sure to follow my Instagram for more up to date updates!

Love,

N.

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