OWLs Magical Readathon | 2020 TBR

The Magical Readathon is back for another year, and I’ve decided to participate in it again! 😀 I participated in it last year and did well enough to succeed in becoming an Aurologist — someone who reads and studies auras. This time… I don’t know which career I want to reach for; so for now I’ll just do as many OWLs as I can.

If you’re new to the Magical Readathon, visit the website to find out more information or watch the Book Roast’s video. But for a quick rundown, here’s what’s up:

• The Magical Readathon is inspired by the exams in the Harry Potter books: OWLs (Ordinary Wizarding Levels) and NEWTs (Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests); therefore, this readathon has two parts.
• The OWLs take place April 1-30.
  • There are no grades for individual exams. Grades are determined based on total exams completed.
• The NEWTS take place August 1-31.
  • The amount of books you read for each subject determines your grade for that subject.
• You can choose a wizarding career to pursue. Each career has a certain amount of OWL and NEWT requirements.

So like I said, I don’t know yet what career I want to pursue. Because I was an Aurologist last year, I was considering to go for Mind Medic this year. I think that’s a natural progression that makes sense. But Mind Medic requires A LOT of reading, so I’m also considering Trader of Magical Tomes because what book nerd wouldn’t want to be a bookseller.

We also have the option to do extra training this year, so I was thinking to either go for Animagus training (because shapeshifting is pretty dope) or Magical Shop Management (because why not). We’ll see what happens.

O.W.L.s are graded for total exams completed

Acceptable = 2 or more exams completed
Exceeds Expectations = 6 or more exams completed
Outstanding = 9 or more exams completed

OWLs TBR

(I’ll read all, some, or none of these books, depending on my mood.)

Ancient Runes

Heart Rune: Heart on the cover or in the title

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe

Others I might consider:

The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O’Neill
Heartstone by Elle Katherine White

Arithmancy

Magical qualities of #2 – balance/opposites: Read something outside your favorite genre

Take Me With You by Andrea Gibson (poetry)

Others I might consider:

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (contemporary)
Magical Negro by Parker Morgan (poetry)
Pisces, #1 by Kurtis J. Wiebe, illus. by Johnnie Christmas (sci-fi)

Astronomy

Night classes: Read majority of this book when it’s dark outside

Vicious by V.E. Schwab

Others I might consider:

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky by Kwame Mbalia
The Glass Magician by Caroline Stevermer
The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan

Care of Magical Creatures

Hippogriffs: Creature with a beak on the cover

The Glass Magician by Caroline Stevermer

Others I might consider:

The School for Good & Evil by Soman Chainani
Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Charms

Lumos Maxima: White cover

The Book With No Pictures by B.J. Novak

Others I might consider:

Changing My Mind by Zadie Smith
If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino

Defense Against the Dark Arts

Grindylows: Book set at sea/coast

Hello, Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall (illus.)

Others I might consider:

A Tear in the Ocean by H.M. Bouwman
Journey by Aaron Becker (illus.)

Divination

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

#857 = Oddly Normal, Vol. 1 by Otis Frampton (illus.)

Others I might consider:

#284 = Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling
#801 = The Doll by J.C. Martin
#1234 = The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Herbology

Mimbulus mimbletonia: Title starts with M

Monstress, Vol. 4: The Chosen by Marjorie Liu, illus. by Sana Takeda

Others I might consider:

Mystery Girl, Vol. 1 by Paul Tobin, illus. by Alberto J. Alburquerque
Megalogolis and the Visitor From Outer Space by Clea Diuedonne (illus.)

History of Magic

Witch hunts: Book featuring witches/wizards

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

Others I might consider:

Magician’s Guild by Trudi Canavan
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Witches of Lychford by Paul Cornell

Muggle studies

Book from a perspective of a muggle (contemporary)

Forever in Blue by Ann Brashares

Others I might consider:

Illegal by Eoin Colfer & Andrew Donkin, illus. by Giovanni Rigano
Ayiti by Roxane Gay
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Potions

Shrinking Solution: Book under 150 pages

Relay, Vol. 1 by Zac Thompson, illus. by Andy Clarke and Ryan Bodenheim

Others I might consider:

Watersnakes by Tony Sandoval (illus.)
Suicide Forest by Dave Baker and Nicole Goux (illus.)
Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

Transfiguration

Animagus lecture: Book/series that includes shapeshifting

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (illus.)

Others I might consider:

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Quite the ambitious TBR there. I’ll be so proud of myself if I manage to read it all.

Do you plan to participate? If so, which career did you choose?

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