Wyrd & Wonder Wednesday: Begin

For the entire month of May, Wednesdays will be dedicated to the Wyrd & Wonder Challenge because I like throwing up triple Ws — W&WW. I’ll share my picks for the topics that pop up in the current week on the Wednesday.

The picks in these posts might be repeats of what I post on Instagram for the challenge… that’s if I manage to post anything on IG. I’m always unprepared when it comes to challenges on IG.

So, for the first week of Wyrd & Wonder (May 1-8), I have here:

We’re going on an adventure…

…with The Jumbies by Tracey Baptiste

For this category, we are to share our TBR for our W&W adventure, which I actually did on IG (here) and in this post on my blog. Neither one has the Jumbies in it, yet it’s the first book I picked up for W&W. Smh, I’ve already gone off course.

Pop this in your bookbag of holding.

The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry by C.M. Waggoner

This category calls for a fantasy book I’ve read since W&W last year that I want my fellow party members to read, and that’s definitely The Ruthless Lady’s Guide to Wizardry. It’s Waggoner’s second novel and it’s set in the same world as her first, Unnatural Magic. I buddy-read it with Millie at Milliebot Reads, and we both enjoyed it. The protagonist is now one of my favorites. It’s about a poor fire witch who gets a better paying gig when she’s hired on as one of the women to protect a wealthy young lady from unknown assassins.

#MapMonday

Hogwarts grounds and nearby locales

I went with something easy and chose this map of the Hogwarts grounds, which is included in my Hufflepuff 20^th-anniversary edition of the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Although I consider myself a Ravenclaw, I loved the bright yellow color of the cover too much to pass it up. I’ve always wanted to own a book that’s yellow all around, even the page edges are sprayed yellow. It’s like having a yellow brick on my shelf.

Anyway… the map. I always imagined the Hogsmeade Station being situated in the middle of Hogsmeade. I didn’t know it was on the other side of Hogwarts.

#TropeTuesday I never knew my father…

…says Azoth, a.k.a, Kylar from the Night Angel trilogy by Brent Weeks

This was the May 4^th topic and, in honor of Star Wars Day, the intention here is to focus on orphans, foundlings, and other secret heirs in our answer. I went with Kylar, who’s an orphan living on the streets who gets the chance to train under the best assassin (called wetboy, smh) in the land. I really enjoyed this trilogy and just loved reading about Kylar and Durzo’s badassery, lol.

I can do this all day…

…says Caz from the Curse of Chalion by Lois McMaster Bujold

Well, Caz probably wouldn’t say that, but he does keep going and succeeding (except for the wars he fought in) despite the odds stacked against him. This topic focuses on underdogs, by the way. The Curse of Chalion is one of my favorite fantasy novels and that’s partly due to Caz, who’s one of my favorite characters. The story is about a veteran (Caz) returning to his home country (I guess) seeking a life of peace and comfort after all he has endured but is appointed a princess’s secretary and gets caught up in divine machinations instead. It’s such a good read.

Fly my pretties!

The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan

This category requires that a flying animal character be in the book or on the cover; we get bonus points if it’s a Pegasus (I wonder who’s keeping track of the points 😄). I’m all for bonuses, so I chose The Last Olympian, the last book in the Percy Jackson series, which is about a boy who learns that strange stuff keeps happening to him because he is a Greek demigod. I really enjoy these books, even when I reread them, but it’s so easy to forget the plot of each one. Btw, note the Pegasus on the cover… I forgot his name, but I want to call him Frank.

Fantasy from around the world

Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James

Fantasy inspired by non-European cultures is required for this one, so I went with Black Leopard, Red Wolf because epic fantasy is my favorite subgenre and this book has that epic feel to it. The story is inspired by African cultures and folklores. It’s about a man called Tracker, who I guess is a mercenary, who’s hired to locate a boy, who we’re told from the beginning is dead. The story kind of works backwards showing us how the kid ended up dead. I’d also place this story in the grimdark subgenre too because of how gritty it is.

Currently reading…

The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie

Grave Mercy by Robin Lafevers

Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest by Phoebe Wahl (illus.)

Apart from the Jumbies, which I mentioned above, I should be working on these three as well by the time this weekend rolls around, but don’t hold me to that because I’ve already made changes to my TBR although May has just started.

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Well, that’s it for this W&WW.

Let me know if you’ve read any of these.