Life is busy, so again I am late in starting a readathon. Actually, I was considering not doing it, or putting it off for later in the year, but I’ve been looking forward to this and am eager to get started. So despite being busy and behind in blogging, blog hopping, and reviewing, I’ll participate in the Magical Readathon. However, although the readathon is for a month, I’m considering extending it for myself since, due to my current schedule, I won’t be able to do much in a month (or maybe I’ll have to start next month… I don’t know).
Quick Facts About the Readathon
The Magical Readathon is a two-part month-long readathon created and hosted by G, a booktuber. It was once based on the Harry Potter books, but G has redesigned it to be based on a world of her own imagining called Aeldia, where there’s a prestigious magic school called Orilium Academy.
- There are two semesters at Orilium Academy called equinoxes.
- Spring equinox = month-long readathon in April
- Autumn equinox = month-long readathon in August
- The reading structure varies depending on the semester.
- Spring equinox in April = one prompt per subject
- Autumn equinox in August = three prompts per subject; the number of prompts completed determines the grade you get for the subject
- The subjects you take are based on the Calling (career/vocation) you choose for your character. There are many Callings, but four are exclusive to each guild:
- Archmage — for the House of the Arcane members
- Master of Elements — for the Order of the Crescent members
- Godseer — for Archivist members
- Dream Walker — for Mind Walker members
- Optional: Guild Tiers — a way to acquire social status within your guild via points your character gains by completing semesters, mini readathons, and other tasks like random quests that pop up on the adventure board.
- Each level on the tier comes with perks for the readathon.
- Everyone starts at the lowest tier — Initiate.
- Everyone earns 50 points for every successfully completed semester.
- Those who completed the Novice Path earn 50 points as well.
- Optional: Guild Wars — a competition between the guilds
Some links
- Here’s G’s video announcing the 2022 Autumn Equinox.
- And here are my TBR posts for the Novice Path, a mini readathon to prep for Orilium, and the 2022 Spring Equinox, all of which have further details about each event.
Complications for Myself & Some Advice
My advice is to go easy on yourself and create just one character for this readathon. Don’t get extra excited like me and create two characters because then things get hairy when the Autumn Equinox comes around and you have to read three books for each prompt.
So if you have two characters… THAT’S A LOT OF BOOKS — if you’re not a fast reader.
Anyway… to the TBRs.
My Characters’ Current Status
I have two characters, Zezee and her best friend Silverin, who she met while travelling along the Novice Path to Orilium Academy.
Since both successfully completed the Novice Path and the Spring Equinox, they start the Autumn Equinox with 100 points each, meaning they are at the assistant level on the Guild Tier. (The perk I get for them being at this level is that I can count books I DNF for the prompts.)
Both are excited to start their second semester at Orilium, and both intend to go on a few quests this time. Zezee wants to go questing simply to meet new people, see new places, and have fun. But Silverin wants to go questing to gain experience, since he wants to be a Mage Hunter, and hopefully pick up some clues about his father’s disappearance.
My Character’s Course Schedule
As stated somewhere above this, the subjects for the Autumn equinox carry three prompts each, and the number of prompts completed determines the grade you get for the subject. The grades are:
O = Ordinary
Q = Qualified
D = Distinguished
There are prompts for each grade level, and you have to complete the prompt for the lower grade before advancing to a higher one, so you work your way up to Distinguished (the highest grade).
Your character’s Calling determines what subjects they should study in the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes. The Calling also has grade requirements that your character must attain in order to qualify for that Calling.
I usually increase the amount of subjects my characters study to include “electives” to round out my characters’ studies — in other words, I give myself more work because I get too excited about all this. But, since my time is limited this year and I’ve been reading slower due to busyness AND I have two characters, I’ll stick to just the required subjects this time, but with some quests thrown in.
And as I did during the Spring Equinox (since I have TWO characters), I’ll double up on books if a book for one character’s course works for another character’s course. We aren’t allowed to use the same book for more than one prompt, so I won’t double up on books for the same character’s courses.
I’ll only list my characters’ required courses below and the prompts for each of the grade levels. I’ll also list three books for each of the grade levels, if I can, because I’m a mood reader, so I need options.
Well then, here are the TBRs (finally).
Zezee
Zezee is studying to become a Craftsmage, which requires the following grades for the Autumn Equinox:
Q in Inscription
D in Artificery
Inscription books
O = Glyph: Recollection — Read a childhood favorite.
The Magician’s Nephew by C.S. Lewis, illus. by Pauline Baynes
The Wishing-Chair Collection by Enid Blyton, illus. by Mark Beech
Cinderella: or the Little Glass Slipper by Charles Perrault, illus. by Camille Rose Garcia
Q = Inking Techniques — Read a graphic novel/comic/manga.
The Haunted Bookstore, Vol. 1: Gateway to a Parallel Universe by Shinobumaru, illus. by Medamayaki, transl. by Nova Skipper
Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1 by Kamome Shirahama (illus.), transl. by Stephen Kohler
Fables, Vol. 2: Animal Farm by Bill Willingham, illus. by Mark Buckingham
D = Stilling the Mind — Read a cozy Book.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
The Lives of Christopher Chant by Diana Wynne Jones
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Artificery Books
O = Arcane Engineering, Lvl. I — Read a Book featuring artificial intelligence.
All Systems Red by Martha Wells
Chester 5000 XYV, Vol. 1 by Jess Fink (illus.)
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
Q = Properties of Magical Alloys — Read a book that has foil on the cover.
Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse by Chris Riddell (illus.)
Oddity by Eli Brown
A Pinch of Magic by Michelle Harrison
D = Artificery Faults Diagnostics — Read a book by a second-chance author.
Seven Songs of Merlin by T.A. Barron
The Search for Wondla by Tony Diterlizzi (illus.)
Silverin
Silverin is studying to become a Mage Hunter, which requires the following grades for the Autumn Equinox:
D in Spells & Incantations
Q in Conjuration
O in Restoration
Spells & Incantations books
O = Spell: Recolor — Use a color wheel to pick a book. (I got grey.)
Bicycle by Ugo Gattoni (illus.)
Window by Marion Arbona (illus.)
Alien Nation by Sandro Bassi (illus.)
Q = Incantation: Echo — Find someone else’s TBR and pick a book from it. (I didn’t get the chance to do this, so I chose books from my Top Ten Tuesday Books of TBRs Past post. However, this choice might change once I get to check others’ TBRs.)
The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg (illus.)
Run for It: Stories of Slaves Who Fought for Their Freedom by Marcelo D’Salete (illus.)
Emperor of the Eight Islands by Lian Hearn
D = Hex: Tongue tie — Annotate this book.
Ring Shout by P. Djeli Clark
Carmilla by Joseph Seridan Le Fanu
That Hair by Djaimilia Pereira de Almeida, transl. by Eric M.B. Becker
Conjuration books
O = Foundations of Necromancy — Read a book with necromancy themes.
Black Magick, Vol. 1: Awakening by Greg Rucka, illus. by Nicola Scott
The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black by E.B. Hudspeth (illus.)
Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, illus. by Gris Grimly
Q = Tales the Bones Tell — Read a book with a bone on the cover or in the title.
Bone Parish, Vol. 1 by Cullen Bunn, illus. by Jonas Scharf
The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black by E.B. Hudspeth (illus.)
Gris Grimly’s Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, illus. by Gris Grimly
D = Raise Dead: Theory — Reread a favorite.
Fables, Vol. 1: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham, illus. by Lan Medina
Velvet, Vol. 1: Before the Living End by Ed Brubaker, illus. by Steve Epting
Rat Queens, Vol. 1: Sass and Sorcery by Kurtis J. Wiebe, illus. by Roc Upchurch
Restoration books
O = Object Restoration — Read a book with a single object as the focus on the cover.
The Sky by Júliette Einhorn, illus. by Hélène Druvert
How to Be Black by Baratunde Thurston
A Thousand No’s by D.J. Corchin, illus. by Dan Dougherty
Q = Enchanted Scroll Mending — Read one of the oldest books on your TBR. (These are all books I’ve been intending to reread for some time now.)
Magyk by Angie Sage
Dr. Faustus by Christopher Marlowe
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
D = Urgent Battle Care — Read a book in one or two sittings.
Velvet, Vol. 1: Before the Living End by Ed Brubaker, illus. by Steve Epting
Journey by Aaron Becker (illus.)
Mystery Society by Steve Niles, illus. by Fiona Staples
Possible Quests
I’d love if my characters get to go on some quests this semester. You get points for each quest you participate in. I chose two each for Zezee and Silverin, but I haven’t yet selected the books.
Zezee’s quests
Guild Events Preparations
Buddy-read a book = 10 guild pts
Couriers Needed
Book with a movie adaptation = 10 guild pts
Silverin’s quests
Bounty Hunters
Read a book and post a picture with an outfit inspired by the cover on social media = 10 guild pts
Discreet Help Needed
Shrubbery on the cover = 10 guild pts
Zezee with Books 
I love this kind of detailed and intricate reading game: such fun! Good luck questing!
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Same here! I always marvel at them because of all the work and creativity that go into creating them.
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All the best for this event, sounds fun!
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Thanks! I’ll need to restart because I haven’t been doing much lately.
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