The end of April is upon us and so is the due date for finishing our 2020’s Magical Readathon OWLs. I finished all of my requirements even though I didn’t follow my plan precisely proving, yet again, that I am more of a Ron than a Hermoine. I wanted to do all of the OWLs to become a Potioneer and that meant reading:
Arithmancy (Magical qualities of number 2: balance/opposites – read something outside your favorite genre)
The Real Michael Swann by Bryan Reardon
Care of Magical Creatures (Hippogriffs: creature with a beak on the cover)
Crown of Feathers by Pau Preto
Charms (Lumos Maxima: white cover) Thank goodness for my owl crate exclusive cover!
The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones
Herbology (Mimbulus mimbletonia: Title starts with an M)
The Map of Salt and Stars by Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar
Potions (Shrinking solution: book under 150 pages)
So, You Want to Be Canadian by Kerry Colburn and Rob Sorensen
The month (and the Readathon) started off strongly! These three books went according to plan. I read So, You Want to be a Canadian by Kerry Colburn and Rob Sorensen which was short and cute while managing to also be informative. Potions, Done!
Then I read The Bone Houses by Emily Lloyd-Jones and it was heartpoundingly good. I felt like a kid again reading late into the night with a flashlight, scared but unable to stop. This book was spectacular. Charms, Done!
I’ve had The Real Michael Swann by Bryan Reardon on my bookshelves forever. I think I got it in a crate or subscription of some kind and, well, suspense is something I want to read but never feel precisely like sitting down and digging into. It turns out that reading suspense when your heart rate won’t slow down due to a pandemic actually makes perfect sense. Who would have thought?? In between The Bone Houses and this, I was finally able to sit down and read. This book was amazing. Arithmacy, Done!
I was supposed to read Crown of Feathers and The Map of Salt and Stars for my final two OWLs. I read the first few chapters of Crown of Feathers and, while I am sure that I will enjoy this book some day, I was having trouble with the drama and the shifting narratives. The only thing that has worked for me during this quarantine is to pivot away from things that didn’t feel right. And pivot I did. Right into a lovely re-read of…
I listened to these in audiobook format while I cleaned or did whatever movement I could to help stave off the worry and burn away the excess energy. I didn’t realize how much I hated Gale until I re-read this but hate him I do! Also, Katniss’ Mother is a real pooper. Care of Magical Creatures, Done!
To finish I needed a book that began with “M” and, shockingly, I have five on my bookshelves. I picked this middle grade book, The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane by Julia Noble because mysteries and suspense have been working so well for me and, like magic, I slipped into this book and couldn’t bring myself to stop reading until I was finished. I cannot wait to get my hands on the second book and continue the mystery. Herbology, Done!
And there, all of my OWLs have been completed and now I am officially a Potioneer!
Tell me, please!
Did you participate in Magical Readathon?
