O.W.L.s Magical Readathon 2020 – Check-In

So, there’s still a pandemic going on and many people all over the world are practicing social distancing in whichever way they can. For me, it means working from home and going outside only when necessary (grocery shopping, taking a walk so my blood pressure doesn’t plummet too low). It also means not commuting to and from work everyday which, in turn, leads to a lot more reading time. Which works really well when there’s a readathon going on. 🙂

For all the info about G’s Magical Readathon, head to her Booktube Channel.

General Thoughts

Last year, I took my OWLs in July to be ready for the NEWTs in August. This year, I was better prepared and can actually participate when everyone else is doing the readathon. And, guys, it is so much fun! I love everything about this, but especially the Careers Guidebook and the fact that all the reading prompts go so well with their assigned classes.

O.W.L.s passed

I did pick a lot of shorter books for this readathon because I wanted to make sure I could pass all the classes. In some cases, it’s also a coincidence that the books I chose were rather short. But to make up for it (and because I’m a Ravenclaw), I read more than one book for some of the prompts.

Total books read	13
Total pages read	3122
OWLs passed	11

The books

I’m almost done with all the OWLs, people!
But guess what my face looked like when I picked up my DADA book (prompt: set at the sea or coast) and it turned out the book takes place in a desert! I thought with a book in the Earthsea Cycle, I couldn’t go wrong, but except for the last chapters, the setting is really as far from the ocean as you can get. So I threw in another book with an actual coastal setting because otherwise, it would feel like cheating.

If I’ve published a review already, the link can be found below. The rest are either still to come or I won’t write one because reviewing very short books or stories is not something I’m good at.

Finished

Ancient Runes: Eddie Robson – Hearts of Oak
Arithmancy: Catherynne M. Valente – Oracles: A Pilgrimage
Astronomy: Isabel Ibanez – Woven in Moonlight
Care of Magical Creatures: Nghi Vo – The Empress of Salt and Fortune
Charms: Julia Ember – The Seafarer’s Kiss
Defense Against the Dark Arts 1: Ursula K. LeGuin – The Tombs of Atuan
Defense Against the Dark Arts 2: Susan Cooper – Over Sea, Under Stone (review to come)
Divination: K. J. Parker – Prosper’s Demon
Herbology: Brandon Sanderson – Mistborn: Secret History
History of Magic: Sarah Gailey – When We Were Magic
Muggle Studies: Seanan McGuire – Middlegame (review to come)
Potions: Rutahna Emrys – The Litany of Earth

While I enjoyed all of the books I read for the OWLs, there were a few that stood out. The Tombs of Atuan swept me off my feet by surprise, When We Were Magic was heartwarming despite being about a murder, and Mistborn: Secret History actually managed to deliver another surprising twist in what is already a twist-filled series.

Still to read

Transfiguration: Seanan McGuire – A Local Habitation
Potions 2: P. Djèlí Clark – The Haunting of Tram Car 015
Muggle Studies 2: Naomi Kritzer – Catfishing on CatNet

I’m currently reading the three books above and I can already tell that The Haunting of Tram Car 015 is a blast. I did not expect it to be this amusing but it’s got a really good mix of science fiction ideas, social commentary, supernatural detective work, and humor.
Catfishing on CatNet is also quite lovely so far. It depends very much on the solution to a mystery in the book whether I’ll end up loving it or just liking it. But it’s a very good read so far.
I’ve just started A Local Habitation and it makes me think yet again, that this what Seanan McGuire is best at. Urban Fantasy with Fae and a snarky protagonist.

Extracurricular Activities

Because I was doing so well with the OWLs, I felt that I could ease off a little and also read books that don’t fit any reading prompt, aren’t for a challenge and aren’t currently up for an award I have to vote on. So I picked up these two just for fun: