O.W.L.s Results Are In!

And that's a wrap! April went by so so quickly and I honestly did incredibly well. I read almost eight books in the month, which is tripled my read books for the year. It did help that I was quarantined for two weeks.

Let's go over the books and O.W.L.s I took!

Charms: Lumos Maxima - white cover

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater  - I finished this series this month! It was such a strange and wonderful experience; I'm really glad I got to this book and this series. And it has a fair amount of white on the cover, so it definitely counts. 

Herbology: Mimbulus Mimbletonia - title starts with M

My Unscripted Life by Lauren Morrill - This is such a cute contemporary and a really quick read. I flew through it, just like the other Lauren Morrill books I've read. I checked off Herbology with this one.

Transfiguration: Animagus Lecture - book/series that includes shapeshifting

The Trials of Apollo: The Tyrant's Tomb by Rick Riordan - I totally forgot that Frank was a shapeshifter so this was a happy coincidence! I'd been waiting for this audiobook for months and it just became available this month. 

Arthimancy: Magical Qualities of #2 - read something outside your favorite genre

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell - I definitely like mystery/suspense/thriller but I wouldn't call it my favorite genre. I gravitate more toward fantasy and sci-fi. This book was so suspenseful and weird, I just had to keep reading to find out what happened. 

Potions: Shrinking Soluntion - book less than 150 pages
Runaways Vol. 3: That was Yesterday by Rainbow Rowell - I adore Runaways, and I have from the very beginning. I really like the story that's being told with some of my favorite characters.

Astronomy: Night Class - read majority of this book when it's dark outside

Runaways Vol. 4: But You Can't Hide by Rainbow Rowell - More Runaways, there can never be enough. I read this volume in one night before bed and it was definitely dark out. 

Care of Magical Creatures: Hippogriffs - creature with a beak on the cover
Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend - My copy didn't have a beak on it, but there is an edition that has a crow on the cover so I'm counting it! This story is so whimsical and creative. I had a smile on my face almost the entire time I was reading it.

Defense Against the Dark Arts: Grindylows - book set at the sea/coast
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo - Okay so technically it shouldn't count because I finished it on May 2, but I'm counting it because I was so close and I can! I had to guess that the sea would be a part of this, partially because of the serpent on the cover and partially because of the title. And we spent about 50-100 pages on a ship, so I'm glad my guess paid off.

It looks like my dream of becoming an Auror is still in the cards! We'll have to wait until August to see if I can hack it during the N.E.W.T.s. And if that doesn't work out, I certainly completed enough O.W.L.s to find a new career calling. Until then, I'm extremely proud of how many books I read! Hope you all had a great reading month too! 

I'm Finally Taking My O.W.L.'s!

The lovely G, from the YouTube channel Book Roast, has been hosting this grand readathon for the last couple years and I have decided to join the party this year! It's a two part readathon, the O.W.L.'s take place in April and the N.E.W.T.'s usually happen some time in the summer.

She has so many resources and links to the prompts and career opportunities. Here's her 2020 O.W.L.s announcement video for all the prompts and information. She has paid so much attention to the details and I absolutely love it! She created a career Guidebook and it's seriously amazing. Go check it out!

I have chosen the career path to become an Auror: I don't know that I'd be suited to this job in real life, but I've always wanted to be one! I'm taking the opportunity for the potential to become one. There are five classes, which means I'll be attempting to read five books. I am really hoping to complete all the classes so I can move forward in the N.E.W.T.'s in August. Here are the classes and books I plan to read:

Charms: Lumos Maxima - a book with a white cover
American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins - I'm not really sure what this is about but Taylor and Kathryn gave this to me for my birthday and she's been raving about it, so I really want to read it! I'm grateful that it's got white on the cover and I can fit it into one of these prompts.

Defense Against the Dark Arts: Grindylows - a book set at sea/coast
Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo - Okay so I'm not entirely sure if the True Sea and the Fold count as coastal, but I'm going with it because I really want to continue this series!

Herbology: Mimbulus Mimbletonia - a book that starts with M
My Unscripted Life by Lauren Morrill - This feels like it'll be a wonderful lighthearted contemporary and it's perfect for a challenge this big.

Potions: Shrinking Solution - a book under 150 pages
Paper Girls Vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughan - It's time to pick this series back up; there's only two volumes left so I'm going to go with this one for the prompt.

Transfiguration: Animagus Lecture - a book/series that includes shapeshifting
Runaways Vol. 3: That Was Yesterday by Rainbow Rowell - Okay hear me out: in the original series, there was a shapeshifter character named Xavin. I have no idea of she will show up in this run of Runaways or even in this volume, but I'm still going to count it!

This isn't part of the requirements for Auror but, I really like random number generator prompts, so I'm adding Divination to my list of O.W.L.s.

Divination: Third Eye - random number generator
The Anomaly by Michael Rutger - I've this described as Indiana Jones meets X-files and I've never wanted to read something more.

Also, somewhere this month I have to read The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell for book club  and I'm super excited to read it, so maybe I'll try and swap it out for one of the courses, but I don't think it fits any of them, so this will just be extra!

February 2020 TBR

Good Morning!

Today, I have my February TBR to share with you. I was pretty successful with my January TBR, so I'm excited to continue with my book journey in 2020. 

The Disney-a-Thon Pick:
Pocahontas  - Read a book featuring Native/Indigenous people
Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse- This is a carry over book from January. I started reading it at the end of the month and so far I am really enjoying it. I can't wait to see what happens to the main characters!

Recess: School's Out - Read a Middle Grade book
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart - This seems like the most Recess book I own. A secret society is absolutely something those kids would create with their imagination in this movie/show. I love the idea of a this story, but I don't know much because it seems like the kind of book where it's more fun to go into it blind.
OR
Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver - A good ghost story full of magic and mistakes sounds like good fun. I've been meaning to read this for years so this might be the perfect opportunity!

Series Picks:
The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater- I'm ready to finish this series! I'm so invested with all these characters, I just need to know how it ends. This book is definitely high priority this month.

Book Club Pick:
The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi - It's been spoken and we voted to read this book this month. We've previously read a book by Roshani Chokshi and really enjoyed it, so I'm looking forward to this one. Bonus: it's a retelling of Hades and Persephone so it'll count toward my retelling bingo card!

January 2020 TBR

It's January TBR time!

Here's the thing about me, I love making lists and monthly TBRs but I am terrible at sticking to them. Right now, I'm reading at a rate where TBR don't really make sense; about two books per month tops recently and one of them is my book club book. BUT I'm still going to make a TBR! (I'm sure you didn't see that one coming.)

I've got a reasonable list, probably about one book per challenge I'm participating. I am giving myself grace to not finish books and change them based on my mood and if I feel like I'm falling into a slump. I want to increase my reading and I'm going to listen to myself and not force books that aren't interesting to me anymore.

Anyway, so I've got some guidelines for myself and I'm ready to share with you my picks for January!

The Disney-a-Thon Pick:
Pocahontas  - Read a book featuring Native/Indigenous people
Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse- While I was researching my retelling challenge for this year, I came across this book and it's coming out this month. It's a story inspired by Navajo lore, featuring a set of siblings with Navajo heritage. It sounds incredibly interesting and I'm also looking forward to rewatching Pocahontas! (Bonus it also counts toward the retelling challenge!)

Series Picks:
Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater- I read the first two books of this series at the end of 2019 and I really liked them. I'm definitely going to continue and finish it in the first quarter of 2020. And that starts with this book! I'm really intrigued as to where the story of Blue and the boys is going so here I am hoping to read this book this month!

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo -  This is another series that I started in 2019 and I'd really like to finish in 2020. I love Leigh Bardugo's writing and I'm excited to see where this story goes in the sequel!

Book Club Pick:
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott -  This is a reread for me; I've read it in the last couple years for the first time and really enjoyed it. We decided to read the book and then go see the new adaptation of it with Emma Watson and company.

Welcome to 2020

It's a brand new decade! And a brand new decade deserves a new set of challenges. So today I'm going to share with you the challenges I've chosen to participate in and some of the books I hope to read in 2020.

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2020 Finishing the Series Reading Challenge hosted by Celebrity Readers.

I've been doing this challenge for a couple years now and I really enjoy it. It gives me an excuse and a great reminder to continue those series I've started but haven't finished.

Last year, I attempted and did not come close to finishing the B-lister level, which is finishing 5-8 series. I'm going to take it a little bit easier this year, so I'm choosing the C-lister level which is finishing 1-4 series. And if I complete this level early on in the year, I may upgrade to the B-lister level. We shall see.

I've got a list of potential book series candidates for this challenge. Obviously, there's more than four here so I'll be playing it by ear which series I read in 2020.

C-List Finisher (1-4 series)

1. The Raven Cycle by Maggie Steifvater (4 books total) - 4/10/20
2. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (3 books total)
3. Renegades by Marissa Meyer (3 books total)
4. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (4 books total)
5. Illuminae Chronicles by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (3 books total)
6. Wolf by Wolf by Ryan Graudin (2 books total)
7. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (8 books total)
8. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein (2 books total)


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2020 Retellings Reading Challenge hosted by Cornerfolds.

I love a good retelling, I'm a sucker for them. So when I found this challenge, I knew I wanted to participate!

There are levels and a bingo board with prompts so it's a bit of a two fold challenge and I am up for it! There's a giveaway aspect to this challenge that I may or may not participate in but I'll play that by ear.

The goal is a bingo (or a black out) on the board with the level you have chosen.  I am attempting to the Silent Assassin level, which is reading 1-5 retellings. Hopefully, my five books will work with five prompts to get my bingo. And again, if I finish that goal early in the year, I may upgrade to another level.

Hades & Persephone - The Star-Touched Queen by Roshani Chokshi
Own Voices - Race to the Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
Free Space - The Trails of Apollo: The Tryant's Tomb by Rick Riordan

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Disney Read-a-thon Challenge hosted by ME!

This is a reading challenge that I created for myself mid last year. I combined my love for reading with my love for Disney. Essentially, a created a reading prompt for every animated theatrical release since the beginning of Disney. Here's the original post that has all the prompts!

Every month I'll randomly select a movie and read a book that follows the prompt and then watch the accompanying movie. The original post with all the prompts and explanation is linked above. I'll keep this area updated with what I watch and read this year; I may have multiple picks per month but I'm playing that by ear. Please feel free to join me on this adventure!

January: