OWLs TBR 2020 🦉✨

Happy April & Happy OWLs, y'all!  For a third year in a row I will be participating in the OWLs Magical Readathon! This year I am hoping to pursue the Hogwarts Professor career as it's the magical career that it closest to my current role of working at a university. For OWLs, I need to read 7 books: a Defense Against the Dark Arts book, a book of the subject that I wish to teach (I'm going for Care of Magical Creatures!) and 5 other subjects of my choosing. During this time of social distancing, I have a lot of free time on my hands so I think the 7 book minimum for this readathon is totally doable. Here are the books that I'll be reading! The Lifeboat Clique by Kathy Parks Subject: Defense Against the Dark Arts Prompt: Set at sea/on the coast Reverie by Ryan La Sala Subject: Care of Magical Creatures Prompt: A creature with a beak on the cover The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak Subject: Ancient Runes Prompt: A heart on the cover/in the title The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver Subject: Astronomy Prompt: Read the majority of this book when it's dark outside The Oracle Year by Charles Soule Subject: Charms Prompt: A book with a white cover Miracle Creek by Angie Kim Subject: Herbology Prompt: A title that starts with an "M" Startup by Doree Shafrir Subject: Muggle Studies Prompt: A book from the POV of a Muggle

'Tis the Season-a-Thon TBR!

It has been a good long while since I've participated in a readathon. These last few months my reading game has *totally* dipped and it bums me out because I love reading so much! During this time I had zero motivation to participate in any readathons because I just knew it was going to be a massive fail. However, with the year coming to a close and the Christmas season officially kicking off (my personal rule is that the Christmas season doesn't start until December 1st, but I guess post-Thanksgiving still counts 😉), I thought a fun way to get in the holiday spirit is to participate in a Christmassy readathon, so I decided to hop on the 'Tis the Season A Thon train from December 2nd to December 8th!

This readathon has 5 challenges. I'm usually the type of gal that likes to pick out as many books as there are challenges, but given my current rate of reading, I doubt I'll get all of these books read! I am really excited about the books I've chosen, though, and I think they'll be a great combination of different genres and topics to keep my reading motivation high throughout the week. Here's what I'm hoping to read:

North: Finding My Way While Running the Appalachian Trail by Scott Jurek

A book you received as a gift

My sister gave me this book as a birthday gift a few years ago and I still have not gotten to it! I am really surprised that I haven't because A. I absolutely love memoirs about ultra running, and B. it is currently on my 5 star predictions list. As I'm currently in the middle of a marathon training cycle (let's be real, when am I not?), I'm hoping this will give me some extra motivation for training as the weather starts to get even colder.

What If It's Us by Becky Albertalli & Adam Silvera

A book title related to music

A book you received as a gift

While I don't know if this was that authors' intention (obviously I haven't read this yet and don't want to spoil myself through research!), What If It's Us is one of my very favorite songs from the musical Dear Evan Hansen so I think that totally counts for this challenge. This book was also a Christmas gift from my pal Michael last year, so it could also totally count for the challenge of a book I received as a gift. Two birds, one book! 😉

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman 

A book with snow on the cover

A book you received as a gift

This is the sequel to my very favorite book from 2018, Beartown and I am NERVOUS to read it. I loved Beartown so much and I'm really hoping that this book lives up to how good it predecessor was. Fingers crossed! This is also on my list of the books I'd like to read by the end of 2019, so I'm excited to get into it. PLUS this is the third book on my list that counts as a book I've received as a gift (a birthday gift from Michael this year!). Lots of gifts will be read next week! 😊

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak

A holiday themed book

A book you read while eating a holiday themed treat

I lumped these two titles and challenges together because I figured it would be more of a game time decision as to which one I go with. I think I'll be listening to these on audio during my commutes, so it really depends on what I'm in the mood for! However, they're both Christmassy books and I can enjoy listening to them with a holiday beverage (egg nog latte, anyone?) while I'm in the car.

10 Blind Dates by Ashley Elston

A holiday themed book

A book you read while eating a holiday themed treat

Bonus buddy read

Similarly to the two titles above, this one is going to be a game time decision. I love a good YA holiday romance this time of year, and since this is the recommended buddy read I figured why not throw it on the TBR and get to it if I can! Again, I'd probably listen to it on audio during my commute, and since it's a Christmassy book, why not also have a holiday themed treat while I read it as well?

Are you participating in 'Tis the Season-a-Thon? 

What are you planning to read?

30 Books in 30 Days/SimsAThon {Week 4 Progress // June 22-30}

TBR for Week 4

🔩 Fullmetal Alchemist, vol. 16-18 by Hiromu Arakawa
👨‍❤️‍👨 Heartstopper, vol. 1 by Alice Oseman*
😱 Carrie by Stephen King
🏠 Fun Home by Alison Bechdel*
☁️ Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire*

🎆 Fireworks by Katie Cotugno*
💗 i love this part by Tillie Walden*
🤪 Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen*
🔗 The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne*
👨‍👦‍👦 Friends With Boys by Faith Erin Hicks*
⚰️ Skim by Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki*

☀️ On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden*
☮️Lost Soul, Be At Peace by Maggie Thrash*

*not on my SimsAThon TBR

DAY 22

🔩 FINISHED Read 385/576 pages (576/576 total) - Completes the Pay Your Bills challenge // Book 18/30
👨‍❤️‍👨 FINISHED Read 288 pages - Book 19/30

😱 Read 87/290 pages

Day 22 Totals

Pages read:760

Books completed: 2

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1

SimsAThon points earned: 2

DAY 23

😱 FINISHED Read 203/290 pages (290/290 total) - Completes the Become a Ghost challenge // Book 20/30
🏠 FINISHED Read 232/232 pages - Book 21/30

Day 23 Totals

Pages read: 435

Books completed: 2

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1 

SimsAThon points earned: 2

DAY 24

☁️ Read 52/174 pages
🎆 Read 60/336 pages
💗 FINISHED Read 68/68 pages - Book 22/30
🤪 FINISHED Read 112/112 pages - Book 23/30

Day 24 Totals

Pages read: 292

Books completed: 2

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

DAY 25

☁️ FINISHED Read 122/174 pages (174/174 total) - Book 24/30
🎆 Read 188/336 pages (248/336 total)

Day 25 Totals

Pages read: 310

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

DAY 26

🎆 FINISHED Read 88/336 pages (336/336 total) - Book 25/30
👨‍👦‍👦  FINISHED Read 220/220 pages - Book 26/30
🔗 Read 61/224 pages 

Day 26 Totals

Pages read: 369

Books completed: 2

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

DAY 27

⚰️ FINISHED Read 143/143 pages - Book 27/30
☀️ Read 108/533 pages

Day 27 Totals

Pages read: 251

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

DAY 28

☀️ FINISHED Read 425/533 pages (533/533 total) - Book 28/30

Day 28 Totals

Pages read: 425

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

DAY 29

Day 29 Totals

Pages read: 0

Books completed: 0

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

DAY 30

☮️ FINISHED Read 192/192 - Book 29/30

🔗 FINISHED Read 163/224 pages (224/224 total) - Book 30/30

Day 30 Totals

Pages read:

Books completed:

SimsAThon challenges completed:

SimsAThon points earned:

WEEK 4 TOTALS

Pages read: 3,197

Books completed: 13

SimsAThon challenges completed: 2

SimsAThon points earned: 4

OVERALL TOTALS

Pages read: 8,251

Books completed: 30

SimsAThon challenges completed: 16

SimsAThon points earned: 61

30 Books in 30 Days/SimsAThon {Week 3 Progress // June 15-21}

TBR for Week 3

🤫 The Lying Game by Ruth Ware
🚗 Amy & Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
🍫 Charlie & the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

😏 Josh & Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

🔩 Fullmetal Alchemist, vol. 16-18 by Hiromu Arakawa

👗 21 Proms edited by David Levithan

DAY 15

🤫 FINISHED Read 192/370 pages (370/370 total) - Completed the "Have Your Birthday/Age Up" challenge // Book 13/30

Day 15 Totals

Pages read: 192

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1

SimsAThon points earned: 3

DAY 16

😏 Read 43/309 pages

🚗 Read 66/344 pages
🍫 Read 76/208 pages

Day 16 Totals

Pages read: 185

Books completed: 0

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

DAY 17

🍫 FINISHED Read 132/208 pages (208/208 total) - Completed the "Get Married" challenge // Book 14/30
😏 Read 140/309 (183/309 total)
🚗 Read 33/344 pages

Day 17 Totals

Pages read: 305

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1

SimsAThon points earned: 6

DAY 18

😏 FINISHED Read 126/309 pages (309/309 total) - Completed the "WooHoo!" challenge // Book 15/30
🚗 Read 54/344 pages (153/344 total)

Day 18 Totals

Pages read: 180

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1

SimsAThon points earned: 3

DAY 19

🚗 Read 138/344 pages (291/344 total)

Day 19 Totals

Pages read: 138

Books completed: 0

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

DAY 20

🚗 FINISHED Read 53/344 pages (344/344 total) - Completed the "Cook French Toast" challenge // Book 16/30
👗 Read 108/304 pages (150/304 total

Day 20 Totals

Pages read: 161

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1

SimsAThon points earned: 2

DAY 21

👗 FINISHED Read 154/304 pages (154/154 total) - Completed the "Make a Friend" challenge // Book 17/30
🔩 Read 191/576 pages

Day 21 Totals

Pages read: 345

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1

SimsAThon points earned: 4

WEEK 3 TOTALS

Pages read: 1,506

Books completed: 5

SimsAThon challenges completed: 5

SimsAThon points earned: 18

OVERALL TOTALS

Pages read: 5,054

Books completed: 17

SimsAThon challenges completed: 14

SimsAThon points earned: 57

30 Books in 30 Days/SimsAThon {Week 2 Progress // June 8-14}

TBR for Week 2

🎤 On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

🌟 Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

🚀 Saga, vol. 4 by Brian K. Vaughn

📝 The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo*

🤫 The Lying Game by Ruth Ware

⚙️ Fullmetal Alchemist, vol.13-15 by Hiromu Arakawa

*not on my SimsAThon TBR

DAY 8

🎤 FINISHED Read 216/447 pages (447/447 total) - Completes the "Take a Bubble Bath" challenge // Book 8/30

🚀 Read 50/152 pages (50/152 total)

Day 8 Totals

Pages read: 256

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1

SimsAThon points earned: 3

DAY 9

🚀 FINISHED Read 102/152 pages (152/152 total) - Completes the "Geat a Job (Astronaut)" challenge // Book 9/30
🌟 Read 8/192 pages (8/192 total)

Day 9 Totals

Pages read: 110

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1

SimsAThon points earned: 6

DAY 10

🌟 Read 40/192 pages (48/192 total)
📝 FINISHED Read 361/361 pages - Book 10/30

Day 10 Totals

Pages read: 401

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

DAY 11

🌟 Read 52/192 pages (100/192 total)

Day 11 Totals

Pages read: 52

Books completed: 0

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

DAY 12

🌟 FINISHED Read 92/192 pages (192/192 total) - Completes the "Have a Baby" challenge // Book 11/30

⚙️ Read 158/576 pages

Day 12 Totals

Pages read: 250

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1

SimsAThon points earned: 6

DAY 13

⚙️ FINISHED Read 418/576 pages (576/576 total) - Completes the "Get a Promotion" challenge // Book 12/30
🤫 Read 26/370 pages

Day 13 Totals

Pages read: 444

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1

SimsAThon points earned: 4

DAY 14

🤫 Read 152/370 pages (178/370 total)

Day 14 Totals

Pages read: 152

Books completed: 0

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

WEEK 2 TOTALS

Pages read: 1,665

Books completed: 5

SimsAThon challenges completed: 4

SimsAThon points earned: 19

OVERALL TOTALS

Pages read: 3,548

Books completed: 12

SimsAThon challenges completed: 9

SimsAThon points earned: 39

30 Books in 30 Days/SimsAThon {Week 1 Progress // June 1-7}

In order to stay on track with my big reading challenge undertaking this month, I thought I would post weekly stats and progress updates here on my blog. I'm filming weekly vlogs as well (my week 1 vlog will be uploaded later today!) so you can hear my thoughts on each book as I complete them, but for those of you like me who like to nerd out over reading stats, these blog posts will give you all the numbers from each day!

Week 1 has started this challenge off on the right foot. Things have been surprisingly manageable! While I would have liked to have completed all 9 of the books on my TBR this week, I still managed to read 7 books in 7 days and am on track for achieving my 30 book goal! I'm feeling very motivated to read and I'm looking forward to a successful week two. :)

TBR for Week 1

🧚 I Hate Fairyland, vol. 1 by Skottie Young

💁‍♀️ Giant Days, vol. 4 by John Allison

💀 Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn

😍 The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

😇 Good Omens by Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman*

💞 Listen to Your Heart by Kasie West*

⚔️ Giant Days, vol 5 by John Allison

🎤 On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

👗 21 Proms edited by David Levithan

*not on my SimsAThon TBR

DAY 1

🧚 FINISHED Read 128/128 pages - Completes "Create a Sim" challenge // Book 1/30 

💁‍♀️ FINISHED Read 112/112 pages - Completes "Buy a House" challenge // Book 2/30

💀 Read 60/254 pages (60/254 total)

😇 Read 104/415 pages (145/415 total)

Day 1 Totals

Pages read: 404

Books completed: 2

SimsAThon points earned: 10

DAY 2

💀 FINISHED Read 194/254 pages (254/254 total) - Completes the "Meet the Grim Reaper" challenge // Book 3/30

😇 Read 42/415 pages (187/415 total)

Day 2 Totals

Pages read: 236

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1

SimsAThon points earned: 4

DAY 3

😇 FINISHED Read 228/415 pages (415/415 total) - Book 4/30

😍 Read 100/336 pages (100/336 total)

Day 3 Totals

Pages read: 328

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

DAY 4

😍 Read 127/336 pages (227/336 total)

💞 Read 112/336 pages (112/336 total)

👗 Read 42/289 pages (42/289 total)

Day 4 Totals

Pages read: 281

Books completed: 0

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

DAY 5

😍 FINISHED Read 109/336 pages (336/336 total) - Completes the "Fall in Love" challenge // Book 5/30

Day 5 Totals

Pages read: 109

Books completed: 1

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1

SimsAThon points earned: 4

DAY 6

🎤 Read 155/446 pages (155/447 total)

Day 6 Totals

Pages read: 155

Books completed: 0

SimsAThon challenges completed: 0

SimsAThon points earned: 0

DAY 7

💞 FINISHED Read 224/336 pages (336/336 total) - Book 6/30

🎤 Read 76/446 pages (231/447 total)
⚔️ FINISHED Read 112/112 pages - Completes the "Eat a Cookie" challenge // Book 7/30

Day 7 Totals

Pages read: 412

Books completed: 2

SimsAThon challenges completed: 1

SimsAThon points earned: 2

WEEK 1 TOTALS

Pages read: 1,883

Books completed: 7

SimsAThon challenges completed: 5

SimsAThon points earned: 20

May 2019 Reading Wrap Up! (Featuring BOTM Month, #BorrowAThon, & Bookémon Badgethon 🌊🔥⚡)

May has been quite the busy month for reading! I've been loving getting back into the swing of reading on a more regular basis. It's been a struggle over the last few months but it's been great making it a priority again and having fun participating in the book community a bit more actively than I've been able to. I'm hopeful that this is a sign of things returning back to normal!

This month I had three different bookish type projects that I worked on. First off, I wanted to focus on reading some of my Book of the Month books, as I have quite a few that have gone unread, so all of my owned physical TBR books that I picked up this month were from my Book of the Month collection. You will be able to see which books are BOTM books below as I've marked them with a little "*".

I also participated in two readathons this month! This first was Bookémon Badgethon, a month-long readathon created by Megan from Tome Infinity, which centered around earning badges Pokémon trainer style! Each page you read and badge you earned allowed you to collect points for your team (I was obviously Team Mystic 💙). I think in the future they're planning on hosting a round where you catch different Pokémon and the type of badges you have will dictate which kinds of Pokémon you can catch, so I'm obviously SO PUMPED for that! I collected a total of 3,332 points for Team Mystic and I am so excited for when this readathon makes its return.

BOOKÉMON BADGEATHON READS

Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs

Library book (audio), 3/5

Badge earned: The Know-It-All Badge (Non-fiction)

383 pages

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman*

Physical copy, 5/5

Badge earned: The Fantastical Badge (Fantasy)

369 pages
Challenge completed: A book with magic in it

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Library book (audio), 4/5

Badge earned: The Archival Badge (Historical Fiction)

531 pages

Dog Heaven by Cynthia Rylant

Physical copy, 5/5

Badge earned: The Pictorial Badge (Book with pictures)

40 pages

Challenge completed: A book you will read within 24 hours

The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X.R. Pan*

Physical copy, 4/5

Badge earned: The Diversity Badge (Main character or author who is a POC)

462 pages
Challenge completed: A bestseller from 2018

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy*

Physical copy, 3/5

Badge earned: The Chiller Badge (Crime/Thriller/Mystery/Suspense)

317 pages
Challenge completed: A book that was published in your birth month

The Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish
Library book (audio), 3/5
Badge earned: The Jester Badge (Humor/Comedy)
288 pages
Challenge completed: A book written by an actor

When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri*

Physical copy, 3/5

Badge earned: The Rainbow Badge (LGBTQIIA+ representation)

272 pages

No Exit by Taylor Adams*

Physical copy, 5/5

Badge earned: The Panic! Badge (Horror)

336 pages

And then, of course, I participated in Round 6 of #BorrowAThon! I honestly can't believe we've had 6 rounds of this readathon already, but here we are. Every time BorrowAThon comes around again I'm reminded of all of the reasons why I'm part of this bookish community. The folks who participate in this readathon are so kind and silly and fun and just always brings such joy into my life. If you watched my May Wrap Up vlog you know I've been struggling with my mental health lately, but the folks that I interact with each round of BorrowAThon make me feel so comforted and at ease in this community. UGH I love it so much. 💖

#BORROWATHON READS

9 Days & 9 Nights by Katie Cotugno

Library copy, 4/5

263 pages

Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson

Library book (audio), 4/5

329 pages

The Wizards of Once by Cressida Cowell

Library copy, 3/5

393 pages

By Your Side by Kasie West

Library copy, 3/5

342 pages

OTHER READS

Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty
Library book (audio), 4/5
415 pages
Challenge completed: A book set in Australia

Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Kindle eBook, 1/5
624 pages
Challenge completed: A book with a time of day in the title

TOTALS FOR MAY

Books completed: 15

Pages read: 5,380

2019 challenges completed: 7

10 Book TBR #3 books completed: 0 (7/10 total)

TOTALS FOR 2019

Books completed: 42/150

Pages read: 15,528

2019 challenges completed: 32/52

O.W.L.s Readathon 2019 Plans 🦉✨

Due to my professional life being extra hectic and my personal life being in shambles these last few months, participating in readathons hasn't really been a priority of mine. However, one of my very favorite readathons - the Magical Readathon - is making it's return in April for the O.W.L.s and of course I needed to make a TBR and join in. The O.W.L.s run from April 1 - April 30 and this time around, the host has created this AMAZING guidebook for you to choose a magical wizarding career path! This guidebook will tell you which of your O.W.L.s you need to pass and what grades you need to earn in your N.E.W.T.s (which will come around again in August). G has put so much freaking work into this readathon and I can not wait to take part.

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The idea is that each year you choose one career path to study for. After looking through the guidebook at the potential career paths, the key traits of each career, and which subjects to study, I think I'm going to go with Wandmaker for this year's Magical Readathon! Seer, Aurologist, and Magizoologist were also careers I was considering, but for whatever reason, ever since I originally read the Harry Potter series as a kid, I've always been fascinated by the idea of having a wand and how they are constructed. When I read the description of the careers, I kept finding myself coming back to Wandmaker. So that's what I'm going to go for! ✨

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For my O.W.L.s, it's looking like I'm going to have to pass my Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, and Herbology exams in order to be on the Wandmaker path. I actually picked out a TBR for all 12 O.W.L.s exams before I decided which career I wanted to pursue, knowing that I would plan to prioritize whichever O.W.L.s would be required for my career. I'm actually really excited about the books that I will be prioritizing, so it all worked out! I feel like I have a good mixture of book lengths, books that I've been meaning to get to over the last few months, and newer vs. older books to my TBR.

Ancient Runes

A retelling

Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Arithmancy

A book written by more than one author

Geektastic by Holly Black & Cecil Castelucci

Care of Magical Creatures

A book with a land animal on the cover

Esio Trot by Roald Dahl

Charms

An adult book

Providence by Caroline Kepnes

Herbology

A book with a plant on the cover

The Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepherd

And, because I'm extra, I have selected books for the 7 remaining O.W.L.s. I'm not sure if I will get to all of these (probably not, if I'm being honest) but I do hope to get to a couple of these once I'm done with my Wandmaker reading! (Then maybe I can pursue more than one career after I take my N.E.W.T.s over the summer. 😜) I will say that G did mention that you can only use one O.W.L. book for one career. So, for example, if I want to pursue a second career that also requires a Herbology O.W.L., I will have to read an additional book that fits the Herbology challenge. Not sure if I'll even remotely have time to do that, but you never know!

Astronomy

A book that has the word "star" in the title

Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Defense Against the Dark Arts

A book with a title that starts with R

The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

Divination

A book that is set in the future

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee

History of Magic

A book published at least 10 years ago

This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Muggle Studies

A contemporary

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

Potions

The next book in the series

The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater

Transfiguration

A book with sprayed edges

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

If you're interested in participating in this year's Magical Readathon, I HIGHLY recommend you do! So much freaking work goes into this readathon and it is honestly so well done. It is so much fun to pretend you're at Hogwarts working toward your magical academic and professional goals, and G does such a great job of making it a great experience for everyone who participates. You are technically required to participate in the O.W.L.s exams *before* you participate in the N.E.W.T.s (I mean no one is going to police you if you don't 😂, but that is the general idea), so if you're considering joining in I definitely recommend doing so in April!

Make sure you check out the Magical Readathon Twitter page for the most up to date information as well as G's announcement video for all the information on this round of O.W.L.s! Let me know if you're planning to join in - I'd love to know what magical career you're pursuing! ✨

Christmas at Hogwarts Readathon TBR!

The Magical Readathon is back next week with yet another amazing reading challenge - the Christmas at Hogwarts Readathon! This readathon will be taking place between December 17 and December 23 and it's just what my little HP loving self needs during the week leading up to Christmas. This readathon is both Christmassy and Harry Potter themed (if you couldn't tell from the title), but I think my favorite part about this readathon is the concept that you need to follow a map to know what book you'll be reading next!

I really love these unconventional readathons. They help me stay interested and keep me motivated to complete as many challenges as possible! Major props to G over at the Book Roast for absolutely killing it in the creativity department with the readathons she's been coming up with over at the Magical Readathon.  If you haven't checked out the Magical Readathon, I would highly recommend following the Twitter account. I feel like there's a new idea for a readathon about every other month and I'm always so excited for each other them!
Find out which books I will be reading for this readathon by clicking play on the video above! :)

Tips for Readathons | Blog Ahead #8

Blog Ahead #8
Originally written on October 15, 2018

Y'all know that I'm a veteran readathoner. I absolutely love the community aspect of reading all at the same time and the challenge of taking out more time during the week to focus on my books. I think readathons are great way to boost your reading stats (if that's what you're aiming for) and to take some "me" time to get wrapped up in a story, so I feel like I'm in a readathon almost every other week. Because of that, I have developed some tips on how to become a pro readathoner, and I thought I'd share them with you today!

1. Prepare your space

For me, I can't concentrate if my physical surroundings is crazy cluttered. Clutter always brings a sense of stress to whatever environment I'm in which makes it really hard to concentrate on reading. So in order to have the best reading environment, I make sure to clear up my reading location as much as possible ahead of time to make it easier to concentrate. I also love me a good cozy blanket or two to enhance the comfort level, so I make sure those are handy whenever possible. If I'm reading outside (which I absolutely love to do in the warmer months), I make sure I have a cool beverage, snacks, and whatever else I need outside with me so I'm not constantly running back into the house to grab things. The more prepared and comfortable my space is, the more reading I'll get done!

2. Carve out specific times that you can read

We're all busy people. It's hard to find the time in our daily lives to prioritize reading when we have work and families and dinner and household chores to worry about. That's why, during readathons, it's super helpful to find specific time in your schedule that you could realistically sit down with your book for a period of time and make sure you're allowing yourself to stick to that commitment you're making for yourself. Even if it's waking up 30 minutes earlier throughout the week to read with your coffee, or letting the DVR record the latest episode of your favorite show so you can get some pages in. Making the time is the key to having a successful readathon!

3. Plan ahead for interruptions

Life happens, and sometimes you need to adjust! I don't think I've had one readathon where something unexpected has come up in my schedule when I was planning to read that night *flips table*. But somehow I still get reading done! Planning ahead for interruptions is a great way to get pages in throughout the week despite unexpected schedule changes. You can do this by always having a book with you (reading here and there while you're waiting for something adds up!), getting out of interruption-prone spaces (sometimes I like to just go park my car somewhere and read for an hour or so), or making your TBR super flexible (can't fit in that 3rd 300 page book? Pick up a graphic novel instead!). No matter what the situation is, the less rigid you are during readathons, the easier it will be to ~go with the flow~ when life throws you curve balls.

4. Snacks snacks snacks

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I know not everyone is a fan of eating while reading, but since this is my list of tips, I recommend having LOTS OF SNACKS! :P But seriously, having easy to eat foods, whether or not you eat them while you're reading, is so helpful for readathons. Cooking a meal takes up a lot of precious reading time, so if you're able to have food that's easy to make and eat, or if you're able to prep a big batch of something before the readathon that you can eat throughout the day/week, you'll be able to fit in so many more pages! Having nothing to eat in the house when you're just trying to get your read on is rough, so make sure you plan in advance to save time.

5. Don't burn out!

It can be tempting  to read during EVERY HOUR YOU'RE FREE throughout the readathon, buy that's a really good way to burn out and put yourself into a reading slump which no one wants to do.
It's important throughout  the week to keep tabs on knowing if you're reading because you *want* to or reading because you're feeling like you *have* to. If you're feeling like you *have* to read but you don't really *want* to read, maybe take an hour or two away from your book to watch TV or go for a walk. You'll come back feeling re-energized to read and you'll avoid the burn out!

6. Engage with the community

This is the absolutely best part of taking part in a readathon - there are dozens of other people joining in with you and ready to talk about what they're reading! The bookish community is a wonderful place online and a lot of us turn to the online community to talk about books because not a lot of our people IRL read as ravenously as we do, so we get excited when other folks are talking to us about books! So get involved, make a Twitter, Instagram, blog, or channel, and engage with the community. It will help you to stay excited and motivated to read read read during the next readathon you take part in!

What are your readathon tips? Leave them in the comments!

#Witchathon TBR!

This is me very last minute deciding to join in on the #WitchAThon, which will be taking place between October 24 and October 31! I'm feeling like I need an extra boost of energy toward the end of this month to get a few more books read before October comes to a close, and I was a really big fan of the prompts for this readathon, so I figured it might be fun to hop in on the action! I'm going to mainly be focusing my energy on 3 books in the upcoming week and I'm hoping to finish my October reading strong! Though there are 7 challenges, my TBR will only be consisting of:

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling 

I'm really hoping to get through a decent chunk of this monster, and hopefully get it finished in early November so I can do my next reread/rewatch review with Brett! This one will be fulfilling Challenge #1 - Read a book that is bound to make you warm and happy (because, duh) , and Challenge #5 - Read a book that features your ethnic heritage. Like most white folks in the states, I have a lot of European heritage, and for my family it's mainly French and Scottish. My French heritage is featured through our girl Fleur Delacour, and My Scottish heritage is featured through the fact that Hogwarts is set in Scotland. BOOM.

Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol

It's been a while since I've read a graphic and this one fit the readathon theme/challenges perfectly! It also seems like it will be a lot of fun and the story will be right up my alley. I will be using this book to fulfill Challenge #2 - Read a book by candlelight and Challenge #4 - Read a book that has paranormal elements.

The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn

This is the Read Your Face Off buddy read for October and I haven't gotten around to yet. #oops This will be my main priority during the readathon and I am excited to finally get to it because the folks in the book club are really seeming to like it! This book will fulfill Challenge #3 - Read a spooky horror/thriller novel and Challenge #6 - Buddy read a book.

This readathon also has a group book which I don't really plan on reading. I never tend to opt for group books during readathons for some reason? I don't know what it is. Because I'm not planning to read the group book, I won't be able to fulfill all 7 challenges (reading the group book is the final challenge), but my main focus for this readathon is to cram in some serious last minute reading this month. I am planning to vlog the week because we do have some fun things planned, so stay tuned for that to be posted next week! :)

Are you planning on participating in WitchAThon?

#BorrowAThon Round 5 Announcements!

HAPPY BORROWATHON ROUND 5 ANNOUNCEMENT DAY!!!

I can't believe that we're on our fifth round of this readathon already! It has grown so much since it's first round 2 years ago. I say it every round, but the folks that participate in BorrowAThon are honestly the best. We have created such a positive and fun community around this readathon and I absolutely love it! Anywho, let's get to the information, shall we?

For those of you who may not have participated before, BorrowAThon is an 8-day readathon that encourages you to read BORROWED books. This means that you can borrow books from the library, a friend, a family member, a colleague, etc. As long as the books on your TBR are books that you do not own and will be returned from where you borrowed them from, you're participating in the readathon! The intention behind BorrowAThon is to remind folks that you do not to have to own books in order to be considered a reader or a part of the online bookish community. This is really a readathon for lovers of READING, regardless of whether or not you own the books that you're reading from.

BorrowAThon Round 5 will take place between Sunday, November 4th at 12:00AM in your time zone and Sunday, November 11th at 11:59PM in your time zone. We will be doing sprints every day of the week as well as a Live Show on Saturday. Keep reading for more details!

HOSTS

We have our amazing team of hosts back with us for Round 5. Honestly these ladies are what make this readathon run. BorrowAThon probably would not be able to run as consistently as it does without these amazing women helping me out! Make sure you check out their social media platforms and show them some love! <3

Alyssa at Books and Cats

Andie at It's a Reading Thing

Becky at Beck's Books

Izzy at PunkRockGirlPA

Lisa at LadyBookDragon

Megan B. at Lightening Boot

Megan R. at RogersReads

...and yours truly ;)

SPRINTS

As I said above, we will be having sprints every day during the readathon! There is a designated schedule for sprints, but keep an eye on the BorrowAThon twitter page because there may be spontaneous sprint sessions in addition to the scheduled hours below!

Sunday, November 4: 8PM-11PM, hosted by Becky

Monday, November 5: 7PM-10PM, hosted by Megan R. 

Tuesday, November 6: 7PM-10PM, hosted by Riley

Wednesday, November 7: 7PM-10PM, hosted by Alyssa

Thursday, November 8: 7PM-10PM, hosted by Izzy

Friday, November 9: 8PM-11PM, hosted by Andie

Saturday, November 10: 7PM-10PM, hosted by Megan B.

Sunday, November 11: 7PM-10PM, hosted by Lisa

LIVE SHOW

We will be having a live show on Friday, November 9th to get together and hangout as a BorrowAThon family! This live show will be hosted on my channel (youtube.com/rmfickfack) at 6PM EST and we would love to see you there!

CHALLENGES

And now for everyone's favorite part - challenges! We have 6 challenges that are 100% OPTIONAL. Challenges are usually a fun way to choose a TBR for the week, but you do not have to limit to yourself to books that would fit within these challenges. You are also allowed to double up on challenges or use a book to fulfill multiple challenges! Really the only rule to this readathon is that the books you're reading need to be borrowed.

1. A book you think you're going to love

2. A 2018 release

3. A book with 150 pages or less

4. A book with a name of an animal in the title

5. A book that you've never heard of

6. A book that features a library

Be sure you're following the BorrowAThon Twitter for the most up to date information and post your TBRs and updates using the hashtag #BorrowAThon so we can find you and interact with you! I'm so excited for November and I hope you all are as well! :D