One of my favorite times of the reading year is almost here! It’s almost time for the Magical Readathon O.W.L.s!

What is the Magical Readathon?

Every April for the last three years, the Magical Readathon (created and run by Book Roast) is held. It’s a readathon based on sitting the O.W.L.s, which is a test that exists in the Harry Potter universe. I love Harry Potter and I love readathons, so it makes sense that I would love this one! What makes the Magical Readathon extra special, though, is how much thought and preparation Book Roast puts into it. It’s so beautifully creatively!

There is a pamphlet that lists all the possible magical careers that you could possibly want. It includes things like the ever popular Auror and more obscure jobs like Mind Medic. Once you have chosen your job, it lists what O.W.L.s you will need to sit in order to start down the path towards your chosen magical career. Each O.W.L. subject correlates to a reading prompt and you choose books to fit said prompts. Then you have all of April to read those books and finish your O.W.L.s!

This is, of course, a very basic explanation, so if you’re interested, head over to the Magical Readathon website to learn more. The website has the info you could possibly want and there are a ton of links to great resources.

My Chosen Magical Career

There are a TON of careers to choose from and they all sound so freakin’ cool. Honestly, I’m in awe every year with the creativity put into the pamphlet and the career descriptions! This year, I was having a difficult time picking. Last year, I chose the Magizoologist career path because, come on… who doesn’t want to learn how to take care of their favorite cryptid? I considered doing that one again, but I kind of wanted to go for something different this year. After browsing the pamphlet for waaaay too long, I finally settled on a career that sounded right up my alley. And the winner is…

Trader of Magical Tomes

The description starts with the question, “Have books always been your one true love?”, and if that ain’t me, I don’t know what is! And I don’t have to sit too many O.W.L.s, which works for me cause I am not a fast reader 😅

So What O.W.L.s Must I Sit?

To start down the path that will lead me to owning the swankiest magical bookstore in Diagon Alley, I have to sit four different O.W.L.s

• Ancient Runes
• Charms
• History of Magic
• Transfiguration

As I mentioned, each of these subjects corresponds to a different reading prompt. You can find all the subjects and their corresponding prompts on the website, so I’m just going to talk about the above four and tell you what I’m planning on reading for them.

#1. Ancient Runes:

The prompt for this subject is to read a book with a heart on the cover or in the title. For this, I’ll be reading…

I got this book from Book of the Month Club forever ago and it has been chilling on my bookcase for MONTHS. Seems like a perfect time to pick it up. It’s the chonkiest book on this TBR, so I’ll probably start this right at the beginning on the month so I have enough time to finish, lol.

#2. Charms:

The prompt for this subject is to read a book with a white cover. For this, I’ll be reading…

I just finished The Chalk Man and now I’m in a mood to read all the thrillers! I got this book from BotM, as well, though it hasn’t been on my shelf nearly as long as the last book. It sounds like it’s going to be spooky and I’m excited to read it!

#3. History of Magic:

The prompt for this subject is to read a book that features witches/wizards. For this, I’ll be reading…

Imma be honest, I found this book on my Kindle app, it’s short, and it had witches so… here it is! I don’t even remember buying this, but it does sound interesting. And I realize I have a lot of books on my Kindle app that I don’t remember buying. Because I have a problem.

#4. Transfiguration:

The prompt for this subject is to read a book/series that includes shapeshifting. For this, I’ll be reading…

I’ve been wanting to read this graphic novel for a long time! And I love reading graphic novels for readathons so it’s a win-win! The main character is a shapeshifter so it is a perfect fit for this subject.

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So it looks like my reading plans for April are set 😁 Are you planning on doing the Magical Readathon? What career would you like to do? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!