House Cup Reading Challenge | Sign Up and TBR

I have been looking for a suitable readathon for a little while. Something to help me read some different books, to get me back on the reading track, and engaging with other readers and bloggers. I absolutely loved #TheReadingQuest over the summer, and fell in love with the premise and the variety that it offered. I found it it made read new things, and made me more accountable for what I was actually reading. The House Cup Reading Challenge is similar in that it awards points for reading challenges, and has a core underlying aim (here to finish Hogwarts) while earning points towards a goal. It’s all very exciting!

Lauren of Live, Love, Read; Alex of Book Daisy Reviews; Kelsey of Kelsey’s Cluttered Bookshelf; and Erica of Escape Under the Cover, are hosting a brilliant readathon and are inviting fellow book readers and Harry Potter fans on an adventure as we tackle our TBRs! Now let’s get to the fun part…

What is the House Cup Reading Challenge?

The House Cup Reading Challenge runs from Sunday, October 15, to Sunday, November 12.During this challenge, you will progress from a first-year to seventh-year Hogwarts student by completing seven books on your TBR list. In addition to the main challenge, you will have opportunities to earn even more points by participating in the themed bonus challenges and tweeting with the challenge hashtag on Twitter.

How the challenge works

First, you’ll need to choose your Hogwarts house. During the challenge, you’ll not only be earning points for yourself but for your Hogwarts house as well. As you can tell by my badge, I am #TeamGryffindor all the way. You can get your team badge from one of the hosts pages and add it to your post too! At the end of the challenge, each reader should report their points to their house’s Head Girl:

Gryffindor: Lauren @BetweenDPages
Hufflepuff: Kelsey @Kelsenator
Ravenclaw: Alex @booksydaisy
Slytherin: Erica @slytherinchica

Here’s how they’re determining the winners:

4 Individual House Winners

One winner will be chosen from each of the four Hogwarts houses. The person who earns the most points for their house will receive:
$5 Starbucks gift card and some HP-themed goodies (stickers, bookmarks, etc.)

1 House Cup Grand Prize Winner

Here’s where the House Cup challenge really comes into play! At the end of the challenge, we will randomly select one grand prize winner from the Hogwarts houses with the most points overall. This lucky winner will receive:
A Harry Potter Funko Pop figure and a $25 giftcard to Barnes and Noble (**In the case of an international winner, that person will receive an e-gift card to The Book Depository.** )

Challenge Events

To kick off the challenge, the heads of houses will be hosting a Twitter chat starting at 8:00 p.m. EST to give everybody a chance to introduce themselves, talk about the competition, and answer some Harry Potter trivia questions. Be sure to follow along with the #housecupreadingchallenge hashtag.

At the end of the challenge, there will also be a hosted watch-along of one of the Harry Potter movies (to be decided via Twitter poll). There will be more details about this as the end of the challenge draws near on the hosts twitter.

Challenge Categories and Points Breakdown

Main Challenge (20 Points)

Not everyone likes to be confined to a specific category, so we’ve decided that all books for the main challenge are reader’s choice. This means you can pick any book off your TBR list to count toward the main challenge! I am not 100% sure what I am going to read for each ‘year’ yet, but I have tried to come up with a TBR, kinda:

First Year: Billy and Me Giovanna Fletcher
Second Year: Cockroaches Jo Nesbo
Third Year: Sin City #Vol. 7: Hell and Back Frank Miller
Fourth Year: Prodigy Marie Lu
Fifth Year: Prince Caspian (Narnia #4) C S Lewis
Sixth Year: Nine Tailors Dorothy L Sayers
Seventh Year: Moonraker Ian Fleming

Bonus Challenges (10 Points)

For those who like categories to help narrow down their reading choices, here are thirteen bonus challenges to choose from. However, books you read for the bonus challenges cannot count toward the main challenge! For example,  if you pick The Hunger Games for the Slytherin bonus challenge (read a dystopian book), you cannot also count it toward your second-year challenge.

Gryffindor: Read a book with an epic hero/heroine:
Diamonds are Forever Ian Fleming
Hufflepuff: Read a book that contains a strong friendship:
Horse and His Boy C S Lewis
Ravenclaw: Read a book that revolves around a mystery:
His Last Bow Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Slytherin: Read a book set in a dystopian world:
Champion Marie Lu
Astronomy: Read a book set in outer space:
A Closed and Common Orbit Becky Chambers
Care of Magical Creatures: Read a book that features an animal or magical/mythical creature:
Winnie the Pooh A A Milne
Tri-Wizard Tournament: Read a book that includes a competition:
Starter for Ten David Nicholl
Occlumency: Read a book about a character with magical abilities or superpowers:
The Burning Page Genevieve Cogman
Death Eater: Read a book told from the POV of a villain:
You Caroline Kepnes
Platform 9 3/4: Read a book that features travel:
Long Way Round Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman
Time Turner: Read a book set in the future or past:
Casebook of Sherlock Holmes Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Fantastic Beasts: Read a spin-off to a beloved series:
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Screenplay) J K Rowling
Dumbledore’s Army: Buddy-read a book with a friend or group:
The Bat Jo Nesbo

Social Media Bonus Points

Use the hashtag #housecupreadingchallenge on Twitter to earn 1 point per tweet (limited to 20 points total).

Hogwarts Student Questionnaire

Name: Liz
Hogwarts House: Gryffindor

Wand Type: Maple, 10 inches, with a Unicorn Hair core and rigid flexibilty.

Pet: None IRL, but in a magical world I’d have an owl and a dog.
Favourite Subject: Transfiguration
Favourite Professor: Professor McGonagall/Professor Lupin. It’s a tie.

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Are you taking part in the House Cup Reading Challenge?

What house are you in? What will you be reading?

Look out for an updates post next week, I look forward to reading with you!