N.E.W.Ts Readathon 2019 | Update

Hello witches, wizards, house-elves and muggles! I am struggling to believe that we are pretty much half way through August, which mean half-way through this round of N.E.W.Ts. I love the versatility of Gi’s readathons and prompts and have got back into the reading groove. I am managing to fit in some ARCs that I have been meaning to read, and I am thinking about books I require for the various year long reading challenges I am participating in and trying to fit books in for those where I can. I have finished some properly brilliant books that have become absolutely favourites.

I am still very much pursuing the goal of becoming a member of the Department of Mysteries. I have changed my TBR slightly since my sign up post and have started reading books for challenges that weren’t even mentioned on the original list. For Department of Mysteries, I need an Acceptable in Charms, Potions, Transfiguration, and Defence Against the Dark Arts, and require 4 Outstandings in any subject area. Naturally I thought going for Outstanding in these 4 subjects would probably be best but I have steered a little off course. I have colour coded the books I am reading below – Green signals the book has been finished and challenge completed, Orange signals that I have started the book but not finished it/the challenge, and Red is for challenges I signed up for initially and haven’t began reading yet.

Charms

A – Read a Book that you think has a gorgeous cover ✅

Gods of Jade and Shadow Silvia Moreno-Garcia
⭐⭐⭐

E – Read a comic/graphic novel/manga (or book under 150 pages)

Paper Girls #2 Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, and Matt Wilson

O – Spongify (softening charm) – read a paperback book

The Prisoner’s Gold Chris Kuzneski

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Potions

A – Polyjuice potion: read your friend’s favourite book

The Song Rising Samantha Shannon

E – House ingredient: book with a cover in your Hogwarts House Colour

The Love Solution Ashley Croft

O – Book that starts with a prologue

American Royals Katherine McGee

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Transfiguration

A – Read a book with LGBTQIA+ representation ✅

Autoboyography Christina Lauren
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

E – Read a book that’s not a first in a series ✅

Shades of Magic: Night of Knives #4 V E Schwab, Enrica Angiolini, and Andrea Olimpieri
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

O – McGonagall does not mess around! Read a book over 500 pages

The Lies of Locke Lamora Scott Lynch

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Divination

A – Read a white book ✅

The Nickel Boys Coulson Whitehead
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

E – Read a short story or a collection of short stories ✅

How To Talk To Girls At Parties Neil Gaiman
⭐⭐

O – Read the last book you bought/took from your library

Night Boat to Tangier Kevin Barry

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Defence Against the Dark Arts

A – Book that’s black under the dust jacket ✅

Nevernight Jay Kristoff
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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Herbology

A – Mandrake! Quick, put your headphones on! Listen to an audiobook (if not – a green cover)

The Stars Now Unclaimed Drew Williams

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Care of Magical Creatures

A – Follow the spiders! Why couldn’t it be follow the butterflies. Book title that starts with the letter ‘A’ for Aragog

Arid Dreams Duanwad Pimwana

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I am really love this month’s reading so far. Two of the books I have finished have become absolutely favourites and will take some beating to not appear in my Top 5 reads at the end of the year. I haven’t finished quite as many books as I would like to have at this point of the readathon, but I have started a few above and know that I only need to finish a couple of those to be comfortably back on track. I should probably start reading for prompts I need rather than going off on a tangent I don’t really need, but I can always look to claw some of it back later in the month, right?

Are you taking part? How are you getting on?

What subjects and career are you reading for?