I know what you’re thinking–um, weren’t the O.W.L.s three months ago in April? YES. But I missed sitting for them for whatever reason (I honestly can’t remember if I even had a good reason because I was so interested in everyone’s TBRs), and so I’ve decided to sit them in the last two weeks of July to get myself prepared for the N.E.W.T.s coming up next month, in August.

The O.W.L.s Magical Readthon is hosted by Book Roast on Youtube, and it’s pretty much the coolest thing ever. Just the sheer amount of intricate work and detail that has been put into this is incredible. Not only does it come with a guidebook and a FAQ, but it comes with a study guide, reading prompts, and massive career list! Seriously, this is the most comprehensive and beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. It feels like it came straight out of Hogwarts!

For my career, I’m choosing wandmaker because that sounds totally badass and actually really practical. The description said it’ll be hard to break into the field with names like Ollivanders and Gregorovitch, BUT they’re both death, so it’s time for some new blood.

In order to pursue this career, I need five O.W.L.s: Ancient Runes, Arithmancy, Care of Magical Creatures, Charms, and Herbology. I very briefly thought about being an overachiever, but stopped that thought real quick since I have got more books than I want to even think about on my book cart due to be read this month, so I’m just sticking to what is absolutely necessary.

Alright, so what am I reading?

Ancient Runes – Retelling

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta & Cori McCarthy is a genderbent retelling of King Author, as well as the only retelling I have on my entire TBR shelf at the moment. (That might be a lie, I can’t quite remember what all of the books on that shelf are about.) I’ve been itching to read this space opera, though, and I’ve heard it’s a really quick, really gay read, so I am ready.

Arithmancy – Work written by more than one author

This prompt makes me so mad because I’ve already read TWO of these this month, which is already unusual in itself. But because I’m me, I didn’t even think about participating in the N.E.W.T.s until my friend, Chelsea, said she was going to go hard and do the O.W.L.s before the end of July so she could participate in the N.E.W.T.s, and I was like YES GOOD IDEA oh shit I already have so many books scheduled. Anywho, Tales from the Shadowhunter Academy has four authors–Cassandra Clare, Sarah Rees Brennan, Maureen Johnson, Robin Wasserman. It’s also one of my very last 2017 books, so might as well get it out of the way now anyway.

Care of Magical Creatures – Land animal on the cover

I was scheduled to read The Wolf in the Whale by Jordanna Max Brodsky last month, but I had a panic and read almost none of my scheduled TBR books, so here I am with it on another TBR. If I end up totally tanking this, I am also rereading Sorcerer’s Stone this month, and that’s got a unicorn and three-headed dog on it, so at least I have backup.

Charms – Age-line: read an adult work

Thankfully, I was able to snag one of my regular July TBR books for this prompt! The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman is firmly in the adult literary fiction category, and if the morose book cover didn’t prove that enough, the movie stars Michael Fassbender, Rachel Weisz, and Alicia Vikander, and boy, it’ll make you weep.

Herbology – Plant on the cover

Again, if only I’d made this decision a little sooner, I could have used Wink Poppy Midnight, but I was already about halfway into that when I decided to tackle the O.W.L.s, so whatever. I’m reading Wild Beauty by Anna-Marie McLemore instead, which is such a chore, let me tell you. Did that convey my sarcasm enough? I literally could not pull it off my shelf quick enough. I recently bought everything by McLemore I haven’t read and was sighing over the fact that I had to wait a bit to read them so I could get ahead of my TBR, and now, here we are, and I am happy as pie.

I’ll be back before the end of July with a wrap-up, so wish me luck until then because I’ve still got a lot of July TBR books, now all of these, and overdue June TBR books to read. Eegads!