O.W.L.s. Wrap-Up

I completed all 12 O.W.L.s this month! Last year I completed 11. Let me go over what I read for each subject and a short synopsis and review.

Ancient Runes (a retelling)- I read Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler. This was a retelling of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. I thought the book was okay. It is about a blunt and unfriendly woman marrying a man who needs the marriage for a visa to stay in the U.S. It was enjoyable until the ending which seemed incredibly abrupt. I gave it 2 stars. This was definitely my least favorite read.

Arithmancy (written by 2 authors)- I read The Thousand-Dollar Tan Line by Rob Thomas and Jennifer Graham. This was a Veronica Mars mystery involving two missing girls during Spring Break. I have been so excited for the Veronica Mars reboot this summer and this definitely helped whet my appetite. There were several twists and turns and Kristen Bell (who is the actress who plays Veronica Mars) narrates the audiobook which made this a highly pleasurable read. I gave the book 4 stars.

Astrology ("star" in the title)- I read Girl Made of Stars by Ashley Herring Blake. This is a YA contemporary from the perspective of a twin sister. Her brother is accused of rape by her friend and she has to come to terms with the fact that someone she loves could do something so horrible. It really confronts rape culture and society's tendency to victim blame. I found it hard-hitting and an important story for teens. I gave it 4 stars.

Care of Magical Creatures (a land animal on cover)- I read the graphic novel Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughn. I gave it 3 stars.

Charms (an adult book) - I read Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata. I already reviewed this. I gave it 3 stars.

Defense Against the Dark Arts (title starting with "R")- For this challenge I picked up The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It is a deeply disturbing post-apocalyptic story where a man and his young son travel the road to try to survive. The author's writing style is stark, bare, but incredibly vivid. I really loved the style and the overall story was very compelling. I gave the book 4.5 stars.

Divination (set in the future)- I read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams. Already reviewed. I gave this 3.5 stars.

Herbology (plant on the cover)- I read Under the Udala Trees by Chinelo Okaparanta. I gave this 4 stars.

History of Magic (book 10+ years old)- I picked up the manga Monster by Naoki Urasawa. Highly enjoyable thriller and I gave it 4 stars.

Muggle Studies (a contemporary story)- I read They Call me the Cat Lady by Amy Miller. I gave it 3 stars.

Potions (a sequel)- I listened to the audiobook of The Golem's Eye by Jonathan Stroud. I gave it 4 stars.

Transfiguration (red cover)- I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time by Mark Haddon. This was an interesting novel from the perspective of an autistic teen who is trying to solve the murder of a neighborhood dog. The novel is written with several lists which definitely lends a quirky voice. Some people feel it is not a good representation of autism because he is very unemotional and has some violent tendencies; but I felt that some other parts like overstimulation and not understanding idioms felt authentic. I gave the story 3 stars.

Yay! I met the requirements for Healer. I can't wait until the N.E.W.T.s in August!