My June TBR: #MakeYourMythTaker & Olympic Games Readathons!

Hello, hello!

In the month of June, I have somehow managed to put myself forward for not one, but TWO readathons. I think I've only ever taken part in one other readathon previously (and a good few years ago now *smiles nervously*), so going from that to two in one month?? Pfft! Easy!!

Okay, so not easy but both of these readathons just sounded so good. It's all about having fun anyways and I really want to see what all this readathon hype is about... Wish me luck! (I'm gonna need it, let's be real here!)

#MakeYourMythTaker Readathon



So the first readathon I'm taking part in is the #MakeYourMythTaker readathon. You can watch the video introducing the readathon and hosts HERE. Basically, by following set prompts, you can create your own fantasy-inspired character. There are loads of different character 'types' to choose from and all of their prompts range, but each character type is also paired with another meaning you can switch from your original character to its pair halfway through, if you wish. I'm going to have my character switch from the warrior Viking path to the rogue Pirate path.

Now for the backstory/idea behind my character. I'd like to introduce you to a young woman named Elaina. It's 850AD and Elaina is a Viking. She's grown up surrounded by violence, watching her father, brothers and the rest of their clan pillage and claim villages up the coast of the British isles. In the last few years before her father's death, her family and their clan had settled in a particularly large fortress, having claimed most of the land around it. After her father dies, her oldest brother decides he's not satisfied with this and decides he wants to take the lands and castle of another clan. Knowing her brothers are about to start a long and brutal feud with this other clan (well-known for their ferocity and numerous conquests) and will probably end up offering her in marriage to a neighbouring clan to gain allegiance or funds, she leaves in the middle of the night. The only thing she can think of is to try find passage back to Scandinavia and find a cousin or one of her mother's sisters. As she attempts to buy passage on a boat, a scrawny man steals her weapons. She chases after him on to a large boat and, using her shield, disarms the man, breaking his nose and shattering one of his knee caps in the process. Taking back her axe and knives, she turns around to get off. A ragtag group of men are coming up the gangplank, most of them laughing. She swings her axe, preparing to fight her way off. A tall man, presumably in charge, whispers to two of the men beside him, who then quickly walk over, pick up the man writhing on the deck and fling him overboard. He then asks if she would like to join their team, explaining if she'd teach a few of his men how to fight and wield different weapons, he'd make her rich beyond imagination. She agrees, knowing full well the means by which they get their money. It's nothing she's not used to, and life on the open sea sounds good enough to her.

Okay, that took a bit long but I wanted to outline my character enough to get a sense of the direction I was going for, whilst also not putting too much detail in, in case I decide to flesh it out and write a short story to go along with it (which I really want to!) Let me know if you'd be interested in seeing that... NOW ON TO THE BOOKS!

 

 A book set in a cold place - Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik

A book with a weapon on the cover - Stormdancer by Jay Kristoff

A book featuring a journey - Spin the Dawn by Elizabeth Lim

A bargain book find - Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

I am the MOST EXCITED about this TBR!! So many books that I've either been meaning to read for a long time (looking at you Stormdancer) or are just really top-of-the-TBR wish list books for me. I also managed to find Six of Crows on The Book Depository for £6 something - bargain find, if you ask me! I need to read these all in order (to progress down my path, of course!) and even though this is now me locking them in, I'm still so excited, ahh!! 

Olympic Games Readathon

Now this readathon is based off of the Percy Jackson series. Even though I haven't read it *hides*, I couldn't help but be intrigued to join - it just sounded so fun. Click HERE to watch the introduction video and meet the hosts. I decided just to join whichever god/goddess I was given in the Which god are you descended from? quiz on the author's website, since I really don't know any better having not read the books; I got Artemis! I was quite buzzing about this because she sounded cool - you can all let me know if she's a good one to have been given!

I highly doubt I'll have time for the advanced challenges, never mind the mandatory ones(!) so I only picked out books for the five main challenges. These are as follows:

Read a book set in the wilderness - The Living Mountain by Nan Shepherd

Read a book while the moon is up (at night only) - Entwined by Heather Dixon

Read a book featuring a rescue mission - The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks

Read a book featuring an animal - An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson

(Apollo prompt) Listen to an audiobook - The Queen's Poisoner by Jeff Wheeler

 

Now this TBR is quite ambitious, including some hefty books. I'll try my best to read as much as I can but I'm not going to put too much pressure on myself with this one. I'm just going out on a limb here in the hopes that An Enchantment of Ravens counts for featuring an animal, even if it does end up being just on the cover and in the title, haha! Entwined will also be a reread for me, I remember enjoying it but not much else so I'm excited to see! The Living Mountain is also all about the author's own account of hiking in the Cairngorm mountains in Scotland so sounds like something I'd like - especially considering that I can't hike or mountain climb myself just now due to quarantine.

 

Okay, so that's 9 books I'm setting myself up for in June! I might struggle to complete due to my shifts with work etc but it's all for fun anyways and I'm going to give it my best shot!

 

Until next time,

Happy reading!

 

Are you taking part in these readathons at all - what are your TBRs? Have you read any of these books? What did you think?