Hello fellow bookworms π I’m a big fan of Readathons and ever since last year I have been wanting to participate in the Reading Rush! In case you don’t know the Readathon was formerly known as the week-long Booktubeathon and went through a big rebranding, complete with a new, cool website. I’m definitely happy about that because it’s much more inclusive this way and doesn’t solely focus on Booktube, but instead feels more open to the rest of the bookish community as well. The Readathon is hosted by Ariel @ arielbissett and Raeleen @ padfootandprongs07 and will be taking place from the 20th to 26th of July, exactly one week. There is a separate website, YouTube Channel, Twitter, and Instagram Account with additional information. I already participated in the #stayhomereadingrush – a mini version that happened in April – and had a lot of fun during the Readathon, so I’m very excited about the longer version of the Readathon. Last year everyone seemed to be having so much fun, but sadly I was too late to join, something that will be different this year!
I’ll actually be going on vacation on the 25th but I plan to take some reading material. We’ll be driving there, so I sadly might not read a lot in the car because motion sickness, but maybe I’ll attempt to read a few pages and a bit in the evening as well π
The Reading Challenges π
- Read a book with a cover that matches the colour of your birthstone
- Read a book that starts with the word βTheβ
- Read a book that inspired by a movie youβve already seen
- Read the first book you touch
- Read a book completely outside of your house **
- Read a book in a genre that youβve always wanted to read more of
- Read a book that takes place on a different continent than where you live
**Β I have to mention here that you should use caution with this! I’m grateful that I have a patio to read on, but I know that not everyone is that lucky. Please don’t take any risks with this prompt and skip it if you don’t have a safe place to use to read outside. The host’s have since made an update and encourage being creative with this prompt e.g. sitting by the window reading or choosing a book set outdoors if you don’t have a safe space outside.
Here is the official #readingrush video!
Book with a cover that matches your birthstone
My Heart and Other Black Holes (Jasmine Warga)
Birthstone: Diamond (for April) ~ Color: White
β½ Okay, so I actually used to be obsessed with gemstones when I was younger. I used to always collect them and buy jewelry wherever I went, plus I’d look up what they stood for. I’m still very fond of them, as it’s nice to have a little talisman and I still own some of the gemstone necklaces from back in the dayΒ β€ My birthstone is the Diamond (as I was born in April) and the color would probably be light/white (though it’s more translucent, I think we can be a bit more lenient here)! π Luckily there are a lot of white covers and in the end, I settled on a book that I had been meaning to read during Mentalhealthon but never got around to. I bought the ebook of My Heart and Other Black Holes really cheap, so I’m ready to finally dive into it and not just let it collect metaphorical dust on my Kindle π As an alternative, I also still have Let’s Talk About Love on my physical TBR but wasn’t in the mood to read it in June, so we’ll see if that changes!

A book that starts with “The” & The first book you touch
The Gilded Wolves (Roshani Chokshi)
β½ I’ve said that I would read this book for so long now and it finally needs to happen. Originally I had planned to read this for Prideathon but then I got caught up in some of my library loans and it was the end of the month so quickly, without me having read the book when I had intended to. However, I still love Roshani Chokshi’s writing a lot, so I wanted to definitely put this on my priority TBR list, especially as I know this is Historical Fiction and Fantasy put together. It also starts with a ‘The’ which was one of the prompts and was the first book on my physical TBR that I touched, so I think it was meant to be read now π Let’s hope that I end up loving this one, especially as the sequel will be coming out this year, so I could dive right into it!
Book in a genre you’ve always wanted to read more of & Book that takes place on a different continent than where you liveΒ
Beastly Bones (William Ritter)
Genre: Mystery/Historical Fiction & Continent: North AmericaΒ
β½ I have been wanting to finally get to the rest of the Jackaby books (Beastly Bones is book 2 in the series) and now seems like the perfect opportunity! Jackaby was one of my favorite books this year so far and I have since bought all the books to read β€ It also perfectly fits two of the reading challenges. Reading a book in a genre I’ve always wanted to read more of is generally my goal this year with my Out of Comfort Zone Challenge and Beastly Bones is both Mystery and Historical Fiction, two genres I’m hoping to dive deeper into (there is also a dash of Fantasy and I love that as well)! The story is also set in the fictional town of New Fiddleham, New England, which is located in 1890s America. As a European, it was pretty easy to find a book set not on my continent, as most books are so US-centric π I honestly cannot wait to dive back into the mystery of Jackaby and his ragtag Team π₯°
A book that inspired a movie you’ve already seen
Alice Through the Looking Glass (Lewis Carrol)
β½ I have to be honest, coming up with a book for this prompt was rather hard. There are some movies/shows that I watched where I haven’t read the source material yet … but I also have no intention in doing so π So in the end, I settled on Alice Through the Looking Glass, as I have only read the first book, but have watched both movies. I actually loved the movies as they are really whimsical and Mia Wasikowska is a great Alice – I still remember when I went to the cinema to watch the second movie, it was magical β¨ True to my branding, I love Wonderland and can see myself reading the second book as well, especially as it’s available easily online! However, this won’t be my priority, as I’m more excited about the other books on my TBR and will, therefore, be reading them first and only get to this book after I have finished everything else.

Will you be participating in the ReadingRush? What books are you planning on reading? What’s your birthstone? (I’m curious) π
I haven’t been joining readathon in a while, but this one sounds interesting! I love My Heart and Other Black Holes, so I hope you’ll enjoy it too π
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It definitely sounds like a fun Readathon and I’m so excited! So happy to hear that you love My Heart and Other Black Holes, I’m looking forward to reading it π
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I didn’t know this readathon had a website! Awesome! Great TBR. I may have to join this readathon.
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I hope you join in with the Reading Rush as well! It’s going to be so much fun and I love that they have their own website π
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I also used to love love gemstones and archaeological stuff when I was younger. I would always bug my mom to see if she would take me to a gold/gem mine in our state! I also was interested in fossils and geodes.
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Oh, that sounds so lovely! I always used to keep a look out for gemstones as well and even went to a great museum π
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Good luck with your TBR! I’ve wanted to read Jackaby for a long time, and you mentioning Beastly Bones has reminded me that I should really get around to it. Oh, and my birthstone is peridot! π
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Thank you, Louise! π I hope you get around to reading Jackaby, I loved it so much and I’m excited to finally read the rest of the series! Oh, it looks nice! ππ
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Ahhh!! I’m so excited that you’re participating in The Reading Rush too π₯° I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on The Gilded Wolves~
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I’m so excited about the Readathon!! I hope it’s going to be a lot of fun π₯° I have high hopes for The Gilded Wolves, I hope I love it π
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