I’m taking part in the Medieval-A-Thon, created by Holly Hearts Books, throughout July, and the end of our medieval journey is nigh!

• CROWN – Read a book where a character fights for the throne
• HELMET – Read a book with a dragon on the cover
• BREASTPLATE – Read a shiny book
• LEGGINGS – Read a thick paperback
• BOOTS – Read a book that has yellowed over time
• CLOAK – Read a book with red on the dust jacket/cover
• SWORD – Read a book with something pointy on the cover
• DAGGERS – Read a book with assassins
• BOW AND ARROW – Read a book with elves
• AXE – Read a book with mercenaries

I’m pleased to say I’ve read six novels this month, officially making my the queen I was born to be!

This past week my commute to work has changed, so rather than taking the train I’m taking the bus. The bus journey takes around 40-45 minutes each way, so I have a lot more time each day to get some reading done!

In fact I’ve had a really good reading week this week, with the two novels I read both getting 5 stars from me. They’re both novels that have been on my TBR for years, too, which just proves that I shouldn’t forget about the amazing backlist books waiting on my shelves for me when the shiny new releases emerge.

I finally read and loved Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora, a modern classic of the fantasy genre, earning me a pair of leggings, so at least I’m no longer wandering around medieval England with my butt hanging out. It felt like such a nostalgic read even though I’d never read it before; it’s the kind of fantasy I love, it’s cemented my love for Italian-inspired fantasy, and its focus on friendship meant a lot to me. Locke and Jean’s bromance is wonderful, and I want to continue to see more and more strong friendships in the books I read.

Speaking of strong friendships, the bond that develops between Mariam and Laila in Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns is a thing of beauty. I finished it just this afternoon and my heart is broken. It’s a beautiful novel and I’m keen to read more of Hosseini’s work in future, but I’m going to need a while to recover from this one first. I earned my boots with it, though!

This might be the first time I’ve completely stuck to a TBR I’ve given myself for a readathon, and I’m pleased I have; I gave three of the novels I’ve read this month 5 stars, one 4 stars, one 3 and a half stars and one 3 stars, so overall it’s been a really good reading month so far.

Now I’m hoping I’ll be able to earn a weapon or two before the end of this readathon and the beginning of this year’s N.E.W.Ts!

I’m almost 2/3s of the way through Holy Sister now; I’ll be driving back home from my parents’ this evening and the journey should take around an hour and a half, so I should be able to listen to a good chunk of it and then I’ll probably finish it up tonight while I’m unpacking and earn myself a pair of daggers.

I’m hoping I might be able to squeeze Mortal Heart in before the end of the month, too. My edition is a hardback so I might not feel like lugging it around in my bag during my commute, but we’ll see!

How’s your Medieval-A-Thon going?