teatimelit

Let’s Talk: Cossette’s Theatreathon Wrap Up

Hello friends! I shared my theatreathon TBR last month, and so I thought it’d be fun to share what I ended up reading after all! 

Challenge Prompt: Best Musical – A classic or a retelling of a classic: 

I was originally going to read Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women and Bethany C. Morrow’s So Many Beginnings for this prompt, but ended up reading both books prior to September 1st! I figured it was about time I finally picked up Somali Dev’s Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors from where it’s been collecting dust on my TBR cart. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really get into this one, and honestly, a huge part of it is because of the huge HIPAA violations that kept occurring. 

To add or purchase the books mentioned:

  • Little Women: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
  • So Many Beginnings: A Little Women Remix: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound
  • Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors: Goodreads | TheStorygraph | Bookshop | IndieBound

Challenge Prompt: Best Revival of a Musical – A reread of a favourite:

I ended up using Erin Morgenstern’s The Starless Sea for this one, and flipping the categories around for The Starless Sea and Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, mostly because this time around, I realized that I didn’t love The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo as much as I thought I did! I still enjoy it; just not as much as I love The Starless Sea. I got to tab & annotate The Starless Sea this time around, and I had such a blast, especially since I noticed so many things I didn’t before. 

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Challenge Prompt: Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical – A book with your favourite male character: 

Like I mentioned earlier, I ended up reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid for this category! I — like everyone else who has read Evelyn Hugo — am so endeared by Harry Cameron. 

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Challenge Prompt: Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical – A strong female character 

I was originally going to read Kalynn Bayron’s This Poison Heart (one of our two teatimereads’ September pick) for this category, but read This Poison Heart at the end of August, so I ended up reading Fat Chance, Charlie Vega by Crystal Maldonado for this one instead! I forgot how much I loved Charlie, her story, and her strength, and am so glad I got to use this time to reread it.

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Challenge Prompt: Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical – A book with more than one POV

Surprisingly enough, I actually stuck to my original TBR for this one! For this prompt, I reread Love from A to Z by S.K. Ali, and forgot just how much I loved Adam and Zayneb, the concept of marvels and oddities, and how the dual POV adds to the story — more books with dual POV please! 

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Challenge Prompt:  Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical – A book by two or more authors

This is yet another category where I abandoned my TBR in favor of a reread — ever since I listened to This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone last year on audiobook, I’ve been itching to reread it. While I could not properly explain the plot of it to anyone, the prose is just out of this world. 

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Challenge Prompt: Best Book of a Musical – A popular book you haven’t read

I ended up finally picking up Raybearer  by Jordan Ifueko off my physical TBR cart this month for this prompt! I had ordered the Illumicrate box for it (watch my unboxing here), simply because everyone I knew loved it, and Mary lowkey peer-pressured me into it! I really enjoyed Raybearer! 

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Challenge Prompt: Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for Theatre – A book with beautiful prose

As planned, I reread The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith for this prompt, and I had the best time! I got to reannotate/tab it and noticed so many things I didn’t notice the first time around! It’s got me even more excited for the sequel. 

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Challenge Prompt: Best Scenic Design of a Musical – A book that takes place in a country outside of your own

She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan was Literasian Book Club’s September pick, and I was able to squeeze it into this prompt! Unfortunately, She Who Became the Sun and I just didn’t mesh well — I still don’t really know why I had such a hard time with it, but I did. Maybe I’ll reread it a few months down the road, and will enjoy it a lot more! 

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Challenge Prompt: Best Costume Design of a Musical – A book with a gorgeous cover

I actually stuck to my original TBR for this one as well, and read my ARC of Ayana Grey’s Beasts of Prey. The cover is simply so stunning, and I enjoyed the mythology and magic systems. I’m really excited for the sequel! 

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Challenge Prompt: Best Lighting Design of a Musical – Read a dark/scary book

I was really excited for The Ballerinas, by Rachel Kapelke-Dale, as ballet was a foundational part of my youth, and I knew I had to read my ARC for this prompt. Unfortunately, I couldn’t connect to this book, and was overall just really disappointed by it. Maybe if I had been more prepared with the trigger warnings ahead of time, I would’ve liked it more. 

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Challenge Prompt: Best Direction of a Musical – A character-driven book

I ended up moving Fat Chance, Charlie Vega to fit the Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical prompt, and read Not Here to be Liked by Michelle Quach instead. I’d heard from Quinn that she gave off similar vibes to Rowan from Today, Tonight, Tomorrow by Rachel Lynn Solomon (another favorite), and immediately knew I had to pick it up! 

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Challenge Prompt: Best Choreography – A book about performing arts

I was originally going to pick If We Were Villains for this one, but ended up reading Marissa Kanter’s As If On Cue instead. My friend Helena, really loved it, and I figured I’d give it a shot — I mean, theatre/band prank wars and Frozen references? It sounded absolutely adorable, and something different (light, contemporary) that I needed from all the fantasy I’ve been reading lately. 

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Challenge Prompt:  Best Orchestrations – A book written in verse

  For this prompt, I read Elisabet Velasquez’s When We Make It. At the time that I’d read it, it was an ARC, but it’s out now! For me, I really struggled to stay invested in this one, and I think I work better with novels written in verse if I’m listening to it on audiobook, rather than reading it. 

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Challenge Prompt: Sound Design of a Musical – Read an audiobook

As I mentioned earlier, I actually listened to Little Women on audiobook before September, so I decided to listen to Pride by Ibi Zoboi, and narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo for this challenge! I’m a huge fan of Elizabeth Acevedo’s narration, but unfortunately found Pride to be a disappointing story.

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Challenge Prompt: Tony Honours for Excellence in Theatre — Free space

For this one, I read Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I hadn’t planned on reading it, but Caitlyn was texting Mary and I about it and the ending, so I immediately knew I had to add it to my Theatreathon read. I didn’t realize how short it was, nor did I realize it was told entirely in letters, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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Challenge Prompt: Isabelle Stevenson Award — A book over 450 pages

I actually stuck to my original TBR for this one — At a whopping 512 pages, I read my ARC of Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tang, and really enjoyed it. I’ve got a lot more to say about it so look out for my review closer to publication date!

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Challenge Prompt: Special Tony Award (lifetime): A non-fiction book centered around a subject you’re passionate about

I had every intention of reading Caseen Gaines’ Footnotes: The Black Artists Who Rewrote the Rules of the Great White Way, but was reminded that Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George by James Lapine came out last month, and I knew I had too read it this month! Sunday in the Park with George is one of my all-time favorites, and I loved this deeper look into the creation of Sunday.

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Challenge Prompt: Best Newcomer: A 2021 debut

I ended up reading The Nature of Witches at the end of August, which meant that I needed a new book for this prompt. I ended up going with Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala, which is a cozy mystery that I know a lot of my friends enjoyed. I cannot wait for the sequel!

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Challenge Prompt: Best Author: Written by your favorite author

While I do have every intention of reading Allison Saft’s A Far Wilder Magic soon, I ended up rereading Down Comes the Night for this prompt, as my dear friend Jamie finally read Down Comes the Night earlier this month. After reading Jamie’s messages about how much they loved it, I was reminded of how much I missed Hal and Wren, and wanted to get back to them! 

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Challenge Prompt: Best Special Theatrical Event — A book with an Adaptation 

I didn’t read Redemptor by Jordan Ifueko with the intention of using it for this prompt (I was originally going to read The Expatriates, then decided I was going to read We Hunt the Flame), but when I found out the Raybearer duology was going to be adapted for a Netflix series, I gladly marked it down as a book I read for theatreathon — simply because then I wouldn’t feel like I was under a time crunch to read We Hunt the Flame, and could go at my own pace with it!  

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Overall, theatreathon was a blast, and I’m so glad that I was able to check off every box! I was introduced to so many new books, and loved the opportunity to reread some favorites. If you joined us for theatreathon, what was your favorite read this month? Let me know in the comments below!