Join Amanda and James in episode 2 as they talk about the books that sparked their love for reading and kickstarted their interest in magic. From childhood favorites like Eragon to epic fantasies like The Priory of the Orange Tree, they describe how reading acts as both a portal and a practice one that encourages creativity, immersion, and play. What does it mean to be a reader? How do schools shape our relationship with books? If you’ve ever carried a story with you, this one’s for you.

Episode Resources & Easter Eggs:

Childhood Favs:

·     Explore Avatar the Last Airbender.

·     Read Christopher Paolini’s Eragon.

·     Immerse yourself in James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series.

·     Summon your own favorite book characters by reading Cornelia Funke’s Inkheart.

·     Re-read the Spider Wick Chronicles (+3 for detailed self made field guides.)

·     Want a book with an included wand? Check out Wizardology.

Recent Recommendations:

·     Lose yourself in Karl Ove Knausgård’s quotidian My Struggle series.

·     Flip through Ram Dass’ Be Here Now.

·     Explore the world in 4D by reading Mircea Cărtărescu’s Solenoid.

·     Lose yourself in Samantha Shannon’s fantasy epic The Priory of the Orange Tree.

·     Dive into Stephen King’s It.

Read a Classic:

·     Read Virginia Woolf’s short and accessible Mrs. Dalloway.

·     Annotate Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter (+3 for screengrabs of color-coded notes).

·     Explore religion in Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov.

·     Race Amanda to finishing Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina (+5 if you beat her).

Follow the Magic on Instagram ⁠@themagicalsalon⁠

Music Credit

Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/mood-maze/trendsetter License code: HYUQLMBOL1GHYGFW