Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban: A Book Review

Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban: A Book Review

**SPOILERS**

We all know the movie well, The novel however was quite different than the film. Not saying it was a bad read but I suppose it gave you more in depth insight as to what is really going on in the scenes that the movie didn't quite fill in for us.

It was slow moving at first but picked up closer to the end that made me not want to put it down until the last page. That was exactly what happened that I finally finished it last night. I will say this, J.K. Rowling has one hell of imagination and I absolutely love her character's names and the mythical creatures. I'd say my favorite was Buckbeak the Hippogriff. I imagined what it would be like to go soaring on his back. Then I remembered I am afraid of heights so that fantasy was short lived.

**SPOILER ALERT**

Another cool concept is the Time-Turner that Hermione used to get to all of her classes. You dial back the hourglass the amount of hours you wish to travel. Where in the novel they travel back three hours to save Buckbeak and Sirius Black.

This book had plenty of magic and suspense even though you may have watched the movie already (honestly, who hasn't?) it still sucks you in to wanting to know what happens and who did what. I also like how there's more to the story that wasn't featured in the movie. Makes reading the series after watching the films just as interesting as doing it the other way around.

Overall I give this novel, 3.5 stars. A+ for creativity and of course Kudos to the amazing author behind the magic and fantastical world of the witch and wizard community. Hats off to you!

Addicted

Addicted

Have you ever been completely obsessed with something? I seem to be obsessed with books. Most of m adult life i've gone in and out of reading phases. It would hit and i'd read books back to back for around 2 or 3 months or so. After that time frame, it was like I was burnt out from reading. I couldn't bear to pick up another book. Now it's been about a year since my reading stint began and it's still going strong. Sure their are slower days where I would read but just not as much.

This new years so far i've been glued to the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. I finished one I had started "last year" so to speak and then read the second in only two days. I also finished another book that is called Practical Magic written by Alice Hoffman. All good novels and somewhat different from their movies.

I have also been crazy about buying books. I've actually got six on their way in the mail as we speak. I love online as well as library bookstore browsing, it's a very good way to discover new authors. Browsing on sites such as Thrift Books or Discover Books because they are online thrift store retailers. This means they have used books for on average $3.50 so it's easy to get book crazy.

To be completely honest, i'm not too crazy about e-books. They have grown on me quite a bit as far as convenience when you're on the go. I like to read on my way too and from work so I keep man e-books on my phone since hardcover novels tend to be bulky and not easy to haul around everywhere. There's nothing like the musty smell and the feel of the pages between your fingers though. You don't have to worry about the battery dying mid sentence. no light? it's easy to buy portable book lights for your travels.

Made obvious by this blog, I like to review every book I finish reading just about the day after I read it while it's contents are relatively fresh in my mind. It's another way to share experiences and a way to learn about people. I love being able to share my opinion and give others ideas on what to read next. I even partake in a "We Love Reading" group on Facebook. It's easy to learn about new authors or different genres if you'd like to leave your comfort zone and try something new.

I'm rather glad this time my love of reading stuck. You learn a lot that way.

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets: A Book Review

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets: A Book Review

**SPOILERS**

I have been on a Harry Potter kick lately. It's extremely difficult not to get lost in these books. In fact, I read the second installment in less than 48 hours. I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation even though I have seen all the movies.

**SPOILER ALERT**

The novel has very few similarities to the movie. It has many differences as well. Ron's famous line from the movie "why does it have to be spiders, why can't it be follow the butterflies?" was not present in the book neither was a lot of Gilderoy Lockheart's amusing scene after his memory charm backfired. which was a bummer but there were a few amusing instances otherwise.

I liked how Tom Riddle explained to Harry about how Ginny Weasley wrote to him as if he were a personal diary. It's too bad Ginny was extremely foolish. Kind of makes you think that Harry could have done better in the end of the series as far as relationships go. The magic still stands however and this is an extremely enchanting book as I assume the whole series is.

J.K. Rowling has a knack for story telling. She captivates your mind with a charm of magic and adventure. She makes it damn near impossible to put down for there is something interesting happening within every page. The characters are delightful and fun to learn about and the main three, Harry, Hermione, and Ron have great chemistry which makes reading the book rather amusing.

I'm looking forward spending my free time getting into new adventures that J.K. has in store with this series of captivating novels.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone: A Book Review

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone: A Book Review

** SPOILERS**

I believe there's not many from my generation who didn't go, excuse my french, "ape shit" when these novels first debuted in the US in the early Y2K's decade. My mother and various relatives each contributed to getting me the entire series to try and spark a love of reading. Now mind you my love of reading didn't strike and stick until 2017. With showing little interest in wanting to read these novels back then my mom gave my series away. but now year 2018 is going to be different.

At 2:00 A.M on January 7th since about 6:30 P.M on the 6th, I pulled an all nighter just to finish this novel. All I can really say is it'll suck you in to the point when you snap back into reality you need to look around to see where you really are. While reading I felt like I was wondering the corridors of Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. This book really puts you into a sort of witchy trance and is extremely captivating. J.K. Rowling has one hell of an imagination and can put it to paper beautifully.

**Spoiler Alert**

The book has many similarities yet also some differences from their name sake motion picture. My favorite quote in this novel that did not turn up in the movie is by the poltergeist Peevy, he says "naughty naughty, you'll get caughty" and I found that very clever. it was easy to imagine Maggie Smith, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, and others from the movie in place of their characters in the novel. I suppose it sort of takes away from the fun of imagining in your head what these characters might look like since J.K was very vague in describing the characters in my opinion.

I accidentally skipped ahead and read chapters 10 and 11 on my E-Reader which is actually my mobile phone a few days before my binge reading session. I had watched the movie recently and were remembering scenes from the movie that i hadn't actually read yet. Last night I went back ffffto Chapter 5 and read 8 chapters while skipping chapters 9 and 10 for obvious reasons. Then as soon as I awoke this morning I finished 16 and 17.

I'm rather looking forward to the remainder of this series now that I've tasted the world of Harry Potter behind the motion picture. I give major Kudos to ms. Rowling for her art on a pad of paper. I actually wish now I would have read it in Junior High like everyone else but I've never quite been on the trend train.

Practical Magic: Book or Movie?

Practical Magic: Book or Movie?

**SPOILERS**

As my first book of 2018 I finally read Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman. Even though the movie shares the same title they are nothing alike except for character names. It is refreshing yet somewhat of a bummer at the same time. They both however carry their own sense of charm. I've loved the movie for years and when I fell into my reading frenzy decided to buy it to read. I have sort of been really into fantasy and magic. Hell, now i'm reading Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone. I'm getting ahead of myself here though.

The book is about sisters Sally and Gillian Owens who go down completely different paths. Sally the typical PTA mother and Gillian the serial wife who doesn't quite have a grasp on what it means to truly love and be loved. They find their way through a hard time as sisters while trying to cover up an accidental death of Gillian's ex lover. You may recognize this part from the film. This event bringing Gary Hallet into Sally's life and the magic that seems to strike them like Cupid's arrow.

**SPOILER ALERT**

The book is different because in the movie all of this happens in the Aunts's home where Sally's daughters are still relatively young. In the book however, Sally and her daughters have moved out of the Aunts's home to a different state where Antonia and Kylie are a young adult and teenager. They also have completely different personalities. Jimmy's havoc among the Owens sisters is somewhat changed from book to movie as well. In the movie where roses grow, they were replaced by Lilacs in the novel.

I kind of wonder why they made such big changes when they adapted the book into a screenplay to turn into a film. As in my review about Neil Gaiman's short novel "Stardust"which was also made into a motion picture, there are parts of the movie I fancied more than some events in the book and vice versa.

Nevertheless I find both the film and the novel magical and charming Alice is an exquisite writer in her ways of story telling and brought up realistic characters that are easy to relate to. Yet there are some instances where you remember you're reading a novel and not venturing into another world with it's magic spells and potions type essence it's still a good novel to be put on your "To Be Read" lists this year.

Book Goals 2018

Book Goals 2018

To kick off the new year i'm finishing "Practical Magic". Last year I read 13-14 books. At least according to GoodReads where I keep up on my reading endeavors. This year my goal is to read 30 or more books. Wish me luck!

At the moment I'm working on three novels. Practical Magic, Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone (hope to complete the series this year), and Midnight Crossroads which is part of the Midnight, Texas series by Charlaine Harris. I seem to like Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic, and the last thing that connects these three novels is that they were all turned into a television program whether it be a movie or television show. I love to compare the movie to the book or vice-versa.

 

A friend of mine gave me a very good idea which i'm going to start today. It's the jar a book challenge. Or so I named it anyway. It's where you keep a mason jar and every book you finish reading you place a dollar into the jar. At the end of the year you use the money you saved to buy something book related. Like more books or bookmarks, a bookcase, whatever you like surrounding your love for reading depending on how much you got done that year.

Hopefully i'll have a lot to contribute to my brain this year. Can never have enough books. Speaking of books my book case is overstocked with novels to be read this year. Now if only my addiction to book shopping would die down a bit i'd be set! Happy Reading Everyone!