Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

NOW, before you cast aside a review about Harry Potter, because you are oh so knowledgeable about them... Let me give you a little pop quiz (no multiple choice on this one, whoops!).

a. None magical people born into wizarding families are called?

b. What is an animagus?

c. Hermione starts a club at Hogwarts called S.P.E.W., what is it for?

d. Of the three amigos (Harry, Ron and Hermione), who is/are named Prefects?

*Check answers at end of post

The Harry Potter series is my all time favorite childhood books and movies. I remember waiting in lines at the movie theater and book stores for these books, my family and I even made it in the newspaper waiting outside a theater for the first movie!
This is not my first time reading the series, it's probably the third time... But it seemed like a good time to go back to the classics. All seven books took me about three months, granted I was in school for one of those months.
Honestly, reading these again was so much better than having a Harry Potter movie marathon (which I tried to do and failed), there are lots of details and things that happened in the books that are completely different or simply not put in the movies. For example, Peeves the Poltergeist, who roams around Hogwarts tormenting students! Hermione solving Snape's logic puzzle at the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! Dudley Dursley (in the final book) tries to make amends and cares about Harry! Voldemort had a muggle father (who he hated and killed), but still he wasn't a pure blood! The death of Peter Pettigrews (Ron's rat)! I'll leave that explanation a secret! Why Snape actually called himself the Half Blood Prince!? Well all of these things and more were left out of the movies... So you're actually missing out on a lot. If you don't remember these things from the books, maybe it's time to read them again?

If you aren't into watching movies and reading books, check out Pottermore! This website is so cool, you can explore scenes from each book, make potions and duel other house members, plus it has exclusive writing from the author! You can add me as a friend as well, MoonMidnight156.

I can't wait for another 10 years to go by so I can delve in the magical world of Harry Potter again!









Answers to pop quiz

a. Squibs 

b. An animagus is a wizard who can transfigure himself in an animal at will. Professor McGonagall is a registered animagus, who turns into a cat. Sirius is an unregistered animagus, who turns into a dog.

c. S.P.E.W. stands for Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. Hermione fights for house-elf liberation!

d. Ron and Hermione 

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

I'm not sure how I stumbled upon this book... It suddenly appeared in my "bookshelf" on the Overdrive app I use to read books off my iPhone and iPad through my actual library*. It turned out to be quite an enjoyable read.

Here is a quick summary of this book:
Wade Watts is a teenager living in the year 2044. Most of the inhabitants on the planet are starving and living in "stacks", trailer homes stacked onto each other. Instead of living in reality, people live in OASIS, a free, virtual utopia where you can be whoever you'd like and do whatever you want to do. The deceased creator of OASIS has set up an ultimate scavenger hunt within the game and to whom can solve it will receive power and riches. Wade hopes, like so many others, that the key to escaping the rotting world is to win. After years, and the whole world is still searching, Wade stumbles upon the first clue, which starts a frenzy. From there it is a deadly race to the finish... Wade must win to survive the quest and the world, but to do so he also must face the realities of life and leave his virtual utopia.

This was a great summer read and I honestly didn't put the book down. The idea of a virtual world such as the one described in the book does not seem so far fetch nowadays. Today, many people do escape the real world by playing online games and it consumes their whole life. To be whoever you want and have freedoms only a virtual world could provide, wow! Though this novel is fiction, Wade's world could become our own in a few years. Though I know I could easily find a game such as OASIS today, the technology to immerse oneself into the game sounds pretty awesome, and currently, I don't think any company has come out with it.
Wade is the type of kid that you want to see succeed. The reader sympathizes with Wade and wants him to win. He has a horrible life outside of OASIS, but he is sharp-witted and knows how to escape. He preservers and overcomes, like any great hero in a book.
Even though I may not be obsessed with video games, and this book has a lot to do with that subject (as well as pop culture of decade's past) I found this book light and entertaining.

So...
Ready Player One?










*Check and see if your library has something like this!

I'm Back and Ready to Blog

I've had inspiration to return to my old book review blog and make it anew! I'm an older self and ready to start reviewing new books that will interest a more adult reader. For anyone out there that is reading this, getting ready for an on slaughter of reviews. My new love for e-books has given me the opportunity to read more and faster and my local library card has been a gift.

I hope to have the website updated soon and a new book review out in a few days. Maybe I'll be reviewing all seven books in the Harry Potter series or a new book, Ready Player One that has captivated my free time.

I'm looking forward to restarting this blog and seeing where it takes me.