The Cuckoo's Calling-JK Rowling's secret book!

 The Cuckoo's Calling

I am sure most of you may have already seen this.. but here is JK Rowling's secret book that came out in April. She used a pseudonym name.  I am surprised it didn't stay secret longer but in the days of the internet I suppose secrets don't last.   “Being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience,” Rowling said.  “It has been wonderful to publish without hype and expectation and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name.”  I look forward to picking this up and checking it out!! Has anyone read it before you knew it was JK Rowling?

Harry Potter Moment of the Week- Books in the series!

I am participating in Harry Potter moment of the week hosted by  Uncorked Thoughts .  Here is what we do:

This is a meme hosted Uncorked Thoughts.  The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/ films/ J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! I will be picking a topic within HP for us to focus on each week and then if anyone wants to take part feel free!  There is now a full list of the topics to come here.

Q. Favorite book from inside the books.

A. For me I love the idea of reading Rita Skeeter the Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore.  I am dying to read this book.  I want to know all about Dumbledore.  Skeeter must've been doing research for this book for a long time because it was published in just 4 weeks after Dumbledore's death!

 

We would learn all about the juicy relationship between Dumbledore and Grendelward.  I want to know their love story!  I want to read about what Skeeter says about Potter and Dumbledore's relationship as well. I mean this book is like 900 pages long... what all could be in this book!!!

What about you?  What is your favorite book from the series?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling-Review

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling

Continuing with my re-read of Harry Potter, I finally finished Order of the Phoenix.  This is a massive book.  I forgot how long it is.  Here is the goodreads description:

Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected... Suspense, secrets and thrilling action from the pen of J.K. Rowling ensure an electrifying adventure that is impossible to put down

A lot of things happen in this book. I mean A LOT! So much information is contained in these pages... and yet this is my least favorite book.  I suppose it's because the story is now getting dark.  So much for fun times.  It has been a long time since I have read this book so I found some of the things missing from the movies cool.  Like Gwap's story.  In the book he seems WAY more dangerous then in the movie.  I find in the book you actually feel bad for Lockhart because this is where you see that his life was destroyed and the movies mad it seem like he was this bad guy when in reality I find that he was just a lost soul.   You find out in the book that Kreature really is kind of an evil houseelf.  Though only because of the family he grew up with.  Oh and one thing I just love about this book is the look we get into the Department of Mysteries.  I remember reading this book and not being sure is Sirius dies... but in the movie they make it clear because Bellatrix yells Avada Kedarva!

One of the things I disliked about this book was Harry's constant whining.  OMG!  He whines about people talking about his, his friends who are so scared that he is going to scream at them, he whines about everything it seems.  That is my biggest complaint about this book.

I remember when I first read this book.  A drastic change was happening in my life.  I was on a ferry from Alaska back to the "lower 48" (that is what people from Alaska say) to move to Utah.  Funny that I remember where I was when first reading this book!!  I never do that!  

On to the next book in the series!!!

The crystal ball says:

Clouds are covering! A read that lets me down every now and then but peaks out of the clouds!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling-Review

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Making progress in my re-read of Harry Potter!  Just finished book 4.  Here is the goodreads description of the book:

The summer holidays are dragging on and Harry Potter can't wait for the start of the school year. It is his fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and there are spells to be learnt, potions to be brewed and Divination lessons (sigh) to be attended. Harry is expecting these: however, other quite unexpected events are already on the march...

Well I am on my way...almost done with the series. I plan on reading the next three books this week! I am doing the Bout of Books read-a-thon this coming week so it is going to be perfect to finish the series.  Right now in my house we are also doing our annual Harry Potter Marathon!  We have a home theater so it is a lot of fun.  Though we did make some Over Sized Blueberry muffins from the Unoffical Harry Potter Cookbook and they turned out crazy!!  We try to make things that go along with Harry Potter during the marathon and this is what we chose this time.  Here is the recipe .  And here are some pictures:

The muffins tasted ok... but I think there were just way too many blueberries!!!

Anyways... back to book 4 right?  This is my most favorite movie and book.  I just love the new schools and the dance.  I love it all.  I find that this is the last book where the Potter crew are just kids. After this book I feel like their childhood is just gone.  I also really love the house elves in this one too!!

I just also bought the books in paperback AND in ebooks.  My husband and I have always read our hardbacks and they are just falling apart.  The ebooks were actaully quite cheap too!! About $55.. finally an ebook that isn't screwing us over in price!

Here are my reviews on the other books,
Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsHarry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Socerer's Stone


The crystal ball says:

Sun is shinning!!!  Great day to go outside and read this book.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling-Review

Harry Potter and the Pisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling

On my way through my re-read of Harry Potter!!  Just finished book 3 and loved it.  Here is the goodreads description:

Harry Potter is lucky to reach the age of thirteen, since he has already survived the murderous attacks of the feared Dark Lord on more than one occasion. But his hopes for a quiet term concentrating on Quidditch are dashed when a maniacal mass-murderer escapes from Azkaban, pursued by the soul-sucking Dementors who guard the prison. It's assumed that Hogwarts is the safest place for Harry to be. But is it a coincidence that he can feel eyes watching him in the dark, and should he be taking Professor Trelawney's ghoulish predictions seriously?

Great book... I feel that the movie really covered this book well. This is one of the books where I wish I was reading it for the first time again and didn't know about Sirius or the Time Turner. I had forgotten how much Crookshanks was in this book.  That cat plays a huge part. I can't believe this book came out in 1998!!  I don't think there was much Potter craze yet.

One thing I like about this book is getting to know some of the Order.  Snape... whom Sirius tried to kill, reveals to us why he hates James Potter and his friends.  I can't believe they were going to send him straight to a werewolf.  And sad that nothing was really done to punish them in school for it.  So I would be mad to if I was Snape.

This book is when the books finally start getting long!!  I wish the first two books were long.  I often wonder if Rowling had been published sooner and not turned away so many times from publishers if the first two books would've been longer.

Here are my reviews of the other books in the series:

Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsHarry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

The crystal ball says:

Sun is shinning!!!  Great day to go outside and read this book.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling-Review

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

Continuing my re-read of the Harry Potter series.  Here is the goodreads description:

The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike. And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girl's bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny. But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone - or something - starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects... Harry Potter himself?

I am really loving re-reading these books. I think the last time was like 2005. Now that I am reading the second book I find myself not really looking back to the movie in my mind but creating things with my imagination. A few things bothered me.. for one Hagrid opened the chamber of secrets 50 years ago right? And he was like 13? And now Harry is 12.. so Hagrid would be like 75 or something crazy (I am bad at math). Also the Mandrakes! I mean they seem like they have personalities and even have a party in the greenhouse and then they get chopped up and fed to the people and ghost who have been petrified! Seems morbid. haha! These are just some of the things that I noticed while reading.

I also feel a little bad for Lockhart while reading.  I mean it seems like everyone kinda picks on him.  Yes he deserves it but no one seemed even really concerned at the end of the story when he loses his memory.  Everyone is like ... oh well.  SAD!  I love the deathday party for Nearly Headless Nick.  So fun!  I could just picture myself in the room with everyone.  

I am at the hospital everyday with my dad and these books have been the best for this.  Such comfort... Rowling's writing is spot on.   The stories take me straight out of reality and into a new world.  I just love it.  On to the third book!!
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and teh Sorcerer's Stone


The crystal ball says:

Sun is shinning!!!  Great day to go outside and read this book.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling-Review

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling

As some of you may have noticed I haven't posted anything in a while.  My dad was in a terrible motorcycle accident so I am in the hospital with him.  We have been on a roller coaster ride. I would like to take a moment before I go into my review to remind all of you who ride a motorcycle to wear a helmet at ALL times.  It saved my dad's life.  We have a journey to go through but he is here.  

Since I had to leave home fast and am now in Utah I had to leave all my library books behind.  I have had so much going on that I just can't read any crazy serious books.  So at first I would play Angry Birds everyday... and then I finally started to relax.  I looked around my mom's house who has plenty of books and decided why not give Harry Potter a re-read.  Those books bring me so much joy and I don't think I've read them since book 7 came out.  

Here is the goodreads description:

Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy - until he is rescued by an owl, taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quidditch and does battle in a deadly duel. The Reason ...

HARRY POTTER IS A WIZARD!

Well that was a short description.  Guess they figure everyone has read the books.  I love to re-read the books.  Though I do find myself picturing a lot of the story from the movies.  Usually I compare a book to the movies but I guess I have seen these movies so often that I find that I am comparing the movie to the book.  Meaning typically I am like "that's not how it happened in the book"  and now I am like "that's not how it happened in the movie".  hahah!

I am really excited about this re-read.  I have only read book 7 once so I am looking forward to getting through them.  I have actually been to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando and it was amazing.  If you are a Harry Potter fan then you do not want to miss this park!!  They did such a good job of making you feel like you are really in their world.

Well I will be reviewing the next Potter books.  Thanks for those of you who have been hanging around.  Once dad is home from the hospital and things calm down I should be back onto reading everything!

Here are my reviews of the other books:
Harry Potter and the Deathly HallowsHarry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

The crystal ball says:

Sun is shinning!!!  Great day to go outside and read this book.