Holiday Blogging Challenge: Day 2

The 7 Day Holiday Challenge is an event hosted by Parajunkee! Check out her website for more information and to participate! 

Day Two: Favorite holiday scene in a book!

Oh, this is a little hard for me! I'm not great at remembering specifics from books...It's partly the reason I started my blog; I figured if I posted a personal review, then I would remember the book a little better after I finished reading. It has helped quite a bit, but not always, clearly. I'm going to have to say that one of my favorite holiday scenes from a book is definitely Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I know it's a bit of a cliche answer, but I really love Harry's first "real" Christmas experience. With the Dursleys he was never treated as part of the family. But at Hogwarts, he has a family and the Weasleys make sure to include him. His surprise when he first wakes up is really great. It's a scene I think I'll always remember! 

Plus I also really loved reading The Christmas Shoes by Donna Van Liere. A really touching story! Plus I still tear up over the song!

Harry Potter Read-Along?

Last week I watched Magic Beyond Words: The JK Rowling Story on Netflix. My husband watched it at work one day and said it was pretty good, so I couldn't pass it up. I wasn't sure what to expect; I actually thought it was a documentary at first, but turned out not to be, which was ok! I thought the acting was pretty good and I really learned a lot about JK Rowling - even how to pronounce her last name, which sounds silly but apparently I've been saying it wrong for years! Haha

After that, I really wanted to reread all of the books. I feel like I know the first one pretty well, because I've read it so often, but I definitely haven't re-read the last few. And now I'd really like to! 

Is anyone interested in a read-along?

I'm thinking of reading one book a month or so. I still want to be able to read other books on my shelves, so I don't want to cram all 7 books into a short period of time. Plus I want to enjoy them all and not rush through. I thought it might be kind of fun to read along with someone else and be able to talk about it! Comment below if you're interested!

Now in Harry Potter spirit, here are some fun facts! 

JK Rowling never clarifies if Harry, Ron, and Hermoine ever return to finish their 7th year at Hogwarts. 

Rowling admits that Arthur Weasley was supposed to be killed in the 5^th book, but instead exchanged him for someone else.

Lupin and Tonks were not originally going to be killed in the 7^th book.

Dolores Umbridge’s mother was a muggle, her father a wizard, and her brother a squib.

Fred and George were born on April Fool’s Day.

Harry’s Birthday is July 31; so is Rowling’s.

Ron’s character originally swore a lot, but the publisher’s wouldn’t let Rowling use that language because it is inappropriate for young readers.

Only Alan Rickman, the actor who plays Snape, knew of his character’s fate before the Deathly Hallows was released because Rowling told him.

Contrary to popular belief, the ‘t’ at the end of Voldemort is silent. The name comes from the French words meaning “flight of death.”

Dementors represent depression and were based on Rowling’s struggle with the disease.

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

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by JK Rowling 
Publisher: Scholastic Press
Publishing Date: 1997
310 Pages
Format: hardcover, purchased

Synopsis 

Harry Potter has never played a sport while flying on a broomstick. He's never worn a Cloak of Invisibility, befriended a giant, or helped hatch a dragon. All Harry knows is a miserable life with the Dursleys, his horrible aunt and uncle, and their abominable son, Dudley. Harry's room is a tiny cupboard under the stairs, and he hasn't had a birthday party in ten years.

But all that is about to change when a mysterious letter arrives by owl messenger: a letter with an invitation to a wonderful place he never dreamed existed. There he finds not only friends, aerial sports, and magic around every corner, but a great destiny that's been waiting for him... if Harry can survive the encounter.

My Review

I'm sure I don't need to give a lengthy reason as to why I love this book, as so many others already know what's so great about it! But I'll tell you why anyways! I first read Harry Potter years ago...probably pretty close to when it came out. I'll admit, when it first came out, I couldn't get into it; there was just something about a cat changing into a person that I couldn't get past. But then my family and I took a vacation to Colorado; a road trip, to be more exact, so I had a lot of time to read. I read the first three books on this trip and remember stopping at a books store while still in CO to pick up the Goblet of Fire! Since that time, I was hooked.

These books are about so much more than just a magical world with good guys and bad guys, and Harry always finding himself in the middle. It's about friendship, family and love. I feel like every time I read these books, I learn a little bit more about this. The friendship that Harry, Ron and Hermione have is so great! They have their ups and downs, and get into arguments. But they always find a way to patch things up and grow from their experiences. I guess this applies to the entire series, but I love the first book because we're learning along with these three friends what Hogwarts is all about and what it means to live in this magical world. It's a fun and entertaining book that is very well written. It may have been intended for children/teenagers, but there's no surprise why it appeals to people of all ages.

Harry Potter Moment of the Week! 4.24.14

Harry Potter Moment of the Week is hosted by Leah @ Uncorked Thoughts. The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object, quote, etc. from the books/films/JK Rowling or anything Potter related!

Least Favorite Book

Oh, this is tough! I honestly haven't read the books in quite some time (though I watch the movies all the time), so I'm trying to remember everything that happened! I don't really have a least favorite, but if I had to choose, I would say The Chamber of Secrets. I don't necessarily have a good reason, it just wasn't among my top picks! Plus, I really hate snakes, so maybe that's why (: 

I really should reread these books though! I love them all and pretty much have the movies memorized. But there's always so much left out in movies compared to the books. Maybe I'll try not to buy as many new books in the next couple of months so that I can catch up a little on my TBR pile and do some rereads!

[Mini Review] Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander, JK Rowling 
Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books, Obscurus Books
Publishing Date: 2001
42 Pages
Format: paperback, purchased

Synopsis 

A Copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them resides in almost every wizarding household in the country. Now, for a limited period only, Muggles too have the chance to discover where the Quintaped lives, what the Puffskein eats, and why it is best not to leave milk out for a Knarl.

Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to improving and saving the lives of children around the world, which means that the dollars and Galleons you exchange for it will do magic beyond the powers of any wizard. If you feel that this is insufficient reason to part with your money, I can only hope most sincerely that passing wizards feel more charitable if they ever see you being attached by a Manticore.

- Albus Dumbledore

My Mini Review

This is a super cute, fun book written by Newt Scamander (aka JK Rowling)! I cannot remember where I picked it up, maybe a garage sale. It's a very short read, only 42 pages, and gives a short clip of these fantastic beasts. It was really fun to read about all of these beasts and what they do. So many of them are mentioned in the books or movies, and so its fun to find out a little more about them. I especially love the commentary from Harry, Ron and Hermoine!

Feature and Follow Friday! 2.7.14

Feature and Follow is a blog hop hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read. The purpose is to meet new people and gain more followers in the book blogging community. If this is your first time here, welcome! You are about to make some new friends and gain new followers. But you have to know, the point of this hop is to follow other blogs also. I follow you, you follow me. 

The general rules are: 

- Follow the Feature and Follow Hosts (Parajunkee and Alison Can Read)

- Follow the Featured Bloggers

- Put your Blog name and URL in the Linky thing. You can also grab the code if you would like to insert it into your posts. 

-Grab the button up there and place it in a post. This post is for people to say hi and that they are now following you in your comments. 

-Follow, Follow, Follow as many as you can. The whole point is to make new friends and find new blogs. Don't just follow, comment and say hi in the post! Another blogger might not know you are a new follower if you don't say 'hi'

-If someone comments and says they are following you, please follow back! 

This weeks question: 

If you could read a book for the "first time" again, which book would it be and why? 

This is kind of a tough question! There are so many books I would love to experience for the first time again, but if I had to choose... Either The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern or the Harry Potter Series. The Night Circus is such a magical and beautiful story, I'd love to experience it for the first time again. And Harry Potter...I don't need to say much about this! The entire series is amazing and I really loved reading them while I was growing up. I think if I read the for the first time at my current age, I would still love them just as much, if not more! Particularly, I think reading the first one again would be amazing because that's when we're first introduced to this magical world so different from our own (: 

Top Ten Tuesday 2.4.14

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the The Broke and the Bookish. Every week she posts an idea for a 'Top Ten' list relating to books, and encourages other book bloggers to respond and participate. All the details are listed on her site. 

This week's topic: Top ten books that will make you cry

1. The Rescue

I've read this book so many times, and it never fails to make me cry! I'm a huge Nicholas Sparks fan, so pretty much anything that he writes, I read, and I cry. 

2. My Sister's Keeper, Handle With Care, Nineteen Minutes

Anything written by Jodi Picoult makes me cry. She writes such beautiful stories that tug at your heartstrings. 

3. Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas

Pretty sure I cried throughout this whole book! I love that James Patterson can write beautiful love stories and also edge-of-your-seat thrillers. 

4. A Child Called It 

For anyone who hasn't read this, it will definitely be a book to make you cry! I cannot get over the things this child was put through! My heart just breaks every time I think about this book and child abuse. 

5. Anything by Lurlene McDaniel

I used to read her books constantly when I was younger, but I haven't read any of them lately. I do remember, however, that these books ALWAYS made me cry! Especially the series above, the Angels Trilogy. 

  

6. Harry Potter Series

Of course I can't forget this series! Such amazing books, and really kick-started my love of reading! These last two books in particular made me cry a lot.

Not quite ten listed, but if you count all Jodi Picoult books and all Nicholas Sparks books... well, then I'm well over 10 (: