Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling is the second book the Harry Potter series.

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 girls' 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?

The Breakdown:
When I picked up my copy of this book to read, and homemade birthday card fell out.  I had forgotten I received this as a gift in high school from a friend for my birthday.   I have to admit, this is probably my least favorite book of the series.  It is by no means a bad book, but I just enjoy the rest of the series more. As with  the previous Harry Potter post, there maybe spoilers.

I love the introduction to Lucius Malfoy, and it shows exactly where Draco gets his entitlement from.  He is definitely a character that I love to hate.  Speaking of new characters in this book, I find Lockhart fascinating.  I feel like we have all known that person who thinks  they know better than anyone else, but in reality has no clue what they are doing.  A man that never admits guilt for his mistakes.  I think one of my favorite scenes is where he is trying to heal Harry in after Quidditch match where his arm is broken, and removes all the bones.  When pointed out that he removed the bones, he is like well it is not broken anymore.

I just want to take a minute to talk about the creepiness that is Tom Riddle.   I get that he is Voldemort, but to know that he was so evil at that young of an age is terrifying.  Then I wonder, because he stopped the attacks and framed Hagrid so they would not close the school and he was asking to stay during summer break, did the then headmaster grant him permission to stay the break?  And we know that he was already gathering followers while in school, why did he not convince one of them to let him spend the break with them?

For me, the most surprising thing for me was what Dumbledore taught while just a teacher at Hogwarts.  He was the Transfigurations teacher.  I honestly, knowing how much Voldemort feared him, would have pegged him for a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher if not for this book.

To Read or Not to Read:
Must Read

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling is the first book of the Harry Potter series.

Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

The Breakdown:
I am going to do this breakdown a little different than normal.  I figure if you read this blog, you have probably read Harry Potter, so I am instead going to talk about my love of the story and things I forgot since I last read  it and questions I still have.   Oh, and there maybe spoilers, so if you haven't read don't read this.

I was inspired to do this re-read of the series because I have been listening to the Witch Please podcast, which you can check out here: http://ohwitchplease.ca/ or on your favorite podcast listening app.  They host Marcelle and Hannah do a feminist reading to the series and re-watch of the movies.  In short, it is fantastic and at times hilarious.

So yes, you did read right, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, even though I am American.  My friend and college roommate picked up this copy for me in London several years ago.  It is actually the first time I have read this copy.  All my other readings have been Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. There are just subtle differences that make it more British, such as the Weasley family's Christmas jumpers instead of the American sweaters.

It has been several years since I have last read the series.  I had forgotten how much I love these books, especially the little details of them, like Hagrid's pink umbrella and Lee Jordan's commentary at the Quidditch matches.   Plus, the other students named in the sorting ceremony that do end up being minor characters in later books. Oh, and how exciting the race at the end to get to the Philosopher's stone is, and how much smarts and cunning it took Harry, Ron, and Hermione  to get through each challenge and defeat Voldemort/Quirrell.

While reading this book, one question started to plague me.  What happened to Harry's grandparents, especially Lily's parents?  I assumed since James was from a wizarding family, especially since in later books Sirius mentions spending holidays with the Potters, that they were killed by Voldemort in some capacity.  But Lily's family are muggles, and her sister is obviously still alive, but never is there any mention of the Evans's parents except with Petunia talks about how proud her parents were of Lily being a witch.  Were they killed by Voldemort too, or just die in some other fashion because surely if they were alive they would have been a much better choice for Harry to live with than the Dursleys.

To Read or Not to Read:
Must Read

Audiobook: American Gods

American Gods is by Neil Gaiman and is a full cast narrated audiobook.

Locked behind bars for three years, Shadow did his time, quietly waiting for the day when he could return to Eagle Point, Indiana. A man no longer scared of what tomorrow might bring, all he wanted was to be with Laura, the wife he deeply loved, and start a new life.

But just days before his release, Laura and Shadow's best friend are killed in an accident. With his life in pieces and nothing to keep him tethered, Shadow accepts a job from a beguiling stranger he meets on the way home, an enigmatic man who calls himself Mr. Wednesday. A trickster and a rogue, Wednesday seems to know more about Shadow than Shadow does himself.

Life as Wednesday's bodyguard, driver, and errand boy is far more interesting and dangerous than Shadow ever imagined. Soon Shadow learns that the past never dies...and that beneath the placid surface of everyday life a storm is brewing - an epic war for the very soul of America - and that he is standing squarely in its path.

The Breakdown:
1.   I loved the concept of this book.  That as people come to America that they bring their gods and monsters with them, but America is not fertile grounds for these things to thrive.  The story and characters were all so interesting.  Plus listening with a full cast made the book all the better, and Gaiman even read some of the chapters himself.

2.  Shadow is definitely a mysterious and interesting character.  He finds himself caught up in this power struggle between the old gods and the new gods not sure why he is so important to it all.   Her definitely has interesting life philosophies, and way of seeing the world.

3.  This book has a wonderful supporting cast of characters.  From Wednesday to Laura and the people of the town of Lakeside.  I think my favorite was Mr. Nancy.  He was funny, and wise.  I am definitely have to read "Anansi's Boys" because of him. I will say that I figured out who Wednesday was very quickly.  Maybe it is because I recently read a book about his pantheon and picked on the clues extremely quickly.

4.  I pretty much liked this story from beginning to end.  I enjoyed both the main story and the subplots.

To Read or Not Read:
Must Read

Jane, Unlimited

Jane, Unlimited is by Kristin Cashore.

If you could change your story, would you?

Jane has lived a mostly ordinary life, raised by her recently deceased aunt Magnolia, whom she counted on to turn life into an adventure. Without Aunt Magnolia, Jane is directionless. Then an old acquaintance, the glamorous and capricious Kiran Thrash, blows back into Jane’s life and invites her to a gala at the Thrashes’ extravagant island mansion called Tu Reviens. Jane remembers her aunt telling her: “If anyone ever invites you to Tu Reviens, promise me that you’ll go.”

What Jane doesn’t know is that at Tu Reviens her story will change; the house will offer her five choices that could ultimately determine the course of her untethered life. But every choice comes with a price. She might fall in love, she might lose her life, she might come face-to-face with herself. At Tu Reviens, anything is possible.

The Breakdown:
1. If like me, you are a Cashore fan from the Graceling series, be warned this book is absolutely nothing like it.  It is a very different style of story, and story telling.   In some ways is reminds me of the Chose your own adventure books I read as a child.  There are five different stories that diverge depending on Jane's choice after the very first part.  They range from stories with a little mystery to very out there in concept stories.

2. Jane is a quirky and charming character.  I feel that she stays true to herself even with the chaos around her in the stories.  I love the ideas of her artsy umbrellas and I kind of want one.  Although, I think that the fall in love is a bit misleading.  There are hints in a couple of the stories of something between her and Ivy, but I never felt that really went very far.

3.  For the most part, I thought most of the supporting characters were forgettable.   I liked Ivy alright.  Really the best supporting character was Jasper, the basset hound.  I loved him, surprise, surprise.  He was adorable, and was the center of the last story with Jane.

4.  While I enjoyed most the stories, the one that centered on Kiran's missing stepmother was just strange and creepy.  I am not sure it added anything to the book.   I think my favorite stories were the missing children/spy story and the soul dog story.   That being said, I don't feel that with the individual stories made for a great novel.

To Read or Not to Read:
This is definitely a take it or leave it book.

Audiobook: Flame in the Mist

Flame in the Mist is written by Renee Ahdieh and narrated by Nancy Wu and is the first book in the series of the same name.

The only daughter of a prominent samurai, Mariko has always known she’d been raised for one purpose and one purpose only: to marry. Never mind her cunning, which rivals that of her twin brother, Kenshin, or her skills as an accomplished alchemist. Since Mariko was not born a boy, her fate was sealed the moment she drew her first breath.

So, at just seventeen years old, Mariko is sent to the imperial palace to meet her betrothed, a man she did not choose, for the very first time. But the journey is cut short when Mariko’s convoy is viciously attacked by the Black Clan, a dangerous group of bandits who’ve been hired to kill Mariko before she reaches the palace.

The lone survivor, Mariko narrowly escapes to the woods, where she plots her revenge. Dressed as a peasant boy, she sets out to infiltrate the Black Clan and hunt down those responsible for the target on her back. Once she’s within their ranks, though, Mariko finds for the first time she’s appreciated for her intellect and abilities. She even finds herself falling in love—a love that will force her to question everything she’s ever known about her family, her purpose, and her deepest desires.

The Breakdown:
1. I really enjoyed pretty much everything about this book.  From the setting, inspired by feudal Japan, to the characters, and the narrator.   Wu captures the tone of this book so beautifully in her narration.  Ahdieh proves, like in her The Wrath and the Dawn series, that she is a master at the hate to love trope.

2.  I have to admit, as much as I loved Mariko, sometimes she really lacked in her common sense.  She is very smart in the way things work, but is a little clueless in how humans work.  Sometimes it is painful to watch her miss what seems so obvious, and for me, that makes her feel more real.  She has great strengths, but also some glaring flaws.

3. One of the things I really loved about this book, it was a society where men were the obvious power players, but the women really seemed to control the power from behind closed doors.  I, also, very much enjoyed the magical elements to the story.  I look forward to learning more about them in the next book.

4. I want to take a minute to talk about Okami.  The mysterious member of the Black Clan, and Mariko's love interest.  He has so many layers to him, and even at the end of the book, Ahdieh has not reveled all there is to know about it.   I loved seeing his confusion over his attraction to Mariko before discovering what she is, and their banter was always entertaining.

5. As for the ending, Ahdieh throws out multiple twist and turns at the end, along with some enlightening reveals.  I cannot wait to see where the next book goes.

To Read or Not to Read:
Read