Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

** Scrolling through my posts, found this draft. NO IDEA why it never got posted So, here.

Classic Summer 2013- Harry Potter Series

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling


"Harry, yer a wizard"

Well I have finished the first one, and as I had hoped, I am totally in love with it. I can definitely see what drew me in as a young reader, but reading as an adult really takes it to another level. My vocabulary is much improved, (and I must say, Rowling's writing vocabulary is very impressive. Something I am very picky about) so I am better able to understand the full meaning of certain things, much more so than when I was reading this for the first time at about twelve years old. I will admit, I was not a very experienced reader. I read quite a lot, but the books I read were certainly not on par with Harry.



Okay, if this post contains spoilers for you, then I don't know where you've been for the past sixteen or so years but, get with the program already!





One of my favorite things about this book is the way it made me laugh out loud at times. There are some very serious themes going on, such as child abuse, homicide, as well as race and class issues, and Rowling can still make me giggle with a stunt that the Weasley twins pull, or something cleverly funny from Dumbledore.

I really loved getting lost in this world that Rowling has created. Everything is so specific and detailed. There's an explanation for everything, and a good one, too. It is truly a world that I would want to live in.

I have always questioned whether or not Dumbledore had suspicions from the get-go about what it would take to finally destroy Voldemort. This has always been a sore spot for me, because of course I love Dumbledore, and Harry really never has a clear answer. It's really hard to think that Dumbledore could have been "using" Harry in a way. But after reading I think that Dumbledore could never have predicted what happened in the end. He says something to that effect when they leave Harry at 4 Privet Drive.

All in all, I really enjoyed rereading this one, and my rating of five stars stayed the same. On to the next one!

And now for some lovely visual images to brighten your day!

Happy Reading,
HLP

Poetry Wednesday- Love Is Not All by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Love Is Not All by Edna St. Vincent Millay

Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink
Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain; 
Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink 
And rise and sink and rise and sink again; 
Love can not fill the thickened lung with breath, 
Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone; 
Yet many a man is making friends with death 
Even as I speak, for lack of love alone. 
It well may be that in a difficult hour, 
Pinned down by pain and moaning for release, 
Or nagged by want past resolution's power, 
I might be driven to sell your love for peace, 
Or trade the memory of this night for food. 
It well may be. I do not think I would.

Reading Resolutions- Workable List

On the first of January I posted a book challenge that I intend to complete this year. Now that I have read a few titles, I am realizing that it is hard to keep up with which categories I have left to choose from without opening every other one of my posts. So I am going to copy the list here so that I can come back and cross them off as I go. Again, I did not create this book challenge myself. You can find the original here.

1 A book you own but haven't read. Daughter of Smoke and Bone
2 A book that was made into a movie.
3 A book you pick solely because of the cover.
4 A book your friend loves.
5 A book published this year.
6 A book by an author you have never read before. Soy Sauce for Beginners
7 A book by an author you love.  Big Little Lies
8 A book at the bottom of your TBR pile.
9 A book with a color in the title.
10 A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit.Days of Blood and Starlight
11 A book you started but never finished.
12 A book with a lion, a witch, or a wardrobe.
13 A book with a female heroine. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer
14 A book set in the summer.
15 A book of poems.
16 A book you learned about because of this challenge.
17 A book that will make you smarter.
18 A book with a blue cover.
19 A book you were supposed to read in school, but never did.
20 A book "everyone" but you has read.
21 A book with a great first line.
22 A book with pictures.
23 A book from the library.
24 A book you loved...read it again!
25 A book that is more than 10 years old. The Princess Diaries
26 A book based on a true story.

I will be updating this as I go along. I look forward to crossing them off and reading some great books this year!

Happy Reading,
HLP

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer

We open with a mystery. Who is Mara Dyer? Who is she really? 

This question is honestly forgotten rather quickly as we are pulled into her story. She is the sole survivor of a terrible accident that claimed the life of her childhood best friend, her boyfriend, and his sister. But that's not the worst part. She is beginning to see things, terrible things. 

Along with all of that, her family has relocated to Florida. They all want it to be a new start, but horrible things keep happening. 

When Mara meets the infamous Noah Shaw, things only get even more twisted. 

They both come to realizations about themselves that could change everything. Now they are faced with a question; can they handle what lies ahead for them? 

I was really drawn in my Mara's "voice". I sort of have a thing for snarky teenage dialogue in my YA. It was also very refreshing to read a character like Noah Shaw. He's your typical YA boyfriend, only he doesn't SEEM to be as big of a pretentious jerk with obsessive tendencies that we are use to. And, he British, so, yeah.

This is no 'intellectual' read,  but I was really very drawn in by the story and I am excited to read the next two installments. I read this on my Kindle, so I went out and bought the second and third books in paper for my library. The next time I visit the used bookstore I will be picking the first one up in paper too.I'll be crossing this one off my list at #13- A book with a female heroine.

For now, I am reading the fifth book in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, which I am completely in love with. Due to the length of said book, it might be a while before I get to write again!


Happy Reading!
HLP