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 Cursed Child
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 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 Cursed Child
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.

Looking for someone to read a YA Book with?

Hello!!  It's that time.. time to vote for the Young Adult Book Club 's book of the month.  We really have a lot of fun at my book club so if you are looking for a group that is active and really reads and participates then this is the group!  Here are our nominations this time:

Poll

What book would you like to read in January?

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia Radiant Darkness by Emily Whitman The Opposite Of Chocolate by Julie Bertagna Raised by Wolves by Jennifer Lynn Barnes Send Me Down a Miracle by Han Nolan Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse Spellspam by Alma Alexander Wanderlove by Kirsten Hubbard Dark Water by Laura McNeal

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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 Cursed Child
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 the Chamber of Secrets

The crystal ball says:

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

Follow Me Friday

This is the day of the week where we get to know each other better by answering a question devised by our lovely hostesses Parajunkee & Alisoncanread. We also gain new followers by joining each other's sites via GFC, so please let me know if you're a new follower. And now for this week's question....

Q.  What is a deal breaker for you in a book? For example, do you hate love triangles?  Or can't deal with bad editing? 

Well for me I really try to finish every book I have read.  The few that I haven't finished was just because they were over 500 pages and I would quit with about 100 pages to go.  I just can't stand when a story goes on and on for no reason! It drives me nuts.  

What about you? 

Shatterproof - The 39 Clues Cahills VS Vespers by Roland Smith-Review

 

Shatterproof the 39 Clues by Roland Smith

I just love this series... obviously since I am still reading it and this is book #14 in the whole series!  Here is the goodreads description:

After pulling some spectacular heists, Amy and Dan have become two of Interpol's most wanted criminals. So when Vesper One orders them to steal the world's largest diamond, they know they're facing life in prison...or worse. But with the Cahill hostages still in peril, Amy and Dan have no choice but to launch a mission that leads them to an ancient city full of dangerous secrets. With a Vesper mole sabotaging the Madrigals from inside, Amy and Dan have to fulfill their enemy's request before it's too late. Vesper One has developed a taste for killing Cahills, and Amy and Dan aren't going to wait to see who's next.

Yet another great book in the 39 Clues journey.  I wish I didn't have to read the library version though.  I think the normal version has more items in it.  Such a bummer!! I see all these pictures on the website that goes with the book and I have no idea what the


 I think in the series Cahills vs Vespers there are only 6 books.  Which is good because I want to start up this next series called Infinity Ring .  This series looks just as cool and it seems like they are going to do it about the same way.   This new series seems like they time travel!

Ok so enough about this new series... more about the book I am reviewing here!  I think this one had a much more young adult feel then middle grade.  One thing about this book is that there is a LOVE TRIANGLE!  Nooooo I don't even know what to think about the introduction of a love triangle with only two books left I don't know what will happen????  Also this book seemed shorter then all the other books in the 39 clue series.. though I did need a short read right now it just seemed REALLY short. 


The crystal ball says:

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

An Apple for the Creature by Charlaine Harris-Review

An Apple for the Creature edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner

I love the anthologies edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner. I have read all of them.  This is the newest one and I loved it too... here is the goodreads description:

What could be scarier than the first day of school? How about a crash course in the paranormal from Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner, editors of Home Improvement: Undead Edition? Your worst school nightmares—taking that math test you never studied for, finding yourself naked in school assembly, not knowing which door to enter—will pale in comparison to these thirteen original stories that take academic anxiety to whole new realms.

 In #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris’s story, "Playing Possum," Sookie Stackhouse brings enough birthday cupcakes for her nephew's entire class but finds she's one short when the angry ex-boyfriend of the school secretary shows up.

 When her guardian, Kate Daniels, sends her undercover to a school for exceptional children, teenaged Julie learns an all-new definition of "exceptional," in New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews's "Magic Tests."

 For those who like fangs with their forensics, New York Times bestselling author Nancy Holder offers "VSI," in which FBI agent Claire is tested as never before in a school for Vampire Scene Investigation.

And in New York Times bestselling author Thomas Sniegoski's "The Bad Hour," Remy Chandler and his dog Marlowe find evil unleashed in an obedience school.

You'll need more than an apple to stave off the creatures in these Sand nine other stories. Remember your first lesson: resistance is fruitless!

 Includes stories by: ILONA ANDREWS, AMBER BENSON, RHYS BOWEN, MIKE CAREY, CHARLAINE HARRIS, DONALD HARSTAD, STEVE HOCKENSMITH, NANCY HOLDER, FAITH HUNTER, TONI L.P. KELNER, MARJORIE LIU, JONATHAN MABERRY, THOMAS SNIEGOSKI

Wow that was a long description! Anyways... I adore anthologies.  I like to be able to just sit down sometimes and finish a story in one hour.  (One of the reasons I love King, he writes short story books all the time).  I also love to be introduced to new authors.  This book had some amazing stories.  One complaint I have this time around is a few of them 5 or 6 were stories that ended up in the air. So it was up to our imagination. While I don't mind these types of stories I prefer the short stories I read to end in a pretty bow.

I noticed on the goodreads reviews that most people it would seem didn't read the whole book and only read the short story called Magic Tests by Ilona Andrews.  Apparently this is a popular series!  For real... go looks at the reviews.. Magic Tests is the story everyone is talking about.  While I did think the story was good I didn't think it was the best one in the book.

Personally I thought the best short story in this book was called Ifhigenia in Aulis by Mike Carey. OH WOW!!!  This story was put together so well I still can't believe it was a short story.  It is about some children who are put in a odd school guarded by military.  Turns out that these are children born of woman who were pregnant when they turned into zombies.  So they have both human and zombie traits.  I wish this was a whole book!!!

I would recommend all the anthologies Harris and Kelner edits.  They are usually good and usually themed pretty fun too.  Here is the other anthology I have reviewed (though I have read them all)
Home Improvement: Undead Edition

The crystal ball says:

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

EDIT***** check out the comments!! Tony L.P. Kelner totally commented on my blog!!!