UP!—Burned by the GOBLET OF FIRE

Cover-Goblet(NOTE: while this post is current, scroll on the sidebar —in a separate tab or window—to click to listen to Hedwig’s Theme while reading 😀)

One would expect a wooden goblet to burn to ashes had it been filled with fire. But when the fire is that of enchanted flames, it is no ordinary goblet—it is the legendary Goblet of Fire! Its blue-white flames flicker with the glow of wonder and anticipation, holding within itself the power to judge which three worthy opponents from the three largest European wizarding schools will compete in none other than The Triwizard Tournament.

In Harry’s 4th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the school played host to this exciting and dangerous event, along with the visiting students from the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang schools who would participate. One representative from each school would be chosen to compete, with only students of age (17 years old and above) allowed to submit their names, having written them on paper then dropped into the famed goblet. Harry was relieved that, as a 14-year-old, he couldn’t qualify; he wouldn’t be expected to enter his name. He had no desire to risk life and limb in a contest, so on the night the winners were announced, the goblet having just chosen the three competitors, when its flame flashed red unexpectedly spewing forth a 4th scorched parchment, no one was more shocked than he when Dumbledore uttered, “Harry Potter.” Continue reading

UP!–When a Book is a “THRILL RIDE”!

Cover-Azkaban(NOTE: while this post is current, scroll on the sidebar —in a separate tab or window—to click to listen to Hedwig’s Theme while reading 😀)

Don’t you just love when, as a book’s “passenger,” you never want the ride to end? I and thousands of readers agree that J. K. Rowling’s writing style grabs your imagination and emotions by the collar, straps you in its seat and won’t let go! Thanks to Sheila at Book Journey, I’m on that ride again 🙂

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, is the third leg of this thrilling “roller coaster” ride. We’re filled with expectation as our author ushers us in with another packed carful of characters. She flips the switch, the cars lurch and we start off slowly, with Vernon Dursley’s sister, Marge, who’s every bit as horrible as he is. Her opinion of Harry is that of a dog, and a mangy one at that, ultimately pushing Harry over the edge. As a reader, we feel as satisfied as Harry in justice having been served when so well-deserved! Continue reading

UP!—Still AWED While Reading Anew!

Cover-Chamber(NOTE: while this post is current, scroll on the sidebar —in a separate tab or window—to click to listen to Hedwig’s Theme while reading 😀)

Nudged by Sheila at Book Journey, I recently completed (for the 4th time) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (CoS), the second book in the “Harry Potter” series, and I continue to be amazed by the storytelling skills Jo(anne) Rowling possesses. Her characters, world and plotting were (are) so well-constructed and clear in her mind (though I know she had to occasionally check on certain details as she wrote the latter books), everything stayed true from the first book through the last. This vividness has afforded us, as readers, the experience of knowing these characters and her wizard world as acutely defined and “real.” Continue reading

UP!—SO Glad I Didn’t Miss THIS Train!

platform 9 and 3 quarters(NOTE: while this post is current, scroll on the sidebar —in a separate tab or window—to click to listen to Hedwig’s Theme while reading 😀)

We can miss a lot of things in life, including the proverbial “boat.” After all, there are so many things to do, people to meet and places to see, and it’s impossible to be aware of or actually do it all when it’s timely, right? Well, one big train I happened to catch when the timing was right, having walked through the barrier onto Platform 9 3/4, was none other than the Hogwarts Express, and OH, it’s taken me on the most unforgettable ride!

When Sheila of Book Journey announced her hosting a Harry Potter ReRead-a-long, I couldn’t resist, regardless of how little time I had to add “pressure” reading to my life. The thing is, though the page count is sometimes hard for me to achieve in my time frame, there’s nothing about the actual reading of this series that is a burden. For me it is a joy 🙂 Continue reading

UP!–What Gets You to REREAD a Book?

BookStack_WriterSideUp.com_byDonnaMarieI don’t know about you, but I’m not exactly a fast reader. I’d say I read at a moderate pace. Typically I read novels (or any fiction longer than a picture book) at bedtime, rarely allowing myself to read them during the day. That is, of course, unless the book is one I simply can’t put down, and OH, how I love it when that happens! 🙂 My list of books To Be Read (TBR) is a very lengthy one, and stays that way because it takes me relatively long to read each book, plus new ones are added every day. So, though I may want to REread a book, I nix the idea almost immediately.

Then you have Continue reading