Summer at Hogwarts - Deathly Hollows

And so we come to the end. Our exams are finished, all homework is turned in and our trunks have magically packed themselves. Of course this also means we finished the final installment in JK Rowlings Harry Potter series.

There is something about Deathly Hallows that just screams final to me. This is appropriate as it is the final book in the series, but still, the finiteness of Harry's world and story is present on every page of page turner. I had to put off starting Deathly Hallows for a day after I finished Half Blood Prince and had an unnecessarily strong reaction to Dumbledores death - but after taking some time I jumped right into Deathly Hallows and tried not to look back to the happy Harry we saw in the early books. 

The on thing that has always struck me about Deathly Hallows is how intertwined everything in the series is. Having read Hallows the least I had a hard time pinpointing what happened, but when talking about all thinks Potter with a few friends I paused and tried to remember if some of the facts about Dumbledore I was spouting out were actually in the books or just something Rowling said in passing. I was happy to find that everything I remembered about Dumbledore, as well as some minuet other facts, all appeared in Deathly Hallows. 

This book really reaffirms my love for all Weasleys. I love how George reacts to his missing ear,  Bills wedding, Ron and his locket drama, Percy's return and of course Mrs. Weasley's surprise killing of Bellatrix. I remember crying during my first reading of Deathly Hallows as Fred died, and couldn't help myself from shedding a few tears again. 

The last thing I really want to mention is Snape. If you were a fan back when the books were first being published I'm sure you took part in the "is Snape good or evil" debate. Not only do we get our answer here, but it's delivered in such a way that all of Snape's actions make sense. I was heartbroken over Snapes memories. His relationship with Lily, his penance and his ability to risk his life to honor the woman he always loved. 

There is obviously so much more to say about both Deathly Hallows and the series in general, but I think this is a good note to leave this readalong on.

Did you find anything striking in Deathly Hallows? Questions? Complaints? What about the series in generally? Do you still see yourself as the bookish Ravenclaw, or rule defying Gryffindor?  Thanks for all who joined in or just lurked in the shadows!

And Lastly. It's July 31st so a Happy Birthday to our favorite fictional Wizard! 

Summer at Hogwarts - Hallows vs Horcruex's

Alright everyone, the end of the term is almost here and you know what that means? EXAMS! Don't forget to write neatly and put your name on everything :)

Exam #1: Hallows or Horcruex's - does one resonate with you more than the other. Would you be a person who would use these ways to stave off death? 

Please also address : Which of the Hallow's you would find most useful

What you would make into a Horcruex 

(Not that you would want to make a Horcruex, but if you were, what object would you use)

I'll post my answers later this week. Have fun and no cheating!

Summer at Hogwarts - Half Blood Prince

Hello fellow Hogwartsians! According to our syllabus we've just finished Half Blood Prince and that puts us in the final weeks of us semester, and our fight against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Name.

I know I went on and on about how much I love Goblet of Fire, but nothing compares with how much I love Half Blood Prince. Everything about HBP entrances me. We've got the history we've been craving, hormones at an all time high and we're at threat level midnight. 

HBP is where I really start liking Hermione as a character and see her as more than their brainy sidekick. I love how hurt she is by Ron and Lavender, and how oblivious Ron is to the entire situation he created. Of course I also love "the monster inside Harry" that comes out around Ginny. It's corny but cute. 

It's safe to say that my favorite parts of Prince are the lessons with Dumbledore. For me these lessons are like a safe version of adventure. We don't have to worry about Harry or Dumbledore when we are in these memories and can push the immediate threats from our mind as we learn more about the boy who was Tom Riddle. I'm fascinated with the Hogwarts founders and while we don't see much of them here, we do get to see  further down the line of Slytherin. 

Lastly I really love the inside world of the Malfoys. As far as Evil characters go, Lucious has always been my favorite. He doesn't make much of an appearance here but we see what his downfall has done to his family. Bellatrix and Narcissa are closer than one would have originally thought and, perhaps the biggest surprise is that Cissy is willing to defy Voldemorts orders to help her son. 

For my Order recap I wrote about the memories I associated with the first time I read it, for Half Blood Prince it is all about the aftermath - Is Snape good or evil? -  Have we really been given enough information on the Horcruxes - Who's going to die? My friends and I spent the years between the two releases having heated discussion about each of these questions.

Those are just some of the reasons I love Half Blood Prince. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the 6th installment in the Harry Potter series! 

Summer at Hogwarts - Spells and Enchantments

Hello Everyone! Hope all of you're enjoying you're NEWT subjects and having fun traveling through other people's memories. I'm back with another Quiz! This one a bit more creative - if you will - and fits right in with the Prince's potions book.

Quiz #9: What would be you're favorite spell or enchantment? It doesn't have to be one mentioned in the series, it can be something you've thought up yourself or just think is a good idea. Try to remember the basic principles of Rowlings Magic as you're creating.

I'm very impressed with so much of the magic that appears in the Harry Potter series so I know I'll have a hard time just picking one spell that I'd think was most useful. However I've had a weird week, and it left me with a very vivid idea for a mildly amusing and annoying spell. You see, every day since Sunday I've had long periods of time where I'd swear it was a Thursday. Yesterday I went so far as to drive home thinking I didn't have to work the next day and smiling at the idea of being able to find an upload of one of my favorite shows that airs on Thursday nights. This continued through the lovely glass of wine I had with my parents and the episode of NCIS I watched until I went to look for said upload. I looked and looked and was becoming angry when I saw the date. The 14th. Not the 15th. It was a Wednesday. This incident was the last straw (and day before Thursday) where I concluded that some kind of everyday feels like Thursday spell would be right up the prince's spell inventing ally. It would confuse people on homework assignments and work schedules and give everyone that weekend yearning that is so distracting.

Oh, and I've decide my favorite real spell would be a summoning charm.

Summer at Hogwarts - Magical Creatures

As we've just finished (or are about to finish) our OWLS i think it's safe to say that we're going to need more Quizzes to successfully pass our NEWTs.  I'm here with our first NEWT worthy quiz!

Quiz #8: What is your favorite Magical Creature? We've seen dozens of unique and interesting creatures over the past five Hogwarts years, and I'm sure some of us have a copy of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them handy so use this knowledge and tell me which creature you want to cuddle! (Or watch from a distance. Depending on danger level.)

I've been putting off this quiz for a while because I'm having a hard time coming up with an answer. Like most girls I think Unicorns would be cool to be around, but I think overall my favorite magical creature would have to be the Hippogriffs. Assuming I could gain the respect of one I think I'd really like to have one around.

Summer at Hogwarts - Order of the Phoenix

Hello fellow Summer term students. We've officially transitioned from the innocent boy who lived to a full on war with the final pages of Order of the Phoenix. 

I have a few very vivid memories of the first time I read these books. One is when I first picked up Sorcerers Stone fell in love with the first chapter on my bed when I was 12. Another very vivid memory is reading Order right after it came out at my brothers Little League game and having Sirius die right somewhere in the 7th inning and not wanting to finish the book at the game. This, of course isn't important to anyone but myself but it speaks to something more within the series in that these books create memories. Great memories of reading for hours and loving every second of it. 

I mention this because I'm not a huge fan of Order. I enjoyed it the first few times I read it, being around the age Harry is in the book and understanding his teenage angst. However the past few times I've sat down with Order of the Phoenix I've had a hard time getting over Harry's self absorbed, misdirected anger. This time was no different and I found I was gritting my teeth at every mini outburst, as well as cringing whenever Umbridge was present. Of course, this is Umbridge's purpose. If we didn't all hate her she'd have done nothing for the story. In some ways I hate her more that I ever have hated Voldemort. There is something in Voldy that can be pitied but Umbridge is just so uppity and pretentious.  

Overall I was most surprised with all the little things that Order has to offer. Ron playing Quidditch, Fred and George being Fred and George, Kretcher, Neville growing up, and some of the first looks at the Pensieve stand out as some of my favorite things. 

I'm really looking forward to Half Blood Prince, as it is consistently one of my favorites. 

Summer at Hogwarts - Career Options

Hi guys, I haven't forgotten about you! I'm here with your next Quiz, discussion

As you know Year Five at Hogwarts is all about your OWLs, and you're OWLs would be very unimportant if you weren't going to use them to jumpstart your future career. Which brings me to my question.

Quiz 7: What Wizarding Career would you like best? Do you want to work for the Minstery or for St. Mungos or any of the other assortment of options we've heard of?  Feel free to come up with a wizarding job you think would exist if you don't have any canon facts to support it.

For myself, I think I'd like to run a magical restaurant. Something like a mix between The 3 Broomsticks and a normal restaurant. I've always loved working with food and I think it would make a much more appealing career option if I could do all the messy parts several feet away with a magic wand.

Summer at Hogwarts - Deathly Hollows Trailer

A new trailer for Deathly Hallows has been released, and since I watched it about 4 times last night i figured I'd share my excitement here.

Here's the trailer in case you haven't seen it



Any thoughts? obvious disappointments or cool additions?

Summer at Hogwarts - Goblet of Fire

It's June 26th and for those of you following the syllabus that means we've just finished Goblet of Fire. Hopefully you weren't to scared by the Triwizard Tournament to keep reading!

Out of the entire series, Goblet of Fire has always stood out as one of my favorites. This read was nothing different. I've always found, as many others have, that Goblet is the transition point from Harry the boy and Harry the teenager with a cause. That's what I really love about year 4 at Hogwarts. In my post about Prisoner of Azkaban I wrote about how annoyed I was at how little happened. That isn't a problem with Goblet of Fire. Things are happening all the time, and when things get slow it's because there are hidden clues.

I know a lot of people have an issue with the 100 pages dedicated to the Quidditch World Cup, but I am not one of them. I liked seeing wizards trying to be like muggles and failing, I like that there's this energy of excitement throughout the beginning of the book and that for once Harry, Ron and Hermione are really happy. Plus we get to see more of the Weasleys, and we all know how much I love them.  

Of course the other big event is the Triwizard Tournament. Another thing I love! I think this has more to do with the fact that there are other wizarding schools with different priorities then with the actual tasks, but the tasks themselves are cool to. I think the tournament forces Harry to grow up in such a way that would never have come to him naturally, and eventually catapults him into the emo brat I so hate in Order of the Phoenix, but more on that in 10 days. 

A few of the others things I love about GoF are:
House Elves (but not SPEW)
Professor Moody - I'm always really sad that Moody is one of my favorite Professor's at Hogwarts but he's been an impostor the whole time!
Dragons
Brother Wands
Albus Dumbeldore

And a few of the things that I could have really done without:
The Yule Ball
SPEW
The first ten pages of the first chapter (The rest can stay. It's at least relevant)
Cedric Diggory
Ludo Bagman

I know I'm in the minority in loving Goblet of Fire as much as I do, and you'll probably get a similar post when we come to Half Blood Prince in July but I hope at least a few of you enjoyed your reread. See you in a few days for your next quiz as well as a Quidditch related challenge

Summer at Hogwarts - Rate Your Professor

Hello fellow Potter readers. Here is your Quiz for Goblet of Fire, a little late but better then nothing!

Goblet of Fire deals with many of the same things that we've seen in the previous three books. We've dealt with Animagi, Hogwarts Houses, Classes, and various other things. This is one of the reasons this quiz is so late. I've had a hard time coming up with things for you to think about, or more accurately, for you to think about intelligently in the Harry Potter universe.

Quiz #6: Who's your favorite professor/staff member at Hogwarts?

And of course, my slightly long winded answer is...

Professor Mcgonagall. She reminds me a lot of one of my favorite teachers in high school, strict, but in a loving way and always willing to help those in her house so long as it is in their best interests. I could easily see myself becoming  a little bit of a teachers pet to her and working hard to earn her respect.
In a similar fashion I think Flitwick is really cool, but I think I'd always be to shy to be on great, chummy terms with him.

Again, sorry for the late post. I'll make it up with some extra ones for Order.

If you're new to Loving Books or Summer at Hogwarts and are interested in seeing previous quizzes they can be found here

Keep Reading and don't touch any accidental portkeys!

Summer at Hogwarts - Prisoner of Azkaban

We're halfway through June and that means that, according to the slightly daunting reading schedule we've come to the end of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Per usual I'll give you all my impression and new discoveries from this read, as well as any questions I've come upon. This will be a little different from past sum ups but as the books get longer I'm trying to sort out the best way to approach summing them up without making everyone scroll a million times. 

I've never been a big fan of Prisoner, not because of the story or anything - If anything it has one of the better plots of the whole series - but so little happens. I mean, the first 300 or so pages really centers on the most typical year Harry has at Hogwarts, it isn't until the very end that anything drastically important happens. 

This pet peeve aside, I really did enjoy this read of Prisoner of Azkaban. I don't think I really ever realized just how much you learn about Rowlings Wizarding World in this book. We see more classes, the Night Bus, Anamagi, Dementors, and of course the Marauders. All of these things are really what makes Azkaban worth rereading for me.  I have a special place in my heart for the Marauders. Sirius and Lupin are the first adults in Harry's life that are, for lack of a better word - cool. They're obviously both flawed, but I think part of what makes them so interesting are their flaws. They have a history, and for a change we actually get to see some of it. 

Other high points this time around:
Qudditich

Crookshanks

The Marauders Map and Hogsmead

Annoyances:
Divination

Malfoy

Hermione's reactions to everything

Biggest Question that has arisen from this specific read through:
How was Peter Pettegrew sorted into Gryffendor?!

Let me know what you thought of your reread? Did you find anything you had skimmed over in the past? Or if you weren't reading along with me any general thoughts?

Summer at Hogwarts - Anamagi

We are now a little over 2 weeks into the Hogwarts Summer term and that means it's time for your 4th quiz. As you should be getting near to the end of Prisoner of Azkaban todays topic deals with Anamagi, as well as the Patronus Charm.

Quiz 5: If you were an Animagus what animal would you turn into? In the same vain what would your Patronus be? I don't believe I've read anything stating that they must be the same, so if you have any opinions on this topic as well, feel free to answer for extra credit!

I've been putting a lot of thought into this lately and can't seem to come up with a definitive answer. I think I would either be an Owl or a Rabbit. What I think is interesting about being an Anamagi is that it reflects your true self in a different way than being sorted into a house would, like how Sirius becomes a loyal dog and Pettergrew a rat. In that rain I think I'd be an Owl, Solitary but caring but on the other hand I could be a playful rabbit, hopping around being adorable.  

I hope you all aren't as indecisive as I am! Enjoy the rest of PoA and I'll see you tomorrow for a warp up post!

Summer at Hogwarts - Registration

Hello fellow students! By now you've at least read part of one of the Harry Potter books and are preferably over 70 pages into Prisoner of Azkaban. Today we will be taking a break from our quizzes to pick our classes for next term.

If you're new to Loving books or over from the Hop feel free to participate in this and all other Summer at Hogwarts quizzes.

The Question: What class would you most like to take at Hogwarts? Are you crazy for Charms or dreaming of Divination?

Hogwarts offers a an abundance of courses for it's fictional students. I think I'd be most interested Charms. It seems like the right balance of usefulness and whimsy for me. On the reverse I don't think I'd be very interested in Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures, and I'd probably be ok at Potions but not really like it as a class.

Summer at Hogwarts - Chamber of Secrets

Hello everyone! We're now 10 days into the term and that puts us at the end of another book - Chamber of Secrets.  Hopfully a few people have keept up with the reading and have now officaly opened the chamber, defeated the basilisk and are now starting your third year shadowing Mr. Potter at the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Sticking with my No Reviewing Books We've All Read and Enjoyed policy I'll now dive into things I noticed, liked and didn't like about Chamber of Secrets.

For starters I'll mention that this was my tied for my favorite book in the series for quiet some time and it still holds a special place in my heart, but on this read it did not live up to my memories. I think the biggest issue i noticed on this read was the pacing. I thought it was just a little off and sometimes had a hard time following how much time had passed. Not that this is really that important in the grand scheme of things, especially knowing the story so well but it still kind of irked me.  

What really struck me was how little I thought about this book, it was just a quick read but in the whole of the series it does little in moving the plot along, much like in Sorcerers Stone. There is obviously a lot of useful information here, even if it wasn't apparent the first few reads before HBP and DH came out. However this is the start of my love/hate relationship with House Elves, especially Dobby. He is so annoyingly hilarious and every time he appears on a page i both want to close the book and laugh. 

My favorite thing of Chamber of Secrets is the the overwhelming mystery that passes through it. What is the Chamber? Where is it? What's in it? Who's opening it? Why is Harry a Parseltongue? Of course all of these things are answered by the end of the book, but these questions are really the only intriguing part of the book for me and probably the only reason I finished it instead of skipping ahead.

What are your thoughts on Chamber of Secrets?

The Prisoner of Azkaban recap will be more in depth, and will have more compelling quiz entry's along the way. 

Summer at Hogwarts - Words vs Images

Hello fellow readers! Hope you've been enjoying (and if possible keeping up with) Chamber of Secrets. I'm here with your third quiz of the Summer Term.

Book or Movie?
Which do you prefer? Did they live up to your expectations? If you can be specific, we all have our pet peeves and this is a chance to rant about them!


 I know some people love the books and movies equally, other who have refused to any of films because they stray to far from the book. I'm not a huge fan of the movies, though I did see Half Book Prince at a midnight showing. I find the movies themselves lack the substance that make the books so enchanting. My biggest issue with the movies is that there will be two movies for Deathly Hallows. Don't get me wrong, I'll take as much Potter as I can get but if they wanted to extend the very lucrative film series why just do it for the last chapter? Starting with Goblet of Fire they could have made longer films or split them into two parts like they will be doing with Deathly Hallows.

Other than the lack of detail I really don't have a problem with the films, I think they're beautifully cast and (usually) visually stunning. Though nothing will ever touch what the books created.

Summer at Hogwarts - Sorcerers Stone

Hello fellow Muggles! We're now five days into our class syllabus and that puts us at the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerers (Philosopher's) Stone. I hope at least a few of you have burred your noses in the first chapter of Harry's life.

Now instead of reviewing a book I obviously enjoy and have read previously I want to talk about what I discovered on this read.

Like most people I've talked Harry Potter with I was never really a fan of the first few chapters. I always through they were slow, without much information and generally the reason why I start most of my Harry Marathons sometime after the first book. This time through I was surprised that I enjoyed the first three chapters. I enjoyed the contrast between the everyday Muggle world and the Wizarding world and enjoyed seeing Harry's struggle in a world he doesn't belong.

The other thing that I hadn't really noticed before was this overwhelming theme (i'm not sure if theme is really the right word here, but oh well)  of everything being new. Harry's first year at Hogwarts is full of firsts, friends, Quidditch, magic and respectable role models. Through the book Harry is commenting on new this community is to him. What really brought this full circle for me was at the the end of the gangs first stay at Hogwarts where Harry is thinking that he will  never forget the day that he won the House cup-

It was the best evening of Harry's life, better than winning at Quidditch or Christmas or knocing out mountain trolls...he would never, ever forget tonight.

I guess what really made this stand out for me is that, in the course of the whole series these events are pretty trivial, but for Harry as a character they are the foundation of his new life. These are the first things that really bring him happiness and thrust him into his new life, and us into his story.

Now I'd like to hear from you, even if you haven't been reading along:
-What stood out for you on this read that you never noticed before?
-Is there anything you would have changed in Sorcerers Stone? (what would you have liked to see more/less of, earlier introductions of characters or plot devices, anything!)
-Would you have been able to get the stone out of the mirror?
and a slightly more personal question, bust since the mirror of erised doesn't appear again in a significant way
-What would you see in the Mirror of Erised?

Hope everyone is having a great weekend and jump right into Chamber of Secrets!