Harry Potter Reread: Philosopher's Stone

 

Potter fever is ramping up this year thanks to two exciting new projects: the eighth story, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, will be debuting in London's West End on July 30 and the first in a new movie trilogy, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, will hit theaters in November. In preparation, I decided to revisit my most beloved series and blog about it. (Besides, I don't really need an excuse to reread Harry Potter.)

Origin Story

A lot of people credit the Harry Potter series as the reason they fell in love with books and became avid readers. However, I was already a book nerd long before Harry Potter came along. But when I first read it, I knew it was special. I had never fell so completely in love with a fictional world before. Reading Harry Potter for the first time was like finding something I had always been searching for. And now whenever I reread the series, it feels like coming home. I first read Harry Potter when I was about 10 or 11. Now I'm in my mid-20s and the books still give me feels. 

I was first introduced to Harry Potter by my third-grade teacher, Mrs. Morgan. She read out loud to us a little bit every day. Before she read it, I had never heard of Harry Potter. The first time, she only read about one or two chapters but that was enough for me. I immediately went to my local book store and bought my own copy. (Or, rather, my mom bought it for me. Thanks Mom!) 

I devoured the first book, so when my teacher read it to us, I already knew what was going to happen. Mrs. Morgan was a great reader, though, so I still enjoyed it. Even after all these years, when I reread the book, I can still remember her tone and inflection during certain parts. I am forever so thankful to her for introducing me to Harry Potter. 

*SPOILERS BELOW*

Things I Noticed This Time Around

-Harry is remarkably well-adjusted for a child who has been abused and neglected for nearly eleven years. So I had a thought: Harry's mother died to save him, an act of love so powerful that it gave him protection against Voldemort, and later, Professor Quirrell (working for Voldemort.) But did her sacrifice give him psychological protection as well? Was Harry subconsciously aware that he was loved? Did that make it somewhat easier to deal with the abuse? 

-The Dursleys have four bedrooms in their house and yet they make Harry sleep in the cupboard under the stairs for over a decade. I never really noticed how cruel and selfish that was. It's a really small detail but once I noticed it, it just made me hate the Dursleys even more. 

-Hagrid is so wonderful. I had always loved his character but I didn't really appreciate him that much until I noticed just how awful the Dursleys were. The very first thing that Hagrid does when he arrives to give Harry his letter is to feed him and make sure he is cared for. 

-How do the Dursleys get back to the shore if Harry and Hagrid took the boat?

-Peeves is such an asshole. I love him.

-The screaming book in the Restricted section - is it part of a spell that keeps unauthorized students from reading the restricted books? Because otherwise, why keep a book in a library that just screams at anyone who tries to read it? 

-When Snape confronts Quirrell in the forest, he says 'Students aren't supposed to know about the Philosopher's Stone, after all.' Presumably, these students are Harry, Ron, and Hermione. But how does he know that they know about the Stone? Is it because of Occlumency? I'm willing to bet that it is because there are several hints throughout the book that Snape is reading Harry's mind. 

Favorite Parts/Lines

-'It's lucky it's dark. I haven't blushed so much since Madam Pomfrey told me she liked my new earmuffs.' pg. 14

-The poem on the door of Gringotts bank. For some reason, it gives me goosebumps. Probably because it's so brilliantly written - and also because it's a little bit sinister.

-'So we've just got to try on the hat!' Ron whispered to Harry. 'I'll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll.' pg. 89

-When Harry sees his family for the first time in the Mirror of Erised, it makes me cry.

-Of course, one of my favorite chapters is Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback. I love dragons!

-'Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. He didn't realize that love as powerful as your mother's for you leaves its own mark. Not a scar, no visible sign...to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin. Quirrell, full of hatred, greed, and ambition, sharing his soul with Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good.' pg. 216 (Excuse me while I sob all over the place.)

Final Thoughts

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as one of the earlier books in the series, feels the most like a traditional children's book. But it is so much more than that. This book always manages to make me laugh, cry, and wish, for the thousandth time, that I got my very own Hogwarts letter. 

Suicide Reviews: A Cold Season by Alison Littlewood

 

Summary: After the battlefront loss of her husband, a soldier, in the sands of the Middle East, a distraught Cass moves to the bucolic, picture-perfect village of Darnshaw with her young son. Since Cass's website design business can be run from anywhere with an internet connection and Ben could benefit from a change of scenery, a move to the highlands village seems like just the thing. 

But the locals aren't as friendly as she had hoped and the internet connection isn't as reliable as her business requires. And when Ben begins to display a hostility that is completely unlike his usual gentle nature, Cass begins to despair. Finally, the blizzards thunder through, marooning Darnshaw in a sea of snow.

When things look their blackest, Cass finds a sympathetic ear in the person of Mr.Remick, the substitute headmaster at Ben's school. But Remick's attentions can't put to rest her growing anxiety about her son and her business. And soon, she finds herself pitted against dark forces she can barely comprehend. The cold season has begun.

Date Published: January 1, 2012

Published By: Jo Fletcher

Number of Pages: 290

Rating: 3.5/5

A Cold Season is the kind of story that will discourage you from ever moving to a small town. Or going outside during winter. Or just going outside, period. 

Cass and her son Ben find themselves stranded in Darnshaw after a snowstorm makes all the roads impassable. This gives the book an incredibly claustrophobic atmosphere - the feeling of being smothered by snow leeches out of the pages and into the reader's brain. The gnawing sense of isolation and paranoia continues to build as ominous things keep happening. Twice, Cass tries to escape - and both times, she fails. You get the sense that she is trapped there and it's pretty darn freaky.

There are a lot of disturbing moments in the book but they're never in-your-face terrifying - it's a more subtle kind of uneasiness. Something strange will happen and it will kind of sit there in the back of your head, and then the next thing will happen, and the next - so the tension slowly builds and builds until all of a sudden you find yourself gripping the pages, overwhelmed by dread. It's incredibly effective - more so, I would say, than splattering guts and gore all over the place. 

I will say I found the climax to be a little underwhelming and predictable, but the author makes up for it by delivering a truly chilling final page. Once I finished reading it, I had to go snuggle with my cat for awhile to make myself feel better. 

A Cold Season reads like a mash-up of The Shining and The Exorcist. I wouldn't say it's a must-read, but fans of occult horror will probably enjoy it. Or, if you like horror but not gore, this book is perfect for you.

Suicide Reviews: Animal Farm by George Orwell

 

Summary: Mr Jones of Manor Farm is so lazy and drunken that one day he forgets to feed his livestock. The ensuing rebellion under the leadership of the pigs Napoleon and Snowball leads to the animals taking over the farm. Vowing to eliminate the terrible inequities of the farmyard, the renamed Animal Farm is organized to benefit all who walk on four legs. But as time passes, the ideals of the rebellion are corrupted, then forgotten. And something new and unexpected emerges...

Date Published: August 17, 1945

Published By: Penguin (This Edition)

Number of Pages: 95

Rating: 5/5

What can be said about Animal Farm that hasn't been said already? This is why I find classics so hard to review but I'll do my best.

I read Animal Farm years ago for high school and really loved it. Reading it today, I still love it but because I wasn't studying the Russian Revolution simultaneously this time around, I forgot who some of the characters were supposed to represent. If anything this book is successful at, it does make me want to go back and study the Russian Revolution just so I can get a clearer picture of the allegory.

Animal Farm is subtitled A Fairy Story, which is entirely appropriate as the book reads like a modern-day fairy tale. There are no nuanced characterizations or complex plot details to be found. But that doesn't mean the story doesn't serve as a brilliant allegory and a scathing criticism of the failed ideals of the Revolution. It shows, little by little, how noble ideas can be swiftly corrupted by power and greed.

Animal Farm is still a great read after 71 years of being in print. But what's sobering is how relevant it still is to today's world. 

Top Ten Tuesday: 5 Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don't Get/Top 5 Characters I LOVE But Others Seem to Dislike

For this Top Ten Tuesday, we had the option of doing the Top 10 Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don't Get OR the Top 10 Characters I Love But Others Seem to Dislike. Seeing as I couldn't come up with ten characters for each category, I decided to do five of each.

WARNING: THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!

Top 5 Characters Everyone Loves But I Just Don't Get

5) Dimitri Belikov from Vampire Academy


I've warmed to Dimitri over the course of the series, especially in books 5 and 6 but I still wouldn't say he is the most compelling love interest. I always felt like he and Rose lacked chemistry but I'm still happy they ended up together.

4) Tris Prior from Divergent


Full disclosure: I never finished reading the Divergent series. I never even made it through the first book. I think one of the main reasons for that was because I just couldn't connect with Tris. I found her to be totally unlikable - and not in an interesting way, in an irritating way.

3) Gale Hawthorne from The Hunger Games


Yes, I'm aware that Gale (and Liam Hemsworth) is tall, handsome, and all around swoon-worthy. But I am baffled by Gale/Katniss shippers. Gale is brooding, vengeful, and has a tendency towards ruthlessness. Is that really a guy you want the heroine to end up with?

2) Edward Cullen from Twilight


Ever since high school, I could never understand other people's admiration of the abusive, possessive, and controlling Edward Cullen. And speaking of abusive boyfriends...

1) Christian Grey from Fifty Shades of Gray


Even I am not immune to Jamie Dornan's hotness in the film version. But still. He kidnaps Ana and removes her clothes when she is unconscious, manipulates her into performing sexual acts that she is uncomfortable with, stalks her, refuses to respect her personal space or her choices and is generally a complete asshole. He makes Edward Cullen look like a sensible choice. (I'm aware that I'm definitely not the only one with a problem with Mr. Grey but enough people love him that I had to put him on this list.)

And now...

Top 5 Characters I LOVE But Others Seem to Dislike

5) Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games
 

I've heard a lot of criticism about Peeta that doesn't make sense. He's whiny. He's weak. He's manipulative. But I'm pretty sure Peeta saved Katniss on multiple occasions, was consistently there for her when she wasn't there for him (except maybe in the third book when he was brainwashed) and tried to promote a peaceful agenda through words and nonviolence. I wish I could meet a guy like Peeta in real life.

4) Prince Kai from the Lunar Chronicles


Poor Prince Kai gets a lot of flack. He actually seems to get the same kind of criticism as Peeta. That he sat back and let Cinder do all the work and was generally useless. But I love Kai. I love that he is conflicted about his feelings for Cinder and isn't some macho hero who is all action and no brains. Kai is incredibly smart and uses his wits on several occasions to get through tough spots and even save lives. What can I say? I love a Beta male.

3) Amy Dunne from Gone Girl


Amy Dunne is a murderous, manipulative psychopath who traps her husband into staying in a nightmare of a marriage. Some people call her Evil Incarnate. To me she's one of the most powerful, interesting literary villains to come along in a long time. All hail Queen Bitch.

2) Kylo Ren from Star Wars: The Force Awakens


'He's emo. He's weak. He's a drama queen.' 
To me, Kylo Ren is one of the most interesting villains I've ever seen. I love that he's emotional and has hissy fits. I've seen enough stoic psychopathic male villains to last me for a lifetime. And, excuse me, he's weak? I don't know if I watched the same movie as everybody else but I'm pretty sure he got hit in the chest with Chewbacca's lethal bowcaster (a weapon capable of sending Stormtroopers flying) and walked it off and went on to have a lightsaber duel with TWO people!

1) Severus Snape from Harry Potter


I used to be incredibly naive and thought that Snape was a universally beloved character in the Harry Potter series. That was until I started stumbling across a lot of Snape-hate online. People say he was a heartless bully, that his love for Lily was obsessive and weird, that it was ridiculous that Harry named his son after him. I'm not entirely sure that these people understand that the Harry Potter series was just as much about Snape's redemption as it was about Harry defeating Voldemort. Severus Snape is one of the most dynamic, compelling characters in all of literature and he will 'always' be one of my favourite characters.

Top Ten Tuesday is an original book meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

Suicide Reviews: Under the Skin by Michel Faber

  

Synopsis: This novel introduces Isserley, a mysterious female who drives around the Scottish Highlands picking up well-muscled hitchhikers. Scarcely big enough to peer over her steering wheel, scarred and vulnerable yet strangely erotic and threatening, Isserley makes the hitchhikers open up to her and reveal clues about who might miss them if they should disappear. At once humane and horrifying, Under the Skin is a heart-thumping ride through the dangerous territory where moral instincts and the boundaries of compassion collide.

Date Published: 2000

Published By: Harcourt

Number of Pages: 296

Rating: 5/5

Under the Skin is one mind-fuck of a novel, in the best possible way. Most people might know the basic premise from the 2013 film adaptation but, let me tell you, there is so much more to the book. 

This book is just layered with all sorts of though-provoking themes. Rape, animal cruelty, what it means to be human - it's all very heavy stuff but this is one of those books that needs to be read - because it just might change your perspective on everything. 

It is beautifully written, crammed with lyrical sentences that you want to pluck out and hold to the light. And while the book is not graphic, there are definitely some unsettling moments that will make you squirm. 

I can't really go into too much detail because I don't want to spoil the book. I'll just say that this is one of the best sci-fi books I've ever read and if you think you know the story because you've seen the movie, YOU DON'T! 

Suicide Reviews: The Infinite Sea (The 5th Wave #2) by Rick Yancey

 

Synopsis: How do you rid the Earth of seven billion humans? Rid them of their humanity.

Cassie Sullivan and her companions lived through the Others' four waves of destruction. Now, with the human race nearly exterminated and the 5th Wave rolling across the landscape, they face a choice: brace for winter and hope for Evan Walker's return, or set out in search of other survivors before the enemy closes in. Because the next attack is more than possible - it's inevitable.

No one can anticipate the depths to which the Others will sink, nor the heights to which humanity will rise, in the ultimate battle between life and death, hope and despair, love and hate.

Date Published: September 16, 2014

Published By: Putnam Juvenile

Number of Pages: 300

Rating: 5/5

In a lot of ways, The Infinite Sea serves as the traditional placeholder in a trilogy - the middle book where not much happens except a lot of setting up for the final novel. It is definitely less epic in scope than the first book. 

But Yancey continues to surprise the reader with unexpected twists and different perspectives. For the first time, we get inside the head of Ringer, the grim teenage girl who was recruited as a soldier in the last book and helped Cassie and her group escape. She quickly became my favorite character in this book - tough, resourceful, and intelligent, Ringer is a total badass. She is stoic but not unemotional, expressing her feelings in unexpected ways. Ringer does what she wants and doesn't allow herself to be pushed around by anyone - even genocidal aliens. 

In The Infinite Sea, we learn more about the alien's plot to take over the world but the answers we're given only lead to more unanswered questions. There is still a mystery to be solved here and I'm hoping the third book will be the final piece to the puzzle. This isn't your typical alien invasion - there's a lot of nuance to it. I love the complexity of the plot in all its twists and turns. 

Another thing I love about this series is the philosophical questions it raises: What does it mean to be human? What sacrifices do you have to make in order to retain your humanity? Is it even worth retaining or is survival the only thing that matters? The characters in this book face hard choices and must weigh every decision - any wrong move might cost them their lives. 

If I have any criticism for The Infinite Sea, it's that, at times, it feels a tad overwritten. Yancey clearly loves to play with language and creates passages of stunning imagery - but it sometimes gets in the way of the plot. 

The Infinite Sea is a masterful follow-up to The 5th Wave and I cannot wait to see how it all ends in The Last Star. 

Suicide Reviews: The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave #1) by Rick Yancey

 

Synopsis: After the 1st Wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th Wave, just one rule applies: trust no one.

Now it's the dawn of the 5th Wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother - or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up. 

From award-winning author Rick Yancey comes a gripping epic of catastrophic loss, unthinkable odds, and unflinching courage.

Date Published: May 7, 2013

Published By: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers

Number of Pages: 457

Rating: 5/5

I am so glad this book lived up to the hype. Even though I'm excited for the upcoming film adaptation, I know it will only pale in comparison to this epic sci-fi tale of survival and resilience. 

From the very first page I was sucked into the story. I plowed through the first hundred pages without looking up, and when I did, it was like waking from an incredibly vivid dream. I actually had to remind myself that aliens hadn't invaded the planet in reality (at least not yet.) That type of realism for such a fantastical story is awe-inspiring. It made me think that if aliens did invade our planet, it would happen exactly as it did in The 5th Wave.

I loved all of the characters and the complex, ever-shifting dynamics between them. The relationship between Cassie and Evan Walker is particularly intriguing. I won't spoil anything, but I did figure out what eventually happens between them long before it actually happened. Of course, this may have been because I saw the trailer for the movie, and guessed the twist from there. (Come on, movie trailers, could you be any more obvious?)  

The aliens in this book are some of my favorite that I've ever come across in science fiction. Of course, I'll always have a soft spot for sexy aliens, like Daemon Black from the Lux series, but, man, do I love me some evil, destructive aliens hell-bent on world domination. The structure Yancey uses to describe the invasion with the different Waves is masterful - both chilling and completely convincing. 

The 5th Wave is exactly the kind of post-apocalyptic alien-invasion story I've been looking for. I can't believe it's taken me this long to read it. This book isn't just for young adult sci-fi fans - adult readers will love it too. 

The 5th Wave Movie Trailer 

Suicide Reviews: The Miniarturist by Jessie Burton

  

Synopsis: On a brisk autumn day in 1686, eighteen-year-old Nella Oortman arrives in Amsterdam to begin a new life as the wife of illustrious merchant trader Johannes Brandt. But her new home, while splendorous, is not welcoming. Johannes is kind yet distant, always locked in his study or at his warehouse office - leaving Nella alone with his sister, the sharp-tongued and forbidding Marian.

But Nella's life changes when Johannes presents her with an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet-sized replica of their home. To furnish her gift, Nella engages the services of a miniaturist - an elusive and enigmatic artist whose tiny creations mirror their real-life counterparts in eerie and unexpected ways...

Johannes's gift helps Nella pierce the closed world of the Brandt household. But as she uncovers its unusual secrets, she begins to understand - and fear - the escalating dangers that await them all. In this repressively pious society where gold is worshiped second only to God, to be different is a threat to the moral fabric of society, and not even a man as rich as Johannes is safe. Only one person seems to see the fate that awaits them. Is the miniaturist the key to their salvation...or the architect of their destruction? 

Enchanting, beautifully written and exquisitely suspenseful, The Miniaturist is a magnificent story of love and obsession, betrayal and retribution, appearance and truth.

Date Published: August 26, 2014

Published By: Ecco

Number of Pages: 400

Rating: 4/5

The Miniaturist is one of those books where I ended up reading a completely different story from what I was expecting. This seems to be happening a lot lately. (For my review of another unexpected story, see here.)

I was under the impression that Nella, a newly-married woman would end up having an affair with the Miniaturist, an artist who specializes in crafting miniature replicas.

Nope. Not even close.

Instead, The Miniaturist is a story of family secrets, gold, God, and betrayal. It's all very intriguing, actually, and I was pleased by the unique storyline. It has a bit of magical realism feel to it as well which makes the story all the more fascinating. Just who is the elusive Miniaturist? And just how much power does this mysterious figure have over Nella's life?

The Miniaturist seems to be well-researched and gives us a glimpse into 17th-century Dutch society. I loved how the author incorporated the infamous Dutch East India Company into her storyline. You might think the parts about trading and gold and guilds would be a bit dull but they're not. This is what I love about historical fiction - being able to travel back in time and get an idea about the way things were - and marvel at how much things have remained the same.

Jessie Burton writes beautifully, every sentence a polished gem. Her words flow like poetry, making every scene richer and more atmospheric. The vividness of her images helps to transport the reader even deeper into her world. Sights, sounds, smells, tastes - all are rendered so convincingly that I could almost feel the bitter wind of winter or taste the sugared marzipan.

If you're a historical fiction fan, or just have an appreciation for lyrical writing, I strongly urge you to give The Miniaturist a try.