I mentioned last month that I planned to read the Harry Potter series and I promised I would tell you guys more about that this month. Well, the short version of the story is that before June, I’d only read the 1st and 3rd book in the series! If you want to hear the long version, I talk all about it in the video I uploaded yesterday. Yep, I’ve started making bookish videos, so if that interests you, you can follow along on SCS reads!
About- I’m sure y’all already know this, but the Harry Potter series is about a boy who finds out he’s a wizard and chronicles his life and his magical adventures.
Why I picked it– See here!
Grade A I’m so happy that I’m reading this series right now. It’s just so delightful and I feel like it’s a perfect series to be reading in the summer. When started the first book, it took me right back to my seven- or eight-year-old self who was reading the book for the first time and just discovering this magical world. There was some controversy a couple of weeks ago over an article that said that adults should be embarrassed to read young adult (YA) novels. I have to say that I disagree with the fundamental premise of the article. I think that people should read whatever they want to! Of course, not every genre or type of book is for me, but I’m not going to judge people for what they’re reading or tell them they should be embarrassed about it. I was thinking about that article when I started rereading Harry Potter and I’m not at all embarrassed that I’m reading these books now. I am a little sad that I didn’t get a chance to read them when I was a kid and I do feel like I missed out a bit on the cultural phenomenon, but better late than never, right?!
About- A retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairytale set in New York City during the Jazz Age.
Why I picked it– I won this advance reader’s copy from Goodreads– thanks Goodreads!
Grade B- I was looking to forward reading this because generally I enjoy retellings of fairytales. However, I thought this book was only ok. The story is mainly told from Jo’s (the eldest sister’s) perspective, but I would have liked to hear from the other sisters as well, to be able to connect with their characters. The writing was also ok- I found myself comparing this to Rules of Civility, which has a similar setting and features really sharp, witty dialogue. I would definitely recommend that book over this book if the idea of a novel set in New York during the Prohibition Era intrigues you. Overall, it was neither terrible nor amazing, just somewhere in the middle.
So that’s it for June! Right now I’m in the middle of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and I’m also reading The Snow Queen. I can’t wait for the long weekend and hopefully I’ll be able to do some reading outdoors. I’ll be taking off the holiday on Friday, so I’ll see you all back here next week!
Disclaimer: I won a copy of The Girls at the Kingfisher Club from Goodreads. I’m not required to do a review, but I wanted to and these are my honest thoughts and opinions about the book.
![📖 Last, now, next (thanks to the tagged publishers for the free copies)!
I’m mixing up the genres this month because I feel like I burned out on holiday romances last year 😅 Have you read any of these?
[CD: Nnenna holds three books in front of a tree, then shows the covers of the following books: OUR MISSING HEARTS, KISS HER ONCE FOR ME, and FIVE SURVIVE.]
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#OurMissingHearts #KissHerOnceForMe #FiveSurvive #bookishreels #bookreels #amreadingya #cozylittlechristmas #bookreel #bookvideo #lastnownext #booktok #bookvlog #currentlyreading #readingupdate #holidayromance #yathriller #cozychristmas #literaryfiction #thrillerbook #bookvlogger #litfic #romancereader #christmastree #amreadingromance](https://starcrossedsmile.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
I’m delighted that you are re-reading HP! It’s so fun to take yourself back to a younger self reading something that brought such delight and know that it still brings such delight. I agree with you that people should read what they want. In my opinion, people are still reading and that’s great!
I just finished reading “The Art of Racing in the Rain” recently. My friend gave it to me since she was surprised I had not yet read it and I was so happy to read something and re-discover things about myself I forgot. It’s refreshing! Have you read it?
xo,
nancy
http://www.adoretoadorn.com
Yes, I’m totally in agreement Nancy- as long as people are still reading, that’s great. I think for the HP books, a lot of people say that’s what got them into reading as a kid and I think that’s wonderful. I haven’t read of The Art of Racing in the Rain but I’m going to look it up!
I only read the first book of HP but maybe I’ll read the rest one day, it definitely takes me back to my childhood :)
As someone reading it right now, I say you should! I think you’ll still enjoy it, even though it’s years later :)
Harry Potter was a great series, and a wonderful read, no matter your age. Of course I’ve mentioned how I prefer YA books, even though I sometimes feel like I should pick up something more challenging, YA books just feel so accessable to me.
I agree about Harry Potter. Sometimes I’m in the mood for YA and sometimes I want to read adult. I usually like to mix things up, so if I’ve just read something challenging I’ll want to read something lighter :)
I have never read any of the Harry Potter books or seen any of the movies. I really need to fix that. I’m sure I’d like the series. I absolutely agree with you, people should read whatever they want regardless of the YA designation. I read a good deal of YA novels and often think if I were ever to write a novel it would be for a YA audience.
As another latecomer to the HP series, I say go for it! I didn’t know you’d thought of writing a novel before. Do you have any ideas on what it would be about?
So glad you’re enjoying HP! I didn’t start reading them until I was a teen – and that was back before YA was coined, when they were still called children’s books. ;) I remember being so embarrassed by all the looks I got going into the children’s section for the next book. But it was such fun to live in that world. I’d stopped reading in my tweens so I definitely attribute HP to rekindling my book love. But I never read the last one – by the time it came out I’d lost my connection to the series. I’d love to do a reread someday; #3 was my fave!
Great to read your thoughts on Kingfisher, too. I think every Jazz Age novel after Rules of Civility had some seriously big shoes to fill! Excited to know what you think of The Snow Queen. I’ve never read Michael Cunningham, but The Hours is one of my favorite movies. I keep wanting to see how his novel is in comparison.
I think you should do a reread some day if you have time! My friend who’s rereading them with me has said that he’s really enjoying it and picking up on details that he’d forgotten or missed before.
That’s so true! Rules of Civility set the bar pretty high and I can’t wait to read what that author writes next. I’m about 100 pages through The Snow Queen right now. So far I think it’s just ok, but I’ll have more thoughts in my next monthly wrap-up.
Yay! Glad you like HP. I has resisted it for a long time because it was just EVERYWHERE I turned. Like Dr. Who and Game of Thrones. And then the first summer I started commuting to my freelance job, I decided it was time and I loved them so much :)
Yeah, sometimes when there’s a lot of hype, I like to resist too because it doesn’t always live up. But sometimes the hype is correct and it’s worth checking out! :)
So happy you liked Harry Potter! The series is one of my favorites, and I’ve kind of been meaning to re-read them one day, since I read them a long time ago! Also been craving to watch the movies lol!
Me too! I’m really loving it and glad I decided to finally read them. Also, I’m looking forward to Saturday! :)
Harry Potter series are such a classic! I loved reading the whole series and watching the movies! You get to see Harry transform from a little boy to a man haha.
katattack2000.wordpress.com
Yes! When I saw the first movie, I couldn’t get over how young they all were!
i have not read one harry potter!! how bad is that?! i saw one of the movies though :)
let’s catch up soon!?
ENTER MY GIVEAWAY!
http://bellesandrebelles.blogspot.com/2014/07/les-jupons-de-tess-summer-2014-giveaway.html
xx.M
It’s not bad at all- I’m finding out that lots of people haven’t read them or haven’t finished the series!
The third HP is my absolute favorite! I’m glad you’re reading all of the books because they’re so wonderful!
~Sara
The third HP is so great, but I feel like the 4th one is where things start to get really serious! I can’t wait to dive into the fifth!
i love the harry potter books! i still remember when i first picked up the sorcerer’s stone! it was right in the middle of finals! :)
Oh boy, I bet you didn’t get a lot of studying done if you were reading HP! ;)