Christmas 2013

Merry Christmas, everybody!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Have a lovely time! Have fun! :) Xxxxxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Silent Night Kings College, Cambridge

Another hymn I like. :)

Kings College Cambridge God rest ye Merry Gentlemen

I love this carol. :)

The World Of Peter Rabbit & Friends ep. 5 - The Tailor of Gloucester

A sweet Christmas story. I love it. :) xx

Nat King Cole - Joy To The World

I love this Christmas song. It's so festive!! :)

Nat King Cole - The First Noel

Wonderful! :D

Nat King Cole - O Holy Night

A lovely Christmas hymn. :)

Dean Martin - Let it Snow!

I love this song. Hope it gets everybody into the Christmas spirit!! :)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

 

 

 

 

What stands out in book 7:

* The Dursleys have a heart after all (sort of)
* Harry comes of age and is now no longer protected by the spell that his mother bestowed on him when she died to save him.
* The second war really gets going in this book. Many lives are lost for the cause.
* House elves show their devotion to good vs evil in the end.
* We see how far the characters have come in their magical ability by the remarkable spells they are able to perform
* A view of the life and family of Albus Dumbledore including unknown tragedies that he endured.
* The REAL life of Severus Snape
* Love between Harry and Ginny and Ron and Hermione (although if you're any sort of fan, you would have guessed this long ago)
* And last but not least the incredible display of love, loyalty and outstanding courage against mind-boggling enormous odds.

Readers beware. The brilliant, breathtaking conclusion to J.K. Rowling's spellbinding series is not for the faint of heart--such revelations, battles, and betrayals await in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that no fan will make it to the end unscathed. Luckily, Rowling has prepped loyal readers for the end of her series by doling out increasingly dark and dangerous tales of magic and mystery, shot through with lessons about honor and contempt, love and loss, and right and wrong. Fear not, you will find no spoilers in our review--to tell the plot would ruin the journey, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is an odyssey the likes of which Rowling's fans have not yet seen, and are not likely to forget. But we would be remiss if we did not offer one small suggestion before you embark on your final adventure with Harry--bring plenty of tissues. 

 

 

 

 

A spectacular finish to a phenomenal series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is a bittersweet read for fans. Enjoy.

 

 



 

 



 



Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

 

 

 

It is Harry Potter's sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As Voldemort's sinister forces amass and a spirit of gloom and fear sweeps the land, it becomes more and more clear to Harry that he will soon have to confront his destiny. But is he up to the challenges ahead of him?

In her darkest and most breathtaking adventure yet, J.K. Rowling skilfully begins to unravel the complex web she has woven, as we discover more of the truth about Harry, Dumbledore, Snape and, of course, He Who Must Not Be Named.

 



 

 

 

What stands out in book 6:

* The introduction of the Horcrux.
* Molly Weasley asking Arthur Weasley about his "dearest ambition." Rowling has always been great at revealing little intriguing bits about her characters at a time, and Arthur’s answer "to find out how airplanes stay up" reminds us about his obsession with Muggles.
* Harry's private lessons with Dumbledore, and more time spent with the fascinating and dangerous pensieve, arguably one of Rowling’s most ingenious inventions.
* Fred and George Weasley’s Joke Shop, and the slogan: "Why Are You Worrying About You-Know-Who? You Should Be Worrying About U-NO-POO--the Constipation Sensation That's Gripping the Nation!"
* Luna's Quidditch commentary. Rowling created scores of Luna Lovegood fans with hilarious and bizarre commentary from the most unlikely Quidditch commentator.
* The effects of Felix Felicis.
* We get a fascinating view of the history of Tom Riddle.
* The major question of the book: Whose side is Snape really on?


 



 

 
 

 

 

Book 6 is a lot darker than the other books in the series. It is heartbreaking but funny as the characters start to fall in love with each other. I really like this book! Enjoy! :)
 



Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

 

Harry Potter, along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, is about to start his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry can't wait to get back to school after the summer holidays. (Who wouldn't if they lived with the horrible Dursleys?) But when Harry gets to Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There's an escaped mass murderer on the loose, and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school...

 

I really like that we took a break from the Voldemort plotline, and got a better look at Harry's parent's past. It added to his character arc in such a unique way, because this is the first book that I have felt like Harry was able to be well and truly happy. Knowing even just these small parts of his past (and things like why his father was nicknamed prongs-- fab!) seemed to add pieces to his own identity, enough to change his entire demeanor. And I was so happy for him, finally having Sirius and Lupin to look to as proper family--people who he knows really care about him. I love that part on the last page where Harry tells the Dursleys about Sirius, saying, "He was my mum and dad's best friend. He's a convicted murderer, but he's broken out of Wizard prison and he's on the run. He likes to keep in touch with me, though . . . keep up with my news . . .check if I'm happy . . ."

 

 

 
A few other things I liked are the Marauder's Map--which is fantastic! I want one. I love the time-turner part, it is brilliant and made the latter part of the book into very suspenseful reading.  Enjoy!! :)

 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

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 Lockheart, 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 beings, 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.

This is one of my lest favourite books in the series. I’m not a big fan of the giant spider detour, and to be blunt, Dobby the house-elf is somewhat irritating as well as Professor Lockhart. On the other hand, the Chamber of Secrets is a thrilling mystery, and I love the storyline with Tom Riddle’s old diary, which seems to be a magical revelation into the past, but turns out to be something much more sinister. I remember being amazed by the twist at the end when we discover the other, more famous identity of handsome, popular golden boy Tom Riddle.

Autumn and Winter Reading 2013

Books I want to read this Autumn and Winter are:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 





 

 

Happy reading, everyone! Snuggle up with a good book! :)