Tag / J.K. Rowling

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Book 26 (of 52) – Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince – J.K. Rowling

After a 3 month break (thanks mostly to Angelina not giving me the next book), I returned to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth and penultimate entry in the series.  In this installment, Harry finds an old potions book with shortcuts and spells added by the so-called Half Blood Prince.  Meanwhile, Dumbledore tries to track down bits of Voldemort’s soul before falling to the Death Eaters.

The series takes a darker turn here, as Harry and his classmates come closer to adulthood and learn they will need to face the coming battles without their headmaster.  There is one more book in the series, which I hope to finish by the end of the year.  Assuming, of course, that Angelina cooperates.

by jim

Book 17 (of 52) – Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – J.K. Rowling

The fifth installment of the Harry Potter series sees our intrepid heroes fighting against a wizarding world that does not believe them that Voldemort has returned.  As the Ministry of Magic attempts to take over Hogwarts and control the actions of Harry and crew, the young wizards look to do battle against the Death Eaters while preparing for their testing.

In a twist of fate that had more to do with things going on in my world as I read this, I found myself relating to Harry’s feelings of disillusion as the things that brought him joy at Hogwarts are taken away from him by Dolores Umbridge.  This was, I’m lead to believe, the longest book of the series and seems to be setting up the end game as the forces of good prepare to do their final battle against the forces of evil.

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Book 14 (of 52) – Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire – J.K. Rowling

The fourth installment of the Harry Potter series sees our heroes return to Hogwarts for their fourth year of schooling, with the wizarding world aflutter with the return of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, held for the first time in hundreds of years.  When Harry finds himself chosen as school champion, despite not having entered, he must figure out who is trying to kill him, while surviving the three challenges of the tournament.

The stakes kick up a bit in this entry, as the villain of the series, Lord Voldemort, makes his first real appearance.  I did manage to read most of this book either on the way to or at Universal Studios, home of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park.  That certainly boosted my enjoyment somewhat.  Now that I’m more than half way through this reading experiment, I’m glad the end is in sight.

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Book 10 (of 52) – Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – J.K. Rowling

The second installment of the Harry Potter series sees Harry, Ron, and Hermione return to Hogwarts for their second year of wizard school.  Once again, the trio stumble upon an evil plot at the school that only they can deal with.

As I explained last time, I’m not exactly reading these books because I want to, but out of a sense of obligation.  That said, I did find myself enjoying this one more than the first.  Whether that was just out of familiarity with the characters or actual enjoyment, I haven’t figured out yet.  Anyway, on to the next one!

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Book 3 (of 52) – Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone – J.K. Rowling

After this novel was released in 1998, Harry Potter became a bit of a global phenomenon.  One I had managed to mostly avoid, until now.  With a trip (or 2) planned to Universal Studios later this year and with a promise from a certain someone to quit smoking should I read all the books and watch all the movies, I went about reading the first entry in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to see what the fuss was about.

And, I have no idea what all the fuss was about.  I can see why kids would enjoy it, but the response from adults is mostly a mystery to me.  Other than a small bit at the end, there was little in the way of excitement in the entire book.  I’m told the books get better, but I’m not entirely looking forward to finding out if that is true or not.