Looking Back - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling 

Juvenile Fiction/Fantasy

2000 Scholastic

Read in August 2000

Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Harry Potter is midway through his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for hundreds of years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal - even by wizarding standards. 

And in his case, different can be deadly.

My Original Thoughts (2000):

Another enjoyable installment in the Harry Potter series, but I don't share the enthusiasm of most readers. I like these books, but I don't think this one's all that great.

My Current Thoughts:

I read this a second time (on audio) in 2016 and enjoyed the audio much better than the print edition. I gave it 4/5 rating. Here's my original blog post for that second reading: 

This was a partial re-read, as I never finished the book the first time around. In an effort to read all the books in the series before the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I decided to listen to the remaining books. This installment was highly entertaining on audio, thanks to Jim Dale. I can certainly see why everyone was so anxious for the next release. Final Thoughts: Another winner! My only complaint is that listening to the details of the World Quiddich Cup became tedious and I found myself zoning out as I listened. Listening to Fred and George's bantering also became a bit tiresome. In spite of these quibbles, I'm glad I finally made time to listen to the book.

Looking Back - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

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

2000 Scholastic

Read in July 2000

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Ever since Harry Potter had come home for the summer, the Dursleys had been so mean and hideous that all Harry 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 who says that if Harry 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 and a spirit who haunts the girls’ bathroom. But then the real trouble begins – someone is 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!

My Original Thoughts (2000):

Very entertaining. I enjoyed it just as much as The Sorcerer's Stone. I don't know if I'd go so far to say it was great, but I bought all four in hard cover and hope Rod will read them, too.

My Current Thoughts:

A very enjoyable installment to the series. I read it a second time in 2007 (reviewed here).

Looking Back - Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter #1
Young Reader Fiction
1998 Scholastic
Read in May 1999
Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.

My Original Notes (1999):

Young adult fiction. Fantasy. On The New York Times best-seller list for weeks. Highly recommended by several Books.com members. These are the same readers who loved Phillip Pullman's The Golden Compass. Unfortunately, I don't share their enthusiasm for these youthful fantasies. Harry Potter was good, but I was easily bored and distracted while reading. Have I lost my inner child??

My Current Thoughts:

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past 20 years, you've either read this book, watched the movie, or at least recognize the boy with the scar on his forehead. I'm not sure how long it was after reading this story that I went on to listen to the audiobook (read by the amazing Jim Dale) but in spite of listening to his great narration, I'm not sure if it helped turn me into a Harry Potter fan. I did go on to read the entire series, but I wasn't as impressed as other readers.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter, #7
Juvenile Fiction/Fantasy
2015 Audio Pottermore from J.K. Rowling (Originally published in 2007)
Read by Jim Dale
Finished on June 23, 2016
Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

It's no longer safe for Harry at Hogwarts, so he and his best friends, Ron and Hermione, are on the run. Professor Dumbledore has given them clues about what they need to do to defeat the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort, once and for all, but it's up to them to figure out what these hints and suggestions really mean.

Their cross-country odyssey has them searching desperately for the answers, while evading capture or death at every turn. At the same time, their friendship, fortitude, and sense of right and wrong are tested in ways they never could have imagined.

The ultimate battle between good and evil that closes out this final chapter of the epic series takes place where Harry's Wizarding life began: at Hogwarts. The satisfying conclusion offers shocking last-minute twists, incredible acts of courage, powerful new forms of magic, and the resolution of many mysteries.

Above all, this intense, cathartic book serves as a clear statement of the message at the heart of the Harry Potter series: that choice matters much more than destiny, and that love will always triumph over death.

I feel like this final installment was better than the previous two in the series, but the first two were by far the best. I'm glad to have read all seven books, but I can't say that I'm a huge fan. As usual, Jim Dale is an outstanding reader and without his superb narration, I doubt I would have continued with the audio books.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter, #6
Juvenile Fiction/Fantasy
2015 Audio Pottermore from J.K. Rowling (Originally published in 2005)
Read by Jim Dale
Finished on June 9, 2016
Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

The war against Voldemort is not going well: even Muggle governments are noticing. Ron scans the obituary pages of The Daily Prophet looking for familiar names. Dumbledore is absent from Hogwarts for long stretches of time, and the Order of the Phoenix has already suffered losses. And yet …

As in all wars, life goes on. Sixth-year students learn to apparate, and lose a few eyebrows in the process. The Weasley twins expand their business. Teenagers flirt and fight and fall in love. Classes are never straightforward, though Harry receives some extraordinary help from the mysterious Half-Blood Prince.

So it's the home front that takes center stage in the multilayered sixth installment of the story of Harry Potter. Harry struggles to uncover the identity of the Half-Blood Prince, the past owner of a potions textbook he now possesses that is filled with ingenious, potentially deadly, spells. But Harry's life is suddenly changed forever when someone close to him is heinously murdered right before his eyes.

With Dumbledore's guidance, he seeks out the full, complex story of the boy who became Lord Voldemort, and thereby attempts to find what may be his only vulnerability.

There's really not much to say about this series that hasn't already been discussed. I thought this installment was better than Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, but not as good as the first two in the series. Jim Dale is a marvelous reader for the audios, so I was entertained. I was also very sad to learn that another beloved character had died. Yes, I lived under a rock, ignoring all the chatter about the details of this character's demise. ;)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter, #5
Juvenile Fiction/Fantasy
2015 Pottermore from J.K. Rowling (Originally published in 2003)
Read by Jim Dale
Finished on May 31, 2016
Rating: 2.5/5 (Fair)

Publisher's Blurb:

Harry Potter is due to start his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His best friends Ron and Hermione have been very secretive all summer and he is desperate to get back to school and find out what has been going on. However, what Harry discovers is far more devastating than he could ever have expected...

Suspense, secrets and thrilling action from the pen of J.K. Rowling ensure an electrifying adventure that is impossible to put down.

Boring! I was really not interested in this installment at all, but decided to keep going since I wanted to finish the series. The book was ok, but I didn't love it like the first in the series. I did go on and read the remaining books, though. I had to see what happened next.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
Harry Potter, #4
Juvenile Fiction/Fantasy
2015 Pottermore from J.K. Rowling (Originally published in 2000)
Read by Jim Dale
Finished on April 9, 2016
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Harry Potter is midway through both his training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event that's supposed to take place at Hogwarts this year, an event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn't happened for hundreds of years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. But unfortunately for Harry Potter, he's not normal - even by wizarding standards.

And in his case, different can be deadly.

This was a partial re-read, as I never finished the book the first time around. In an effort to read all the books in the series before the release of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, I decided to listen to the remaining books. This installment was highly entertaining on audio, thanks to Jim Dale. I can certainly see why everyone was so anxious for the next release.

Final Thoughts:

Another winner! My only complaint is that listening to the details of the World Quiddich Cup became tedious and I found myself zoning out as I listened. Listening to Fred and George's bantering also became a bit tiresome. In spite of these quibbles, I'm glad I finally made time to listen to the book.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
Children's/Fantasy
2015 Pottermore by J.K.Rowling Audio (Originally published in 1999)
Read by Jim Dale
Finished on March 24, 2016
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

"'Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board and we can take you anywhere you want to go.'"

When the Knight Bus crashes through the darkness and screeches to a halt in front of him, it's the start of another far from ordinary year at Hogwarts for Harry Potter. Sirius Black, escaped mass-murderer and follower of Lord Voldemort, is on the run - and they say he is coming after Harry. In his first ever Divination class, Professor Trelawney sees an omen of death in Harry's tea leaves.... But perhaps most terrifying of all are the Dementors patrolling the school grounds, with their soul-sucking kiss....

It's been years since I've read this series, and since I stalled at book 5, I decided to start listening to the remaining books before the new one was released in July. The first books in this series are by far my favorites. I love Jim Dale and this was an especially entertaining listen!
 
Final Thoughts:

Well worth a third reading! And, this pretty much sums up my feelings:

"To call Dale a 'reader' of books is like saying Monet was a Sunday painter." (Los Angeles Times)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. RowlingYoung Adult Fiction/Fantasy
Finished on 4/24/07
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)




This was just as entertaining as the first time I read it. Such a delightfully fun series!

Count Down to:


87 days!
Favorite quote:
It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. (ProfessorAlbus Dumbledore)

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Young Adult Fiction
Finished on 3/1/07
Rating: 4/5 (Very good)



I can’t imagine there’s anyone who hasn’t heard of the Harry Potter series, even if they’ve been living under a rock for the past decade. The media attention has been far too wide-spread for even those individuals wishing to escape the news to miss out on the excitement centered around Harry, Hogwarts and the magical world of wizards. So there’s really no need to summarize the story, is there?
This was my second reading of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and it was just as entertaining, if not more so, than the first time around nearly eight years ago. I was a little concerned that I'd be bored with the all-too-familiar story, but enough time had passed and I'd forgotten quite a few of the details.

With the upcoming release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (on July 21st), I hope to re-read all the books in this series. Well, with the exception of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Those will be first-reads since I never got around to them when they were first published. I just lost interest, but now I'm excited to revisit Harry and his pals at Hogwarts. Nice to know I'm off to a good start!