In My Mailbox (2)

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by Kristi over at The Story Siren where we share what books we've purchased, borrowed, recieved, etc. etc. I don't buy/borrow/recieve enough books for a weekly IMM, but I do one every month. Here's a link to February. And here's March's finds:

Bought:

Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer

Firelight by Sophie Jodan

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Library Finds:

Fire by Kristin Cashore

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Choker by Elizabeth Woods

All We Know of Heaven: A Novel by Jacquelyn Mitchard

Borrowed:

Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs

Goddess Boot Camp by Tera Lynn Childs

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright and David Leslie Johnson

Harry Potter 5-7

A continuation of yesterday, click here, here are numbers five through seven of the Harry Potter Series.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:

This one was full of action and surprises (not all of them good). Harry is in a really angry mood throughout this book, and it bugged me a lot because his anger drove tons of wedges between him and others. He didn't focus so much on his adventure, and I missed that. #5 also gives us a better view of what's going on outside of Hogwarts, like the Ministry. It also introduces us to the worst of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, Dolores Umbridge (who, I might add, I wanted to throw off a cliff for the entirety of the book.)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:

My favorite of the seven, #6 was the calm before the storm. I loved the Pensieve and the memories that Dumbledore had. Although this book is rather slow, I did enjoy the mystery behind the Half-Blood Prince. It made you think back to the previous novels for anyone that could have written in it. Hermione bugged me with this one, because she didn't let up on Harry and the Prince. This novel also had a very shocking ending, to which I cried. A lot.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

This novel just kept getting better as we neared the end. I missed Hogwarts and the little adventures Harry had there, but I also thought it was interesting to visit other wizards and witches that Harry met along the way. I didn't like how far away from the action they were, but once you got inside, it was a thrilling roller coaster full of secrets, lies, and bravery. There are so many twists, and I though that chapter thirty-three summed it up nicely. With a twisty but happy ending, J. K. Rowling ends the brilliant Harry Potter Series.

This series is definitely one of my all-time favorites. I'm sure I'll reread them later on, but for now, I have a must read list to attend to. If you haven't read these books, I highly recommend you do. They are so great and they teach you tons of things along the way. The cast of characters are hilarious, but also kind and wise. I loved them all. Brilliant, breathtaking, spectacular, these books will go down in history, hands down.

Harry Potter 1-4

You know those books that don't really need reviews because they're just known as amazing novels? Examples: The Twilight Saga, The Vampire Diaries, and, oh, yeah, The Harry Potter series. But, as the novels were so good and they're so widely known, I'm going to post the books, what I liked about them, and what made them so good to me. Since there are seven, I'm posting the first four today.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone:

As the first book in the series, I think it did a good job of introducing us to Harry and having Ron and Hermione come into the story. Although I think J. K. Rowling could have had more about Hogwarts, she made up with the rest of the books (obviously). I never really got past the first two chapters the first two attempts to read the entire series, probably because the action doesn't come until Hogwarts and I just wasn't interested. Although this book may set you off from the series, I highly encourage you to continue on with it.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:

So now that we've had our first adventure with Harry, and we've experienced Voldemort, the story somewhat picks up and is more centered around characterization and the nooks and crannies of Hogwarts. We experience a little more about the life at Hogwarts, and as we progress into the story, we come to know one of the many myths about Hogwarts. Including the Chamber of Secrets. I thought that when Harry, Ron, and Hermione were in the Chamber, it went by fast. They found everything quicker than I would have liked, and then suddenly they were at their destination. Although I thought Harry and Riddle's diary was very interesting.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:

Now we're introduced to dementors, and the wizarding prison of Azkaban. We also learn more of Harry's family, especially his father and his father's time in Hogwarts. Sirius was an interesting feature and I thought the mystery behind it all was awesome. Did Sirius really kill all those other wizards and Muggles? If not, what's the real story? Also Hagrid becoming the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, and Harry having to defend him from Malfoy. All in all, another great stepladder into greater books.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:

Not one of my favorites, although you could vouch the point that I read two books on top of this one. The Triwizard Tournement was alright but I didn't like the long intervals of time in between. It dragged, as Harry tried to figure out who was trying to kill him, and keep Sirius and Buckbeak safe. The adventure doesn't start until the final task and Harry's sent to Voldemort and all of that, and Mad-Eye reveals himself and whatnot. Not the best out of the series, but it was OK.


Books 5-7 coming tomorrow. Happy reading!

Release: Entwined by Heather Dixon

Azalea is trapped. Just when she should feel that everything is before her . . . beautiful gowns, dashing suitors, balls filled with dancing . . . it's taken away. All of it.

The Keeper understands. He's trapped, too, held for centuries within the walls of the palace. And so he extends an invitation.
Every night, Azalea and her eleven sisters may step through the enchanted passage in their room to dance in his silver forest.

But there is a cost.

The Keeper likes to keep things.

Azalea may not realize how tangled she is in his web until it is too late.
__


As a little girl, I loved the Twelve Dancing Princesses story. The thought of there being a totally different world where the princesses danced all night was brilliant. This sounds so enchanting, having a childhood story come back to life in a more grown up format. I can't wait to read it! Hope it's just as great as it sounds!

Daily Dose (15)

Daily Dose is a meme hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly where we share wonderful, beautiful, and imaginative photos.

Here's to spring and the joy and blessings it brings....

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (15)

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey where we share what books we've read, what we're currently reading, and what we're hoping to read. Another week comes to an end, bringing snow and the end of Harry Potter...yes I've finished the wonderful and breathless Harry Potter series. More to come on that in the week. But for now, let's see what's happened:

Read:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

Reading:

Stolen by Lucy Christopher

The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J. K. Rowling

To Read:
Choker by Elizabeth Woods

Kiss Me, Kill Me by Lauren Henderson

The Wonderful Days of Winter in Minnesota

Ugh. Snow. It's nice when it's all fluffy and it's Christmas time and you're like "La, la, la, let's go play in the snow!" And you make snow angels and snowmen and all that great stuff. But it's not nice when at seven in the morning you're trying to get out of your driveway but the car's stuck and so you have to nearly accept defeat and trek back inside where it's warm and you have hot chocolate, until the snow gives and you can drive on the horrible roads.

Then when you do manage to get home after a long days work, the snow plow's come along, and your house is nearly invisible behind the wall of snow. So you have to push and shove with your car until the snow gives again. Of course, then you have to shovel and blow the snow away, taking hours and lots of strength. And finally, when you manage to get back inside, plop down on the couch, and pull your laptop towards you, you realize there's no Internet. And the land line's dead. What a wonderful world of winter....

(Yes, this is how my day went yesterday. Of course, it had it's pluses, like letting me read for nearly two hours! Don't you just love coincidences like this?)

(Of course, it's still cold, and the snow's still there, and the roads are still bad, but hey, at least we have 10,000 lakes and fish)