Winter Reading Roundup

I always find April a little bitter-sweet. I mean, I'm happy that it's finally spring and the snow is starting to melt and the weather is getting warmer, but at the same time, where has this year gone?! Last year, I didn't do monthly recaps (because I never felt I had enough to say for one), but I did do a 6-month recap. This year, after I wrote my 2013 goals post, I decided I would do quarterly updates. Mostly to keep myself in line and more accountable to said goals.

So here's a quick look at where I'm at:

1. Get Back to Basics: I haven't been meal-planning, but I have been cooking much more often, although I haven't tried any new recipes. I've been packing my lunches for work, but only the snacks portion. I'm still struggling to find foods to take for lunch that are easy to eat in my car. Someone mentioned using a thermos so that I could then take leftovers to eat (which are my favourite lunches). Does anyone have a type/brand they recommend?

2. Get Off my Butt: In February, I bit the bullet and got myself a gym membership. When the gym I had been wanting to join, opened up another location a block from my work, I took it as a sign. I'm proud to say I've been going 3-4 times per week since I joined. Except for this one workout fail.

3. Walk the Dog: While he still gets out at least once a day, it's not always in the morning on my days off and Jim and I don't always go in the evenings together even when we can. I like to believe that the cold weather had something to do with this - why should we ALL suffer from the freezing temperatures when we can divide up the time spent out in the cold? And sometimes, when it's not freezing cold out, we don't just walk, we RUN.

4. Cook-Book Scrap Booking: Fail. Haven't even started. But I think about it a lot.

5. Abolish Clutter: Working on it. The Shit room is tidier  but that's just because Jim organized the junk in there into neat piles because we had a guy coming over to look at the furnace.

6. Write: While I often fall behind several days in writing in my Q & A book, I have been staying caught up with writing in it. It's fun!

 7. Finish Unfinished Projects: (ie. finish unfinished furniture projects). Saving this one for the warmer weather!

8. Catch Up:  Hmmm...well, I can't say I've caught up on my "reviews", heck, when's the last time I even posted a review - besides Harry Potter musings?!

9. Read: Goodreads says I'm 3 books behind if I want to make my goal of 50 books per year. Which is pretty good considering I have about 5 books on the go right now. But there's always room to read more...every time I choose to play games on my phone, spend time on the computer, or watch TV...is time I could have spent reading instead.

10. Stop Biting My Nails: Ha...Hahaha!

In Other Bookish News:

- I'm still trudging along with The Harry Potter Readalong. I've fallen behind ever since going to Mexico last month and have been struggling to catch up. These books are HUGE! But I really want to finish reading them or I worry I never will. And not because I'm not loving them. You just know how it is...books constantly get pushed to the back burner for newer books! Jim and I have also started watching the movies as I finish each book in the series and we're quite enjoying them. 

-I recently just finished listening to Sophie Kinsella's, I've Got Your Number in my car while I'm out and about working, and I loved it! The story was fun and cute and the narrator was a pleasure to listen to.

-Last weekend I started at the top of my bookshelves and started scanning all my unread books into goodreads. I will never say I will stop buying books, but I thought if I had a real list of all the unread books I own, I might be more inclined to read more off this list. I'm only half way done scanning and I'm already at 80 owned and unread books. Sigh. This little project has only proven to raise my sense of feeling overwhelmed. But it's also nice to feel somewhat organized about my TBR.

The Stats:

Books read this year so far: 7

Harry Potter and the Philospher's Stone (Readalong posts #1 & #2)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Readalong posts #1 & #2)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Readalong posts #1 & #2)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Readalong posts #1 & #2 to come)
The Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowder
Beautiful Creatures (Caster Chronicles #1) by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl
I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella (audio version)

Number of pages read: 2340

Percentage of fiction: 100%

Percentage of female authors read: 100%

Percentage of Canadian authors read: 14%

So let's bring on spring! As much as I love reading all snuggled up on the couch, I much prefer to sit outside on the deck and get lost in a book. Warm weather, I am ready for you!

What books did you read this winter? 

Do you prefer cozying up indoors to read or taking 

your book out into the sunshine?

"But most of all, you need to practise constant, never-ceasing vigilance".

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Part 1 & 2

 Sooo...this past Friday I was supposed to have my last post up for the Goblet of Fire, except, I haven't had any posts up for Goblet of Fire yet. I know, I'm failing at this readalong. #failing. My excuses are nothing new: work, life, sickness, poor time management, etc. But I'm not giving up just yet! I'm only half way done the Goblet of Fire so I'm going to do one post for the first half of this book and a second one for the second half, in attempts to catch up to the rest of the readalongers in Alice's HARRY POTTER READALONG ALL THE GIFS.

And in an effort to make up for lost time, these posts will be sweet and short (bullet-point style!) and of course, spoilers are fair game.

Random Thoughts on Chapters 1 thru 20:

*The Quidditch World Cup = boooorrrring. And it seemed like a lot of work to set up, and a lot of memory charms on Muggles, just for one game! But the tents = awesome and I would totally be up for camping more often than I actually do if my tent looked like the Weasley's on the inside. Although, come to think of it, some people's RV trailers are pretty much like their homes on wheels...

*If everybody already knows what's going to be revealed at school, why can't Harry, Ron and Hermione know? And since they aren't even old enough to enter the Triwizard Tournament anyway, does it matter if they know?

*I think one of my favourite parts is when Hermione is outraged over learning that Hogwart's employs over 100 house-elves: 'But they get paid?' she said. 'They get holidays, don't they? And - sick leave, and pensions and everything?' (p.161).  Leave it to Hermione to make it her mission to fight for the rights of house-elves.

*"Spotted dick" - and a million young children (and me) reading this book giggled.

*I honestly thought Harry and Ginny might have a "thing", but Ginny is pretty non-existent in this book so far and then there's this: "...[Harry] had just won the Triwizard Tournament...Cho's face stood out particularly clearly in the blurred crowd, her face glowing with admiration...Harry grinned into his pillow, exceptionally glad that Ron couldn't see what he could." (p.170)

*We meet Professor Moody and while the description of his appearance gives me the chills, "It looked as though [his face] had been carved out of weathered wood by someone who had only the vaguest idea of what a human face were supposed to look like,and was none too skilled with a chisel." (p. 163), I have a feeling Professor Moody has been employed by Hogwart's to protect Harry.

*Even before the names are drawn for contestants of the Triwizard Tournament, we all know Harry's name will be called (duh). And maybe it's just me, but no one seemed that concerned with HOW Harry's name got in the goblet or WHO put his name in it. They seem more concerned with following the rules of whoever's name is called MUST compete, no exceptions, even if Harry isn't of competing age.

*Ron, Ron, Ron. Now, after all you've been through together, you don't believe Harry when he says he didn't enter his own name into the goblet?! I get it, you're jealous, but you've always been a *little* jealous.

*We end this first half of the book with Harry preparing for the first task in the Triwizard tournament. Is it too early to predict that Harry will do well in all the tasks??*

I know I've missed many things I would probably want to talk about had I done the readings and these posts on time, but even with my little notebook, this is all I got friends. But on the upside! I have watched the first two movies so far! And I will finish this readalong to the end, goddammit, even if it means I'm still writing these posts long after everyone else is finished (but hopefully not!).


*Edit: I was just looking back at my notes and I see that Chapter 20 actually ends with Harry completing the first task in the Triwizard tournament. Successfully of course.

"This is magic at its deepest, its most impenetrable, Harry."

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Part II

So...I'm not doing to well with getting my Harry Potter Friday posts up on Friday...but better late than never, right? Right? I finished the book yesterday and HOLY SHIT. I still have so many feelings about everything that happened! I don't even know where to start. I'm also supposed to be packing for Mexico for tomorrow, but PRIORITIES. So for this post, I don't want to over-analyze and think too much about some of the things that I know don't make a whooooole lotta sense, I just want to keep all the feels that I'm feeling.  Because PoA is definitely my favourite book in the series so far.

Also, *spoiler warning* for the rest of this post! (You know, if you're one of those rare people who hasn't read Harry Potter yet.)

Sometimes I felt dumb while reading this book and not being able to predict what was going to happen, or who was going to end up actually being bad or actually being good, because, come on, I'm not a 12-year old reading this for the first time, but seriously guys, I don't think I saw anything that happened in the end coming. I knew in the first half of the book that there were some things/people that seemed up to something or just not right, but I just didn't know what these things were going to amount to.

Quick run-down on my thoughts:

-I didn't want to say it in my last post in case I ended up being wrong, but I really wanted Sirius Black to be good! When the truth about him came out, I was SO happy. Those moments between Black and Harry, where Harry discovers the truth about Sirius, Pettigrew, Lupin and his father were my favourite scenes this entire series so far. And when Black asks Harry if he might want to consider living with him during the summers since he's he rightful guardian, I honestly had tears in my eyes. Of course, it was all too good to be true (for now), but I'm certain we haven't seen the last of Black just yet.

-So Lupin wasn't being poisoned by Snape like I originally thought, but I still don't like him. And while I'm relieved that Lupin isn't dying, his being a werewolf doesn't seem all that much better to me seeing as how he can no longer teach at Hogwarts anyway. I'm disappointed Lupin has to leave - he was one of my favourite new characters this book! 

-I was so sure that Crookshanks wasn't really a cat - when actually it was Scabbers that wasn't really a rat. Crookshanks is one smart kitty. Although, if Harry, Ron and Hermione had been half as smart as Crookshanks, they would have listened to the sneakoscope back in Chapter 11 when it went off when Crookshanks and Scabbers were both near it.

-I know it seems a lot to expect a young boy like Harry to have killed Pettigrew when he had the chance, but I really wish someone had killed him. Why would they think he could be securely imprisoned in Azkaban if he's an Animagus? Wouldn't he be able to change into a rat and easily escape? That's how Black escaped after all.  Poor thinking on all of their behalves, I gotta say. Even if they catch him now, what's stopping Pettigrew from turning into a rat again? MAKES NO SENSE. Although, I did love the whole idea of an Animagus.

 

-I've always loved the idea of time-travel, but I find time-travel works best if you don't over think it. Over thinking time-travel = flaws galore.

Ok that's all I got off the top of my head! I really should go pack now before hubby loses it. Also, I apologize to any of you readalongers who are reading this - I don't have time to read anyone's posts for this week, but I will be back next week to make super-late comments on your posts! I also won't be having a post for the first part of Goblet of Fire as I will be in Mexico until the 26th, but I will do a double post the following Friday, promise!

Them Azkaban guards give me the collywobbles.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Part I

Well helloooo, Prisoner of Azkaban! I mean, everyone made it pretty clear in their posts last week that they couldn't wait to move on to PoA, and I just kinda nodded my head in agreement because you guys know best,  BUT NOW, now I see why. This book is picking up THE PACE and things are getting scary-serious. Grims, Sirius Black, The Dementors...JKR isn't messing around. I think I would have been a teeeeeny bit scared to have read this as a kid.

Of course, this book starts out like the first two books did (and which I'm sure all the rest will), with Harry home with the horrible Dursley's for the summer. And while there is some "recap" work done to catch up those who choose to jump into a series the third book in (SERIOUSLY, WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!), it's definitely bearable. But Harry got the hell outta dodge after he lost his cool and inflated his Aunt Marge ala Violet Beauregarde style.

Ok, enough of this paragraph business - let's switch over to bullet points for the rest of my random thoughts thus far in PoA. There's just too much to talk about and I am sort of on vacation right now so time is of the essence!

~"Black's not going to be caught by a thirteen-year-old wizard." (p.50) Ha! We'll see about that!

~"It was common knowledge that Snape wanted the Defence Against the Dark Arts job..." (p. 72)  Why can't Snape be the professor for this class??

~Hermione is acting really weird. What's she up to? (Don't answer that!)

~I kinda love Lupin. He's so calm and approachable. But why did he ride the train to Hogwart's? And why are his robes so old and shabby? You'd think the school would have a budget for robes for the professors. Or at least some "loaners". AND why is he the only one that seems to get "ill" at Hogwart's?

~I'm pretty sure Snape's "get better" potion he's making for Lupin isn't actually going to make him "better". I just don't trust Snape. AT ALL.

Nope, don't trust him.

~While Harry has only used The Marauder's Map to get himself to Hogsmeade so far, I'm sure this map will prove to be far more useful later on in the book.

~If Serius Black really did send Harry his new broom, how did it get delivered to Harry's bed? How do ANY of the Christmas presents get to the foot of the student's beds??

~Is Crookshanks really just a cat?? Something about him seems suspicious...

Harry Potter is greater by far than Dobby knew!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Part II

And just like that, I apologize to Dobby for all the horrible things I said about him and for wanting nothing more than to strangle him. When he caught that sock that Mr Malfoy accidentally threw at him (well played, Harry, well played), and he realized what it meant - well...I...*tears in my eyes*.

And when I actually thought for a minute that Ginny had been killed, I just - couldn't. I mean, I don't have *feelings* for her (yet), but I wouldn't want any one of the Weasley's to die. Plus, I have my suspicions that her and Harry might have a thing in the later books...

I'm glad Lockhart got what was coming to him. Really, it couldn't have been executed more perfectly. I'm surprised he hadn't accidentally cast a spell on himself before. What a dumb-ass.

I like how JKR totally made us think that Ginny had walked in on Percy doing *you know what* (is that even appropriate for a young reader's book?) but then said he was just making out with his girlfriend. Even if that WAS what he was doing (making out), why imply earlier on that it was something else. Or am I the ONLY ONE who's mind went there?!

Let's talk about Harry:

- He's our hero - again. But not before having almost the entire school, his own house included, thinking that he's actually the heir to Slytherin. And it didn't help his case that Harry can talk to snakes in snake language (ie. Parselmouth), which was an ability possessed by Salazar Slytherin.

-But no matter what other people thought or gossiped about, Hermione and Ron stood by his side. And even though it seems like Harry didn't get either of them a Christmas gift (again), he at least remembered to give them his phone number at the end of the school year. BUT - and I know I keep going back to this - why doesn't Harry just spend the entire summer with the Weasley's?? Everyone knows that the Dursley's locked Harry up the previous summer and treat him horribly. And Harry SAVED Ginny's life! I'm sure the Weasley's would be happy to have Harry even if he hadn't saved their little girl. Is every book in this series going to start off with a few chapters on how horrible the Dursley's are to Harry? WE GET IT JKR.

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." (p. 245)

Oh  ya! And Hagrid! I'm so glad he wasn't actually the one to have opened the Chamber 50 years ago! And how can you not love someone who loves ALL animals/creatures as much as Hagrid does? Even if said creatures include HUGE spiders *shudder*. While I'm sure Hagrid is happy to remain in his title as gamekeeper, I do think his name should be publicly cleared at Hogwart's.

Best quote this book:

"Snape was looking as though the first person to ask him for a Love Potion would be force-fed poison" (p. 177)

"Go home Harry Potter. Go home."

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Part I

In case you haven't been following along (why aren't you following along!?), we are now on the second book of Harry Potter in Alice's super-awesome Harry Potter Readalong and all the gifs. Of course, this post was supposed to be up on Friday, but I blame work and birthday celebrations for a good friend. Also, we all already know I'm like the last person on Earth to read Harry Potter, but just in case you fall into that 0.01% with me, then know that these posts are potentially full of spoilers.*

So after the the Philosopher's Stone, Harry has to go home and spend the summer with the horrible, good-for-nothing Dursley's. But my question is: WHY? Couldn't he have just gone straight to Ron's? Or stayed behind and lived with Hagrid? Isn't someone watching over Harry based on the fact that they now know how poorly the Dursley's have treated him all his life? I know, I know, it makes the story more interesting...because hello - flying car!

But before Ron and his brother's break Harry out of the Dursley's in their FLYING CAR, we meet Dobby. Dobby, the most annoying little house elf if I've ever known one, is hell-bent on keeping Harry from returning to Hogwart's. Something about Harry being in mortal danger if he should return. It seems fitting that I have a picture of myself strangling Dobby:

{circa 2007}

Of course, Harry doesn't listen to Dobby (there would be no story then), and spends the last month of his summer with the Weasley's, which Harry proclaims to be "the happiest of his life". Oh Harry. The usual back-to-school shopping is done and Harry sees for himself how poor (money wise), the Weasley's actually are. Which brings up another question: Why doesn't Harry offer to buy Ron something for school? I mean, they did let him stay with them and they fed him for an entire month!  And then, later on, when they are back in school and Ron's wand is broken, Harry daftly states "write home for another one"- as if he hasn't actually seen the bare insides of the Weasley's bank vault. No Harry, YOU should buy Ron a new wand! Or is that expecting too much from a 12 year old boy?

{You tell him, Alfred}

We are also introduced another new character in the Chamber of Secrets: Gilderoy Lockhart - the author of the majority of their school text books and their new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. For the most part, I just find his character quite amusing. Not sure how he achieved the status that he has, seeing as all of his spells go wrong.

We end this first half of the book with:
-Harry hearing voices
-learning that the house names come from the 4 wizards and witches that founded Hogwarts
-the original Slytherin (the wizard from which this name comes from), left Hogwarts at one point in a disagreement and built a hidden chamber of secrets in the castle and the only person who can open it is the true heir (whoever that is - Malfoy? Harry?)
-Hermione convinces Ron and Harry that they must make The Polyjuice Potion in order to get inside information from Malfoy.
-Harry breaks his arm in Quidditch, Gilderoy Lockhart performs another shoddy spell to fix Harry's arm, but ends up turning it into a rubber glove.

So while Harry lies in the infirmary, waiting for his arm to heal, Dobby returns and tells him to go home and admits the bludger that broke Harry's arm in the Quidditch match was rigged by none other than himself. Harry then over hears Dumbledore confirm that the chamber of secrets is indeed open again but by who or how they do not know...


*I'm finding it tough to search for Harry Potter gifs without spoiling things for myself so if you've come here looking for HP gifs, I am sorry to have let you down.

"Every child in our world will know his name!"

 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Part I

So before we all started this Harry Potter readalong, there was a lot of Harry Potter talk, and all I could think about was how overwhelmed I was not knowing much at all about the wonderful world of Harry Potter. BUT NOW. Now, it's all starting to make sense! Yay, soon (like the next few months soon), I will no longer be living under this rock where all I know is Harry Potter's name. While I have this vague feeling while reading this first book of having read it before, I really don't remember much of it at all. Other than poor Harry living under the stairs for the first 10 years of his life.

This week we read Chapters one through nine. And while I couldn't possibly provide any spoilers for things to come, spoilers are inevitable for what has already been read. So consider yourself warned. Although I'm pretty sure this isn't going to be an issue for like anyone. 

"...He'll be famous - a legend - I wouldn't be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter day in future - there will be books written about Harry - every child in our world will know his name!" (p. 15)

- When JKR wrote that quote, do you think she had any idea just how famous Harry Potter would really become? It's amazing really - to think about writing a series of books that would become so famous that literally everyone has heard of them. 

- Oh god The Dursley's are the most infuriating people EVER. I wanted to reach through the pages and grab them all by the scruff of their necks and shake 'em.  My blood pressure literally rose when Harry kept receiving all those letters and Mr Dursley kept intercepting ALL OF THEM. I really hope Harry casts a spell on them later on. Why did Dumbledore leave Harry with the awful Dursley's for SO LONG? Why was it so necessary that he be "raised" (and I use that term loosely because he wasn't really raised - he was pretty much neglected) by blood-relatives? Would Harry going off to Wizard school not seem as exciting to the reader had he been raised in a loving household? Or was JKR just following the whole orphan-hero theme that is so common in so many children's stories (Pippi, Series of Unfortunate Events, James and the Giant Peach, Hugo Cabret, etc). I mean, I like Harry right away, but is that because I feel compassion and empathy for what he's been through? Is that the whole point?

- When Harry figured out he could talk to the snake at the zoo, I pictured the snake from The Jungle Book. I'm sure that snake didn't get far - much like Alfred The Turtle.

- We meet Hagrid! And I love him. I love that he gets to give Harry hope that there's actually a whole other life waiting for him outside of the sheltered one he's living with the Dursley's. And he brings Harry a birthday cake and buys him his owl for a birthday gift, knowing very well that Harry's never gotten anything for his birthday before. Tell me that isn't sweet!

- Oh Ron and Hermione. I mean, I know they all become great friends (well, I'm assuming this based on the film previews I've seen), but Hermione - you are SO annoying. And SO bossy! I'm assuming she becomes more tolerable as the books go on...and by "as the books go on", I mean, it better happen in this book.

Oh, The CUTENESS!

- All the first year students take turns sitting under the sorting hat to see which house they get placed in. (Now I get all this house talk!). Does Harry's dream (that he doesn't remember when he wakes up) about how he must transfer to Slytherin because that's his destiny, foreshadowing events to come?? Hmmm. Don't answer that.

- I do not remember Snape, but I do not like him.

- Harry's a natural at broom-flying.

When I got to the end of chapter 9, there was an old bookmark in the page from when this book was last read over 10 years ago. In the same spot that this part of the readalong ended! It's like I knew I'd be back one day.

Harry Potter Readalong: LET'S DO THIS

So all the cool kids are doing this Harry Potter readalong (THE ENTIRE SERIES) hosted by Alice over at Reading Rambo, and well, I wanna be a cool kid too dammit! Also, (confession time) I've never really read Harry Potter. *GASP* I know. Well, that's not entirely true. I know I read the first book in the series, and I'm pretty sure I read the second one, and maybe even the third one, but this was over 10 years ago people so really, the whole HP experience is going to be brand new to me. And since readalongs with this particular group of people - not that I have any other readalong experience - are THE BEST, it was a nobrainer on joining along. And it's not too late for you to join in too! Pretty much everyone except Megs and I have read the series.

I was about 14 years old when the first Harry Potter book came out. I wasn't really a big reader back then, but I did read. I remember my little brother, who would have been 7 or 8 at the time The Philosopher's Stone came out, loving the first few books in the series. My mom would buy them for him and then I would get to read them once he was done. When the first big book in the series came out - The Goblet of Fire - my brother was visibly upset that it was such a big book. He was so overwhelmed by it and so angry with being overwhelmed, that he hid it somewhere and said no one could read it if he couldn't. I wasn't that invested in the series seeing as how when you wait over a year in between books being released, it's easy to lose momentum.I figured I'd get around to them one day.

But then the films started coming out. And I've had this thing, even back when I wasn't really a reader, where I tried my best to always read the book before the film. So I told myself that I would start the series over and read the book before seeing the first movie. Well, that never happened and then the second movie was coming out, and then the third, and you get the picture. By that point I kind of gave up trying to catch up.

I've always planned on reading Harry Potter. Heck, I even own FIVE books in the series and in hardcover to boot! The first one might even be the original that my brother owned.

And not only that, but I worked in a book store during the midnight release party for The Deathly Hallows and I even have the t-shirt to prove it. It's like a concert shirt but for book nerds and yes I still own it, even 5 years after the fact. It's like fate knew I would one day need a picture of said shirt for this blog post.

The Deathly Hallows Midnight Release Party

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt

So yay! I'm FINALLY going to read Harry Potter. My sister-in-law will be so proud. I also plan on watching each movie following the completion of each book. Because that was my original plan - way back before blogging - read one book, followed by it's movie until both book and film series was complete! I'm so happy to be reading the series in a group though.  And since pretty much everyone on the planet has already read them, you should be able to read all my posts in all their glory and share in all the feelings because spoilers won't be an issue for you!

**Edit: So it's come to my attention from Alice's comment below and everyone's intro posts that spoilers for ALL the books are a given at any time. And THAT'S OK GUYS. Really, it's my own damn fault that I haven't read the books yet. And I'm pretty sure I've heard spoiler-ish stuff during my bookstore working years. So deep breath. Spoil away.