"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" - a Play by John Tiffany & Jack Thorne - Blah!

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by John Tiffany & Jack Thorne, based on the original story by J. K. Rowling is actually a script for theatre. This is the story of an adult Harry Potter and primarily his son, Albus and his best friend, Scorpius (Draco's son). It deals with parenting, expectations and time travel. In my mind, this one was nowhere near as good as any of the others in the Harry Potter series.   It was mostly nostalgic in that it revisits the Triwizard Tournament from Goblet of Fire and some old characters make an appearance.

I did not like:

• The plot with Delphi was completely out of the blue and really didn't seem possible, so the book seemed corny.  

• I'm not big on time travel so that was pretty much a big turnoff for me. 

• I really missed J. K. Rowling's writing!

• The grown versions of Harry, Hermione and Ron were dull and seemed like totally different people. (Harry ordering Prof. McGonagall around seemed very out of character and that's just one example of many.)

• Harry had three children, but James and Lily are barely even mentioned.  Same with Ron and Hermione's son, barely mentioned.

• It lacks the humor the other Harry Potter books had and just didn’t make enough sense to be good.  (This one only had a couple funny parts--Hermione's daughter Rose was a bright spot and Ron was still kind of funny but it seemed forced.)

I liked:

• Draco and his son, Scorpius. 

• That it is a quick read and wasn't bored with it or felt I was plowing through.

•  Harry and his son Albus coming to understand each other--heartwarming.

• Ron and Hermione's daughter, Rose, because she takes after Hermione.

If I had to sum it up in one word, it would be blah. I would not recommend buying this book and wish I had used the money I spent on it for something else.  Get it from the library and save your money.  If you read it not expecting it to be good like the others, then you probably will enjoy it, somewhat.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one! What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Sticks & Stones" by Abby Cooper

Sticks and Stones by Abby Cooper is about a young teen girl named Elyse. She has a rare disease that shows up when people label her with words. When someone calls her a dork for example, the word “dork” appears on her arm like a temporary tattoo. I really enjoyed this teen book that teaches a valuable lesson. I was impressed that this is the author’s first book—well done!
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Ugly Love" by Colleen Hoover

Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover has two stories in it. The first one is that Kate moves into her brother’s apartment complex for a while. She meets a friend of her brother’s named Miles who also lives in the same complex. They strike up a relationship with some guidelines. The second story goes back six years when Miles meets Rachel in his senior year of high school and knows that she is the one for him!

I enjoyed both stories. Going back and forth in time was no problem for me. Kate and Miles are really good characters; however, I especially enjoyed the character of Cap. I liked the ending too but could have done without all the sex scenes. That being said, I am glad I read it. I think November 9 is better though.
(Gerard's review4 stars)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

"Lawyer for the Cat" by Lee Robinson

Spunky Doodle highly recommends this one!

In Lawyer for the Cat by Lee Robinson, the story centers around Sally Baynard, an attorney who is appointed enforcer of a trust which makes it her duty to choose the best caretaker for the dead lady’s cat, Beatrice. According to the trust Lila set up, she named three people who she would like to see take care of her beautiful black cat, Beatrice. The stipulations were that the caretaker would have to live in her house with the cat until it died, and allow the cat to maintain its routines. When the cat dies, then the grown son will inherit the plantation but not before. The story also includes Sally’s other responsibilities, including her job, her mother who has Alzheimer’s and lives with her, and her relationship with Tony the vet who she met when she previously worked on a divorce case involving a dog.

This is a quirky quick read that I enjoyed. Beatrice had only a small part in the book which was a bit disappointing to me. I was happy with who the lawyer picked to be the caretaker for the cat though and enjoyed Sally’s mother and their relationship. This is a book I happened to see while browsing at the library and the title and cover called out to me! I found it to be a light, entertaining read and would recommend it for anyone interested in animal's rights or family court law.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)


Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. To find books on a specific topic, scroll to the bottom and click on the topic you want. Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday

Gerard's:
"What kind of apartment complex are you living in?  Do I need to prepare to be groped by drunk people every time I come home?"

From page 21 of Ugly Love by Colleen Hoover.

Normally that wouldn't be a bad thing, but when they saw BEAUTIFUL appear on my little baby arm moments after he said it in the delivery room, everybody was pretty freaked out.  After all, babies are just supposed to be beautiful, not have the word plastered on their arms like a weird baby tattoo.

From page 19 of Sticks & Stones by Abby Cooper.

August swallowed hard, knowing what came next.
"Sunai, Sunai, eyes like coal,
Sing you a song and steal your soul."
The little girl's smile grew even wider.
"Monsters, monsters, big and small,
They're gonna come and eat you all!"

From page 23 of This Savage Song by Victoria Schwab.

Karen's:

Mrs. Mackay is writing as if she's Beatrice, the cat.  Maybe she was crazy after all.

From page 42 of Lawyer for the Cat  by Lee Robinson.


Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just pick two sentences from the book you are reading. 
Happy Reading!