Enjoyed "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling is a fun read! This is the first book of a long series that I finally decided to read because so many people liked it. This is about a boy named Harry Potter who is a wizard, but didn’t realize it. When both his parents died, he went to live with his aunt and uncle who were strictly ordinary humans. Harry gets accepted into Hogwarts when he is 10 years old, a private school for wizardry and witchcraft. This is why I put off reading this series for so long. but decided to read it for myself before condemning it. This is an enjoyable read dealing with bullying, adventure, friendship and courage with a surprise ending.

I still don’t think I would want my child reading it because it does glamorize the world of witchcraft. As a Christian, to be honest, I struggle with whether I should be reading this series. There is no doubt that it is entertaining and amusing. I actually laughed out loud at parts and like the funny names of the characters. When the professor became a cat at the beginning of the story, I was hooked! The school supply list cracked me up and I especially enjoyed the part when Harry was learning to fly on the broomstick. I thought the invisible cloak would be a cool thing to have and liked the idea of the owls as mail carriers! The sorting ceremony with the talking hat reminded me of the old cartoon, Tom Terrific, and the part in Divergent where the teens choose what faction they want. For me, the characters and all the amusing things is what kept me reading more so than the plot.
 (Karen's review, 5 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: Four Today

Gerard's:
 She recognizes her terror has less to do with Ted and more to do with her childhood.  Anger instantly sees her regressing to a small child, cowering in fear, helpless and hopeless in the face of a fury that has nothing to do with her.

From page 52 of Saving Grace by Jane Green. (Click link for our review)

When Bill asked why she clipped these articles, she shrugged and turned her back on him, a gesture she'd inaugurated early in their marriage that was as unsuccessful now as it always had been.  Rather than make him try harder, it made him give up.

From page 29 of The Children's Crusade by Ann Packer. (Click link for our review)


Karen's: 

He couldn't kill that little boy.  No one knows why, or how, but they're saying that when he couldn't kill Harry Potter, Voldemort's power somehow broke--and that's why he's gone.

 From page 15 of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling.

"We have to chance it, and you know we can't go in blind," I go on.  "The odds are there're other survivors hiding in those caves and they may not be ready to throw out the welcome mat, especially if they've met any of Sullivan's Silencers."

From page 4 of The Infinite Sea by Rick Yancey (Book 2 in The 5th Wave Series).

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

Happy Reading!

"The Children's Crusade" by Ann Packer

The Children's Crusade by Ann Packer tells the story of Bill and Penny Blair who had four children, three boys and one girl.  Penny wanted nothing to do with the kids, even moved out of the house into a shack.  The father was a doctor and tried his best to be a good dad.  Flash forward years later--their dad has passed away and they have to decide what to do with the house and the property.

I loved the dialogue among the kids, especially the oldest boy and the girl.  This is well worth reading for sure.
(Gerard's review, 5 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!

Here's a Treat--A 6 WOW Book Video for You!

The books mentioned in this video all are either unbelievable, mind blowing, have twists and/or surprise endings that made me say "WOW--You've got to be kidding me!"  Hope you enjoy watching and choose to read some.  Full book reviews of them can also be found on this blog if you use the search box.

Books mentioned are:
    A Child Called "It" by David Pelzer
    In the Blood by Lisa Unger
    Live to Tell by Lisa Gardner
    Touch and Go by Lisa Gardner
    Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
    The Manhattan Hunt Club by John Saul

These are from a variety of genres to encourage you to expand your reading interests.

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!

"The 5th Wave" by Rick Yancey Lives Up To The Hype (UPDATED)

Sorry about your dog, Mr. Yancey

The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey was given the highest ranking by USA TODAY and ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY. After reading this book, I think they are both so right! It is really good! Human beings are being killed off but one young teenage girl, Cassie, is still alive and made a vow to her little brother that she would find him after they got split up. After all, she has his Teddy bear!

I loved this book because it has plenty of action and the writing is so good! When the girl finds a young teen boy, Evan, this book really takes off! Can't wait for book two!
(Gerard's review 5++ stars)

I finally got around to reading The 5^th Wave by Rick Yancy and am glad I did.  Although it was a bit confusing at first and started out kind of slow for me, it did get good and I enjoyed it.  This is the first book I ever read where aliens actually come to earth.  The main character is Cassie who is 16 and determined to find her little brother, Sammy to return his Teddy bear to him like she promised.  They got separated when some soldiers took him and other young children away to a place where they would supposedly be safe.  Although Cassie begged her dad to let him stay, the dad let him go with the promise that he and Cassie would come later.  The dad left M16 rifle for Cassie and when she left to go hide it, everyone else in the camp was shot, including her father.  Cassie felt very alone and is hunted by the silencers.  On her way to find her brother, she has a couple encounters with other people who she is not sure she can trust.  She develops a relationship with Evan and thinks about a boy named Ben from high school when life was normal. 

Then the story flips to let the reader in on what the boy is going through at camp Haven and that is the more intriguing part of the book in my opinion.  That is also when the reader gets to meet Ben, the guy Cassie had a crush on, and Ringer, the girl I liked best in this book.  It has some interesting and tense scenes along the way, adventure and suspense so I liked it once I got into it.  I would classify this as YA science fiction.  

(Karen's review 5/14/15, 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. Happy Reading!