New Podcast

 Hi everyone,

We just wanted to come on and make it officially known that this blog has been put on hold indefinitely as we simply don't have the time to dedicate to it. We know that people are still finding their way here and would like to thank you all for your continued interest.

That being said, we do have an announcement:

We simply can't stop talking (literally) about books that we love (or hate) and have therefore started our very own podcast. It's called Reading Materials and 2 episodes have already been uploaded. The first one is about - you guessed it - Harry Potter and the second is about A Court of Thorns and Roses.

We'd love it if you gave it a listen, it's hosted on Anchor and available on Spotify, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Pocket Casts and Radio Public.

We also have a Goodreads Group and are very active on Instagram as @readingmaterialspod.

Again, thank you to everyone who has stumbled upon our little blog and we hope you'll check out our new project.

All the best,

Corrie and Lucia

The Ghosts of Hogwarts

I have finished my PhD, woohoo! As I am currently looking for a job, I don't have much to occupy my days and so I thought it was high time I return to the blog.

Let's dive straight back in where we left off so long ago!

I'm quite looking forward to this chapter, because it features one of my favourite scenes from the book - the Deathday Party.

We're still here...promise!

So, it's been a full 3 months since we last posted and a lot has happened in that time. First of all, Happy New Year everyone!

Corrie and I originally set out to review the Harry Potter series book by book, hoping to dedicate just one month per volume. This turned out to be not so easy - I honestly completely underestimated just how much time and effort goes into not only reading and analyzing a text, but also writing about it! Plus, I underestimated just how much we still had to say about the books we've read and discussed so many times before.

The seven months came and went and we're not even through Book 2. This is slightly disappointing, I'm not gonna lie, but I don't want it to drag us down. We may have failed in meeting our own deadline, but I think we succeeded in looking at the books critically.

I, for one, hope to continue writing about Harry Potter. I will hold off of making any promises as to how long it will take. Things in both of our lives are pretty busy and up in the air, so I can't guarantee that we will be updating the blog regularly - but we will be updating.

I think it's also probable that not all of the posts will be Harry Potter related. We are reading other books, as well, and hope to analyze those also - just not as in depth as with the Harry Potter series! At least, not yet... For example, I have recently re-discovered Outlander (or Cross Stitch, in the UK) by Diana Gabaldon and am also trying to make my way through War and Peace.

Finally, thank you to any readers who are still following this blog. We hope to have new posts for you soon!

Until next time,

Lucia

Weekly Roundup

I promise we haven't abandoned the blog! I know it may look like it, since we were posting so regularly in November, but we've both been busy the past two weeks.

My Bookshelf, Part 3

I'd like to take a quick detour from Harry Potter and return to My Bookshelf series because, this past weekend we had a slight re-shuffle at home.

That's right, everyone, our IKEA order finally arrived and we spent Sunday doing some DIY.

Weekly Roundup

I'm a bit late with the Weekly Roundup - November has been really gloomy and I've been trying to cheer myself up by meeting up with old friends and new (which has been lovely!), but have not found much time for blogging. This means I'm still behind on my challenge and I'm not sure if I will be able to catch up! Oh well.

What's been happening in the last week?

Return to Quidditch!

I'm so excited about "The Rogue Bludger" because it returns us to Quidditch, which I'm super happy about! As a mad 'hobbies' person, I really love hearing about the extra-curricular stuff that goes on at Hogwarts, and Quidditch is absolutely no exception.

Not to mention that this is one of my favourite chapters because to be quite honest, bad things happen and that's just real life.

Quidditch and Detention

I got all excited, thinking this is the chapter when we meet Moaning Myrtle, but then I realized there is another 'meh' chapter before then.

Let's just get right down to it, shall we...

The Ineptitude of Gilderoy Lockhart

At times like these, when the world just seems like such an cruel and scary place, I like to escape inside a book. I haven't had a chance to do that today, as I had experiments to run during the day, but I'm happy now to flick through Chamber of Secrets and find comfort in the old and familiar.

The Writing on the Wall

Just to follow on slightly from my post yesterday, the events in Paris have been absolutely shocking over the past 24 hours, and my thoughts are with those affected. I was using the hashtag "pray for Paris" on Twitter, and getting some criticism for it, because people have been saying that religion is what has got us into this mess in the first place. I'm not particularly religious myself, and I simply want to say that we could all do with practising a little kindness, tolerance and compassion to everyone - not just Parisians.

On that note, let's move on to something a little more light-hearted - Hogwarts, Harry Potter and the tricks our heroes get up to in this chapter!

Pray for Paris

My post tonight was light-hearted and silly, and I don't feel I can post it in light of what is going on in Paris, my favourite city. I will post it tomorrow - in the meantime, I will be praying for Paris, and hope that tomorrow brings a lighter day.

Click for source

Corrie

The Recklessness of Harry and Ron

Chapter 5 is tricky - reading it as a child I remember really liking it and thinking it was very brave of Harry and Ron to fly all the way to Hogwarts, but as an adult I just think it's super reckless and I disapprove of their behaviour.

As Corrie said when she reviewed this chapter a few days ago, this post will be full of criticisms.

The First Attack

The first attack of Chamber of Secrets is about to happen, and we are catapulted into the intrigue of life with a malicious beastie roaming the castle. Read on, fair Harry Potter fans!

Amazing fan art of Filch and Mrs Norris by Levon Hackensaw (source)

A day of spewing slugs

This chapter has always absolutely horrified and enthralled me. The slugs and stuff...ew.

I saw one of our participants last night and she said she was terrified because she thought we were both waaaay ahead in the series (we all know Lucia is on Order of the Phoenix)! I just wanted to say that I am reviewing the chapters literally as I read them - I have just completed Chapter Eight, and this is Chapter Seven, so don't be intimidated by that!

Weekly Roundup

It has been a busy week on the blog, as you can probably tell with all the activity on our Facebook Group and our Twitter feed. If you would like regular updates on our posts, please do join either of these groups!

The Arrogance of Lucius Malfoy

It is full steam ahead here on Read All the Things these days, as both Corrie and I endeavor to blog every day. I am glad to see we are doing so well - it's only been a week and already we've managed 13 posts!

With that in mind, here are my thoughts on Harry's misadventures in Knockturn and Diagon Alley.

Cornish Pixies? Snort!

I always feel enchanted when I read about the first few weeks of a new year at Hogwarts. I used to love September, and everything it brought with it. New school uniform, a new pencil case and stationery, a new lunchbox (and one year the graduation to buying my lunch every day!), and always a brand new planner to record my homework in. I believe there is something truly magical about an empty planner, notebook or diary. There is so much potential!

Hogwarts! (source)

Harry Potter and the Incredibly Poor Decision

Now that I've got my little exploration of Ottery St Catchpole out of the way, it's time to tackle the meat of "The Whomping Willow" - and the incredibly poor decision that Harry and Ron make. I have a lot to say about this, and not all of it pleasant - you may want to grab yourself a sweet beverage to neutralise the sourness of my thoughts!

My Bookshelf, Part 2

The original plan for this weekend was for the lovely boyfriend and I to go on an IKEA adventure to buy new bookcases. However, the weather yesterday was truly crap and the general logistics of carrying two bookcases across London escaped us, so we decided to make use of modern technology and simply order the furniture online and have it delivered to us. No pain, but much gain.

The Kindness of the Weasleys

Looks like Corrie and I are neck-and-neck in our review of Chamber of Secrets, but I am sure that we will pick up on different things and discuss different topics - which is what makes this whole challenge so great!