First Year Ends

Oh goodness, you guys I've finally got through the first book and sat down to blog about it. I actually finished reading it weeks ago, but sitting down to blog felt like too much...I'm busy preparing for the biggest retail event of my life, and it feels a little bit like getting ready to sit end of year exams. There's so much to do!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - A Retrospective

While not my favorite book of the series, Philosopher's Stone has a special place in my heart for obvious reasons - it is the story that first introduced us to the characters we all know and love. I read the book for the first time 15 years ago (where has the time gone?) and was very happy to see that it has stood the test of time.

How forbidden is the Forbidden Forest? and other problems with the end of Book 1

It's been almost two months since I actually finished reading this book and I have since then finished Chamber of Secrets also, but I would like to return to Book 1 and give my review of the last couple of chapters before reviewing the book as a whole.

Light Reading, a Dragon in a Wooden House & Detention

I'm back in the UK! Hurrah! Here is the latest on Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone...I wrote it while I was on the plane yesterday, so please forgive any strange tenses, grammar and spelling - it was a 43 hour journey back from New Zealand.

Quidditch and Christmas

I'm writing this from the airport on my way back to London from Australia and New Zealand. It's been a helluva trip! I've had a fantastic time - but I'm really looking forward to getting back home so I can get in the swing of things...and hang out with the cat again.

I've still not managed to finish Book 1, and I'm mortified at how this endeavour has been so de-railed by July's activities. I knew I would be busy in Oz, but not how busy...

Subjects, Rules and House Points

Now that we have been introduced to all of the Hogwarts Houses, I would like to look at how the students are rewarded and punished for their behavior and how gaining points leads to winning the revered House Cup.

Hallowe'en from Down Under

I have got to Christmas at Hogwarts, and enjoyed reading some of the more magical descriptions of Hogwarts that have shaped my imagination over the last 16 years...) It's been a while since I posted - I have a legitimate excuse for this, as I am in Australia! I thought my connectivity would be much better than it has been - it's Australia after all, a first world country, why would it be difficult to get online Down Under?

The Four Houses - Slytherin

It's time to shine the light on everyone's least favorite house!

The Four Houses - Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw

Let's continue with our exploration of the workings of Hogwarts, this time focusing on the two under-represented (in this book at least) houses - Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

The Four Houses - Gryffindor

So, I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet and concede that I will not manage to review Philosopher's Stone chapter-by-chapter by the end of the month. I will try, instead, to focus on over-arching themes for the remainder of the book, so there will be some skipping around between chapters.

On that note, let's have a look at the very best school of witchcraft there is.

Pets at Hogwarts

I want to discuss the Hogwartian pets. When I first read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, I was going to a boarding school. Although my brother and I were very good with animals, and given orphaned birds, bush babies, snakes, squirrels, kittens and all manner of other things to look after, these were invariably taken home and not allowed back to school.

The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

Oh, it looks like Corrie caught up to me in the book! Her previous post was also about chapter 6, so I will try to keep this one short. I'm still aiming to finish reviewing this book chapter-by-chapter by the end of the month, so need to get cracking!

Weasleys, Diagon Alley and Knitting

Harry has just met Ron on the train, and they're on their way to Hogwarts.

I can't believe how long it takes me to read a physical book. I would never, ever have thought that this would be a problem for me if you had told me I would struggled with finding the time to sit down with a novel for half an hour until three or four years ago. I suddenly understand why my parents didn't read more when we were kids.

Religion and Canon, Part 2

This post carries on directly from my previous post about what constitutes Harry Potter Canon. I tried to explain there why I was discussing the subject in the first place and I hope my reasoning was clear, but if it wasn't, then I hope this post will do better!

Religion and Canon, Part 1

I mentioned in a previous post that there was a topic I would like to cover, namely religion. This can be a sensitive topic to discuss for obvious reasons and so I am putting a disclaimer right here in the introduction promising that all views expressed here are my own and that this post will discuss religion as portrayed (or perhaps not portrayed?) in the Harry Potter series.

So, as it turns out I completely underestimated my ability to keep things concise and so have had to split this post into two parts...

Mental Images: Characters

I've got more into my reading of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone this week, and I'm starting to get really into the whole analysing of the story thing. I've been switching between my new copy and my old copy, especially since Lucia and another friend suggested that I make notes in my old book; especially as it's purely sentimental anyway, and the value of it is only when I hold it.

The first edition cover of Harry Potter and
the Philosopher's Stone by Thomas Taylor
(UK) [source]

Diagon Alley

I had originally set out to make this post not simply be a re-counting of what happens in the chapter, however it sort of got away from me and so in an effort to not have it be too long, I have decided to make my next blog post tackle the more serious issues I wanted to discuss.

And so, let's see what Hagrid and Harry have been up to...

The Keeper of the Keys

I am writing this blog post on the Eurostar train to Brussels, on my way to visit my lovely boyfriend for the weekend. I’m not sure if I’ve ever written anything on a train before – I usually either read or snooze. I must admit: it is much easier to focus on writing when one has no internet connection. There are absolutely no distractions (except for the scenery outside, but the majority of this journey is through a tunnel, so even that’s missing!).

Technology and a song

As a graduate of a Science and Technology University, and girlfriend of a technology geek (yes, he ordered his Apple Watch the day it was released), I naturally take an interest in the Muggle technology of the HP world. I'm also a musician - these two facts have inspired this blog post. I have read up to Chapter Three now, and anticipate doing a bit more reading when I get home from where I am currently based (a car park in Kent...)

The Letters from No One

I am just flying through this book. Oh Harry, I've missed you in my life! So glad to be back in this world. On Wednesday I spent about 2 hours sitting in the park and reading in the sun. I literally cannot remember the last time I did that. The weather today has also been amazing, but my conscience has gotten the better of me and so I've resisted the temptation to just forget about work and enjoy rediscovering JK Rowling's magical universe...barely.