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!

Ottery St Catchpole

This whole chapter, "The Whomping Willow" is one of the main reasons I really don't like this book - the Ford Anglia is something that just really gets my goat, for some reason. I can't explain it, nor am I going to try to! We forge onwards, and that post will come tomorrow now as I got rather carried away on my exploration of the Burrow and the charming little village it is located in.

Gilderoy Lockhart and some handy foreshadowing

Does anybody else find Gilderoy Lockhart incredibly annoying? I know he is meant to be, but oh my goodness gracious me, what a pain in the ass that man is. Anyway, let's take a trip to Knockturn Alley.

My dream home - The Burrow

I'm travelling between London and my parents home in Devon a lot and oh my gosh this nomadic lifestyle is exhausting! I have had draft posts on here for a month, but Lucia has made me feel ashamed that she's putting so much effort and I've been rubbish, so here I am again! Let's see how long my resolution lasts this time.

I'd just like to agree with Lucia in saying that CoS is not my favourite book. We met up for a coffee last night to chat about it, and I think we agreed that we both found Dobby very annoying, and it was irritating that there's SO MUCH recap in the book, which makes reading them back-to-back a bit tough.

My Bookshelf, Part 1

It is a testament, I think, to how little I care for Chamber of Secrets that I can't go two consecutive days writing about it. Reading back over my previous blog post, I think my frustration with the book is pretty clear.

For that reason, and in keeping with my promise of writing about books, I have opted to start a multi-part segment about the contents of my bookshelf.

The Cruelty of the Dursleys

Right, enough about audiobooks, it's time to go back to the original challenge - reviewing the Harry Potter series.

And so, without further ado, let's see what J.K. Rowling had to say about Harry's summer holiday.

I have subscribed to Audible

So far, it's been an unbelievably lazy day for me. I was up until 3am writing my blog post about Jane Eyre (which came in at a whopping 1265 words!), in an attempt to stay on track with the challenge and not fall behind as soon as I start.

A late night turned into a late morning and I didn't make it into the office until very late (like, so late I won't even tell you the time). Since then I have been sending emails, sorting out some home things and thinking hard and long about my newest hobby - audiobooks.

Audiobook Adventures, Part 1

A very good friend of mine swears by audiobooks and has been recommending them to me for years. 

While I am no stranger to the idea of audiobooks, the only ones I have listened to and enjoyed have, unsurprisingly, been the Harry Potter books as narrated by Stephen Fry. Having thoroughly enjoyed reading A Short History of Nearly Everything and At Home I have, in the past, tried listening to Bill Bryson's Made in America but gave up after only half an hour as I wasn't enjoying the subject matter. After finishing A Game of Thrones, and because I like the HBO adaptation, I also tried listening to A Clash of Kings but found the narrator's voice highly annoying and so stopped that as well after only a few chapters.

But, following a late-night conversation over an excellent (if I do say so myself) glass of vodka martini during which I was yet again urged to subscribe to Audible, I acquiesced and downloaded a book I have been wanting to read for a while.

Weekly Roundup

To be honest, I'm not sure which week we're on in the challenge but one thing is for sure - the blog has been quiet of late. Turns out maintaining a blog is not as easy as I thought it would be - I honestly don't know how Corrie manages it!

In any case, the challenge continues and in an effort to get the blog back on track, I have devised a plan - as ambitious as ever.

The Chamber of Secrets - iBooks!

Poor Lucia has been trying to help me back into the swing of things recently, and I've failed her miserably with the Chamber of Secrets. However, JKR has just released all the HP books on iBooks through Pottermore - including new animations, notes and the books themselves. I'm going to use the Blogger app on my phone and read the book on iBooks, and hopefully everyone will be much happier!

My new Harry Potter book, hehe.

The reason I say that is because I miss Harry too. My audio books no longer work on my phone (let's not go there!) and I always have craft in my bag which wins out over a physical book. No more!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

It's finally here - with only a three month delay, no less. Oh well, better late than never, right? Without further ado, let us finally venture into the pages of Book 2 of our challenge.

Hiatus (hopefully) Over

Dear readers,

we are so sorry for the radio silence for the past month. Life has thrown a few curve-balls at us with moving house and business trips galore. But, I think our schedules are slightly less hectic and we will be resuming regular updates next week.

I have tried to keep up with the reading schedule and am happy to report that I am currently starting Chapter 25 of Goblet of Fire. I will admit to cheating a bit - I listened to the audio books of Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire to be able to keep up. Book 3 kept my lovely boyfriend and me company during our roadtrip a few weeks ago.

Despite being a few months weeks behind on blogging about the books, I intend to go back to Chamber of Secrets and write reviews of all the chapters, as originally planned. This means that while I will hopefully finish reading all of the books by the end of December, the reviews might take longer. Oh well, such is life.

Until next time,
Lucia

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!

Week 10 Roundup

We are mid-way through August, which is the third month of our Harry Potter Challenge. Yesterday I posted the last review of Book 1 and this week I hope to review the first 3 chapters of Chamber of Secrets.

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.

Week 9 Roundup

I'm back from holiday! And happy to say that I managed to finish Chamber of Secrets last weekend and started on Prisoner of Azkaban on the plane today.

There isn't much else new for me to report, except to say that I look forward to getting back on track with the blogging and challenge!

Until next time,

Lucia

An Announcement!

I'm here with a service announcement for you guys.

I've just popped here today to say that Lucia and I have decided to postpone reading of Chamber of Secrets to next month, August! We have both been on holiday and have had less time to read than we anticipated - so we start our month of blogging about CoS tomorrow.

Print this out and do some colouring while you wait, hehe.

I'm really looking forward to it, and can't wait to start rediscovering Harry Potter without feeling like I'm not making the most of my holiday!

Much love,

Corrie xx

Week 8 Roundup

One holiday finishes, another begins! A few days before Corrie returned to London from her travels Down Under, my lovely boyfriend and I set off on our own adventures visiting our respective parents in Cyprus and Finland.

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...

Week 7 Roundup

A very brief post to say that I finally managed to read some more of Chamber of Secrets! I mentioned in another post that for a long time, Book 2 was my least favorite of the series. Maybe that's why I haven't been so enthusiastic about reading it this month. I've made some notes on things to blog about, a lot of those are things that I'd not really picked up on during previous re-reads - I love that there are still new things for me to discover! I remember always being slightly amused by Lockhart's character, but I must admit that I'm finding him really annoying this time around.

I'm off on holiday today and am taking Chamber of Secrets, as well as Prisoner of Azkaban with me to read on the plane and on the beach. I might even get a chance to finally write a review post about the first few chapters of Book 2 tonight on the train to Belgium!

Until next time,

Lucia

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.

Week 6 Roundup

Where has this week gone? It seems like things are just going downhill in terms of this challenge...

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?

Week 5 Roundup

The past week has been one of highs and lows and unfortunately, the blog suffered for it. The upcoming week will also be a busy one, so cannot guarantee many new posts but rest assured that the reading continues!

The Four Houses - Slytherin

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

Week 4 Roundup

We are reaching the end of the first month of our challenge! Only 3 more days to go (today included) and then it's time to move on to Book 2 of the Harry Potter series - Chamber of Secrets.

But before we do that, let's see what week 4 of the challenge was like.

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.

Milestone

I, personally, have still not fully figured out what I would like to achieve with this blog. I think Corrie and I have agreed that once we finish re-reading the Harry Potter series we would like to continue on our quest of reading books together and using this blog as a means of keeping track of our progress but also of reviewing the books as we go along.

Neither of us has a background in literature, our education is quite firmly scientific in nature and so our reviews will most probably not be as in-depth in analysis as those by professional book critics. I hope this doesn't put people off and that our audience will keep growing. We are simply two girls who share a love for reading and getting lost in stories.

But a blog is nothing more than a diary, unless someone else reads it and interacts with it. We would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has browsed through our posts (our analytics pages tell us that we have had more than 1000 page views since the blog went live!) and encourage you to keep coming back if you like what you've read so far.

I'm not sure if we've mentioned this anywhere before, but if you would like to have an input into what book(s) we should tackle after Harry Potter, then please vote in the poll that is located on the right-hand side of this page. So far the His Dark Materials series is winning.

So, again, thank you for stopping by!

~ Corrie and Lucia

Source

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.

Week 3 Roundup

I can't believe 3 weeks have passed already since Corrie and I took up this challenge! Time certainly does fly. So what's been happening these past 7 days?

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]

Week 2 Roundup

The second week has been a bit quieter on the blog, but that doesn't mean things haven't been happening behind the scenes! I, personally, had a huge reading success this week...

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...

Smeltings

It has been so long since I posted....I won't even go on about what I've been doing, but needless to say I'm feeling busy and stressed! Anyway, I went to the park yesterday, and having forgotten where I was in the book, re-read "The Letters From No One" by accident. I went on a little bit further, and have a million things I want to say - but for now, I just wanted to discuss the Smeltings Uniform.

Week 1 Roundup

The second week of our Harry Potter Challenge has begun and so I thought I would look back on the experience I've had so far. I know it hasn't been long, but I've already noticed some changes in my habits, which was part of the reason for starting this whole challenge.

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. 

The Vanishing Glass

I don't know about you guys (if, indeed, there are any people reading this), but I get hooked on things very easily. What starts out as a new pass-time can very quickly take over the majority of my time which, if you're 4 months away from your PhD deadline, is not always a good thing. I didn't initially set out to review each chapter individually, but procrastination has a tricky way of seeping into my day and let's face it, writing about one of the greatest passions in my life is SO much more interesting than reading scientific articles about nanoparticles...

Things We Take For Granted: CUtS

Corrie here. I am by no means the first to think this through, but I did want to talk about this as it was the first time that I've ever really considered it - even after sixteen years of this being one of the most important chapters of a series in my life. We all know about it; it has become an important cultural reference in many places. I'm talking, of course, about the Cupboard Under the Stairs.

This person wrote an entire chapter of the last
book in their CUtS. (Source)

The Boy Who Lived

Monday should have been the first official day of our reading challenge, however a combination of friends/sushi/prosecco/post-half marathon exhaustion meant I didn't get a chance to start reading until yesterday. I set off for my weekly dance class with Harry Potter book in hand and spent the ~20 minute bus journey thoroughly enjoying the 1st chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

New Editions: Thoughts So Far

Corrie here, hello! I'm two chapters into Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone at the moment, and just thought I would take some time to let you know my thoughts on the new editions of the Harry Potter books. The copies that I am reading are the latest release, with cover illustrations by Jonny Duddle, kindly given to me by Lucia.

The Fateful December of 1999

As a very goal-oriented person, I'd been looking for something to motivate me to get back into reading - I remember devouring books as a child, but as an adult I find myself having less and less time for one of my great passions.

The decision to re-read the whole Harry Potter Series was very spur of the moment. I think I was browsing Mugglenet late one evening and the thought just hit me! What better way to get back into reading than by re-reading my favorite book series?

The Harry Potter Challenge

Welcome to the new blog! We are going to use this as a space to talk about our experiences of reading books together - starting now. We are two literature-loving ladies, one a hot-shot scientist studying a PhD at Imperial College London (Lucia), and the other a self-employed crafter messing around with animal fibres and handmade things.

Lucia and I have taken on a new challenge from June 2015. We aim to read all of the Harry Potter books from beginning to end over the course of the next seven months, starting with Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. We'll blog about the experience, and this is where you can come to read about it.

Lucia left, Corrie right, Minyi in the middle!
About to go on the Harry Potter Walking Tour of London.

We will naturally have a different perspective on things. While we are both huge lovers of Harry Potter, we have different relationships with the series.