Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Two things stand out in my mind when I think about reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban for the first time. The first is going to see The Fellowship of the Ring and getting the Ringwraiths mixed up with the dementors. The other is that I was sitting on the couch in Clay’s apartment reading when he walked into the room and asked me to marry him.

Prisoner of Azkaban is when the story really takes off for me. We have the introduction of the Marauders, the beginning of Harry’s relationship with Sirius, Harry’s relationship with Lupin, and lots of twists and turns along the way. The Marauders are fun and tragic at the same time, it’s fun to read about their antics at school and the friendship that they shared, as long as their contemporary circumstances are ignored. I love that J. K. Rowling gives her characters so much depth and allows them to make mistakes. Sirius did not betray James and Lily, but he has no qualms about hunting Pettigrew down to kill him. Lupin is a wonderful teacher and friend to Harry, but he does not tell Dumbledore that Sirius is an animagus (granted that would have really screwed up the plot, but it’s still not what he should have done) and is just as willing as Sirius to go ahead and kill Pettigrew.

Prisoner of Azkaban is full of twists, Sirius is innocent, Scabbers is not only person, but also responsible for the deaths of Harry’s parents, Lupin is a werewolf, there’s little that can be taken at face value. The constantly shifting story is probably at least partly to blame for some of the more incredible theories that were subscribed to by fans, such as “Ron is Dumbledore.” The use of the time turner is well done and allows the reader a very shocking everything may not be okay moment.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I have been trying and trying to write this for a week and it just won't work. That's my disclaimer.

I don't remember much about the first time I read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I devoured most of it on the plane to Denver, I think I was about 3/4 of the way through by the time I got there. It's my least favorite of the books. I don't necessarily dislike it, it's just not on the same level as the others.

I noticed this time around just how much the whole flying the car to Hogwarts scene bugs me. I was so annoyed with Ron and Harry for their complete lack of foresight and judgment. I know they're supposed to be 12 (and that they are fictional), but it seems like such a leap to not wait two minutes to see if anyone is able to get back through from the platform.

Spoiler if you still haven't read Deathly Hallows

What I do like about the book is just how much of the overarching plot is introduced in it. Chamber of Secrets includes the destruction of the first horcrux, the first appearance of Godric Gryffindor's sword, the first bit of Voldemort's back story, and the introduction of the theme of how choices affect one’s life. The book is full of bits of information that will be more and more important as the series continues.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

I’ve read the Harry Potter books far too many times to actually review them, but I wanted to just write out some thoughts. The last time that I read all of the books was in the summer of 2007, right before Deathly Hallows was released. Before that I read them about once a year so it’s interesting to come back to them with a little distance.

I read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone for the first time in December of 2001. I had been pressured by many people, including my family and friends, to read them and finally decided to cave and borrowed Jenny's copies. I was taking a trip to Colorado to see Clay and figured that they would work well as airplane books. I started reading Sorcerer's Stone about a week before my trip because with work and finals I thought it would take about that long to read it. I was very, very wrong about that. It took about two days and I had to hide the rest of the books from myself so I would be able to save them for the trip.

What can I really say about this book? As the first book in the series Sorcerer's Stone is the reader's introduction to the wizarding world. The entire book exudes a sense of wonder and magic. I love that the characters are complex and realistic. Harry has a wonderful snarky quality that makes him so likable. Sure there are some plot holes, but the whole books is so much fun that I really don't care at all.