Harry Potter Month Wrap Up

Faith of GeekyZooGirl and Micheline of Lunar Rainbow Reviews are hosting the Harry Potter Month in July and I'm on board! People can compete in the House Cup by accumulating house points. I'll be earning house points by posting about Harry Potter among other Harry Potter related activities! This year I will be representing Hufflepuff!


All month long I've been celebrating Harry Potter and today is his birthday! If I'm doing the math correctly, he is 36 this year. Happy Birthday Harry!

While, I haven't been very vocal on the blog this year, I dove head first into the other aspects of Harry Potter Month. I posted some instagram posts:

My illustrated Harry Potter edition shelf.

My original hardcover editions shelf.

Look at that Hogwarts Van Gogh!!

Handmade Harry Potter greeting cards.

As always, I made an HP craft and this year it's something I can gift others. The cards took some time (especially the lettering, I'm not very good at that), but I really like the way they turned out.

I spent some time trying to watch the Harry Potter movies, but I become distracted by all the books I was reading for the readathon addition to this year. I am usually a very slow reader, but something about this extra challenge gave me great incentive to read. -- Unfortunately, I didn't actually read any Harry Potter books this month, but I'm feeling that a nice long reread will come sometime before the end of this year.

I've been updating my original TBR post as I've been finishing books, but I'd like to make an official end of Harry Potter Month post.  So here's all the books I've finished this month!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone:

• Read the first book in a series
• Read a book where someone finds out they're not who they thought they were
• Read a book with a great friendship
• Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (7/9/17)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:

• Read a book that features a funeral, a feast or a party
• Geekerella by Ashley Poston (7/27/17)
• Read a book with a ghost
• Read a book with a terrifying monster

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:

• Read a book where someone is wrongfully accused or punished 
• Read a book where a person hides who they are or wears a disguise 
• Safekeeping by Jessamyn Hope (7/20/17)
• Read a book with time-travel

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:

• Read a book with sports 
• Hawkeye Vol. 1 by Matt Fraction (7/30/17)
• Hawkeye Vol. 2 by Matt Fraction (7/30/17)
• Read a book with dragons
• Read a book with a contest of some kind
• Fireworks by Katie Cotugno (7/20/17)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:

• Read a book with a character you hate
• Read a book which features a rebellion
• Read a book with a prophecy
• The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan (7/13/17)
• Read a book of 800+ pages

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:

• Read a book that you expect will make you cry
• Read a book with an anti-villain (or someone who's doing the wrong things for what they feel are the right reasons)
• Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (7/25/17)
• Read a book with a romance element
• Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (7/16/17)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

• Read a series finale
• The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson (7/28/17)
• Read a book with an anti-hero
• Read a book with unrequited love
• Read a book of 600+ pages

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them:

• Read a book with mythical or supernatural creatures (vampires, werewolves, dragons, magical animals all valid!)
• Read a book that's a spin off or prequel from something else
• Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (7/29/17)
• Read a book where the main character travels far from home
• The Hitchhichker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (7/13/17)

I'd say 12 books in one month is the best reading track I've had in several years! So thank you Harry Potter Month for pushing me to read more. 

While I've been much quieter on the blog this year than I have in past years, I had a blast celebrating Harry Potter Month across my social media and in real life. Thank you once again for a great month!  I look forward to it next year. :D

Notable Quotable: J.K. Rowling (#159)

"Words are in my not-so-humble opinion, the most inexhaustible form of magic we have, capable both of inflicting injury and remedying it."
     --Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #104

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Which books would you recommend to Lupin?

I feel like giving him a bunch of werewolf books suggestions would be in poor taste. Or maybe it would give him a good laugh at the inaccuracy of some of their portrayals. I'm going to steer clear of that for now, but here a couple books I think Lupin would enjoy. 


The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - I think all the marauder's would enjoy this series, but Lupin seems the most imaginative of the group. He would enjoy getting out of his world with the prejudices and expectations on him and into a world of adventure and unknowns and a misfit character with a  higher calling. I think this book would have been a good solace for him, especially before he met James, Sirius, and Peter.

Notable Quotable: J.K. Rowling (#158)

"'I am what I am, an' I'm not ashamed. 'Never be ashamed,' my ol' dad used ter say, 'there's some who'll hold it against you, but they're not worth botherin' with.'"
     --Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #103

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Favorite Dean moment?

There are some pretty good Dean moments throughout the books even though he was pretty much nonexistent in the movies. He's one half of the Dean and Seamus brotherhood. He's a talented artist and is athletically inclined; he takes over for Katie Bell as chaser in his 6th year. Ginny dated him for a period of time so there had to be something special about him. And he had to go on the run when Voldemort's reign swung into full gear, but that didn't deter him from supporting Harry.

All of this makes him a great character, but there is one moment I love that just encapsulates his character and that's the moment he returns to Hogwarts near the end of Deathly Hallows.

"We're fighting, aren't we?" said Dean, taking out his fake Galleon. "The message said Harry was back, and we're going to fight! I'll have to get a wand, though..." - Deathly Hallows

His absolutely willingness to fight for good, despite the fact he doesn't have a wand just indicates who he is as a person.  Yes, he's flawed, but being ready to jump into the thick of things without having a weapon besides his fists is incredible!  Go Dean, go!

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #102

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Which character would be your study partner?

The obvious answer to this is Hermione because between the two of us, we would have everything done with excellence.  However, I think I'm going to go off the cuff today. Depending on the subject, I would choose different people.  

For Defense Against the Dark Arts, I would absolutely choose Harry.  The way he commanded and taught everyone in the DA is so impressive.  I know that I'd be able to master the practical aspect of that class with Harry helping me. 

For Herbology, Neville is the only person I want studying with me. Aside from how much I love this guy, he actually becomes the herbology professor at Hogwarts once he graduates.  If that doesn't tell you he's exceptional at the subject, I don't know what will. 

For Transfiguration, Sirius, James and Remus would be my study partners of choice. Granted, I'd probably only get work done with Remus, but it would be incredibly entertaining to be around these hooligans.

For Muggle Studies, Arthur Weasley would be a great study partner.  He loves all things muggles, so he would absolutely love to research everything that has to do with this class. We'd know so much extra information as well.

For Charms, Ginny would be perfect.  She's got a reputation for being able to cast a good hex, but I know she's got a lot more in her than hexes.  She'd be perfect to help with casting charms; plus she's just an awesome person. She wouldn't let us get too bogged down in studying.

For Care of Magical Creatures, I would ask Luna and Hagrid. Hagrid can be zealous about all the creatures, which is great. Luna has an expertise on what many people consider the fantastical creatures, the ones that supposedly aren't real. It's good to have all your bases covered, and besides I really like Luna. 

Harry Potter Month Readathon TBR

Faith of GeekyZooGirl and Micheline of Lunar Rainbow Reviews are hosting the Harry Potter Month in July and I'm on board! People can compete in the House Cup by accumulating house points. I'll be earning house points by posting about Harry Potter among other Harry Potter related activities! This year I will be representing Hufflepuff!

As part of Harry Potter Month, Faith and Micheline have come up with a readathon. You can read all the details here.  I thought I would put together a list of possible books for a TBR. I'm not sure how much extra reading I'll be doing this month, as I'm hoping to get through a couple Harry Potter books as well. But it's always fun to find books to match the categories! -- I'll be updating this post as I read.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone:

• Read the first book in a series
• The Raven Boys by Maggie Steifvater
• Read a book where someone finds out they're not who they thought they were
• 
  
• Read a book with a great friendship
• Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (7/9/17)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:

• Read a book that features a funeral, a feast or a party
• Geekerella by Ashley Poston (7/27/17)
• Read a book with a ghost
• The Raven Boy by Maggie Steifvater
• Read a book with a terrifying monster
• 
  

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban:

• Read a book where someone is wrongfully accused or punished 
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Read a book where a person hides who they are or wears a disguise 
• Safekeeping by Jessamyn Hope (7/20/17)
• Read a book with time-travel
• The Tomorrow Code by Brian Falkner

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire:

• Read a book with sports 
• Hawkeye Vol. 1 by Matt Fraction (7/30/17)
• Hawkeye Vol. 2 by Matt Fraction (7/30/17)
• Read a book with dragons
• Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
• Read a book with a contest of some kind
• Fireworks by Katie Cotugno (7/20/17)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:

• Read a book with a character you hate
• 
  
• Read a book which features a rebellion
• The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken
• Red Rising by Pierce Brown
• Read a book with a prophecy
• The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan (7/13/17)
• Read a book of 800+ pages
• 
  

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince:

• Read a book that you expect will make you cry
• 
  
• Read a book with an anti-villain (or someone who's doing the wrong things for what they feel are the right reasons)
• Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (7/25/17)
• Read a book with a romance element
• Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers (7/16/17)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:

• Read a series finale
• The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson (7/28/17)
• Read a book with an anti-hero
• 
  
• Read a book with unrequited love
• 
  
• Read a book of 600+ pages
• 
  

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them:

• Read a book with mythical or supernatural creatures (vampires, werewolves, dragons, magical animals all valid!)
• Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey 
• Read a book that's a spin off or prequel from something else
• Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (7/29/17)
• Read a book where the main character travels far from home
• The Hitchhichker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (7/13/17)

Harry Potter Moment of the Week #101

hosted by Uncorked Thoughts and Lunar Rainbows Reviews.

Would you rather face a dragon or the acromantula?

My absolute first thought was dragon, no doubt dragon.  I think I'm going to stick with that because I don't do spiders.  Ron and I are one and the same in this regard. Giant spiders are even worse.  I know the acromantula can talk, but I'm positive I couldn't talk my way out of an encounter with one of them. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. The dragon isn't much better, but at least the sight of it wouldn't induce fear.

Harry Potter Month 2017!

Faith of GeekyZooGirl and Micheline of Lunar Rainbow Reviews are hosting the Harry Potter Month in July and I'm on board! People can compete in the House Cup by accumulating house points. I'll be earning house points by posting about Harry Potter among other Harry Potter related activities! This year I will be representing Hufflepuff!

Hello fellow wizards and witches! I have good news, Harry Potter Month is back and I'm very excited to bring you the first of many posts. It is, once again, time to flood this blog with a bunch of Harry Potter content! This is my third year participating in this amazing event and I've got some good stuff planned. I can't wait to share it with you!

For those who might be new, here's a quick snapshot of who I am:

My name is Alex.
Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff (Last year, I gave you an entire post about how I was almost a Ravenclaw. Talk about identity crisis!)
Ilvermorny House: Pukwudgie
Patronus: St. Bernard Dog (I always thought it's be a wolf, something fiercely loyal and protective. This is just the more cuddly version. ;) )
Wand: 11 1/2", birch wood, dragon heartstring, slightly springy

I want to know who you are! Feel free to share all this information in the comments, I'll be looking for any fellow Hufflepuffs. :D (The other houses are great too...)

Happy Harry Potter Month.