Books are one of my favourite things. It’s something I’ve wanted to blog about more but never really thought people would be interested in? But as my blog is growing and my life is changing, I’ve decided to make different types of posts! This change got me thinking. How can I have a blog and have not talked about Harry Potter yet?! So I thought I would share with you my book journey this year and a few answers from the Harry Potter Tag! ( I just googled it, if you want to try it!)

Harry Potter was such a massive part of my childhood. I remember being so excited for each book release and running straight upstairs to read them when I got them at the midnight release.

I remember in Year 4, spending ages drawing Fawkes and trying to get all the details right from the book cover. I also remember how amazing I thought Buckbeak was and how desperate I was to have a hippogriff or my own owl, I wasn’t fussy. My parents made my dream come true when I got to go to the Harry Potter part of Universal Studios- I wish I had have known what blogging was back then!

I’ve always felt an affinity with the story of Harry Potter. I lived with my Aunty and Uncle and so did he ( although I got the biggest bedroom in the house thankfully NOT a cupboard under the stairs!) and I also went off to boarding school. I won’t lie, I resonant with the moment in the Deathly Hallows Part 2 film when they’re defending the school and Mcgonogall shouts ‘ Defend our school!’

With World Book Day on March 1st, it made me realise I wasn’t reading enough. So, I made myself a promise to spend time reading a chapter a week of a book that was nothing to do with my degree.  I decided to start back with my favourite series: Harry Potter. If there was anything that would get me reading, it would be going back to Hogwarts. It really surprised me how absorbed I became back in the books! I thought I had gone off reading, but clearly not!

By trying to force myself to read “classic literature” or books that seemed more adult and grown up, I actually put myself off reading. But by going back to the books that made me love reading, I’ve got back into it. Grabbing a book and heading for a bath is one of my favourite ways to chill out now, and I tend to continue reading for a bit longer once I’ve got into bed.

 So, I’ve been making time to read for half an hour a day this past month. Just 30 minutes with my head in another world and it’s amazing how wonderful it feels to delve back into this magical world. I started right back at the beginning with The Philosopher’s Stone. I started off reading a chapter a night and it is just enough to make me feel good. I’m currently on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban but have to put it aside so I can focus on my dissertation.

What I really love is rediscovering moments in the books that I forgot. Curling up and hiding from everything with a good book is how I dealt with a lot of things as a kid, and I forgot how much of a comfort zone it is for me. It’s even got me interested in dusting off some old drafts of stories that I wrote.

 

I think what really helped me get back into the books was these beautiful illustrated editions of the books. It is my goal to have the entire collection one day! Although, I can’t imagine how massive some of the books are going to be! But, I’m also so excited to see how beautiful they’ll look on my bookshelf.

 

The Harry Potter Tag

1) Favourite book?

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It was the first of the really chunky books and I just remember being sucked into it.

2) Least favourite book?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It was like everything bad happened here.

3) Favourite movie?

Probably Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. It was so awesome to see a hippogriff come to life!

4) Least favourite movie?

Probably The Half Blood Prince. It was not a particularly good book to movie adaptation at all and Half Blood Prince is one of my favourite books.

5) Favourite quote?

“Words are our most inexhaustible source of magic”. As someone who did a degree in “words” (journalism) I really connect with this.

6) Favourite Weasley?

Ron. Or if you’re going by films, Molly Weasley for the one beautiful bit of swearing in the whole series.

7) Favourite female character?

Obviously Hermione. She is awesome on so many levels and I really connect with her, more so than I have with a lot of other characters.

8) Favourite villain.

Bellatrix Lestrange. She was the best and most creative villain out of all of them.

9) Favourite male character?

Either Ron or Neville. Ron because he is really funny but also actually really cares about his friends. Neville because against all the odds stacked against him he was, really, the bravest of them all. His biggest fear was Snape and he faced him every single day.

10) Favourite professor?

It has to be McGonagall. She is the best teacher in the series and is so awesome in the last book when there is the big battle.

14) Would you rather A) Kiss Voldemort or B) give Umbridge a bubble bath?

Kiss Voldemort. I’d rather that than have to deal with Umbridge.

15) Would you rather A) ride a Hippogriff or B) ride a Firebolt?

Hippogriff obviously.

 

 

What’s your favourite Harry Potter book?

Thanks for Reading!
Shay x