Monthly Archives: July 2013

Book Review: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire

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HP GoF CoverBook: Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire by J.K. Rowling

Published July 2000 by Scholastic|Pages: 734

Where I Got It: Paperback…and I now have no clue where I bought it

Series: Harry Potter #4

Genre: YA Fantasy

Goodreads|J.K. Rowling|Pottermore

Barnes And Noble Summary: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is the pivotal fourth novel in the seven-part tale of Harry Potter’s training as a wizard and his coming of age. Harry wants to get away from the pernicious Dursleys and go to the International Quidditch Cup with Hermione, Ron, and the Weasleys. He wants to dream about Cho Chang, his crush (and maybe do more than dream). He wants to find out about the mysterious event involving two other rival schools of magic, and a competition that hasn’t happened for a hundred years. He wants to be a normal, fourteen-year-old wizard. Unfortunately for Harry Potter, he’s not normal — even by wizarding standards.

And in this case, different can be deadly.

Fourteen-year-old Harry Potter joins the Weasleys at the Quidditch World Cup, then enters his fourth year at Hogwarts Academy where he is mysteriously entered in an unusual contest that challenges his wizarding skills, friendships and character, amid signs that an old enemy is growing stronger.

My re-read of Harry Potter has been going pretty slow, and I’ve been reading a chapter here and a chapter there, but it should come as no surprise that I really liked Goblet Of Fire.  It’s not my favorite but it’s not my least favorite either.

I have to say, I got a little teary-eyed at the very end!  I definitely cried when reading HBP and DH, but never GoF.  That last chapter really got to me this time around, and I’m glad Dumbledore gave a speech about Cedric.  (Go Hufflepuff!)

The tournament…I liked it!  I don’t know if I necessarily liked it as much as before, but Harry having to deal with the tasks and people talking about him and Rita Skeeter’s articles…poor Harry!  He really did have a lot going on, with a lot of the school not liking that he was the 2nd Hogwarts champion, and I certainly don’t blame Hufflepuff for not being happy that Harry overshadowed their own champion.  I have to say that I like that the Hogwarts champion is from Hufflepuff.

Anyway, Harry and Ron have an interesting relationship for a good chunk of the book.  I get where Ron is coming from, and why he acts like a jealous idiot.  Granted, you think he’d know by know that Harry wouldn’t like about not putting his name in the goblet, but that side didn’t win out in this book.

For me, Goblet Of Fire is when the series really starts to change.  Prisoner Of Azkaban is a bit darker than Sorcerer’s Stone or Chamber Of Secrets, but Goblet Of Fire is a bit darker than the previous three books.  Things are definitely going to be different because of the return of Voldemort.

What’s interesting about Goblet Of Fire is that…I don’t have much to say about it.  Which is weird because I love Harry Potter, and the fact that I don’t have a lot to say…I just don’t know what to think about this!

Final Thoughts:

I really like Goblet Of Fire, despite the fact that I don’t have much to say about it.  It really is the turning point in the series for me, and I like how we see two other wizarding schools and a little bit of the international wizarding community.  Goblet of Fire gets 4 stars!

Book Review: Asunder

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Asunder CoverBook: Asunder by Jodi Meadows

Published January 2013 by HarperCollins Teens|Pages: 416

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Newsoul #2

Genre: YA Fantasy/Paranormal

Goodreads|Jodi Meadows On Twitter

Goodreads Summary: Darksouls

Ana has always been the only one. Asunder. Apart. But after Templedark, when many residents of Heart were lost forever, some hold Ana responsible for the darksouls—and the newsouls who may be born in their place.

Shadows

Many are afraid of Ana’s presence, a constant reminder of unstoppable changes. When sylph begin behaving differently toward her and people turn violent, Ana must learn to stand up not only for herself but for those who cannot stand up for themselves.

Love

Ana was told that nosouls can’t love. But newsouls? More than anything, she wants to live and love as an equal among the citizens of Heart, but even when Sam professes his deepest feelings, it seems impossible to overcome a lifetime of rejection.

In the second book of Jodi Meadows’s Incarnate trilogy, Ana discovers the truth about reincarnation and will have to find a way to embrace love and make her young life meaningful. asunder explores the beauty and shadowed depths of the soul in a story equal parts epic romance and captivating fantasy.

OH MY GOD, I FREAKING LOVED ASUNDER!  I have no freaking idea why it took me a while to read Asunder, but I’m glad I finally did, because I totally, absolutely loved it!

We see a lot of the fall-out from what happened in Incarnate, and we learn the truth of why everyone except Ana is reincarnated.  I wasn’t expecting that at all, but it makes things really interesting!  I don’t blame Ana for wanting to do something, especially with the birth of 2 newsouls!  I’m glad she wants to make things better for them, even though things were (and still are) hard for her.

We learn a lot more about Heart and the Sylph and I liked seeing Ana come to terms with what she’s learned and what it could mean for everyone in Heart.  There were things I was not expecting, and I can’t wait to see how things turn out because Meadows did a great job at wrapping things up from Incarnate while setting things up for Infinite.  And what makes Asunder even more awesome is that it felt like its own story, and not just a placeholder between the first and last book!

I just want Ana to be happy so very much, and I so want people to be nice to her!  I get why some people aren’t, especially given events that happen in Asunder.  With people in the market giving speeches about Ana and the Council finding out about things that Ana never told them…I can’t say I’m surprised that Ana is expelled from Heart or that Sam is going with her.  I get why Ana doesn’t tell the Council the whole truth about Menehem’s research, but it does make her look a little suspicious.

Ana and Sam’s relationship: I love them together!  It feels very genuine, and I like that there are certain obstacles to their relationship.  They really are adorable together, and I like that their relationship unfolds so naturally.  I also like the friendships that Ana has with some of the people of Heart, and how some people aren’t always what they seem.

Speaking of Heart, and Ana leaving Heart…we finally get to see the world beyond Heart in Infinite.  We don’t hear a lot about the world beyond Heart, and it’s sort of sad that it takes Ana leaving Heart to see this world.

Final Thoughts:

I love, love, love the cover!  And I just loved Asunder.  There’s something magical about this world, and I love Ana, who has such a good heart.  I can’t wait for Infinite to come out, because I’m so invested in Ana’s story, and how it’s up to her to save Heart.  Asunder gets 5 stars.

Book Review: Infatuate

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Infatuate CoverBook: Infatuate by Aimee Agresti

Published March 2013 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|Pages: 416

Where I Got It: E-book|Nook Store

Series: Gilded Wings #2

Genre: YA Paranormal- Angels

Goodreads|Aimee Agresti On Twitter

Goodreads Summary: Haven Terra is still recovering from an internship that brought her literally to the brink of hell when a trip to New Orleans leads to more trouble. There, while taking part in a student volunteer program, Haven and her friends Dante and Lance run across an enclave of devils known as the Krewe.

These shape-shifting devils are more reckless and vicious than any Haven, Lance, and Dante have encountered. Yet the friends soon discover that their French Quarter housemates are also angels in training, and together they must face off with the Krewe in their quest for wings.

But Haven’s resolve is tested when Lucian, the repentant devil with whom she was infatuated, resurfaces and asks her for help escaping the underworld. Can he be trusted? Or will aiding him cost Haven her angel wings—and her life?

I’m really liking this series!  I like that there are other angels-in-training, and I wasn’t too surprised that Haven ended up in New Orleans just to end up meeting other angels-in-training.  It really seems like meeting others like them was a great thing for Dante, Lance and Haven, and it’s good to know that there are other like them.

I really like that there’s a series of tests for them, and that each one is increasing in difficulty- it seems like the stakes get higher with each test.  I thought the idea of Dante, Lance and Haven doing their best work as a group, and not as individuals, was really refreshing.  I like the idea of them being stronger together, which makes the ending all the more interesting.

Also: New Orleans!  It really is the perfect setting for this book.  Especially with Mardi Gras and the interesting but successful techniques of the Krewe.  Lucian also makes quite the appearance, and I’m not sure who I like with Haven.  Haven is with Lance but things are definitely weird between them.  I like Lance with Haven because he’s this nice guy and they have a lot in common, but there’s also something about Lucian that you can’t help but be drawn to.  As much as I love romance, I’m much more interested in the whole angel mythology in this series, and how everything works.  While we learn more about the road to being an angel, it wasn’t a lot more.  However, I felt like Infatuate built on what we learned in Illuminate, and it felt like its own story.  It’s actually nice to read a middle book that is its own story and builds on the previous book!

I hope we see more of the other angels-in-training and more of what it entails to be an angel.  Seriously, I’m hoping we get more of this.  I like that each book centers around a task that take this trio further on their angel journey.  Things are definitely black-and-white in this world, with Lucian being the only shade of grey.  I wish we saw more shades of grey, but overall, I’m really looking forward to the next one to see what happens!

Final Thoughts:

I really liked Infatuate, and while I wish we saw more shades of grey, I also like that things are pretty black-and-white.  I can’t wait to see how things turn out!  Infatuate gets 4 stars.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Most Intimidating Books

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Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the lovely folks over at The Broke And The Bookish.  Every week, bloggers from all over are invited to share their own lists based on the topic of the week.  You can find all Top 10 Tuesdays here.

Top Ten Tuesday Graphic

Top Ten Most Intimidating Books

This is such a good topic, because there are some books that are really intimidating!  The one thing every single book on my list has in common is that I’m intimidated by the fact that there’s a lot of love for these books I have not yet read.  I’m slightly worried I won’t like them, but I’m determined to read them because I won’t know until I try!

  1. Shadow And Bone by Leah Bardugo
  2. Daughter Of Smoke And Bone by Laini Taylor
  3. Tiger Lily by Jodi Anderson
  4. Under The Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
  5. Across The Universe by Beth Revis
  6. Between Shades Of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
  7. Destroy Me by Tahereh Mafi
  8. The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight by Jennifer Smith
  9. The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
  10. The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin

Gilmore Girls 2×18: Back In The Saddle Again

Posted in Season Two, The Gilmore Girls Project by

Back In The Saddle Again originally aired April 23, 2002.  This episode was written by Linda Loiselle Guzik and was directed by Kevin Dowling.

Gilmore Girls Season 2 Graphic

This episode opens with another Friday night dinner, where a hungry Lorelei and Rory are waiting for Richard to join them.

In this episode, Rory is working on a school project- the school business fair.  Rory, unsurprisingly, is working with Paris, Madeleine and Louise, but is also working with a couple others on this project too.  Every group has to come up with a product for teens, and their final project will be presented at the school business fair.

Michel’s mother is in town, Sookie is having issues with her wedding invitations, and things seem really awkward between Dean and Rory.  Plus, Dean seems to be randomly showing up at the house and is calling Rory a lot.

This episode is really about Richard being the parent advisor for Rory’s project.  He initially declines, but ends up changing his mind, and realizes that he doesn’t like being retired.  Which is no big shock, considering he’s mentioned that he’s always wanted to work.  What seemed to be the turning point was Rory’s group not winning.  Paris isn’t happy about this, because, well, that’s Paris.  Richard isn’t happy either, and even though Rory says it’s fine that they didn’t win, Richard still goes up to the headmaster and has a talk with him.

As for the Rory and Dean stuff…Rory tells Lorelei that everything is fine, and there have no more incidents.  She’s also not sure why Dean is feeling insecure, since she spends so much time with him.  Lorelei has a talk with Dean later on, and tells him that maybe he should give Rory some space, and relax on all the phone calls and visits.  She thinks he should let Rory go to him for a change.  The episode ends with Dean sitting on the porch, with one question/statement: “She likes him, doesn’t she?”

Thoughts:

I know my recap is a bit scattered, but it seems like the best way to recap everything.  Plus, I hit the major points of the episode, which is really good if I’m going to share my thoughts.

I don’t really have anything to say about Richard not wanting to be retired, but I do want to talk about the Dean/Rory stuff.  I’ve definitely been hard on Dean sometimes, and I do wonder if I’m a bit too hard on Dean.  He does seem pretty clingy and jealous at times, and for me, he also seems to over-react at times.  I’m not sure if Dean’s talking about Rory liking Jess as a friend, or if he thinks Rory is into Jess, or if he thinks Jess is into Rory.

I honestly can’t remember what I originally thought about Dean and Rory’s relationship, but at the same time, I’m pretty sure I wasn’t paying too much attention to it.  This time around, I’m not really liking Dean and Rory together.  Dean does have some good qualities, like being loyal and calling when he says he’s going to, and watching Rory shop for books even though he’s not into reading like Rory is.  I know this is going to sound horrible, but I think Dean is kind of going the teensiest bit overboard.  I understand why he’s acting the way he is, but…for some reason, it’s really starting to bother me, and I’m not normally not bothered by boyfriends who act clingy and jealous.

Pop Culture/Favorite Moments:

I’m sad to say that I wasn’t paying enough attention to get a favorite line or moment.  As for pop culture references…I know they’re there, they just went over my head this week!

Episode Wrap-Up:

I have nothing to add, and I’m sort of amazed that this is another short one!  I was expecting more to happen, but this one seems like another filler episode.  It was an okay episode, but things that happen in this episode will play out over the last few episodes of this season…and show up in season 3.  This episode gets 2.5 mugs of coffee!