Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
J.K. Rowling
5 stars

Book three is probably my second least favorite in the whole series. However, the first few chapters and the first 10 minutes of the movie really make me laugh. Aunt Marge blowing up is one of my favorite scenes out of all the movies.


I don't have a lot of specific reasons why I put this book so low on the list of the series, but I think a big part of it is that I have so many favorite parts in the other books and this one just doesn't have as many favorite passages. My list just isn't as long.

Boggarts (specifically Hermione's), Harry finally being able to see his Partronus, the Quidditch Final and the Marauder's map talking back to Snape are my favorite parts.

Book four is probably my second favorite - so book three always brings the excitement of knowing book four is next!

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
J.K. Rowling
5 Stars

Harry’s back for his second year and it doesn’t leave us without excitement. The beginning of the book is always fun for me to read, I love getting to know more of the Weasley family – seeing where they live, and what living with a wizard life really is like. I am in love with the entire Weasley family - and I love Mr. Weasley and his crazy inventions.

It’s always interesting rereading any book when you already know the ending. I pick up on so many more details this time. I love the information that we learn about Tom Riddle in this book. Watching the relationships between Hermione and Ron and Ginny and Harry are so fun to see develop.

More of my favorite parts of book two are:
-Ron, Fred and George breaking Harry out of the Durselys with the flying car
-The Polyjuice Potion
- Harry saving Ginny
-Ron getting so mad at Malfoy for remarks he says about Hermione
-The trick that Dobby and Harry pull on Lucius Malfoy at the end of the book.

One thing I also love reading in this series is the advice that Dumbledore always gives Harry. He always says the most profound things, sometimes I want to underline them, mark the page, or even put them up on my fridge! My favorite from book two is on the bottom of page 333 when Dumbledore says to Harry,
“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
J.K. Rowling
5 Stars

I needed out of a reading rut so I decided to pick up the HP series again and reread. It's been a while since I read the first one. I reread the 6th book right before the 7th came out but it was really fun reading the series from the beginning knowing the end.

I would have to say my favorite book out of the whole series is the fourth book, so I am reading as fast as I can to get there. One thing I loved about reading this first book is about how new everything is to Harry and how well things are explained about the wizarding world since we are all new to it. Since I know the whole entire story I also have a different opinion of Snape then the first time through. It's harder to hate and distrust him. I don't love him, but I have a softer place for him now. This first one is definitely not my least favorite of the series either (that would be number 5). I think it's a fun book and I can't believe it's been over 10 years since it first came out!

Some of my favorite parts of this book are:

-The owls attacking the Dursleys

-Meeting Hagrid

-Hagrid giving Dudley a pigs tail

-Meeting the Weasleys, Fred and George are so funny and I love Ginny!

-The wand up the troll nose when saving Hermione

-Ron winning chess

-The house points at the end!

The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees
Sue Monk Kidd
4 Stars


I finally found time on my list and picked up The Secret Life of Bees. I know people rave about it but I hadn’t had time to read it yet. I finished it in 24 hours and I have to agree, it was a good book. I don’t think it was my absolute favorite of all times, but it was a good book. One I would recommend reading.

The story is about a 14 year old girl, Lily Owens, who lives in South Carolina and the account of her summer in 1964 that changed her life. Living on a peach farm with her father, Lilly is growing up with one crazy memory of her mother and trying to come to terms with her life and figure out who she really is. After an incident in town with the lady her father has hired to watch her, Rosealeen, they find themselves on the run and searching for more answers about her mother.

Lilly and Rosealeen find themselves in Tiburon, South Carolina and working at a bee keeper’s house. Not only do they learn about bees and how to keep them, they learn about themselves and grow that summer. Lily deals with love, religion, faith, racism and heartache. It’s a fantastic journey.