Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
First Printing by Bloomsbury in 1999
Cover Art and Interior Illustrations by Mary GrandPré
My copy was printed in 2001 by Scholastic.

Padfoot.

Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you have not read past Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!

 I've had this post nearly completed for about a week now, but I had to put things on hold with my crazy work schedule and catching the flu. So without further delay, let's continue on with the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban!

Harry's third year at Hogwarts is proving to be just as wild as the last. Convicted killer Sirius Black has broken out of the wizard prison of Azkaban. This is the first breakout in history, and the magical community is thrown into an uproar. If that wasn't bad enough, it seems that Black has escaped to kill Harry! With everyone worried for his safety, Harry is rarely let out of his teacher's sight. But despite their supervision, it appears that someone has been letting Black into the castle. Could it be Professor Snape, the teacher that hates Harry the most? Or Professor Lupin, the mysterious new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher? Harry is about to find out that people aren't always what they seem to be.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5
As a kid, I remember this one being my least favorite in the series. I'm not entirely sure why I felt that way, but I think it has to do with this being the book where things start to take a really dark turn. And by dark I don't just mean dark magic, I mean the darkness in human nature. (Spoiler Alert) Disney and Nickelodeon hadn't yet prepared me to find out that sometimes, the villain wins the fight and the good guy gets the blame. Now that I've grown up, I love this book all the more for approaching good and evil in a realistic way. J. K. Rowling does not sugar coat anything, and I think more children's writers should take the same approach.

Favorite Quote:
"You think the dead we loved ever truly leave us? You think that we don't recall them more clearly than ever in times of great trouble? Your father is alive in you, Harry, and he shows himself most plainly when you have need of him. How else could you produce that particular Patronus? Prongs rode again last night."- Albus Dumbledore, page 428

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is available through all booksellers, including Barnes and Noble and Amazon, in both physical and digital copies.

The Widow of the South

The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks
First Printing: 2005 by Warner Books
Book Design by L&G McRee, Frontispiece map by Leo McRee

Fun Fact: This book smells like cat pee.
Another Fun Fact: I do not have a cat.

The only good thing about a sick day is getting to read with no interruptions. For my day home with a stomach bug, The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks was my constant companion.

 It's 1894, and Carrie McGavock is patrolling her graveyard. Thirty years previous, after the bloody Battle of Franklin, many soldiers were left to rot in the fields. When the neighbors wanted to plow over the bodies, she had them brought to her own plantation and erected a private cemetery on her property. On one of her daily strolls between the headstones, a man appears out of the mist. She recognizes him at once with his shambling gate and piercing green eyes. This is Zachariah Cashwell,  a man she helped nurse back to health- a man she had fallen in love with.

When The Battle of Franklin was fought in 1864, The McGavock's Carnton plantation was turned into a hospital for the wounded Confederate soldiers. At the time, Carrie was suffering from a deep depression after the loss of three of her young children. No one, not even her husband could coax her out of her despair. But when the war spilled into her home, she was forced to rise from her rocking chair to tend the wounded. That was when she met Zachariah, the man who was so ready to accept his imminent death. She makes the choice to save him whether he likes it or not, a choice that will bind them together forever.

Carrie McGavock and her husband John.

Final Rating: 4 out of 5
This book gave such a vivid telling of Carrie McGavock and Carnton plantation, it has me wanting to take a trip to Tennessee to visit the place in person. The book gave me the desire to learn more about this battle and the people involved, and you know I love a book that makes me want to learn more! Unfortunately, Robert Hicks did have to tweak some of the facts for this book, but it was for the sake of accommodating the fictional character of Zachariah into the lives of very real people. Other than that, I have no complaints with this book. Robert Hicks succeeded in bringing a relatively small part of the Civil War to the forefront, and he gave these people who are long gone a voice to tell their story.

Favorite Quote: "We were a new country, that was certainly true. A new country of old men and angry, stubborn men. There were moments when I could look out from our carriage and think that there wasn't anything this country couldn't become, which was not at all a comforting thought."- Carrie McGavock, page 302

The Widow of the South is available in both physical and digital copies from all major booksellers, including  Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J. K. Rowling
First Printing: 1998 by Bloomsbury
Cover and Interior Art by Mary Grandprè

Spoiler Alert: Do not read if you have not read this review if you haven't read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone!

The last few weeks have been a little rough for me. I won't go into details, but I've been the kind of stressed out that makes me want to lay around in pajamas all day and eat nothing but heaping spoonfuls of nutella.

Some of my fictional friends are having a rough time of it too. Let's start with Mr. Harry Potter.

In my last post I reviewed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Today we move onto the second installment, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

After a grueling summer with the Dursleys, Harry is dying to go back to Hogwarts. But a few weeks before he is to return, an unexpected guest appears in his bedroom. Dobby the house elf, a small creature with bulbous eyes and bat-like ears, has come to give Harry a warning:

"Harry Potter must stay where he is safe. He is too great, too good, to lose. If Harry Potter goes back to Hogwarts, he will be in mortal danger." (page 16)

But Harry cannot bear the thought of staying with the Dursleys any longer, so he dismisses Dobby's warning. After being at school for only a few short weeks, things take a dark turn at Hogwarts. A bloody message in an empty corridor warns that The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. The Chamber of Secrets is rumored to be a remnant of one of the school founders, Salazar Slytherin.  Soon after, students begin turning to stone, and suspicion spreads throughout the school. Harry is not immune to the gossip among the students, and soon people are accusing him of being Slytherin's heir. Harry must find out who opened the chamber and released the monster within before Hogwarts is closed forever.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5
I think it's pretty clear that I'm in love with this series. I think these books are solid proof that you can miss places you've never been to and people you've never met. It's from this book on that Harry starts to realize that his defeat of the dark wizard Voldemort has made people suspect some sleeping darkness within himself. He begins to doubt everything he is, and those emotions are so true and so human that you can't help but feel his pain along with him. I think that is why these books are so important to me. Regardless of  the magic, these people feel so real and their struggles are relatable. I think there is no better way to conclude this than to wrap up with my favorite quote:

"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." -Professor Dumbledore, page 332

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is available in both physical and digital copies from all major booksellers, including Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
First Printing: 1996 by Bloomsbury (UK)
Cover and Interior Art by Mary Grandpré

I've had the kind of weekend that I wish could last just a little while longer. Our city is shut down from the record-breaking winter weather. While the snow can be a nuisance, it has been nice to be home. I've had my first proper snow day in a long time- throwing snowballs for the dog and eating all kinds of junk food in front of the fire. And of course, I've been reading.

The world of Harry Potter is proof that you can miss a place without ever having been there. I get homesick for these books. These stories are so detailed that I'm still discovering new things each time I read them. I dive back into them every year, and I always enjoy the trip.

Harry Potter is an orphan living with his Aunt and Uncle. Since being left on their doorstep when he was a baby, Petunia and Vernon Dursley have mistreated Harry. He is made to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs and is only given the most basic of things to live off of. His cousin, Dudley, beats him up and humiliates him constantly. Harry grows used to their ill treatment of him, but he wonders why they hate him so much. Even more peculiar than their hate for him is their refusal to answer questions about his deceased parents. One morning as the family is sitting down to breakfast, a letter arrives addressed to Harry. As soon as Harry tries to open the thick parchment envelope, Uncle Vernon snatches it from him and throws him from the room. Who could be writing to him? He has no friends, no remaining family. Letters continue to arrive, and when they go unanswered a messenger is sent in person. When Harry finally tears open his letter, he finds this:

"Dear Mr. Potter,
   We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours Sincerely,
Minerva McGonagall
Deputy Headmistress

Harry Potter is far more special than he ever dreamed he could be. But even in the wizarding world, something extraordinary will set him apart.

Final Rating: 5 out of 5
Did you expect anything less? But honestly, this is not so much a review but to pay homage to the books that bring us home. I will always remember the time I first read this book. I sneaked it in small doses as my parents thought I was too young for it. It gave me a thrill to read that battered library book by flashlight at night, and that spirit of pushing the limits of what I will read has been with me ever since. I hope these books have instilled that same spirit in many children, and I salute J. K. Rowling for conjuring it up in me.

Favorite Quote:

 "But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them." ( page 179)

All children, regardless of your age, enjoy the weather!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is available in both digital and physical copies from all booksellers, including Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

The Regulators by Stephen King

The Regulators by Stephen King
First Printing: 1996 by Dutton
Illustrations by Jaye Zimet
Map by Virginia Norey
Cover Artist: Unknown

I'm back after a week off for Christmas! I took the time away to finish the companion to Desperation by Stephen King. Like it's partner, The Regulators was not lacking in scare factor. It kept me on the edge of my seat wondering who would live and who would die. Unlike Desperation, however, The Regulators had some major pitfalls that were laying right out in the open.

The Regulators is set in Wentworth, Ohio. On a sunny day in midsummer, the residents of Poplar street are out enjoying themselves. Kids run around outside, neighbors wash their cars, and writer Johnny Marinville is playing his guitar on the front stoop. It's a day as lovely as any other, until a space-age red van pulls onto the street. The neighborhood paperboy goes down in a hail of gunfire, and from then on Poplar street is a war-between the neighbors and a gang of futuristic vans driven by ghostly characters.

The foul god Tak is back, and this time he's in control of an autistic little boy named Seth. Tak realizes all of Seth's fantasies by bringing the characters from his favorite TV shows to life. These happen to be shoot 'em up cowboys from old westerns, and a gang of super heroes called the MotoKops. But Tak turns these characters into his own evil cohorts, and he sets them loose on Seth's family and neighbors. The Motokops tear down Poplar Street in their power wagons, taking the cowboys along for the ride. They mow down anyone in their path with shotguns, and the neighbors must band together to escape being killed by these fantasy fiends.

Final Rating: 2.5 out of 5
This book was not lacking in the horror department. It's violent attention to detail was disturbing, and the twisted childhood fantasies were frightening enough to give me one of those "I don't want to keep going, but I can't look away" feelings. However, I kept getting distracted by shaky sentences and grammatical errors. Here's a grand example:
"... David Carver with tendrils of blood running down his white, blubbery sides in tendrils." (page 82)
Yikes.
And if any of these character names look familiar, it's because Stephen King reused them for this book. It's not a true sequel, it's more of an alternate timeline. Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of that. I would have preferred a continuation of Desperation, or a prequel of some sort. All in all, this book felt like something slapped together at the last minute. I won't be returning to it anytime soon.

Favorite Quote:
"Dave took the shells and opened the box while his brother rolled the .45's cylinder and held the gun up to the light, checking to make sure the chambers were empty just as Johnny had done. We're careful because we understand the potential a gun has to maim and kill, Johnny thought, but it's more than that. On some level we know they're evil. Devilish. Even their biggest fans and partisans sense it." (page 240)

The Regulators is available in physical and digital copies from all major booksellers, including Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

The Lowland

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri
First Printing: 2013 by Knopf

After reading Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies, I knew I had to read more of her work. Her way of revealing people through their actions made her stories ensnare you. I felt like I was looking through a window right into these peoples' lives. The Lowland instantly made my list of to-be-reads. My expectations were high, I was prepared for my mind to be blown. Unfortunately, my excitement quickly died and I grew disappointed as I struggled to even finish this book.

The story opens in Tollygunge, a region in Calcutta, India. Subhash and Udayan Mitra grow up together on a quiet street with their parents. Though Subhash is the oldest, Udayan is the outspoken leader of the two. He leads them on adventures and gets them into mischief. As a child he didn't mind it, but as the boys grow older and go off to college Subhash begins to feel a void between him and his brother. His brother's strength makes Subhash question his own. When Udayan joins the Naxalite Movement (a communist group founded on Mao's teachings) and violence spreads across India, Subhash transfers to a college in America. Subhash distances himself from India and his family, keeping his homeland's civil unrest out of his mind. Udayan dives headfirst into the communist movement. He attends all the meetings and is present at every protest. Subhash becomes angry with his brother, worrying that his outspokenness will endanger the family. When Udayan takes a wife, Subhash hopes things will finally settle down. But an urgent letter from home forces him to return to India immediately, and what he finds there changes his life forever.

Final Rating: 2 out of 5
I really wanted to like this book. With each chapter I hoped that the story would pick up the pace, that the characters would start to show some depth. A little over halfway through I had to resign myself to the facts: The story was dull and there was no saving it at this point. The Naxalite movement, a theme that was supposed to be a major contender in this book, was barely involved. I wish Lahiri would have delved more into that part of the book, showing what the movement was fighting for. The scant descriptions of its involvement in Indian history were dumbed down until they were a bore. In this particular book, I felt that Lahiri had lost her sense of showing you a person rather than telling you about them. The characters felt lifeless, and the book progressed slowly with very little action. Most of the explanation and action was crammed into the last 30 pages, like an afterthought.I have no doubt that Lahiri is a great and important writer, but she really dropped the ball on this one. I won't be reading this book again.

Favorite Quote:
"Though there marriage had not been a solution, it had taken her away from Tollygunge. He had brought her to America and then, like an animal briefly observed, briefly caged, released her. He had protected her, he had attempted to love her. Every time she had to open a new jar of jam, she resorted to the trick he'd taught her, of banging the edge of the lid three or four times with a spoon, to break the seal." (page 243)

The Lowland is available in physical and digital copies from all major booksellers, including Barnes and Noble and Amazon.

Stephen King's Desperation

Desperation by Stephen King
First Printing: 1996 by Viking
Interior Art: John Jude Palencar
Cover Art: Unknown

Just look at that glorious beard.

I'm back after taking a week off for Thanksgiving! If your holidays are anything like mine, sometimes books are the only escape. The only thing that could be more terrifying than a family gathering would be a thriller from the master of horror himself.

Desperation converges on a young couple, a family on vacation, and an uninspired writer. Each are travelling through Nevada on the lonely U. S. 50, and each are pulled over by a small-town cop. That cop is Collie Entragian, and something is deeply wrong with him. He arrests our travelers on the spot, killing some and jailing the others. The prisoners witness Entragian speaking in an ancient language that the animals not only understand, but obey.

 "He's not just a serial killer; he's the Bram Stoker version of Dr. Dolittle." says Johnny Marinville, the captured writer.

 The entire desert seems bent on keeping them captive, and their only hope comes from an unlikely source. David, the only child in the group, claims to be able to speak to God. David knows that his visions are true, but can he convince the others in time to save them?

About halfway through this book I started having nightmares about scorpions invading my house. In the dream, the only way to get rid of the scorpions was to read the entire book and then the secret to killing them would be revealed. Many times the dream would start with me waking, finding scorpions all over the place, and then peeking over the side of the bed to find this:

Good morning, sunshine!

Final Rating: 4 out of 5
In a nutshell, this story had me hooked enough that I was subconsciously wanting to read it all the time, even while asleep. I stayed up late finishing chapter after chapter, and I was peeking at it during family gatherings. It was terrifying enough to give me nightmares, and the story kept me hooked with its continuous motion. King could have improved upon it by not leaning on his go-to character models (i. e. the hack writer, the bad cop, etc), but the plot was more than enough to keep my interest. I can't wait to get started on its companion, The Regulators!

Favorite Quote:
"GOD FORGIVE ME, I HATE CRITICS!"- Johnny Marinville, page 529

Bonus inside-cover art by John Jude Palencar!

Desperation is available in physical and digital copies from all major booksellers, including Barnes and Noble and Amazon.