“And another one bites the dust,” is my favourite Queen quote that my brain plays for me every time after I finish reading a book. This was another such time. (Dammit now I have that song playing in my head! And it will probably stay there, playing on loop until another song replaces it.)
223 pages, Paperback / Audio Book
Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone was my eighth read this year. (An exciting thought is; if I read a book every five days from today onwards; I’ll have met my 21-books-read-(starting from January)-before-I turn-21 challenge! I try to be a positive person; however, I do doubt I’ll be able to make it, but I will endeavour to get as far as I can. My TBR list rather outweighs my books-read list, it would be could to start evening it out.)
I’m never quite sure how to write reviews, not been doing it long enough to know.
I guess I’ll start with how I read Harry Potter.
I listened to it, and if I hadn’t, I don’t think I would have been able to read it in the first place.
Read out loud by none other than Stephen Fry I was really immersed into the world. Had I read it; the style of writing would have put me off.
The first time, many years ago, when I first picked up this book from my granddad’s bookshelf I struggled.
On one hand, I was younger, and my English reading and writing skills were appalling compared to most other’s my age, but then again, I was brought up in France and learnt my English by French teachers. (I have learnt a lot more about grammar in this last year of writing for myself than I ever did in school.) On the other hand, also back then my mum started reading it too me, even she struggled with how Rowling wrote.
But you can’t beat a bit of Stephen Fry can you!
He did it brilliantly and because of that I listened to it in just two days. Thankfully for my brain’s capacity, I was able to do my Pinterest work at the same time. Couldn’t write my book however, though when I did go to write, even if my goal was just two hundred words my head went blank. I shrugged my shoulders and went back to listing to the audio book.
I think my favourite bit about Stephen Fry reading it was how he did the voices, they were perfect! Hagrid’s was my favourite!
I already knew the storyline of course; I have watched all the Harry Potter films at least ten times, each. We need to get a new DVD of the last film because it’s scratch from the many times we’ve watched it, and from accidental droppages.
When was I moment I squealed? It was near the beginning, when Harry was going down his list of the school-supplies he needed, specifically when he went over the books. And there I had not been expecting to hear ‘Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander.’ In all honest I love Fantastic Beasts more than Harry Potter. I mean come on! Eddie Redmayne! He’s absolutely lush! He’s I’m sure the reason I fell for my ex because he looked like him. Anyway, getting off track.
My views on J. K. Rowling; I don’t like the woman, not her views on a big portion her the community she’s built or her attitude. But—like Justin Bieber in the way I can listen to his music, appreciate it but still not like the guy himself—I can read her books and separate them from her. I do hope in the future no one would do that to me with my books, but beggars can’t be choosers. I’d simply be happy if my books were being read.
I would certainly recommend this book, in any of its forms to my friends. We all need a little bit more magic in our lives.
I might expand this review one day but for now this will do. I hoped you liked it. See you all soon! Don’t forget to like this blog post! Xxx
Lily O. Laverick 