Life has been a little bit crazy this month with the beginning of a new semester that’s demanding a lot of my time. And, with the death of my kitty two weeks ago, I just haven’t quite been in the mood to do much of anything.

But, I think it’s time to break out of this funk. And, what better way to do it than with Harry Potter. For Christmas, I received the UK editions of all seven books and I started rereading the series at once. Unfortunately, I’m only about halfway through Philosopher’s Stone.

However, I thought it’d be fun to post some discussions as I read through the books again. I hope you’ll join me and answer the questions for yourselves in the comments or add to what I have to say. Here are the questions for Philosopher’s Stone (I used some of the discussion questions provided by Scholastic):

How would you feel if you discovered you were a wizard?

I’d be so excited if I discovered I were a witch. Ever since I read Harry Potter for the first time in 2001, I have longed for the world of Hogwarts to be real, even the bad stuff. Of course, I think I’d be stunned because I’d find out that the world was actually real, which to my current knowledge isn’t true.

What do the names of the four Hogwarts houses–Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin–suggest to you? Which one would you be in and why?

It’s kind of funny because I think the names of the houses embody how people feel about them. It could be that the world of Harry Potter is so engrained in me that it’s hard to think any differently. But, Gryffindor sounds brave and grand. Hufflepuff sounds cough*wimpy*cough. Ravenclaw sounds knowledgeable and wise. And, Slytherin sounds a bit sinister.

According to Pottermore, I’d be in Slytherin. And, according to every personality quiz I’ve ever taken that parallels the Hogwarts houses, I’d be in Slytherin. It’s because I yearn for approval and attention. When Harry’s sorted, he asks the Sorting Hat to put him in any house except Slytherin. The hat responds: “… a nice thirst to prove yourself…. Not Slytherin, eh? Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it’s all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that.”

Many novels borrow from the traditional stories of fairy tales, myths, and legends. Fluffy resembles Cerberus, the three-headed dog which guards the underworld of Greek mythology. What other creatures from traditional tales are paralleled in the story? How does each of these creatures play a pivotal role in advancing the plot?

I wish I remembered my Greek mythology as much as I did when I was younger. In the first book, the only characters I can think of are the centaurs and dragons. But, they’re kind of blatant, not like Fluffly, who’s a more subtle representation of a mythological creature.

Besides Harry Potter, who is your favorite character in the book? Or, which character do you find most interesting and why?

Dumbledore is, by far, my favorite. However, before I became a member of Pottermore, I loved Ron second. Now that I’m a member and I’ve had the chance to read the awesome backstory about Professor McGonagall, I have a lot of respect for her and interest in her character. Oh, the fan-fiction that could be written about her! I wish I could explain more, but I don’t want to spoil it for anyone.

What is your favorite quote from this book and why?

It’s no surprise that my favorite quote from this book (and the entire series for that matter) is: “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live,” said by Dumbledore when he finds Harry returning over and over again to the Mirror of Erised. This quote and this whole situation with the mirror helps me remember that I need to do more than just survive or dream; I need to actually live and do things.

How do you feel the movie did at capturing the magic of the first book?

The movie started it all for me. I had tried to read Harry Potter before the movie came out, but I couldn’t follow the story. (I wasn’t a reader back then.) Then, I saw the movie and I had to know more. I wanted to be a part of the world JK Rowling had created. Because of that, I feel like the first movie did a great job at capturing the magic and overall feeling of the book. And, it amazes me at how well it follows the book, unlike other book-to-movie adaptations.

What about You?

I can’t believe this is the last day. I’m kind of sad. It’s been a fun 30 days of book discussion. I hope you had fun reading my answers and commenting with your own.

Day 30: My Favorite Book of all Time

I’ve been dreading today’s prompt from the very beginning. How can I choose my favorite book of all time? I know some people can say what theirs is without any thought. I, however, can’t.

If my favorite book were not part of a series, I think it would be easier. But, since my favorite book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is part of a series, I feel like I can’t exclude the other six books. Together they make up the entire experience.

I’m not one of those readers who can just pick up their favorite Harry Potter book and read it. I always have to start from the beginning and end with the last one. I want the whole experience every single time I read these books. Yes, each book has its own adventure, but as a whole, they capture so much growth in the characters and stories that you’d miss if you didn’t read them all together.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that I can’t choose just one book, but I choose Harry Potter as my answer to this prompt because I see it as one big story arc and because Harry Potter means everything to me. It has shown me how to live my life, without fear and with kindness, love, integrity, and the gumption to stand up for what I think is right.

What about you? What is your favorite book of all time?

Day 4: Favorite Book of My Favorite Series

From Day 3, you know that Harry Potter is my favorite series. And from Day 2, you know that Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite story in the series. But, you also know from Day 2 that Azkaban isn’t my favorite book in the series anymore. How does that work? I’ll tell you.

I absolutely love Prisoner of Azkaban. There’s so much about the story to love as I said in my Day 2 post. But, I can’t help but love Deathly Hallows as a book more because it ties everything together.

I loved getting all my questions answered. I loved that all my theories about Harry Potter came true. I loved finally seeing Ron and Hermione together. I loved seeing Neville get his moment in the spotlight! I loved the story of the deathly hallows and trying to figure out what each of the horcruxes were. I also loved finding out more about Dumbledore, even if it wasn’t what I expected. And, I loved the duels, especially the one between Snape and McGonagall.

I loved the pure, raw emotion I felt while I read this book. I was happy, excited, and a little bit sad that I finally knew how it all ended. I cried hard when Hedwig and Dobby died. I cried even harder when Harry walked into the Forbidden Forest to sacrifice himself for the greater good.

I love everything about Deathly Hallows. It’s everything I had ever hoped for and I can’t ask for a better ending to the series. The only thing I’d want different is for it to have lasted longer. But, what proper Harry Potter fan wouldn’t want that?

What about you? What is your favorite book in your favorite series?

Day 3: My Favorite Series

This is such a tough one to answer because I don’t want to leave any of my favorites out. But, But! If I had to choose just one, it’d have to be Harry Potter, hands down.

While Twilight got me to read and introduced me to my wonderful friends, Harry Potter is Harry Potter. I think that should be enough of a justification to explain my reasons. But, if it’s not, because I can’t say it any better, I’m going to quote Ginger from GReads who just started reading Harry Potter for her first time:

These books may come across as a tale about wizards and magic, but they’re so much more than that.  There’s truth, honor, wisdom, passion, friendship, and guidance spilled through out these pages. [...] It doesn’t matter what age you are, what part of the world you come from, or what you believe in.. [sic] the magic of literature, especially in this story, can touch us all.

What about you? What is your favorite series?