I chose Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone because you can’t have a fantastic series without a spectacular beginning. It set the mark, explaining this new world beautifully and even connecting all seven books together. It isn’t just an introduction book, it’s a book that helped complete the series on a different level. It’s the first chapter that always sticks with me and I’ll never forget about the boy who lived.
I originally wanted to choose one of V.C. Andrews’ series but I had to stick with Harry. I had a crazy 8th grade teacher, Mr. Zenkov (actually I don’t remember how to spell his name), and I’m not kidding around. He was still a child trying to teach children. But the greatest thing he ever did was taking an afternoon and read to us the first couple of chapters of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. Were we too young to be read too? Yes, but that first introduction to Harry was moving. We all were captivated by Rowling’s words and although I didn’t actually read the book until later in the year, it was a magical end to the day that I’ll always remember.
I forgot about Harry until the third book came out. Two years is a long time to wait for something you’ll read in two days. After Prisoner of Azkaban was released, the momentum around the books was starting to pick up in the States and I began my summer ritual. I would begin with Sorcerer’s Stone and read up until the newly released book. Every two years I’d begin the process over again. I’d wait a week or two because the new book was released and through the years I called them my ‘Harry Potter Summers’. It was a metaphor for my relationship with Harry, I felt as I had grown up with him. For the weeks leading up until the latest released I called Harry my boyfriend and as soon I had a finished the new book I’d state we’d broken up. However, there was a level of comfort, because I knew two years later another book was come out and I’d get to enjoy another week of being swept away at Hogwarts.
I took it hard when Harry and I broke up for real.
Regardless of the sadness at the ending of series, to this day, every other summer will always be a Harry Potter Summer.
To this day I still don’t have any idea how this book fell into my hands. I was in elementary (primary) school when I first read it and if you haven’t, well you surely have heard about Flowers in the Attic. What’s the best part about this book? That fact that it’s the first in a series so there’s countless train wreck action! I will always reread this book and the first collections by V.C. Andrews. They’re my dirty little secrets that I’ve started since I was young and the writing is something you can’t forget. It’s shocking. I probably wasn’t at an ok age to read them, but I certainly would never, EVER let any child I know read these until they’re older. Just because I got away with the drama doesn’t mean I think it’s acceptable for others. Nevertheless I still love this classic horror novel. Here’s to the hushed behind the hands secret of the book world.
EL James. A woman who has rocked the literary world for a multitude of reasons. As a Seattlite, when I saw that Waterstones was having a book signing with the (in)famous EL James I marked the date on my calendar. As fan fiction from Twilight, James set her ‘stories’ in Seattle and her books have created a phenomenon, I had to go and document the event. Please click the photos to enlarge, apologies if they’re a bit blurry.
I didn’t attend to tell her what I thought of her writing. I didn’t attend to be mean. I attended because it was an event I couldn’t miss. I knew it would ridiculous, I knew there would be loads of people. I didn’t buy any of the books myself. I brought the one a friend had given me, charged my camera and off I went. I brought along a postcard from Seattle. I wrote EL James a nice message and included my business card. Cheeky.
I had planned to stake my place in the queue two hours beforehand. But I had things to do and time got away from me and I ended up getting to Waterstones at 5pm. The event started at 6:30pm. Here’s the queue when I got there and after standing around for an hour and a half.
A camera crew showed up and interviewed people, but not me. I was number 182 in the queue. There was a banana on a wall by a door too.
It was another hour and a half of standing and waiting until I got my chance to get my book signed. They herded us like cattle as we swarmed upstairs. It wasn’t practical because we were put in a huge group and then were slowly whittled down to single file for the signing. It made it seem like the process took FOREVER!
The weirdest thing about the event was that once people learned I was from Seattle, I became a little celebrity myself. They’re eyes got big and they exclaimed, ‘You’re from Seattle?! Wow!” I think I might have been the only person from Seattle there, but I had to go. We were also given the chance to have the first book personally signed. Most people had their names. I chose Seattle. The PR girls and EL James herself were surprised when it came to be my turn. I shook her hand, and gave her the postcard. I thanked her for her time and she was so sweet and genuinely kind. She signed my book and I took my leave.
People were asking me what number I had been when I left, there were LOADS more people waiting and it had been about two hours of signing already. Was it worth it standing for that long period of time? Not for my feet, (I have problems, see how small they are?) but nevertheless I’m glad I stuck it out. Thank goodness for the Kindle app on my ipod and overall it was a very interesting evening. The energy of those who bought the beautiful trilogy editions (they were stunning) was infectious. There was a universal look of embarrassment as well. I was most surprised by the range of ages. It wasn’t all middle aged women, there were girls younger than myself giggling over the spectacle of the event. It wasn’t about what I thought about the books, it was about being there and experiencing it all. It was my night with EL James.
Pricilla ‘Prissie’ Pomeroy likes the color pink, lives in a small town, is the only daughter with five brothers and oh yeah she can see angels. Initially amazed, she struggles with accepting her new reality. When the angels show her their world behind the blue door Prissie accepts that God has destined a higher purpose for her. Mustering her strength in God, she continues her life but is always in the presence of angels. Where there are angels there must also be demons and the realm of the heavenly is in danger. This is only the beginning for Prissie, as trouble lurks at every step and she is the key the angels must protect.
A debut for author Christa Kinde, The Blue Door is an interesting read. I gave the book three and half hearts because on one hand, for the Christian market Kinde hit it out of the park. On the other hand I don’t think the story would translate well for the traditional market. I applaud Zondervan for branching out to the Young Adult genre and I hope the series continues. The book is fantastically written for its audience. The Christian aspects are woven wonderfully together within the narrative that even someone unfamiliar to the faith will still get the meaning of the story.
However, there were some issues. I felt that Prissie came off as younger than she was and for nearly three hundred pages it’s mainly setting and character development with a hint of conflict behind the scenes. Perhaps this is due to it being Christian fiction and as the first book of the series I can understand the importance of covering the strength of Prissie’s faith. I just kept waiting for a big event to happen and unfortunately Kinde has saved it for the second book. I’m still interested to learn more about Prissie’s journey and will keep an eye out for the next installment. I think Kinde is a brilliant writer for the Christian genre and it’s a great choice for young adults strong in their faith. I also recommend it for readers that want to stretch their reading by trying something different. Parents can rest easy with this book in their children’s hands and it was refreshing to read an age appropriate book!
This book was an ARC supplied by Zondervan from Net Galley for an honest review. Thank you so much!
Fresh out of the aftermath of his parent’s divorce, Australian teenager Luke Hunter tries to remain calm when his mum declares they’re moving to an unknown place called Phoenix in the bush. Upon arrival, Luke notices Phoenix is a town where there’s more that meets the eye. No phones, no Internet, no cars, everyone travels by bike and are living in homes that look just like everyone else’s. Missing his dad, Luke attempts to settle in and make friends at High School.
With the appearance of a rough homeless man streaking across the prestigious Phoenix town, Luke can’t help but take notice. A mysterious gift of a flash drive with a classmate’s name only adds to the confusion. Even though the event does assist in the process of making friends with cool Peter and fiery Jordan. Curiosity builds as they decode the flash drive, discovering a possible confession that Phoenix was built to save humanity- and that the world would be ending in 100 days….
The countdown at the beginning of each chapter added to my fury in reading this book. Morphew is a talented Aussie in creating action and suspense that encourages the younger generation to read. How would you feel if you learned the world is going to end, and you’ve been selected as a part of the population to be saved? It’s a big question for teenagers to ignore.
The mysterious context of Phoenix blends well with the teenage angst and drama of normal life adjusting to abnormality. It was a joy to be filled with the scenery of a hidden part of Australia, and Morphew left me wanting more. There are four books in the series so far and I can’t wait to get back to learn more about what’s happening to this world. I hope that an American publisher picks up this book; it’s been a wonderful experience to read such a delightful YA series about Australia. Not enough YA books take place in Australia and America needs the Southern hemisphere exposure. I can’t wait to get my hands on the next book Contact!
Through a Seattle Looking Glass 