Harry Potter: The covers

Harry Potter is unarguably one of the most, if not the most, successful children's book series of all time. It is common knowledge that JK Rowling was the first author to become a billionaire from writing (she has since given a way a large chuck of that is now a millionaire) but what is also common knowledge is that JK Rowling wrote a world that children and adults alike that they could let their imaginations sore and escape into the most wondrous world imaginable. The books have spun an eight film series that has made billions of pounds as well as a theme park and a successful studio tour, whilst the books and films have finished, the story lives on.

But you knew that already, of course, what I want to look at today and hopefully I will continue doing this with other books is looking at their covers both in the UK and the USA. They say we should never judge a book by its cover but that is the primary thing that the book is marketed by and the first thing to bring the book to the attention of the reader.

Because there have been so many covers I will just show you the first in the series, which in this case is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

All of the release dates were taken from Goodreads so apologies if they are wrong. 

I currently own the complete set of the original covers (1997), complete set of the signature collection in the box set (2010) and the American original cover of the first book (1999) as well as a Welsh edition with the same cover as the 1997 one. However, I really want the American new box set (2013) because they are just beautiful and I love the illustrations and also I think I may get the new British covers as well (2014) but who knows.

It's totally okay to have more than one copy of your favourite books!

My dream table

If you could invite any five people past or present to sit at your diner table, who would you pick and why?

1.JK Rowling
My first invite would have to go to JK Rowling, with out a doubt, she is probably my biggest hero. She is a modern day rags to riches story, she went from being almost in poverty to being the first ever billionaire author. She not only wrote a series of books that completely changed my life It taught children and adults alike about good and evil, love and the values of being a good human being along with so many other invaluable life lessons. Apart from that though the amount of charity work that she has done is insane. Despite the fact that as I previously mentioned she was the first author billionaire, she has given away so much money that she is now down to being a millionaire, if that doesn't spell a wonderful human being then I really don't know what else does. She has also completely changed the way children (and adults) perceive literature, she has got children reading in a way no other modern day author has done.

2. Maggie Smith
Maggie Smith is one of my favourite actors, not only is she incredibly badass, I mean she's 87 and still going strong and stealing every single scene that she is in but she continued to film Harry Potter despite the fact that she had breast cancer all because she didn't want to let anyone down. I feel like she would be up for a good laugh and I would just absolutely love to see her in the flesh even just for a fleeting glance.

3. Colin Morgan
Colin Morgan is my favourite male actor. When I saw him in the summer it was amazing, he is captivating when he is on stage and completely embodies the role that he takes on and you forget that you are watching Colin Morgan but envision the character he is preforming as. He was also extremely nice and modest when I met him after the show, he seems to have so much time for his fans and that to me is something that really needs to be valued more.

4. Margaret Thatcher

She is a slightly controversial person to invite to a tea party but that is exactly why I wanted to invite her. I want to find out from her account of what she was up to when she was prime minister, lets face it she is a very remarkable character in British history and even if you like her or you don't no one can take away from the fact she was the first woman prime minister that Britain has had and thats something pretty interesting. I'd like to find out if she really is quite as much of an iron lady as she is preceived to be.

5. Winston Churchill
Of course I had to invite an extremely poignant figure in British politics, this man is an absolute hero to any Briton. He guided Britain through the Second World War and his speeches are ones that you cannot forget, he was the voice of the war. I think it would be ridiculously interesting to have him at my tea party because I would just be fascinated to hear his stories about the war and how it felt to run a country at a time of such misery.


Quite a random bunch, but if I was being totally greedy I would also invite a few more

6. Alex Vlahos
When I met him at Comic Con he was so nice and I just would love to get to have a longer conversation with him.
7. The Queen
She is an absolutely amazing amabasdor for Britain, I mean shes 80 odd and still going strong with no signs of slowing down any time soon.
8. Prince Charles
I find him really funny I'm not sure why but for a royal he's pretty down to earth and I think all he's done for charities like the Prince's Trust is amazing.
9. Barack Obama
He would be a pretty amazing character to have a tea party, he's an extremely likeable guy and of course being the first black president is something amazing.
10. Jennifer Lawrence 
Who wouldn't want to have Jennifer Lawrence at a dinner party? She is one of my favourite people in Hollywood, she's ridiculously down to earth despite her success and I would love to meet her.

Favourite fictional characters from Harry Potter - Part 1

When I was writing my favourite fictional character in books and another in film and tv I realised that a lot of my favourite characters are from Harry Potter and so I said in that post that I would create an entirely separate post on these characters so that I could have some difference. Sorry for the delay on this post, only I wanted to put a lot of effort into it and with my current situation, it has proved difficult and also this is a pretty hefty post to write.

Anyway, I have already listed why Harry and Hermione are my favourites in this post so check that and then return for the rest!

Ron Weasley, of course has to be up here, because without him there would be no 'Golden Trio'. I feel that in the Harry Potter films that Ron is somewhat over shadowed by Hermione and in the books this is certainly not the case. Ron is Harry's best friend, the first one that Harry turns to when he has a problem (which lets face it is extremely often). He is not perfect and is a jealous character but his loyalty is what shines the best in Ron. I love that he tells Harry when he's being an idiot, instead of just going along with whatever he does just  because he is the chosen one: Ron doesn't care about that stuff. He is really quick-witted and is completely hopeless. I just love him.

Fred and George Weasley, technically this counts as two but seeing as you can't have one without the other (well.........every situation. I also respect the fact that they saved their money and used their witty humours to create their own business and break away from the stereotype of the 'poor Weasleys'. I will never forgive JK Rowling for killing off Fred, if possible I think this might be the worst death ever (in the film at least) I physically cannot watch it without my heart ripping out of my chest)

. I love that despite everything that goes on throughout the books, Fred and George always remain a constant source of entertainment and laughter. They are fantastic and completely make the books, I love how mischievous they are and how they find the good in

(I also love these two so much that I named my own two little hamsters Fred and George and James Phelps actually tweeted me back when I sent him a picture of them both!!!)



Ginny Weasley, yep another Weasley. Now I am going to pretend like film Ginny was never invented because I just do not like the way she is written in the film, nope, nope absolutely not. Ginny in the books is a fearless, independent, slightly sassy, completely brilliant and smart character. Her relationship with Harry is brilliant and incredibly moving, she is solid rock for him through everything, it is not awkward at all. She has inherited some of Fred and George's complete regard of the rules if it means that you can do something good instead which inspires one of my favourite quotes "The thing about growing up with Fred and George is that you sort of start thinking anything's possible if you've got enough nerve."

Next up is of course Albus Dumbledore. No Harry Potter list could be made without including the most powerful wizard of all time could it? Absolutely not. I love that despite the fact that Dumbledore is probably the most powerful (good) wizard in the wizarding world he freely admits that even he makes mistakes and is getting old, I think that this helps him seem more real and more likeable. I for one would love to have him as my headteacher! I also find a lot of joy through Harry and his relationship, it is slightly strange for a normal headmaster and pupil, but then again they aren't really normal are they? Dumbledore also says my favourite quote of all time"Happiness can be found, even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light".


Minerva McGonagall is probably the most badass woman I have ever read. I love her bravery which I suppose is an obvious character trait, as you don't get to be head of Gryffindor house for nothing! I admire that she would put her neck on the line if it meant any of her students would remain safe and I love that although she doesn't say it out loud and in so many words, her affection for Harry is clear and a huge rock for him, although she doesn't just do what it is right by Harry and it teaches him the lessons that need to be taught. I also applaud the fact that McGonagoll doesn't really care if you're pathetic like Neville and see can see the potential. It makes me happy when she says to Neville (regarding his timetable) "It's high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she's got, rather than one she thinks she ought to have- particularly after what happened at the Ministry".

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Right now this is all the characters that I am going to do for now, but I will be writing another very shortly with some more of my favourite characters from Harry Potter!
But you can read why I love the franchise as a whole here

Casual Vacancy- JK Rowling REVIEW

As it may be clear to tell, JK Rowling is one of my ultimate inspirations and Harry Potter is a huge part of my life, so you can only imagine my excitement when she announced she was writing a new book. Of course, I knew it wasn't going to be another instalment of Harry Potter but none the less I was still counting down the days until she finally released a new book. So when the 27^th September 2012 arrived and my pre-ordered copy arrived on my front door, I began reading almost immediately. After reading about three chapters I put the book down, I had yet to make a judgement because everyone knows that the first several chapters of a new book are always slow; however, when I had read to roughly halfway I was starting to become extremely disappointed.

            The book is slow, boring and the plot is uninteresting. I didn't feel an ounce of connection towards the characters due to lack of dimension and I just didn't like any of them enough to really care about what they were doing. To be quite honest I didn't even finish the book because it turned into a chore even reading a sentence, so after reading about 75% of the book I gave up.

            I felt that JK Rowling has tried too hard to break away from her connection to children’s literature, I'm not sure why but I feel as if she tried to overdo the amount of language and sexual references, in fact she described one sexual encounter so vividly it left me feeling uncomfortable and just downright creeped out. The book could have been so much better had these pointless encounters and foul language not played such a huge part in the plot.

            I have heard that JK Rowling may venture back into children’s literature next, and despite me not loving this book I will certainly read anything else she writes and continue with my love for Harry Potter, but as for this particular book I wish I’d never bothered. 

rating: 2.5/10

Trying to put into words my love for Harry Potter

For my English presentation I have decided to do it on Harry Potter, however, trying to put in to words how much you love something is hard. None the less I think I have started (or at least tried to) to put my thoughts on to paper (or in this case a word document.) This is is in no way finished and barely even a beginning but its something and I thought I would share it.

The books are primarily about an orphaned boy with a lightning shaped scar on his forehead has to deal with the pressure of a prophesy set before he was born and trying to find the ways of destroying evil or else the Wizarding world would be under the power of the darkest wizard of all time, Voldemort or He Who Must Not Be Named; the books show Harry growing up in a Wizarding school name Hogwarts where he meets his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger and his future wife Ginny Weasley, his faithful friends Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Dean and Seamus, Fred and George and the entirety or the Order of the Phoenix modern day answer of Dumbledore's Army. He gets taught by Professor McGonagall, Severus Snape, Remus Lupin and many others, he also finds a father figure in the shape of Albus Dumbledore and in GodFather Sirius Black, he also finds family comfort in the Weasley family who take him in as if he were their own. But he also learns that evil can take any form even in the place that you think you are the most safe people like Dolores Umbridge who will sneak in and create havoc, and that people are not all they seem and may not be an enemy but someone who will protect you in the duty of love, like Severus Snape did for the entirety of Harry's duration at Hogwarts and long before hand. All the while, Harry has to continue on with his studies of becoming a wizard and partaking in subjects such as a 'History of Magic', 'Transfiguration','Potions' and 'Divination' just to name a few. 

The books are essentially a plot of good versus evil, but also shows love and friendship is what essentially conquers all; it also explores diversity with the issue tackled for example, by the Malfoy family being ‘racist’ by thinking that Pureblood wizards are the best and should be treated better than those of Half Blood and especially of Muggle Born (wizards with non-magical parents) heritage, and she also shows that bigotory is never the solution and she shows the impact of living in a world where it is run by those who discriminate on your blood and heritage not on your own personal values and merits, by showing this when the Death Eaters took over the ministry and made all Muggle born wizards declare themselves and be stripped of the right of being able to use their wands. 

Death is a huge part of the series and shows the brutality and loss of innocence that come along with war, it also shows the mark that death and war brings and that even the survivors of war are never really untainted, JK Rowling shows this through Snape loving Lily and doing what ever he can to protect her son despite Lily never really being his love and even though Harry was a son of his school enemy he protected him because of the eternal love he had for Lily. The books show the importance of community and pulling together even when times are tough and finding the light in every situation. JK Rowling shows the handling of power and the problems that come along with it and the need for redemption and a happy ending. 

So I think that's all for now before I start quaffling (haha, see what I did there;-) I'm sorry I'm not good at jokes) but I could honestly go on forever, and ever talking about my love for Harry Potter. Long live Harry Potter, "Always"

Here's a nice song to make you cry, you're very welcome.

Bookshelf Tour!

One of my absolute favourite things to do is read, and this therefore results in me owning a heck of a lot of books. Thankfully, last year I had a Kindle given to me as a gift so I have managed to whittle down the amount of physical copies of books that I own. But here is the contents of my bookshelf.
*p.s. I don't usually have tinsel around it, but being Christmas and all*

My bookcase is from Argos, for about £60 this time last year. I skipped the second shelf because it will be in my DVD collection in my next blog post.

The top of my bookcase- 

Eeyore, ariel for TV, Pygmy Puff(called Arnold), and the Shopaholic series, Remember Me, Can You Keep a Secret and Undomestic Goddess and my hamsters treats.

1st shelf

(at the top) To kill a Mockingbird, The world of the Hunger Games and THG Tribute Guide, The Great Gatsby and The Night Circus

(from left to right) Twilight series, The Woman in Black, The Hunger Games series, an American version of Harry Potter and the 'Scorers Stone', The Harry Potter Series, Uglies, The Perks Of Being a Wallflower, Night School, The Hundred Year Old Man Who Jumped Out Of a Window and Disappeared, Divergent & Insurgent, The Girl With a Dragon Tattoo and Here Come The Girls.

2nd Shelf

(from left to right) A Desirable Residence, The Tennis Party, Cocktails For Three, The Wedding Girl, Swimming Pool Sunday, Sleeping Arrangements, The Gatecrasher, A Bend in the Road, The Choice, Dear John, The Lucky One, The House of Night Series (minus the sixth one because that is the book I am currently reading), The Love Academy, Out Of The Blue, Cafe Tropicana, California Club, Diva Las Vegas, I Love Capri, On the Road to Mr Right, The Paradise Room and (at the top) The Last Song.

3rd shelf

(from left to right) Tom Daley- My story, (behind Simba) Girl on the Run, The Newly Weds, Bridesmaids, My single Friend, Secrets at St Judes series (New Girl, Jealous Girl, Drama Girl, Rebel Girl), A Spring Affair, The Yorkshire Pudding Club, The Birds and the Bees, White Wedding, An Autumn Crush, A Summer Fling, My Life Starring Mum and Hollywood Bliss.

Wii Games- Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, Mario Kart Wii, Lego Harry Potter years 5-7, Sonic Colours.

Cd's- Maroon 5- Overexposed, Ed Sheeran- Loose Change, + and Songs I Wrote With Amy.

Then I have The Casual Vacancy and random school text books and revision books.

The coloured words in the list are my favourite books.

Authors books who I have mentioned- Stephanie Meyer, Susan Hill, Susanne Collins, JK Rowling, Scott Westerfield, Jonas Johnson, Harper Lee, Erin Morganstern, FScott Fitzgerald, Veronica Roth, Stieg Larrson, Milly Johnson, Sophie Kinsella, Nicolas Sparks, P.C and Kristin Cast, Belinda Jones, Jane Costello, Carmen Reid, Chloe Rayban.