Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

Goodreads Blurb

Harry Potter, along with his best friends, Ron and Hermione, is about to start his third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry can’t wait to get back to school after the summer holidays. (Who wouldn’t if they lived with the horrible Dursleys?) But when Harry gets to Hogwarts, the atmosphere is tense. There’s an escaped mass murderer on the loose, and the sinister prison guards of Azkaban have been called in to guard the school…

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Another amazing continuation to Harry Potter. This third book had more secrets and suspense. I loved how all the secrets unraveled. Harry seems happier and stronger as he grows up. I love how Harry and his friends go out and search for answers with no fear. This book just keeps the reader reveled in the magic and secrets. I was happy to see Harry still has a close family friend.

Author Biography

As a child, Rowling often wrote fantasy stories, which she would usually then read to her sister. She recalls that: “I can still remember me telling her a story in which she fell down a rabbit hole and was fed strawberries by the rabbit family inside it. Certainly the first story I ever wrote down (when I was five or six) was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee.” At the age of nine, Rowling moved to Church Cottage in the Gloucestershire village of Tutshill, close to Chepstow, Wales. When she was a young teenager, her great aunt, who Rowling said “taught classics and approved of a thirst for knowledge, even of a questionable kind,” gave her a very old copy of Jessica Mitford’s autobiography, Hons and Rebels. Mitford became Rowling’s heroine, and Rowling subsequently read all of her books.

Rowling has said of her teenage years, in an interview with The New Yorker, “I wasn’t particularly happy. I think it’s a dreadful time of life.” She had a difficult homelife; her mother was ill and she had a difficult relationship with her father (she is no longer on speaking terms with him). She attended secondary school at Wyedean School and College, where her mother had worked as a technician in the science department. Rowling said of her adolescence, “Hermione [a bookish, know-it-all Harry Potter character] is loosely based on me. She’s a caricature of me when I was eleven, which I’m not particularly proud of.” Steve Eddy, who taught Rowling English when she first arrived, remembers her as “not exceptional” but “one of a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English.” Sean Harris, her best friend in the Upper Sixth owned a turquoise Ford Anglia, which she says inspired the one in her books.

Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling

Goodreads Blurb

J.K. Rowling’s screenwriting debut is captured in this exciting hardcover edition of the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them screenplay.

When Magizoologist Newt Scamander arrives in New York, he intends his stay to be just a brief stopover. However, when his magical case is misplaced and some of Newt’s fantastic beasts escape, it spells trouble for everyone…

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them marks the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling, author of the beloved and internationally bestselling Harry Potter books. Featuring a cast of remarkable characters, this is epic, adventure-packed storytelling at its very best.

Whether an existing fan or new to the wizarding world, this is a perfect addition to any reader’s bookshelf.

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

It was so magical reading this screenplay. I did see the movie before reading this book. I actually loved that I was able to vividly see the creators as they came into the play. I loved all the animals that were created, plus Newt is just the perfect protector of these animals. He is very loving to them. I love the illustrations. They really depict the creatures in this book. I was happy to be able to come back to the world of magic after reading Harry Potter books. I love the romance between Jacob and Queenie it was just perfect. I can’t wait to read the continuation to this series.

Author Biography

Although she writes under the pen name J.K. Rowling, pronounced like rolling, her name when her first Harry Potter book was published was simply Joanne Rowling. Anticipating that the target audience of young boys might not want to read a book written by a woman, her publishers demanded that she use two initials, rather than her full name. As she had no middle name, she chose K as the second initial of her pen name, from her paternal grandmother Kathleen Ada Bulgen Rowling. She calls herself Jo and has said, “No one ever called me ‘Joanne’ when I was young, unless they were angry.” Following her marriage, she has sometimes used the name Joanne Murray when conducting personal business. During the Leveson Inquiry she gave evidence under the name of Joanne Kathleen Rowling. In a 2012 interview, Rowling noted that she no longer cared that people pronounced her name incorrectly.

Rowling was born to Peter James Rowling, a Rolls-Royce aircraft engineer, and Anne Rowling (née Volant), on 31 July 1965 in Yate, Gloucestershire, England, 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Bristol. Her mother Anne was half-French and half-Scottish. Her parents first met on a train departing from King’s Cross Station bound for Arbroath in 1964. They married on 14 March 1965. Her mother’s maternal grandfather, Dugald Campbell, was born in Lamlash on the Isle of Arran. Her mother’s paternal grandfather, Louis Volant, was awarded the Croix de Guerre for exceptional bravery in defending the village of Courcelles-le-Comte during the First World War.

Rowling’s sister Dianne was born at their home when Rowling was 23 months old. The family moved to the nearby village Winterbourne when Rowling was four. She attended St Michael’s Primary School, a school founded by abolitionist William Wilberforce and education reformer Hannah More. Her headmaster at St Michael’s, Alfred Dunn, has been suggested as the inspiration for the Harry Potter headmaster Albus Dumbledore.

As a child, Rowling often wrote fantasy stories, which she would usually then read to her sister. She recalls that: “I can still remember me telling her a story in which she fell down a rabbit hole and was fed strawberries by the rabbit family inside it. Certainly the first story I ever wrote down (when I was five or six) was about a rabbit called Rabbit. He got the measles and was visited by his friends, including a giant bee called Miss Bee.” At the age of nine, Rowling moved to Church Cottage in the Gloucestershire village of Tutshill, close to Chepstow, Wales. When she was a young teenager, her great aunt, who Rowling said “taught classics and approved of a thirst for knowledge, even of a questionable kind,” gave her a very old copy of Jessica Mitford’s autobiography, Hons and Rebels. Mitford became Rowling’s heroine, and Rowling subsequently read all of her books.

Rowling has said of her teenage years, in an interview with The New Yorker, “I wasn’t particularly happy. I think it’s a dreadful time of life.” She had a difficult homelife; her mother was ill and she had a difficult relationship with her father (she is no longer on speaking terms with him). She attended secondary school at Wyedean School and College, where her mother had worked as a technician in the science department. Rowling said of her adolescence, “Hermione [a bookish, know-it-all Harry Potter character] is loosely based on me. She’s a caricature of me when I was eleven, which I’m not particularly proud of.” Steve Eddy, who taught Rowling English when she first arrived, remembers her as “not exceptional” but “one of a group of girls who were bright, and quite good at English.” Sean Harris, her best friend in the Upper Sixth owned a turquoise Ford Anglia, which she says inspired the one in her books.

Review: The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip by George Saunders

Goodreads Blurb

In the seaside village of Frip live three families: the Romos, the Ronsens, and a little girl named Capable and her father. The economy of Frip is based solely on goat’s milk, and this is a problem because the village is plagued by gappers: bright orange, many-eyed creatures the size of softballs that love to attach themselves to goats. When a gapper gets near a goat, it lets out a high-pitched shriek of joy that puts the goats off giving milk, which means that every few hours the children of Frip have to go outside, brush the gappers off their goats, and toss them into the sea. The gappers have always been everyone’s problem, until one day they get a little smarter, and instead of spreading out, they gang up: on Capable’s goats. Free at last of the tyranny of the gappers, will her neighbors rally to help her? Or will they turn their backs, forcing Capable to bear the misfortune alone?

Featuring fifty-two haunting and hilarious illustrations by Lane Smith and a brilliant story by George Saunders that explores universal themes of community and kindness, The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip is a rich and resonant story for those that have all and those that have not.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

This was such a hilarious book that everyone can enjoy. It teaches us that we should all help each other in good times and bad times. That someone else’s problem might end up your problem even if you choose not to be involved. People choose not to be helpful when someone needed help but are quick to look for help when they are in a bind. I do truly love that after all the problems with the Gappers, they were able to look past the difference and join together.

Author Biography

George Saunders was born December 2, 1958 and raised on the south side of Chicago. In 1981 he received a B.S. in Geophysical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. He worked at Radian International, an environmental engineering firm in Rochester, NY as a technical writer and geophysical engineer from 1989 to 1996. He has also worked in Sumatra on an oil exploration geophysics crew, as a doorman in Beverly Hills, a roofer in Chicago, a convenience store clerk, a guitarist in a Texas country-and-western band, and a knuckle-puller in a West Texas slaughterhouse.

After reading in People magazine about the Master’s program at Syracuse University, he applied. Mr. Saunders received an MA with an emphasis in creative writing in 1988. His thesis advisor was Doug Unger.

He has been an Assistant Professor, Syracuse University Creative Writing Program since 1997. He has also been a Visiting Writer at Vermont Studio Center, University of Georgia MayMester Program, University of Denver, University of Texas at Austin, St. Petersburg Literary Seminar (St. Petersburg, Russia, Summer 2000), Brown University, Dickinson College, Hobart & William Smith Colleges.

He conducted a Guest Workshop at the Eastman School of Music, Fall 1995, and was an Adjunct Professor at Saint John Fisher College, Rochester, New York, 1990-1995; and Adjunct Professor at Siena College, Loudonville, New York in Fall 1989.

He is married and has two children.

Review: It’s All Fun and Games by Dave Barrett

Goodreads Blurb

When Allison’s best friend, TJ, convinces her to come along for an epic game of LARP (live-action role-playing), she reluctantly agrees despite her reservations about the geeky pastime. TJ’s weekends are filled with powerful wizardry, mystical creatures, and intense battles with his LARP group. Each adventure is full of surprises, but the goal is always the same: to defeat the monsters and find the treasure.

Not long after their quest begins, the friends discover that something has gone wrong. The fantasy world they’ve built has transformed, and the battle they’re in the midst of is no longer make-believe.
Now they must fight for survival against brigands, kobolds, and other deadly mythical creatures that come to life. Fortunately, the group’s once-fictional magical powers have also become real – including Allison’s newly acquired gifts as a healer. They’ll need everything in their arsenal if they hope to make it home alive.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

This was a good story that brought live action role play to life. The group of teens didn’t know that the game that wasn’t real would bring them to a world where goblins and creatures roam. Weapons always had safety features, but once they entered that fantasy world, weapons became what they truly were a deathly weapon. The author did a nice job of making the game come to life to the readers.

Review: The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics

Goodreads Blurb

Lucy Acosta’s mother died when she was three. Growing up in a Victorian mansion in the middle of the woods with her cold, distant father, she explored the dark hallways of the estate with her cousin, Margaret. They’re inseparable—a family.

When her aunt Penelope, the only mother she’s ever known, tragically disappears while walking in the woods surrounding their estate, Lucy finds herself devastated and alone. Margaret has been spending a lot of time in the attic. She claims she can hear her dead mother’s voice whispering from the walls. Emotionally shut out by her father, Lucy watches helplessly as her cousin’s sanity slowly unravels. But when she begins hearing voices herself, Lucy finds herself confronting an ancient and deadly legacy that has marked the women in her family for generations.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Look no further if you are looking for a horror book with vivid, frightening scenes. This is the first time I’ve read a book by Amy, and the gore is real. You know, when you live through a terrifying nightmare and you remember everything, well, you won’t forget what you read. I cannot unsee the vomiting of teeth and everything that makes us human inside.

It was great that the story took place in a Victorian mansion; it gave off those spooky vibes that would drive this story to the frightening scenes. It begins with a death and a disappearance, which leads to the unknown. Amy isn’t afraid to kill her characters; I think she enjoys it. The gruesome deaths are those that should only be kept in nightmares and not real life. The reader’s discretion is advised as this novel also has scenes of self-harm. Two characters will end their life, and Lucy Acosta causes self-harm by making cuts on her skin. This book has many emotions that, as a reader, you will feel. The story revolves around revenge. The character, Mother, manipulates people into doing her bidding. When the evil witch is released, the others will pay. In the end, you will be shocked by the disgusting gore and the fact that the story will not end happily ever after.
If you start hearing voices through the walls and scratches, I recommend you ignore them and leave that location ASAP!!!

Author Biography

Ever since she was little, Amy was especially intrigued by horror books and movies. Raised in a small mountain town in Arizona, she sustained herself on a steady diet of Goosebumps, Fear Street, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark books before discovering Stephen King in her mother’s bookshelf.

Amy lives with her husband, their two precious squidlings, and an old gentleman cat by the name of Frodo. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys cooking, crafting, and playing games across many platforms.

Review: Juno Valentine and the Magical Shoes by Eva Chen

Goodreads Blurb

Juno Valentine’s favorite shoes don’t light up. They don’t have wheels. They are, to be perfectly honest, the tiniest bit boring. But they’re still her favorite muddy-puddle-jumping, everyday-is-an-adventure shoes. One day, when they go missing, Juno discovers something amazing: a magical room filled with every kind of shoe she could possibly imagine!

Juno embarks on an epic journey through time and space, stepping into the shoes of female icons from Frida Kahlo and Cleopatra to Lady Gaga and Serena Williams. Each pair of shoes Juno tries brings a brand new adventure–and a step towards understanding that her very own shoes might be the best shoes of all.

Parents and children alike will adore Instagram superstar Eva Chen’s precocious debut picture book–a story that’s equal parts fashion fairy-tale and guide to girl power–and fall in love with the brilliantly spirited Juno Valentine.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Another fabulous adventure in the magical close. This time, Juno is looking for her favorite shoes. They were plain and not exaggerated like her friends. She ended up in a closet full of shoes, I wish that happened to me. I’m such a shoe lover for life. As she went through her adventure, she was able to try on fabulous shoes from iconic women in history. Juno had fun playing dress up. After her adventure she found her shoes and saw that they were a little boring. She used a little splash of all the shoes she tried on and made her shoes sparkly. I loved the illustrations and the guide to groundbreaking women shoes. It describes who each woman was that Juno resembled when trying on the shoes. Fun book for all those fashion lovers.

Currently Reading: The Women in the Walls by Amy Lukavics

Goodreads Blurb

Author Biography

Upcoming Book Event With Sabaa Tahir at B&N in Paramus, NJ

About this Event
Join Barnes & Noble – Paramus, NJ on September 30, 2024, as we welcome New York Times bestselling author and National Book Award winning author Sabaa Tahir for a discussion and signing to celebrate the release of HEIR, her newest action-packed, ruthless, and romantic new fantasy that masterfully interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with the burdens of power, the treachery of love and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed. Get ready for a dark and breathless journey that will captivate readers and that may cost these young people their lives—and their hearts. Literally.

Sabaa will be in conversation with Tomi Adeyemi, New York Times betselling author of the Legacy of Orïsha Series, the most recent release of which is Children of Anguish and Anarchy.

BONUS!: Each ticket includes a signed copy of the B&N Exclusive Edition of HEIRwhich features a unique cover, colored endpapers & bonus content.

TICKET INFORMATION

Link to ticket: https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780062170346-0
VIP Exclusive Admission – $23.45 (Event admission + swag bag + one copy of HEIR B&N Exclusive): **VERY LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE**: A ticket PER PERSON includes:

Exclusive swag bag including HEIR-themed map, tea, and more.
One copy of HEIRB&N Exclusive (out 10/1/24).
SEATED admission to the event space and signing line with Sabaa Tahir.
B&N Exclusive Admission – $23.45 (Admission + one copy of HEIR B&N Exclusive): **LIMITED QUANTITY AVAILABLE**: A ticket PER PERSON includes:

One copy of HEIR B&N Exclusive (out 10/1/24).
Admission to the event space and signing line with Sabaa Tahir.
–>For tickets that include admission to the discussion, there are SEATED and STANDING tickets:

For Seated Tickets: Limited quantity is available and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Purchase of a ticket guarantees entrance to the event for the discussion and signing. However, this ticket may not necessarily guarantee a seat at the event, as later arrivals may be placed in a line behind the seated audience.

For Standing Room-Only Tickets: Limited quantity is available and will be provided on a first-come, first-served basis. Purchase of a ticket guarantees entrance to the event for the discussion and signing. Ticket holders will be granted a standing view from behind the seated audience — some views may be more limited/obstructed than others.

Ticket holders will be admitted into the event beginning at 5 PM on the day of the event. Please have a copy of your ticket available (either printed out or on your phone) for check-in.
Candid photos will be allowed as books are being signed and will be taken by a Barnes & Noble bookseller on the guest’s camera/phone across the table. No posed photos.
The author will personalize (name only) your copy of HEIR included with this ticket & sign (signature only) any additional copies of their books.
Any gifts for the author will be collected prior to the signing line.
Other books by the author will be available for purchase at Barnes & Noble – Paramus.
Due to health and safety and space limitations, those without a ticket will not be permitted into the event space.

GUIDELINES
No memorabilia will be signed at the event.
No large bags will be permitted into the event.
Please arrive on time according to your ticket in order to secure your seat in the event space. Late arrivals may only have access to standing room and may not have the opportunity to enter the event space.
The exact time at which the event ends will be determined on the day. To avoid disappointment, we strongly advise you to arrive on time for the event. Late arrivals may not have the opportunity to meet the author.
All event guidelines are subject to change.
If you have any additional questions, please can call the store directly at: (201) 445-4589.
Barnes & Noble may cancel this event at any time with or without notice to the ticket holders.
Please note that Eventbrite is the only authorized dealer for this event. Each person must have a ticket to enter.

REFUNDS
Attendees can receive refunds up to 1 day (24 hours) before your event start TIME OF 6PM.

If you are unable to attend the event, Barnes & Noble – Paramus, NJ will hold your books for seven days after the event. Please contact the store to arrange your pickup.

Should this event be canceled due to changing COVID-19 concerns, all customers will be refunded their ticket price to the original method of payment per Eventbrite’s refund policy.

Event guidelines are subject to change.

ABOUT HEIR:

An orphan.
An outcast.
A prince.
And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.

Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hot-headed mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

Banished from her tribe for an unforgiveable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who speaks to the earth, air, and water to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But then, she falls for a charismatic and inconvenient fugitive who keeps getting in her way.

QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire, nephew of a famed and venerated empress, but he’s loathe to pick up the mantle when his aunt steps down. As the son of the most hated emperor in the history of his people, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir masterfully interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with the burdens of power, the treachery of love and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed. Get ready for a dark and breathless journey that will captivate readers and that may cost these young people their lives—and their hearts. Literally.

Review: Monkey King: Birth of the Stone Monkey by Wei Dong Chen

Goodreads Blurb

Monkey King is a twenty-volume comics series based on the legendary Chinese novel The Journey to the West. It is a magisterial work that took seventy people over six years to complete. The Journey to the West is at once a comedy, a drama, a satire, a meditation on faith and discipline, and a fantastical dramatization of China’s history. Its creation covers many centuries and several dynasties. Begun during the Song Dynasty (10th~13th century), Journey is set against the backdrop of the 7th century Tang Dynasty, and tells the story of a priest named San Zang, who introduces China to the Mahayana Buddhist scriptures of India, and his trio of the monkey king Sun Wu Kong, the gluttonous pig Zhu Bajie, and the quiet but noble sea monster Sha Wu Jing. The San Zang who appears in Journey to the West is a specialist in Tripitaka, and is based on a real priest, named Xuan Zang. Xuan Zang lived from 602 to 664, and have traveled the western lands and traded with other countries along the western border from 627 or 629 to 645. More than three hundred years later, a story based on Xuan Zang’s adventures, first appeared. The Journey to the West originated from this story. The Song Dynasty was founded in 960, yet because the only known author of Journey to the West, Wu Cheng en, died in 1582, during the Ming Dynasty, the story is considered the result of collective creation spanning five hundred years. The story also traveled through several countries and includes at least four different timelines. The events of Journey to the West, which include epic battles and threatened palaces and imperiled kings, could resonate with readers during almost any age, but the story focuses on portraying a peaceful society where deviance is ultimately trumped by enlightenment, violence defeated by benevolence. It is this balance, between depicting familiar events of conquest and telling a story about the search for truth, that makes The Journey to the West so beloved today. The author, Mr. Wei Dong Chen, is a highly acclaimed and beloved Chinese artist and an influential leader in the New Chinese Cartoon trend. His company, Creator World in Tianjin, is the largest comics studio in China. He has published hundreds of cartoons, which have been recognized for their strong literary value throughout the world. In 2005, he undertook the monumental effort of translating four classic Chinese novels into serialized comic form. After six years of great and enthusiastic work, he completed his dream, which now consists of 12,800 pages of beautiful drawings and epic storytelling. Monkey King is one of the four novels. Monkey King is a new landmark of comic artistry in China, and is a bold and exhilarating treatment of one of the definitive works of Chinese literature.

Vol. 1 Birth of the Stone Monkey
Cited as one of the greatest Chinese novels, MONKEY KING (The Journey to the West) follows the adventures of Sun Wu Kong, born from a stone on Spring Mountain and given the title of the Handsome Monkey King, who seeks to learn the secret of eternal life. Under the tutelage of the Buddhist Master Puti, Sun Wu Kong becomes incredibly powerful, but his hubris grows until he has run afoul of the gods, who dispatch an army to Spring Mountain to subdue the Monkey King, who has declared himself the Emperor of Heaven.

My Review: Rated 3 out of 5 stars

This is a fun book for young children. I was able to keep up with the characters with this series. I loved that a monkey is king and no one is able to stop him. He is mischievous, powerful, and determined. He also acts like a child while taking over other kings lands.

Review: The Boatman by Kat Hawthorne

Goodreads Blurb

Isabel Wixon is weird. Not only does she see dead things, but her list of friends consists of a talkative ventriloquist’s dummy and the gentlemanly spider that lives in her hair. Real friends? Too hard. Inventing friends is much easier.

Inventing the Boatman—a terrible monster that lures kids into a strange sleeping sickness and never lets them go—probably wasn’t one of her better ideas though.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Wonderfully written to spook all who read this book. This was a wonderful spooky story that was dark and mysterious. Isabel ran into many of her deceased family members. Each warning her to stay away from the Boatman, who hunts you through your dreams. The illustrations were spot on with the story. They were weird and scary. Great book for young readers to stay up all night scared.

Author Biography

If you enjoy whimsical tales that feature bunnies, kittens, or do-gooding fairies, it’s probably best you avoid Kat Hawthorne. In fact, it is an odd Hawthornian story indeed that does not feature at least one character losing a finger (or something better). If, however, you like dismal, dark, dreary, dastardly (or many other words that begin with the letter d) fiction, and are strong of will and character, you may do well to check her out.

After all, they’re only words.

Kat Hawthorne is a writer of dark literary fantasy with six published works of short fiction as well as a smattering of poetry, a screenplay, and a novelette out in the great blue yonder.