Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Hi there!

It's been over a month since I last posted... oops! More life updates to come next week, but thanks for sticking around!

Whether or not you are a dedicated Harry Potter fan, you must have heard of this summer's biggest release: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. 

I've mentioned this before, but I could definitely be described as a Harry Potter fanatic. I first read the books when I was about nine years old, and have re-read the entire series close to ten times. I love Harry Potter trivia, I watch the movies pretty frequently, and I'm always using Hermione as an example of a role model for my students. I'm part of what's referred to as the Harry Potter Generation, which means that I essentially grew up with the story and the series played a significant role in shaping my reading identity.

So, it goes without saying that the moment I heard about the new release, I pre-ordered a copy (that was back in February) and I spent the intervening months excitedly awaiting the release. 

There's one thing that I want to make clear to those who have not yet read the book, because I think that sometimes publishers, in all their eagerness, forget to really advertise the little details that are important to avid fans. This happened with Go Set a Watchman, the unedited first draft manuscript from Harper Lee, which was unfairly advertised as the prequel to To Kill a Mockingbird, and which caused significant uproar to those who were unaware of that when they read it, only to find out that an iconic character (Atticus Finch) was portrayed quite differently (read: negatively). I avoided reading Go Set a Watchman because I was really unsure about the ethics of publishing it (did Harper Lee really give permission? I felt like she was taken advantage of) and I didn't want the characters that I knew and loved to be spoiled for me.

I've heard that some people are, quite rightly, feeling hesitant about reading The Cursed Child for similar reasons. If that's you, I can say that I believe it is 100% worth reading, but that you should be well-aware of the facts first:

This wasn't written by J.K. Rowling. It's not actually the eighth story, but it is a continuation of the book for the next generation. It was based on the epilogue from the seventh book, so it is founded in the facts that J.K. has laid out concerning the later happenings in the wizarding world. It's also a play script, for the production taking place in London right now. So you can imagine that the reading experience is not going to be quite the same. 

That being said, I do highly recommend it for all fans, if not for the experience of delving into that world again -- because let's face it, J.K. has left us with just the seven books and seems perfectly content with that decision.

If you've read it/have no interest in reading it/don't care about spoilers (because, SPOILER ALERT!), read on!

I'm not going to summarize the entire book for you, but here are my top five thoughts immediately after reading:

(1) Draco Malfoy, I always knew you'd be redeemed! 

(2) Scorpius Malfoy is far and away my favorite character. Please let's be friends in real life.

(3) You can absolutely tell this was not written by J.K. Her style is extremely unique and the voice of the main characters was just not there. Harry, Hermione, and Ron were all pretty off -- but especially Ron. That was the disappointing part, in my opinion.

(3) Interesting that Voldemort had a child. I always thought that he was not interested in liaisons because he was too narcissistic/power hungry and would be absolutely jealous if any child of his threatened his rightful place as the Dark Lord. Also, Bellatrix Lestrange was practically throwing herself at him the entire series and he was quite obviously slightly annoyed with her eagerness -- I find it a little hard to believe that he would have had a child with her. 

(4) The thought of different realities, influenced by the tiniest change in events during the fourth year, was really fascinating to me. Cedric, a death eater? The return of Umbridge? (Ugh, thanks but no thanks). 

(5) Not to mention the different storylines for Ron and Hermione's romance -- I like the original version the best. 

Of course, I've only read it the once (and in a span of three hours) so I plan on re-reading more slowly next week so that I can see how my thoughts change.

If you've read the book and would like to debate the finer points of fan theories with me, feel free to email me at topshelftext@gmail.com. I'd love to hear from you!

Favorite Fantasy Series

Now is the time to start stocking your to-read pile with heavy tomes of magic, mystery, and far off places! September, October, and November are by far my favorite months of the year. Fall can feel so fleeting compared to the long winters, so I absolutely relish the chance to match my reading picks to the mood outside. I love reading books with darker settings, gruff and moody protagonists, and bits of magic sprinkled throughout. You'll probably be hearing a lot about my fall picks this year, but I thought I'd get started with a list of my favorite fantasy series.

The Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling // I mean, I can't start this list without my favorite of favorites. Harry Potter is suitable reading for any time of year, but I especially love snuggling up with any one of the books in this series during our cozier months.

The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness // Fun fact: the author of this series is an alumna of the very place that I am now attending for my Master's program. I raved about this trilogy last year and am hoping to re-read it sometime soon. It has witches, vampires, time travel, romance, suspense -- basically anything you could hope for in an Autumn read.

The Paper Magician Trilogy by Charlie N. Holmberg // This is another one that I'd be happy to re-read. I own the series on my Kindle but the covers are some of my favorites. The premise is super inventive and I find the story to be comforting. Ceony Twill is one of my all-time favorite female characters, too. You can read my review of the first in the series here.

The Mapmakers Trilogy by S.E. Grove // I just finished the second installment in this trilogy over the weekend and absolutely loved it. I sound like a broken record when it comes to this one but I'll say it again: this is some of the best world building I've come across in my many years of reading fantasy. You can read my review of the first one here. This is one of those series that I just happened to stumble upon and then fall totally in love with (don't you love when that happens?) I cannot wait for the final installment!

The City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte // This is another (unfinished) series that I've really enjoyed so far. It's not terribly complicated but the cast of characters is really quirky and I'm looking forward to the next in the series.

A Song of Ice and Fire Series by George R. R. Martin // Also a no-brainer for this list. This is an epic series that I watched on TV before I started the books, and although I'm not usually a proponent of TV-before-book, in this case it helped me to visualize the enormous cast of characters that span these books.

Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children Series by Ransom Riggs // I've only read the first in this series (the third just came out recently) but it's one that's stuck with me since. I recently bought the second and have been saving it for those cooler, darker days.

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I made this list with older audiences in mind, though I believe a few of these are classified as young adult series. I've stumbled upon a few more series that I want to dive into before the year is over, so keep an eye out for those as my favorite reading season commences!

If you're a lover of children's lit, you might also want to check back here on Thursday for a little surprise!

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Happy Reading!

-Madeleine-

Favorite Female Characters

One aspect of the "bookstagram" community (i.e. those who have Instagram accounts dedicated to books) that I've really enjoyed since bringing Top Shelf Text to Instagram has been the "tags" that go around. People are really creative in coming up with unique tags that prompt you to show off your book collection in new ways. Essentially, you get tagged by another account, which then challenges you to take a picture of specific books. For example, I've participated in tags to show the 20th book on my shelf, a book with a unique cover page, and to show a rainbow of books. One of the tags that I recently participated in was for your pick of top five female characters, and boy was it tough to decide.

Here are the #topfivefemalecharacters that I shared on Instagram (in no particular order):

1. Miss Penelope Lumley, The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place

"...in Miss Penelope Lumley's day, it was universally understood that there is nothing like a nice cup of tea to settle one's nerves in the aftermath of an adventure-- a practice many would find well worth reviving." - The Hidden Gallery

2. Elizabeth Bennet, Pride and Prejudice

"Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can." 

3. Daenerys Targaryen, Game of Thrones

"I am the blood of the dragon. Do not presume to teach me lessons." - A Dance with Dragons

4. Hermione Granger, Harry Potter

"I've learned all our course books by heart, of course." -Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

5. Madeline, Madeline

"To the tiger in the zoo, Madeline just said 'Pooh-Pooh.'"

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Disclaimer: I cherish these characters, but it's hard for me to say that they are absolute top five in all of the books that I've ever read. Because let's be honest, that's a lot of books, and five isn't a big number. I can think of a bunch more character that I truly admire (a post for another day, perhaps?), and I love that we, as readers, can draw inspiration from characters of all ages in all different seasons of our lives.

Do you have a few favorite female characters?

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P.S. I'll be taking next week off from the blog while I finish up two of my summer courses (it feels like finals right now), so check back the following week for some new reviews. I have been reading up a storm and can't wait to share with you all!

Happy Reading!

-Madeleine-

Word Worship {Arundhati Roy}

Happy Friday! My apologies for the slow pace of the blog these past two weeks, I've been settling in to my last semester of my undergraduate career, which is both exciting and a little scary! Setting a new routine for homework, studying, writing, etc. requires lots of planning and had me exhausted. Thank goodness for snow days, I loved our unexpected break this week! I have some fun content coming up so keep an eye out, new posts are coming next week! I decided to share my weekend inspiration early with you today in the form of this beautiful quote by Arundhati Roy.

*****

"...the secret of the Great Stories is that they have no secrets. The Great Stories are the ones that you have heard and want to hear again. The ones you can enter anywhere and inhabit comfortably. They don't deceive you with thrills and trick endings. They don't surprise you with the unforeseen. They are as familiar as the house you live in. Or the smell of your lover's skin. You know how they end, yet you listen as though you don't. In the way that although you know that one day you will die, you live as though you won't. In the Great Stories you know who lives, who dies, who finds love, who doesn't. And yet you want to know again.

That is their mystery and their magic."

- Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things

*****

This quote spoke volumes to me when I first read it in a literature class during my sophomore year of college. I stumbled upon it again recently and felt the same pull to it, but without the context of the story (which is brilliant, if you haven't read it yet), it instantly reminded me of my all-time favorite collection of texts. Can you guess what it is?

In my lifetime, the Great Story has been Harry Potter. I treasure my collection and love introducing it to the littles in my life. I've read the series enough times to ace the hardest quizzes and have dressed up for Halloween more than a few years in a row. I don't expect that I'll ever stop loving the culture of Harry Potter, and I know that my love for it will be something that I pass down to my own children. It sounds cliché, but this story raised my generation, acting as a common thread through the bookshelves of my peers. My copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is so worn that the cover threatens to fall off every time I open it. And despite my ability to practically recite the books line by line, I still devour the series every few years. For me, this Great Story is the most reliable source of literary comfort on my shelves-- no matter how much time passes the story will stay the same. That is greatly assuring to me, and to so many others.