Sunday, July 5, 2015

Harry Potter Spells Tag


Today, for my first Harry Potter Month post, I thought I would start with the Harry Potter Spells tag. This was created by YouTuber TurtleSympathy and I strongly suggest you check out his original video by clicking here. For the sake of the tag's adaptation to my blog post, I've chosen to stick to only a few of the original options. If you want to do the full tag, do check out the video linked above.

Alright, wands ready? Let's begin!

Expecto Patronum - A childhood book connected to good memories



I have to pick this edition of The Little Mermaid, adapted for children from the original tale by Hans Christian Andersen. The reason why this one is special is because it was the first book I ever read in English. Some of you might already know this but my main spoken language is actually French. When I was a kid, I read mostly French books and didn't pick up a book written in English until my mother bought this edition of The Little Mermaid for me. She knew I loved mermaids and thought it would be the best way to get me into reading English books. Years later, I now read almost exclusively in English and The Little Mermaid has become my favorite fairy tale of all time.

Expelliarmus - A book that took you by surprise 



For this I pick Just One Day by Gayle Forman. Influenced by the cutesy cover, I went into this one expecting a fluffly, romantic contemporary set in Paris, the city of love and stuff. And boy was I mistaken about this one. While the book did start on that note, around midway through it, something happened which just completely took me by surprise, leaving me staring up from the book in bewilderment for a good ten seconds. I eventually ended up falling in love with the story and the characters and went on to read its sequel and companion novel over the course of just a few days. I'm not going to spoil anything but keep in mind that this book has much more depth than what the cover and blurb might suggest. Definitely a book I would recommend to those of you who enjoy well-written contemporaries.

Priori Incantatem - The last book you read



The last book I read was Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte. It's set in the 19th century and follows the life and hardships of a young woman as she begins to work as a governess for the first time. The author was largely inspired by her own experience as a governess into writing this book, which makes it very interesting and eye-opening. Also, Anne Brontë is kind of becoming my favorite Brontë sister. I mean, she's usually remembered as the 'quiet Brontë' or the 'least famous Brontë sister', but I'm personally really fond of her and her books. Find out more about Agnes Grey in my July wrap-up at the end of the month.

Alohamora - A book that introduced you to a genre you hadn't considered before 



My pick for this one has to be Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell, simply because it was the first contemporary I ever read. I ended up loving it so much that I went ahead and read a bunch of other contemporaries right after finishing it. This was also the first book I picked up after a very long book slump, so you might also say that this book also kind of got me into reading again. It follows the story of two very different young people who, despite their differences, come to first befriend each other and then fall in love. Saying more would probably spoil too much but if you enjoyed Fangirl by this author, I suggest you check out this one as well. As far as contemporaries go, this one is a must-read. 

Crucio - A book that was painful to read



For this one I'm going with The Last Battle, the 7th and final book in C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. These books are classics of children literature and are much loved by a lot of people, which is why is saddens me a bit to pick one of them for Crucio. While the first books of the series were undeniable great children books, in the later installments, the author began to include racist and misogynist elements which gradually became more apparent as the series progressed. Eventually, the last book, though offering a rather satisfying finale to the series in its own way, had way too much racism and sexism for me to actually enjoy the book. The too many cringeworthy scenes make The Last Battle one of the rare books I actually found painful to read.

Avada Kedavra - A book that could kill (interpret as you will)



For this one, I'm going to choose a fictional book and go with Tom Riddle's diary from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. The diary has the power to possess a chosen victim, eventually draining the person of his or her life force. Had the diary not been destroyed, it would have eventually taken away all of its victim's life force, leading to the person's death. Moral of the story? Don't spill your secrets to a diary that writes back at you... 

So that's it for this tag guys. I tag everyone who's participating in Harry Potter Month. Have fun :)

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Cover Art by Of Stacks and Cups via Pagemodo
Hand casting spell art found here.

20 comments:

  1. Awesome post Soudha^^ YES Tom Riddle's Diary is a great one, it could totally kill and that diary creeps me out O.O Oh and I agree that The Last Battle = Crucio. It's sad because I love that series too but the last book really was painful to read. I didn't enjoy it much either!

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    1. If there's such a thing as a lethal book, that's definitely Tom's Diary :p Yeah, too bad The Last Battle was so disappointing. I still love the earlier books though.

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  2. Great picks! I've always been a huge contemporary reader and enjoyed Eleanor and Park very much. I'm glad you liked it and that it turned you on to contemporary! The little mermaid is also one of those stories for me too... :) Have a great week. Happy reading!
    Brooke | brookewrote

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  3. This is such a fun, clever tag! Contemporary is the genre that I read the least often, but I do love Gayle Forman. I'm hoping to read Just One Day and Just One Year soon, and I'm quite curious about the event that took you by surprise in Just One Day!

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    1. *Fighting back the urge to spoil the book*

      I'm not a big reader of contemporary myself but I found the whole Just One Day series (duology??) to be very good :)

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  4. I love this tag so much, what a great idea =D!! Tom Riddle's diary is a perfect answer!! It was also a very clever answer, I never would have thought of it. I have never read The Chronicle's of Narnia series and I don't think I ever will. I've heard a lot of other people say the same thing about the last book and I don't think I want to read a series that ends on that note :(.
    Happy Reading =D

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    1. Stay away from the Narnia books! I mean the first ones are okay but the others will just frustrate you :p

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  5. I love this tag Soudha:D You always pick such awesome books and do these tags so well:D

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  6. This is such a brilliant tag! Thanks for sharing. I must say The Little Mermaid is also a tale I hold close to my heart, I loved it so much as a child. As for Agnes Grey, I've been wanting to read some of Anne's work, I've read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights by her sisters, so I'm curious to see if I'll enjoy hers. As for Eleanor & Park, I completely agree with you, it's an amazing read, very realistic, and such a raw love story. I am especially a fan of Rowell's Fangirl :)

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    1. Fangirl's my favorite by Rainbow Rowell. I'm totally planning to reread it again at some point. I'm slowing making my way through the Bronte books. I've read Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre before but this year I'm reading all of their works (again). Give Agnes Grey a try. It's not as epic as Jane Eyre but it does have this unique Bronte touch. I really don't know how else to describe it :D

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  7. This tag is really fun, such a great idea! I'm on the same page as you for Eleanor & Park. I loved that book! I read it in a couple short sittings because I couldn't get enough of it. I think I've read most of Rainbow Rowell's books that way. I haven't read Just One Day but I have read If I Stay and the companion novel. If that book is anything like these, I can totally understand the depth that it might have. :)

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    1. I did enjoy If I Stay but Just One Day is definitely my fav :) If you loved If I Stay, you'll enjoy these as well ;)

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  8. I adore this tag, and you can bet I'll be doing it as part of Harry Potter Month! I really enjoyed Eleanor & Park, though I hadn't really expected to. I haven't read Just One Day yet, though I have heard amazing things about it. I know I've read most of the Narnia books, but either I didn't finish them, or The Last Battle really just made no impression on me, because I don't remember it at all - I can definitely see why you found it painful to read though, that'd put me off too.

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    1. I'm looking forward to reading this tag on your blog Faith :)

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  9. Oh how fun! I will definitely post this tag for Harry Potter month. The story about The Little Mermaid and it being the first English book you read is so special. I remember the Curious George book that my sister taught me to write from and it holds a very special place in my heart. It's been so long since I've read all the Narnia books (I believe I was 7), that I remember them getting worse towards the end, but I don't recall the racism and sexism. That's a shame too because I just let my son read the series so I would've warned him of that coming up in that last one. Great choice for Avada Kedavra! I have no clue what I'll pick for that one.

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    1. Looking forward to reading your post Jaclyn :)

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  10. What a fun tag! I'm definitely going to have a go at this. :D Also I think I just fell in love with you; Anne Bronte is my favourite Bronte sister, and Agnes Grey is one of my favourite classics - it's so awesome to see more people reading her work! Tom Riddle's diary is a great choice for Avada Kedavra. ^_^

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    1. Looking forward to reading your version of the tag :) I was surprised by how much I ended up loving Agnes Grey. Team Anne all the way :D I also wish more people would read her books.

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