Author: J.K. Rowling

oanne Rowling was born on 31st July 1965 at Yate General Hospital near Bristol, and grew up in Gloucestershire in England and in Chepstow, Gwent, in south-east Wales.

Her father, Peter, was an aircraft engineer at the Rolls Royce factory in Bristol and her mother, Anne, was a science technician in the Chemistry department at Wyedean Comprehensive, where Jo herself went to school. Anne was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when Jo was a teenager and died in 1990, before the Harry Potter books were published. Jo also has a younger sister, Di.

The young Jo grew up surrounded by books. “I lived for books,’’ she has said. “I was your basic common-or-garden bookworm, complete with freckles and National Health spectacles.”

Jo conceived the idea of Harry Potter in 1990 while sitting on a delayed train from Manchester to London King’s Cross. Over the next five years, she began to map out all seven books of the series. She wrote mostly in longhand and gradually built up a mass of notes, many of which were scribbled on odd scraps of paper.

Taking her notes with her, she moved to northern Portugal to teach English as a foreign language, married Jorge Arantes in 1992 and had a daughter, Jessica, in 1993. When the marriage ended later that year, she returned to the UK to live in Edinburgh, with Jessica and a suitcase containing the first three chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.

In Edinburgh, Jo trained as a teacher and began teaching in the city’s schools, but she continued to write in every spare moment.

Having completed the full manuscript, she sent the first three chapters to a number of literary agents, one of whom wrote back asking to see the rest of it. She says it was “the best letter I had ever received in my life.”

The book was first published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in June 1997, under the name J.K. Rowling.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
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, Book # 7
Bloomsbury Childrens
July 21st 2007
Paperback
620
English
December 12, 2019 December 18, 2019

"Give me Harry Potter," said Voldemort's voice, "and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded."

As he climbs into the sidecar of Hagrid's motorbike and takes to the skies, leaving Privet Drive for the last time, Harry Potter knows that Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters are not far behind. The protective charm that has kept Harry safe until now is broken, but he cannot keep hiding. The Dark Lord is breathing fear into everything Harry loves, and to stop him Harry will have to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes. The final battle must begin - Harry must stand and face his enemy...

About the book

Last book of the Harry Potter series (I know, it’s not technically the last, but technically it is so I won’t read anything else from the author). Last book in which the author can shed light on the various mysteries narrated in 7 books. So, first I will talk in general about the book and then I will go into detail about the series indicating “spoiler” from that point on, for the few who haven’t read the series yet and don’t want to know anything.

We are at the end of the sixth year, we are finally at the point when Harry turns 17 and therefore, according to the magic law, he isn’t a minor anymore and from that moment on he can use magic even if not in school. Also, from then on, for various reasons, Harry is no longer protected from his mother’s sacrifice and therefore Voldemort can kill him if he leaves his maternal aunt. The order of the Phoenix does everything to make this detachment as painless as possible but will it succeed? Meanwhile Bill, Ron’s brother, gets married but the reception is ruined, forcing Harry, Hermione and Ron to flee. Will Harry survive?

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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, Book # 6
9781408855706
July 16th 2005
HArdcover. ebook, paperback
542
English
December 6, 2019 December 11, 2019

When Dumbledore arrives at Privet Drive one summer night to collect Harry Potter, his wand hand is blackened and shrivelled, but he does not reveal why. Secrets and suspicion are spreading through the wizarding world, and Hogwarts itself is not safe. Harry is convinced that Malfoy bears the Dark Mark: there is a Death Eater amongst them. Harry will need powerful magic and true friends as he explores Voldemort’s darkest secrets, and Dumbledore prepares him to face his destiny...

About the book

Sixth and penultimate book in the most widely read series in the world, or so I’ve heard. I liked this book more than the last one but there is something that made me give 4 stars instead of 5.

We are back to school, everyone finally believes Harry, the minister of magic has changed (thank goodness, even if the new one isn’t better) and Dumbledore is increasingly mysterious.

Our three protagonists (I would say four because I like Neville) received their O.W.Ls. and must choose which courses to attend in the sixth year. Harry thinks he can’t become an Auror because his score in potion isn’t excellent, but as soon as he arrives at school he discovers that Snape is no longer the potions teacher (he has finally become a teacher in Defence against the dark arts) and therefore the new teacher accepts students with his grade.

Obviously he doesn’t have the books and therefore the teacher lends a book which he will later discover to have belonged to the half-blood prince. But who is this prince?

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

LauraLeave a Comment on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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, Book # 5
Bloomsbury
June 21st, 2003
eBook
800
English
November 28, 2019 December 5, 2019

Harry is furious that he is stuck at the Dursleys’ house for the summer, when he suspects that Voldemort is gathering an army, and the wizarding authorities seem unwilling to do anything. Harry’s so-called friends are trying to keep him in the dark. But he knows that Voldemort’s forces can find him wherever he is; he could be attacked at any moment. Harry is finally rescued from Privet Drive by members of the Order of the Phoenix – a secret society first formed years ago to fight Voldemort – and discovers that maybe he is not alone in this battle after all.

About the book

Fifth book in the series and I think this is the book that I liked the least. And it can be seen by the two stars. This review will be a bit incoherent because I honestly don’t know where to start or what logical thread to follow. I wrote my thoughts while reading (first time I do this with the series) so now I have to try and put it all together and I don’t know if I can do it.

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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, Book # 4
Bloomsbury
July 8th 2000
Hardcover
617
English
November 22, 2019 November 27, 2019

"There will be three tasks, spaced throughout the school year, and they will test the champions in many different ways... their magical prowess - their daring - their powers of deduction - and, of course, their ability to cope with danger."

The Triwizard Tournament is to be held at Hogwarts. Only wizards who are over seventeen are allowed to enter - but that doesn't stop Harry dreaming that he will win the competition. Then at Hallowe'en, when the Goblet of Fire makes its selection, Harry is amazed to find his name is one of those that the magical cup picks out. He will face death-defying tasks, dragons and Dark wizards, but with the help of his best friends, Ron and Hermione, he might just make it through - alive!

About the book

Fourth book I read of the series (of course) and I have already started the fifth (I want to finish the series before the end of the year – 2019 – the review will be released in 2020). Now I want to read all the Harry Potter books, unlike at the beginning when I didn’t know whether to go on or not. I also liked this book, and the 5 stars are proof of it.

I still don’t understand the marketing behind this series, but I don’t understand it for Game of Thrones either, so I think it’s just me who doesn’t like a series enough to buy everything they bring out. (Just to make you understand, I don’t even have Oscar Vault, italian publisher, embellished versions of ASOIAF which is my favorite series to date.)

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

LauraLeave a Comment on Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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, Book # 3
Bloomsbury
July 8th 1999
Hardcover
462
English
November 14, 2019 January 21, 2020

Harry Potter is lucky to reach the age of thirteen, since he has survived the murderous attacks of the feared Dark Lord on more than one occasion. His hopes for a quiet school term concentrating on Quidditch are dashed, though, when a maniacal mass-murderer escapes from Azkaban, pursued by the soul-sucking Dementors who guard the prison. It’s assumed that Hogwarts is the safest place for Harry to be. But is it his imagination that is making him feel eyes watching him in the dark, and should he be taking Professor Trelawney’s ghoulish predictions seriously?

About the book

Yes, at the end of last year I was in Harry Potter mood. Thanks to Kindle Unlimited, free for 3 months (thanks to my phone provider) I decided to finally read Harry Potter and see why all the buzz behind this series. I need to say that I didn’t like the first 2 books that much, but I loved the 3rd book.

I know that it isn’t a book for my age group, as I said in the previous reviews, so I know it isn’t for adults. But since I see adults that enjoy the series they grew up with and still love it in their adulthood and say that it’s the most beautiful series of all time, I wanted to know why.

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