Harry Potter Moment of the Week (69): Best Spot to Chill at Hogwarts

Harry Potter Moment of the Week is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts. The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/films/J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! A list of upcoming topics can be found here.

This week's topic is:
Best Spot to Chill at Hogwarts

Ooh, this is a bit of a toughie. I think I'd be extremely happy just hanging out in the Hogwarts library for the rest of my life. I mean, all those magical books! I'd also love spending time in the Gryffindor Common Room. It just always sounded so cozy in the books.

Series Slacking

In a prime example of slack-itude, I actually wrote a draft of this post about a year ago—but never finished it. Lame. Then the other day, Ally and I were talking about series we need to finish, and I remembered that I'd started this post. Um, better late than never?

When I first joined Goodreads and discovered those magical things called recommendations, I wanted to read. All. The. Books. My library was only happy to indulge me in this endeavor, offering an endless supply of reading riches from which to choose. And I took advantage of this bounty, checking out a host of series openers.

In my efforts to catch up on all the awesome titles I'd missed during the long stretch when reading was pretty much absent from my life, I started a bunch of new series, only occasionally following through with the sequels, even if they were already available. With less reading time at hand nowadays, I've been trying to focus on getting caught up on some of the series I've started. I have about 25 in progress that I'd like to continue and want to work on. I don't have a set deadline, but I am going to take my best shot at not series hopping as much as I used to do.

I totally get why some readers prefer to wait for all of the books in a series to be released so they can binge read the whole thing. I don't know what I would have done if all of the Parasol Protectorate books hadn't been available because that was a series I absolutely needed to read straight through—so good! That being said, there are still some series that I have to read as soon as a new book is released, like The Raven Cycle.

I'm curious to hear how other readers approach series reading. Do you like waiting until you can read a series in its entirety, or are you okay with starting and returning to it later? Are there any particular series that you've been meaning to continue but haven't gotten around to picking up again?

Review: Blameless by Gail Carriger

Blameless (The Parasol Protectorate #3)
By Gail Carriger
Publisher: Orbit
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Poor Alexia never expected to find herself embroiled in a scandal that’s the subject of all of the London gossip columns, but that’s exactly what has happened to her. There’s also the slightly more pressing matter of some vampires who want to kill her. No longer safe in England, Alexia heads to Italy, but the danger that awaits her there may be even worse than the one she’s fleeing from.

Review: Well, I've reached the midway point in this simply wonderful series, and it continues to be a most addictive read. Book #1, Soulless, still reigns as my favorite thanks to all of the verbal sparks between Alexia and Lord Maccon, but there's still so, so much to love about Blameless.

Alexia can't seem to go anywhere without someone trying to kill her, not even when she makes a thrill-packed flight from England that takes her and her companions, Madame Lefoux and Floote, through France and on to Italy. There's hardly ever a lull in the action in Blameless, and although the danger that Alexia is in is very grave indeed, she handles it with her usual logic and aplomb. As long as there's tea available.

I really, really felt for Alexia in this one because she's not only dealing with murderers highly intent on their mission, but she's also trying to put on a brave face despite a broken heart. I love Lord Maccon lots, but I went into Blameless pretty steamed at the Earl of Woolsey because of some things that happened in Changeless. He has some serious remorse in Blameless, and the way he expresses it—well, in keeping with the humor of the series, I wanted to laugh.

With Lord Maccon, ahem, indisposed, Professor Lyall gets a significant turn in the spotlight, stepping in to attempt to keep the increasingly restless Woolsey pack in line. The good professor has been a favorite character from the beginning of the series, and he's utterly brilliant, and not just in mind, in Blameless. It's thanks to him that the earl continues to have a pack to lead, and while Lyall always treats his Alpha with all due respect, he also isn't afraid to stand up to Lord Maccon's bluster when necessary.

Blameless also gives Floote a few opportunities to shine, showing off what a badass he can be. Yes, I just used "Floote" and "badass" in the same sentence. Believe me, there's so much more lurking beneath that stoic exterior. And I love how Gail Carriger makes the most of his dialogue; Floote is a man of few words, but they never fail to be wit-tastic.

As much as I chuckled out loud while reading Blameless, I think this one was just a tad more serious in places than its predecessors. I was particularly struck by what happens to one of my favorite secondary characters. Don't fear that the series has departed too far from its signature humor, however, because it's still present in droves. Just try not to snicker at the thought of Ivy, with her atrocious taste in hats, being charged with running Madame Lefoux's millinery shop in the latter's absence!

All in All: I am well and truly addicted to this series. On to Alexia's next adventure!

Harry Potter Moment of the Week (68): Scariest Moment in the Series

Harry Potter Moment of the Week is a meme hosted by Uncorked Thoughts. The aim of this meme is to share with fellow bloggers a character, spell, chapter, object or quote from the books/films/J. K. Rowling herself or anything Potter related! A list of upcoming topics can be found here.

This week's topic is:
Scariest Moment in the Series

I know I've mentioned one of these moments before, but I couldn't leave it out of this week's post because it truly did scare the sh*t out of me, both in the Half-Blood Prince book and in the movie. That scene in the cave where Dumbledore and Harry go in search of the locket Horcrux and the Inferi emerge from the water just gives me the creeps to end all creeps. I'm shuddering just thinking about it.

I also have to include the Aragog scene in Chamber of Secrets, specifically the part when all of his icky, hungry kids chase Harry, Ron, and Fang. I even hate playing that level in the Lego HP video game, lol.

Review: Changeless by Gail Carriger

* This review contains spoilers for the previous book, Soulless.

Changeless (The Parasol Protectorate #2)
By Gail Carriger
Publisher: Orbit
Format: Paperback
Source: Purchased

To Sum It Up: Lady Alexia Maccon, recently appointed to the Shadow Council by Queen Victoria, has a new mystery on her hands. Something with the power to cancel out the abilities of the supernatural, the very thing that Alexia herself is capable of, has swept through London. Even more concerning for Alexia, this unknown threat seems to be headed in the same direction as Lord Maccon, who has suddenly taken off for Scotland on pack business. So Alexia is off to Scotland, too, most reluctantly accompanied by her lovelorn best friend and petulant half-sister.

Review: With all of its acerbic wit, lovably quirky characters, Victorian England setting, and explosive chemistry between preternatural Alexia and werewolf Lord Maccon, Soulless became an instant favorite of mine. I was desperate to get my hands on Changeless, but fate was a bit cruel and made me wait five days for a copy to arrive. In the meantime, I tried to retain my sanity because I needed to read this so badly.

I love the writing style of this series so. Much. I’d be perfectly happy talking all proper-like all the time if only everybody else wouldn’t think I’d gone completely batty. The prose certainly give the books an irresistible charm but without coming off as gimmicky. Seriously, I can’t read enough of it.

Our indomitable heroine Alexia, now Lady Woolsey, acquits herself splendidly once again. She’s armed with an upgraded parasol that’s more lethal than any parasol she’s carried in the past, which is a necessity for someone who flirts with danger as often as Alexia does. In this installment, she can’t even enjoy a nice dirigible ride to the Highlands of Scotland without running into trouble. Of course, so much of the fun in reading about Alexia’s adventures is waiting to see how she’ll manage to escape her latest scrape.

The steampunk gets turned up a few notches in Changeless, especially with the introduction of Madame Lefoux, inventor extraordinaire. It’s Madame Lefoux who, at Lord Maccon’s request, outfits Alexia’s new parasol with all sorts of ingenious weaponry. There’s also quite a lot of intricate detail, and maybe just a mite too much, about the aethographor, kind of the steampunk version of the telegraph. Overall, though, the technology of this world is fascinating and only one of the many reasons why I wish I could live in it.

One nitpick that I have about Changeless is how minimally some of my favorite characters from the first book appear in it, like Professor Lyall, Lord Akeldama, Biffy, and Floote. Even Lord Maccon is off-page for a while, much to my dismay. I also must vent my feelings over the ending of Changeless: NOOOOOOOO!!!! I’m rather peeved at a certain character right now. I shall, however, put all my faith in Gail Carriger to set all to rights with the next book, which I am very happy to report I have on hand so as to avoid another horrible delay in continuing this wonderful series.

All in All: Changeless is a very good sequel and earns bonus points for traveling to the Scottish Highlands amidst my current Outlander obsession. I confess to enjoying Soulless a tad more, but I am still wholly in love with the Parasol Protectorate series as a whole.