Oxford: A History of Children’s Literature

Posted February 8, 2014 in Travel / 3 Comments

While on my travel course last month, I was able to take a day trip from London to Oxford. While the primary attraction in Oxford was the two hour Harry Potter Walking tour, we also had five hours of free time to wander the quaint, beautiful area. What we came to learn was that Oxford has a history of Children’s Fantasy Literature, from C.S. Lewis to Lewis Carrol to one of the largest bookstores in the UK. First up on the day’s agenda was Christ Church College (see above), notable for having many Harry Potter movie scenes filmed on its […]

Remember when I said I was going to Hogwarts?

Posted February 6, 2014 in Harry Potter Musings, Travel / 8 Comments

(Members of Ravenclaw house outside the Warner Brother’s Studio Tour.) Well, technically it was a Harry Potter travel course offered by my university- same thing, really! I posted about it this summer, and I just got back two weeks ago, and it was literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for anyone and everyone, especially an avid reader and Harry Potter fanatic like me. (Oh hey, Tom Riddle Sr.’s Grave) The course was an honors course, titled “Deconstructing Hogwarts: A Critical Examination of Harry Potter in Context.” Only twenty students were selected to go, evenly divided into the four Hogwarts houses, and each […]

Martin Miggs

Posted August 16, 2013 in Harry Potter Musings / 0 Comments

Can we all just take a moment to let it sink in that in Chamber of Secrets, Ron has a collection of comic books titled The Adventures of Martin Miggs, The Mad Muggle. … Am I the only one who can’t get over how hilarious this is?

Summer Reading Series 2013: Onyx

Posted August 5, 2013 in Books, Reviews / 2 Comments

Onyx by Jennifer L. Armentrout My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book was the book of the summer that had me reading in every inappropriate place and circumstance: parked in parking lots instead of going into stores, in the bathroom, while waiting for other people to use the bathroom, when I had guests, and basically every other moment when I should have been doing something else. I was addicted. I was shocked. I’ve noticed a trend in YA novels that the second book in the series tends to disappoint the most (for example, the introduction of the inevitable love […]

Summer Reading Series 2013: Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Posted July 24, 2013 in Books, Reviews / 5 Comments

Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor My rating: 4 of 5 stars When I heard about this book for the first time, it was not from all the hype it has apparently received from readers of the YA genre. I was guided to it by a whimsical YA-novel specialist who worked at my (then) local independent bookstore. I told her that I was in my twenties but still loved reading YA, yet found some of the options to be way too youthful, in terms of oversimplified writing, plot devices that made me want to roll my eyes, and […]

Breaking My Own British News

Posted July 23, 2013 in Travel / 1 Comment

With all eyes, ears, and media outlets focused on the arrival of the newest heir to the British throne (also, mad props to Kate Middleton, who had to appear a cheery and glowing pregnant woman in the face of severe morning sickness, constant comparisons to Kim Kardashian, and a baby who just seemed to be fine hanging out in the womb as long as he pleased), I also have my own exciting news to announce… I’m getting the amazing opportunity through my university to go to London next term for a Harry Potter travel course! As if this wasn’t reason […]

Despite the fact…

Posted June 28, 2013 in Uncategorized / 0 Comments

Despite the fact that I read thousands upon thousands of words everyday, I cannot find accurate enough ones to convey the joy that reading brings me. -cristina&coco

Summer Reading Series 2013: Obsidian

Posted June 27, 2013 in Books, Reviews / 4 Comments

Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout My rating: 5 of 5 stars I’m so glad to have been pleasantly surprised with this YA series. I was starting to loose hope that maybe I was getting too old for the genre, because I hadn’t read a series that I had really, really loved in a long time. But Obsidian really captivated me, and I’m anxiously awaiting for the next two books to arrive on the library hold shelf for me. I’ll admit that at first I wasn’t impressed. First of all, Daemon was (and still is) a HUGE jerk. It seemed overdone. […]

Neglect

Posted June 22, 2013 in Uncategorized / 0 Comments

I know, I know. It’s so easy to get caught up in the crazy thing we call life and not even realize we’re neglecting things. I’m in the middle of moving, so my life has literally been a continuous cycle of packing boxes (mainly of clothes and books…). Although I picked up a book today at my local independent bookstore (yay for supporting the community 🙂 ) and I am so beyond excited to read it! As I was perusing the aisle, overwhelmed as I usually am by the desire to read EVERY SINGLE BOOK, I ran into a lovely […]

Summer Reading Series 2013: Boundless

Posted June 8, 2013 in Books, Reviews / 0 Comments

Boundless by Cynthia Hand My rating: 3 of 5 stars (3.5 out of 5 stars) I had this book waiting on my desk to read for a while, thinking, this will be a fantastic, enjoyable read, no problem. I had read the two previous novels in the series and had really liked them (as I’ve mentioned before, I’m a total sucker for angel/fallen angel books). And while this book does deliver at the ends, the first half was a real slough to get through. Since the first half of the book was relatively disappointing (at least for the standards I […]