Harry Potter & the Cursed Child (Pts 1 & 2) by J.K. Rowling, John Tiffany & Jack Thorne

About This Book:
Goodreads Summary
✥Series: #8
✥Release Date: July 31, 2016
✥Format: Hardcover
✥Setting: England (?) & Hogwarts
✥Page Count: 309
✥Genre(s): YA, Fantasy, Fiction, Plays
✥Date(s) Read: 2/16-2/27/19
✥Rating:   Book: 2.5/5   Audio:  3.5/5        
   Narrator(s):Not Sure. If it was said, I missed it & I didn't want to search  it out. 


My Thoughts:

Audio:
I wasn't wild about him, but he made it easier to get through so that's why he got a 3.5/5 instead of a 3/5 or less.

Book:
It was nice to read, well, listen to this book. I started off trying to read it on my own but wasn't feeling it so I went searching online trying to find the audio & thankfully, I did. 

This wasn't a bad book, but not great to me either. It wasn't the fact that it was a play that was an issue, I've read a play before. I think it was the fact that in the beginning, I wasn't fond of a character or two. 

As it got closer to act 3, it started getting better. By the time it hit act 4, I was enjoying it quite a bit more. I'll be glad when I can find the 'play' some where. I haven't really followed it enough to know if they have or ever will put it on DVD. That is something I can look for eventually just to see what I can find. I am hoping to like it that much more but I think I should have seen if I could watch it first then read it. But I thought it would ruin it for me. Now, I think reading it first may have ruined it; but maybe not. Maybe, just maybe, once I am able to watch it, I will have "forgotten" much of it. 

I do believe I may watch Fantastic Beasts first before trying to go for the book After reading this one but I will also take this as it comes. If I find the book at a good price, I may get it and do my best to hold off reading it first.  😊

At the time I am typing this, I am still listening to the book. I've got about 30 or so pages left so I'm sure my final thoughts will come together about the book as a whole will come then but it may not change too much. At this point, I still have a pretty clear idea of my thoughts on the book, I will just need to figure out the rating. 

When I started this book, I didn't know what to expect. I wasn't expecting to 'see' some characters show up. Many characters  I was glad to 'see' again. Many of those I began to love by the end of the seventh book (throughout all of the books actually).

I don't go under 3 stars often but usually, if there are books that are going to get under 3 stars, nothing it does redeems itself. Rarely do I give 1 stars to books because if they're that bad, I've already DNF'd. Unfortunately, there have been times I've struggled through just because I wanted to know what happened. But, I've gotten off track. It was decent! 😊

Alex, Approximately by Jenn Bennett

About This Book:
Goodreads Summary
✥Stand-Alone:
✥Release Date: April 4, 2017
✥Format: Hardcover
✥Setting: California
✥Page Count: 391
✥Genre(s): Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult
✥Date(s) Read: 2/16-2/23/19
✥Rating:   Book:  4/5     Audio:  4/5        Narrator(s): Amy Melissa Bentley 

My Thoughts:

Audio:
I liked her quite a bit. Her voice was easy to listen to in my opinion.

I think the only reason I gave it the rating I did because I listened to it online and it would "jump" (don't know how else to describe it) and sometimes I couldn't understand a word or two. I don't think it's the fault of the audio book..maybe just a 'glitch' when it was uploaded online. 


Book:
The book itself wasn't perfect by any means, but I gave it a solid, 3/5. I liked the characters. I especially liked Dad. It's a fun book to listen to. It had it's rough moments with the two main characters talked about some of the things they went through but the book wasn't completely engulfed in their "issues", it was about their relationship with each other, their friends and families. 

I love the fact that they talked about movies, some I have seen, many, I have not. It has me wanting to go through them and watch some of them when I am in the mood. This book is perfect timing because I said would spend this year getting back into movies. Watching ones I have missed in the last 18-20 years. Some classics. Some of my well loved movies from the past (from my childhood , teens & 20's) and within the last 20 or so years. So, again, Perfect Timing! You know what, for that matter, I will take it up to a 4 stars, just because of the timing & the ideas! So, I guess that's a 3/5 for the book itself & an extra star for the perfect timing!

I love Porter's & Bailey's relationship. It started off rough, but I just thought they were funny most of the time. They pushed each other to come out of their shells. Very much a coming of age story. Bailey's relationship with her father was a strong bond that I loved but even with her relationship with her mom, was semi-understandable but as a mom, I don't think I could do (or not do) some of the things she did (or didn't do). Porter's family bond I loved too. How protective of each other they are. You mess with one, you get them all! lol...

I'm going to hush now because I feel like I am already giving away too much of the story. 

This is not the best cover but I guess it could be worse. I've seen a few other covers for it online, to me, this one is the best though. I guess my feelings about it are mixed. I don't love it, but I definitely don't hate it either. 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (H.P. #7)

About This Book:
Goodreads Summary
✥Series:  #7
✥Release Date: July 27, 2007
✥Format: Hardcover
✥Setting: London, England; Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizadry
✥Page Count: 759
✥Genre(s): Fantasy, YA, Fiction
✥Date(s) Read: 1/23/19-2/15/19
✥Rating:   Book: 3/5       Audio:  5/5        Narrator(s):Jim Dale

My Thoughts:

Audio:

There isn't much I can say that I haven't already said beyond my liking Jim Dale and how much easier he made it to get through these lengthy books. I love his voices for the characters, even though sometimes, he made some sound whiny but no matter, I loved him. I listened to one with Stephen Fry (don't remember which one) and I can see why so many loved him too. If I could have gotten them all under Fry, I would have but again, Dale was amazing as well. 


Book:

Finally! Finished it! 

This was not one of my favorites. I found myself missing Hogwarts a lot. Wishing they were still at the school. 

Where I thought I had gotten spoilers, weren't spoilers. Although it's still frustrating that the person (a booktuber; I no longer remember who) I was watching would give potential ones. I do understand a lot of people have already read this series and seen the movies and many will speak of the books thinking that way. They also need to understand that there are generations after them and then folks like me who had never heard of the books until the movies came out and, well, like me, hadn't intended on reading them. I gave in, thankfully. 

But, I digress....

Why wasn't this my favorite? Well, beyond a few, many of my favorites didn't show up until later. I also think it's because I kept tuning out at some points. I had to replay quite a bit in the last couple of chapters, which got frustrating for me. I had to stop what I was doing to focus and/or pick up the book to reread certain parts I kept missing. So, one day, I will definitely will have to re-listen to these books again one day. I have the first 6 movies so I can watch those to jar my memory on stuff and maybe pick up stuff I may have missed (yes, I know, the movies leave out a lot). 

Digress again....rambles again...

It's kind of hard to talk about this book without giving those spoilers that I wouldn't want while still saying what I liked and didn't like. So, I can say that,well, I love how it ended. Ended in kind of a way that I figured because I have "The Cursed Child" book and scanned through it a little. So, that kind of helped me knowing the spoilers I thought were there, did or didn't happen. I am looking forward to making an attempt to read "The Cursed Child".

Some of my favorite characters from the previous books remained my favorites but with a new way of seeing them. And even one that I thought I'd never really like, I found myself liking by the end of it. Well, maybe even two. And those are the ones I can think of right now.

Well, I will hush now because I have become beyond repetitive. 

Thanks for reading this far. :o)