As a consumer, I try to support local businesses when I can. There’s a bookstore about ten minutes away from my apartment that serves local beer on tap along with black coffee. I’m planning on purchasing more of my books there versus Barnes & Noble, however, I had two Barnes & Noble gift cards to use up from the past holiday season. I made my purchases and wanted to share what’s next on my reading list.

Prodigy by Marie Lu

This is the second book in the Legend trilogy. I wrote a book review of Legend a couple of blog posts ago. The main reason I avoided reading this series was because I needed a break from the dystopian genre. I’m only about fifty pages into Prodigy, but so far it’s been pretty fast-paced.

My Hero Academia by Kohei Horikoshi

I have been trying to get into reading more manga and watching anime, but I haven’t found a series that clicks with me. My Hero Academia is a top-rated manga and anime series about a young boy who’s obsessed with superpowers even though he isn’t powered himself. Eventually, he gets into contact with a superhero which may help him become the hero he’s always wanted to be. I’m looking forward to diving into this.

Comics Will Break Your Heart by Faith Erin Hicks

This book is a contemporary novel combining romance and comics together. Miriam’s grandfather created a successful comic series in the 1960s but sold it to his co-creator. Now, the series is worth millions and Miriam’s family is left with nothing of that legacy. The guy she falls in love with just so happens to be related to the co-creator who robbed Miriam’s grandfather of a successful comics career. Comics plus romance automatically make this a must-read for me.

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

I must confess I have never read any book by either of these two authors. I know that’s a travesty, but this will be my first dip into both of these science fiction/fantasy authors. I’m also looking forward to the TV series with David Tennant & Michael Sheen. I want to have prior knowledge of the show which led me to purchase the book.

Wildcard by Marie Lu

After I finish reading Prodigy, I will read this one next. Warcross was one of my favorite books I read last year and as a gamer, I connected with Emika Chen more than I ever have with any other character in books. I wish I was as skilled with technology as she is. I have read some book reviews saying Wildcard isn’t as good as Warcross which makes me slightly anxious. I will write my own review once I finish Wildcard. 

My latest book haul has made me excited for what I’m reading. Everything in this pile is something I’m excited to read which means I have been reading books at a faster rate than I have in the past. My Goodreads goal is 40 books this year which seems attainable based on the books I’m reading. Let me know what books you recently purchased in the comments below.

My goal for 2019 is to re-read the whole Harry Potter series. I’m making good progress as I’m on the Goblet of Fire now. However, the Goblet of Fire is the first Harry Potter book with more than 500 pages. The length of the Harry Potter books isn’t intimidating to me because I’m infatuated with the series. The Prisoner of Azkaban is a pivotal book in the series because of what’s revealed regarding Harry’s parents, but also how Harry’s parents were left vulnerable to Voldemort. Here are the notes I wrote regarding Prisoner of Azkaban: 

• Ron yells into the telephone when calling Harry over the summer.
• Harry is gifted a sneakascope from Ron. Goes off constantly when Scabbers is with Ron. Wonder why.
• The Firebolt can go 150 MPH in 10 seconds.
• Hermione’s birthday is in September.
• Neville and Ginny were also in the cart when Harry was first attacked by the Dementor. This isn’t shown in the movie
• Hagrid had more than one hippogriff in his class. He had a bronze, pink, chestnut, and black hippogriff beside Buckbeak.
• Snape completely humiliates Neville in the book. He feeds his potion to Trevor hoping to kill it. He also tells Lupin in their first lesson how it’s a pity that Neville is in his class. However, Lupin being the heartwarming character that he is, has Neville go first with the Boggart. Neville also teams up with Lupin to capture it in the chest. Lupin must identify with Neville because of the isolation Lupin feels about his identity.
• Red Caps are goblin-like creatures lurking where bloodshed occurs
• Kappas are water dwellers who try to strangle people.
• The Grindylow is mentioned in Lupin’s class. Nice foreshadowing of what’s to come
• You can’t apparate in and out of Hogwarts. Comes up when trying to deduce how Sirius Black is getting into the castle.
• Cedric Diggory is the current Hufflepuff seeker… 😦
• Impervius is the spell Hermione uses on Harry’s glasses to repel water.
• Sirius Black was James Potter’s best man.
• Dumbledore long suspected there was a spy in the Order of the Phoenix, but couldn’t prove who it was.
• Within a week of the Fidelius charm / secret keeper being cast, James and Lily were murdered by Voldemort. That’s depressing.
• In the book, Hagrid is with the professors in Hogsmeade where Harry overhears his parent’s history with Sirius Black. This makes Harry distrustful of Hagrid.
• Harry receives the Firebolt in the Gryffindor Common Room versus the Great Hall in the movie. This leads to McGonagall confiscating the Firebolt because there might be jinxes attached to it.
• I didn’t realize Dementors actually use their mouths to clamp onto their victims to deliver the kiss. In the movie, it looks like the Dementors just suck the soul out of the person without having to actually be attached to them.
• Cho Chang is referenced as the Ravenclaw seeker.
• The Slytherin match where Harry helps to win the Quidditch Cup is dirty. The Slytherin players were deliberately trying to take out all the Gryffindor players.
• Animagus have to register with the Ministry of Magic including their distinct markings.
• All the Maurder’s Map friends were unregistered animagi which explains why no one knew how Sirius was getting into Hogwarts.
• The Wolfsbane potion allows a werewolf to keep their mind during the transformation.
• Pettigrew was passing secrets to Voldemort for a full year before the murder of the Potters. The movie seems to play it off like Pettigrew was forced into working with Voldemort. In the book, it’s much more clear how deep the betrayal was between Pettigrew and the Potter family.
• Pettigrew is actually in danger because of the repercussions from former death eaters. Pettigrew’s information of the Potter’s location is what allowed Voldemort to become powerless. His death eaters have reason to want to kill him.
• Walden Macnair (the man who executed Buckbeak) is referenced as a former Death Eater.

I wanted to share one of my favorite parts of this book. I completely forgot this part exists, but it’s towards the end with Harry and Dumbledore having a conversation after Lupin leaves Hogwarts. Harry expresses that he regrets saving Pettigrew’s life, and Dumbledore responds, “The time may come when you will be glad you saved Pettigrew’s life.” IF THIS ISN’T FORESHADOWING I DON’T KNOW WHAT IS. I CAN’T EVEN.

Re-reading the Harry Potter books has been eye-opening for me. I’m probably enjoying them more as an adult because of the little details I missed as a kid. The different ways Rowling foreshadows future events are well done. Hopefully, you all are enjoying these recaps as much as I enjoy writing them. I will post my Goblet of Fire one as soon as I finish reading all 734 pages.

One of my favorite authors right now is Marie Lu. The first book I read of hers was Warcross which I discovered after watching Super Space Chick. I became entranced by the mixture of a digitally advanced city and this virtual reality, World of Warcraft-inspired game. Marie Lu has many other successful series out now which is the reason why I purchased Legend. Legend was SO good. I finished the book earlier this week and immediately drove to Barnes & Noble to purchase Prodigy the second book in the series. I plan to finish reading the trilogy this year.

Legend describes a dystopian United States where the Republic forces young kids to participate in a test called “The Trials”. If they pass, they will receive the best jobs, education, and living situations. However, if they fail, they’re sent to work in the mines or another undesirable career option. Fifteen-year-old June was born into a privileged family with her father being a scientist and her brother Metias working in the Republic’s military. Day, however, was born into poverty where he is seen as the “Robin Hood” in the story. His crimes include stealing medical supplies or disabling Republic military-style vehicles. June and Day are brought together when Day is accused of murdering Metias in a medical operation gone wrong. June’s relationship with Day tests her knowledge of the Republic and whether or not she’s on the right side in this society.

One reason why I adored this book is all the themes being brought up in this society. First, is the “psychology of dictatorship”. One such example includes Thomas (a friend of her brother Metias) and how he blatantly kills people because of his orders. This upsets June. June is forced to rethink her position in the Republic and witnessing the deaths of these civilians allows her to start thinking for herself. Meeting Day was the force June needed to confront her abusive government.

Another theme I uncovered in this book is the prevalence of men asserting their wants on women. For example, June is in her room when Thomas tries to force himself on her. June rebukes his advances and Thomas’s “ego” is hurt. He is mad at her for a couple days until he gets over it. This scene is realistic to today’s society. If a woman doesn’t want to date a man or be intimate with him, she doesn’t owe anything to him. Vice versa, if a man doesn’t want physical advances from a woman, that’s also valid. June doesn’t owe Thomas anything and I’m glad she pushed him away and stood up for herself instead of letting Thomas get what he wants.

I could keep going about why I appreciated the themes in Legend, but if you haven’t read this series yet, I highly encourage you to read it. After I’m finished with Prodigy, I’m going to take a break and read the 2nd book in the Warcross series. Marie Lu’s writing is fantastic and I will purchase any book she writes.

I was introduced to comics in 2012, which means I have some catching up to do. One graphic novel I have been wanting to read was Watchmen. My friend sold their copy through Facebook and I jumped at the chance to be able to read this. I was blown away by the level of story building that both Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons created. They developed an alternative universe of how superheroes have existed combined with how the world has treated them. Watchmen is a story I truly enjoyed from start to finish.

Watchmen begins with the brutal murder of The Comedian, who was a costumed superhero based in New York. This leads to a mysterious vigilante named Rorschach (named after the Rorschach ink blot test) to investigate his murder. Rorschach believes someone is targeting former costumed crusaders and he contacts Night Owl, Doctor Manhattan, and the Silk Spectre II to warn them of the threat. In the meantime, Doctor Manhattan is forced to isolate himself on Mars after his acquaintances come forward with their cancer diagnoses blaming Dr. Manhattan for their doom. This furthers Rorschach’s theory of someone targeting them. Additionally, Watchmen flashes back to the 1940s with the Minutemen and how they influenced the current era of superheroes. The Comedian was a part of the Minutemen and we get to learn how awful he was.

The artwork in Watchmen is flawless. The first word I would use to describe the art in this graphic novel would be gritty. The use of shading allows the reader to truly believe they were in the world of New York during the Cold War. This plays well into Rorschach’s character because of his violent vigilante crimes. It makes the reader fear Rorschach in a way I didn’t feel if I was reading a Batman comic.

I also really connected with the characters in the story. Silk Spectre II is one of my favorite characters, but I also like her relationship with Night Owl and Doctor Manhattan. I can sympathize with Doctor Manhattan as his accident with radiation makes it more difficult to connect with people since he isn’t aging. This tarnishes his romantic relationships as he’s stuck in a time when his partners are aging.

After finishing Watchmen, I decided to give the movie a shot. It’s available on Netflix, but it’s close to three hours. This is probably the most realistic graphic novel adaptation I have ever watched. Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the best and only actor who could have played The Comedian. Patrick Wilson is a babe as the Night Owl and Malin Ackerman is exactly who I pictured as the Silk Spectre II. It’s worth watching especially right after reading Watchmen. 

Watchmen is a classic especially all these years later. I’m happy I gave Watchmen a chance. The next graphic novels on my list to read are Hellboy and Judge Dredd.