Tag Archives: Harry Potter

Fleeting: Preferred Reads

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BOOK SERIES
The Pink Carnation Series by Lauren Willig
I don’t remember how I stumbled upon this series, perhaps it was my research with the history of early-19th century England that led me to this world… a kind of extension of the world established by the play “The Scarlet Pimpernel”. Historical romance (of the non-bodice ripping type) at the core, this series aligns fairly closely to historical events that indeed did happen although adjusted here and there for dramatic effect.

The summary of the first book of the series is as such:

Nothing ever goes right for Eloise. The day she wears her new suede boots, it rains. When the subway stops short, she’s the one thrown into some stranger’s lap. And she’s had her share of misfortune in the way of love. So, after deciding that romantic heroes must be a thing of the past, Eloise is ready for a fresh start.

Setting off for England, Eloise is determined to finish her dissertation on two spies, the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian. But what she discovers is something historians have missed: the secret history of the Pink Carnation-the most elusive spy of all time. As she works to unmask this obscure spy, Eloise has more and more questions. Like, how did the Pink Carnation save England from Napoleon? What became of the Scarlet Pimpernel and the Purple Gentian? And will Eloise Kelly escape her bad luck and find a living, breathing hero of her own?

When reading this series there was a distinct sensation that this particular series (of twelve books total) could be separated into three groups:

  • Group 1: Books One thru Four – Wherein the characters and the environment is established creating a foundation for the remainder of the series while providing strong storylines for the characters.
  • Group 2: Books Five thru Nine – The action moves away from England / Ireland and shifts towards other locales, predominantly in France and India.
  • Group 3: Books Ten thru Twelve – Storylines move back to England and loose ends are tied up.

What really drives this series to me is that despite the natural romantic notion of the stories there is still so much more going on beyond the romance that I can’t help but be drawn in. Plus the author makes a point of adding reference notes so that one could read up on the historical texts that she uses when writing her stories, providing insight on why she moved historical events around for dramatic effect or how certain historical events worked in the storyline as a whole.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood by J R Ward
When I needed a new book series to sink my teeth into, trust a friend of mine to come forward with a couple of series to try out. Best described as a paranormal romance series, this deals with a hidden vampire society set to the backdrop of Caldwell, New York. The first six books of the series focus on The Brothers, a group of six male vampires whose purpose is to protect their vampire society from their enemies and humans.

From the glossary of the Black Dagger Brotherhood website:

Highly-trained vampire warriors who protect their species against the Lessening Society. As a result of selective breeding within the race, Brothers possess immense physical and mental strength as well as rapid healing capabilities. They are not siblings for the most part and are inducted into the Brotherhood upon nomination by the Brothers. Aggressive, self-reliant and secretive by nature, they exist apart from civilians, having little contact with members of the other classes except when they need to feed. They are the subject of legend and the object of reverence within the vampire world.

For more information about the Black Dagger Brotherhood visit the fansite: Beyond the Mhis or read up on the BDB Cheat Sheet via Book Thingo. Both of the fansites are extremely comprehensive and would provide more than enough information in understanding not only the characters in the series but the background and mythology that the series revolves around. Keep in mind that spoilers will be found.

The Parasol Protectorate by Gail Carriger
Another paranormal romance series it’s set in the 1880s with a steampunk twist. This finite five book series revolve around a strong female heroine in the form of Alexia Tarabotti whose best friend is flaming vampire Lord Akeldama who (somehow) knows everything about everyone and every rumor in London. She is also friends with a very Scottish and gruff Lord Conall Maccon, a werewolf… and yes there is an uneasy peace between the vampire society and the werewolf society in London who has found a way to integrate the paranormal into the “normal”.

What I really love about reading Gail Carriger’s blog is that she goes into more detail about the characters she has created and the world that her characters were immersed in.

My personal opinions and thoughts of the books:
– Book 1: Soulless
– Book 2: Changeless
– Book 3: Blameless
– Book 4: Heartless
– Book 5: Timeless

The Final Dance aka The Dancers Series by Christie Golden
A currently incomplete fantasy book series that I actually love and enjoy. It is a pity that Luna did not wish to continue this very well written series. It has been a while since I have read the series, only the first two books of the series are in print while the third book of the series is available in e-book format. The final two books in the series have not been released because Luna Publishing chose to discontinue the series.

The Dancers Series revolve around five persons, each one the personification of the five elements: fire, stone, sea, wind and soul. The story goes that The Dancers are given five chances to save the five varying universes from a growing evil. If they fail to save at least three of the five universes then the evil will take over all five universes, else if they were successful in saving at least three of the five universes then the evil will only take over those they fail to save and would leave the others. When the series began they have lost two universes and successfully saved two universes now with the final universe hanging on the balance. After the determination of the finality of each universe The Dancers are reincarnated into the new universe and process begins again…

Fables, Jack of Fables, The Literals and Fairest created by Bill Willingham (via Vertigo)
For anyone that really enjoys fairytales and nursery rhymes and are open minded to the seeing them in a new light would really pick up this series. Taking many of the beloved fairytale characters and re-imaging them while staying true to their roots (roots as in the original Grimm stories and those from Hans Christian Anderson, etc… none of the Disnified versions).

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Being a huge fan of Battle Royale created in Japan, I was skeptical of this series until I came to the conclusion that there is enough basic concepts and ideas that really two totally unrelated series could have similar premises. In some ways a classic rags-to-riches and rebels against the government mentality I did find myself drawn to the series in some capacity.

Written in the voice of 16 years old Katniss Everdeen, the series is set in a post-apocalyptic world where the countries of North America was combined to be known as Panem all run by a singular government called: The Capitol. In remembrance of The Capitol’s defeat over the rebellious districts in the last great war, The Capitol holds The Hunger Games, an annual event in which each of the twelve districts were forced to select via a lottery one boy and one girl ages 12 to 18 to compete in a televised battle to the death until one person is alive.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J R R Tolkien
Yes, I know that this is dry read. Yes, I know that this tends to come off more as a reference reading as opposed to a story, but I love it. I have this attraction to series that have such well thought out and deep mythologies where you know there are millions upon millions of stories that are just begging to be written. Tolkien is very much like that, where you know that there are millions of stories just waiting to be revealed. Unfortunately much of those writings are in half works and references and notes as compiled by his son. In fact my favorite book of the collection is from the beginning: The Silmarillion.

Because this is an older series there is naturally a lot of information out there including:
– The Encyclopedia of Arda
– The Lord of the Rings Wikia
– The One Ring fansite

Harry Potter series by J K Rowling
The fantasy series that took over the world and got a new generation of kids to read again. The series revolved around a young boy who finds out that he is a wizard and he (as well as the reader) are drawn to the invisible world of magic. There really isn’t much more to say about that, because the world is so vast J K Rowling partnered with Sony to create Pottermore to give lovers of the series a new way to appreciate the series and learn more about the mythology and background. When you are getting sorted by the Sorting Hat if you’re not sorted into Gryffindor you learn more about the history of whichever house you happen to find yourself in. Unfortunately I didn’t get such luck as I was sorted into Gryffindor which I found rather odd all things considered, but what can you do?

Jane Austen related fiction
With all the fantasy and science fiction series that I seem to follow this author and her stories could actually be an outlier of sorts. However, I remember when I read Sense & Sensibility for the first time and fell in love, somehow the heroes were too good to be true and they still are. With fansites with constant discussions and articles about anything and everything to deal with the life of Jane Austen and her works called Pemberley (yes, based off of the family home of Mr Darcy from Pride & Prejudice) and quite aptly Jane Austen’s World.

Over the years there have been many books that attempt to build off of the original works or re-imagine them into the modern age, many of these writers of the former are known as the Crown Hill Writers. There are others still that rewrote the books into the point-of-view of the heroes of the series, one of the most popular being the Heroes of Jane Austen’s Diaries by Amanda Grange

One book series that I rather enjoy is the Mr and Mrs Darcy Mystery Series by Carrie Bebris. This should come as no surprise since I enjoy a fantasy series… so a mystery series wouldn’t be that far off the mark.

Of course, like any other well known author, there is a website dedicated to anything and everything dealing with Jane Austen known as the AustenBlog: There’s No Crying in Janeball. But if you are a Janeite you best head on over to the Jane Austen Society of North America and peruse around and consider joining up the group to understand more of the life and stories of Jane Austen.

Fleeting: Harry Potter “What Ifs” Part Two

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So in the past two posts I mentioned some fanfiction that I found myself reading in their entirety and the “What If” scenarios that caught my attention despite my love of fanfictions that stick with canon. However, since the “What If” scenario that posits what would happen should Cassius Warrington of Slytherin were to be the Hogwarts champion as opposed to Cedric Diggory is so darn appealing how to adjust the rest of the series so that the Hufflepuffs would come into their own…?

The key here is that Hufflepuffs by nature don’t strive for glory like the other three houses, they aren’t necessarily the underdogs either, instead they tend to stick to the background working diligently and consistently to earn their wares. They tend to be the background players who provide the security, knowledge, forethought, etc for any problem and situation while others present said information to the masses.

BETWEEN BOOK 4 (Goblet of Fire) and BOOK 5 (Order of the Phoenix)
Keeping the above in mind it would not have been far from the realm of possibility if towards the end of the events of Book 4 (keeping in track with the “What If” from the previous post that Cassius Warrington was the Hogwarts Champion) Harry Potter glances around the school and sees small groups of Slytherins interacting with students from other houses, or a lone Slytherin being comforted by other houses.

This is the time where the Slytherin students are divided internally, be it within themselves or within the house itself. There are Slytherins that are still steadfast in the ways of the regime as promised by The Dark Lord and there are others whose belief was shaken to the core and they are questioning the world and beliefs that were instilled in them from birth.
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Fleeting: Harry Potter “What Ifs”

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Yup… another Harry Potter related post…

So… in the last post I mentioned that I can’t really get into some fanfiction if it changes canon that was already set by the original author. However, there are some “What If” scenarios that have been making the rounds that caught my attention and I decided… well why not add them altogether and see what would have changed?

Let’s start with a fairly recent “what if” that has been gaining momentum recently….

tumblr_no5aqhOIDA1rkv63oo1_1280What if Cassius Warrington (Slytherin) was Hogwarts Champion instead of Cedric Diggory (Hufflepuff)
It all started with a tumblr post by crazybutperfectlysane
So I was rereading Harry Potter, when I came across this and thought- what if instead of Cedric Diggory, Cassius Warrington had been chosen to compete in the Triwizard Tournament?

Imagine…

  • … Dumbledore calling out the name of the Hogwarts champion and it isn’t a Gryffindor, or a Ravenclaw, or even a Hufflepuff, but it’s a Slytherin. A student from a House most people hate.
  • … Cassius Warrington getting up, and three out of four Houses are booing at him and shouting things like “NO!” or, “We can’t have a Slytherin champion!” or demanding a retry. But he’s a Slytherin- he’s been dealing with this shit since he got sorted, so he keeps his head high and joins the other champions.
  • … Harry trying to catch Warrington alone because he doesn’t really want to associate with Slytherins (plus Malfoy seems to be around the guy ALL THE TIME now that he’s the Hogwarts champion), but at the same time he’s also fair enough not to want him to walk into the first task unprepared.
  • … Warrington walking over to Harry a few months later, and Ron and Hermione both jump into a protective stance, wands out, but instead of attacking Harry he just tells him to stick the egg underwater. (Because Slytherins don’t forget those who helped them out).
  • … Warrington and Harry helping each other out in the labyrinth.
  • … Harry being devastated when Peter kills Warrington- because Voldemort doesn’t care what house they’re form, a spare is a spare.
  • … the uproar that causes among the Slytherins, because some of their parents really are Death Eaters and they know what really happened.
  • … Slytherins fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts and shouting “This is for Cassius!”

Now it would be a wonderful thought… except the majority of the above changes Book 4 and then fast forwards to Book 7… so someone took it a step further… that someone would be aplatonicjacuzzi
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Fleeting: Harry Potter Fanfiction

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Recently I found myself going down a Harry Potter rabbit hole… don’t ask me why, it just happened.

The problem with fanfiction and me is that I prefer fanfiction that sticks with what is canon (aka nothing from the original material has changed) and yet it expands from the already established world from the original author.

As thus I have found that I cannot seem to enjoy most Harry Potter related fanfiction because so much that is out there changes the canon plot points that I find are crucial to the over all story and when those changes occur I become quite twitchy. Ah well. There is nothing wrong with the majority of fanfiction out there, that is why it is called “fanfiction”… the above is just a personal preference.

So when I came across the following stories, I found myself drawn to them because they introduce plot elements that makes sense when placed in-line with the original material, and yet diverges so that the author could really find their own footing and create a seamless story of their own.

“Songs of Regret” by RavieSnake
“The Teddy Lupin Series” by FernWithy
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Recipe: Alcoholic Butterbeer Ice Cream

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I know what you are thinking, this must be another boozy ice cream recipe from the “Ice Cream Happy Hour” book. Well I hate to bust your bubbles but it is not. In fact, what I have in my stores is actually some butterscotch schnapps that I used for cupcakes that I purchased regularly after wanting to try my hand at baking.

In fact I loved the schnapps so much that I continue to purchase it whenever I run out at home. So one day I was trying to figure out what I had in my pantry that I could use to make ice cream and the idea of trying my luck with a butterbeer ice cream using what I already have on hand seemed to be the perfect idea!

So off to the internets I went, searching and researching, reading and comparing all sorts of recipes that would first tell me how to make butterbeer… and then ice cream related recipes of other people’s trials and what worked.

However, there were pros and cons and all the recipe were non-alcoholic. Well poo.

Finally I found a recipe that was
1) eggless
2) appeared easy to change around

So as thus came the long sequence of trials and errors.
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Entertainment: Fantasy Only No More?

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The good and the bad when it comes to technology…

The Good
It brings the mystical and fantastical closer to reality

The Bad

*sighs*

So what “advances” in technology have come across the table recently…

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Recipe: Mini Pumpkin Pie Croissants

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Another Harry Potter related recipe that my friend wanted to try was the Mini Pumpkin Pie Croissants. Now for me not being a huge fan of pumpkin to begin with was already apprehensive… but she was all for it, especially since she had a can of “canned pumpkin” that she wanted to use.

Unlike the other recipes we’ve tried up to this point, this wasn’t a hit out of the park by any stretch of the imagination. In fact when just mixing the cream cheese with the canned pumpkin the consensus was that the filling was very bland… so my friend (who was the primary chef this time around) decided to spice the filling up before “stuffing” it into the croissants. So what did she add?
– sugar
– powdered sugar
– cinnamon
– nutmeg
– cloves
And those are only the ones I managed to catch… who knows what else she may have added. In fact when looking at the comments below the recipe it appears that anyone that tried the recipe had a similar issue:

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Recipe UPDATE: Butterbeer Cupcakes

So around a month ago one of my friends read my recipe post about the Butterbeer Cupcakes and decided to give them a short herself with some good results.

Here is her blog post about her attempt with the Butterbeer Cupcake recipe and her impressions. She even includes pictures which was something I neglected to do.

She goes so far as to say what part of the recipe she followed – because if you remember I strayed from the path a bit – and cuts off the recipe portion from there and just continues with what she did.

Her impressions?

Following the recipe directly using one standard cake box mix, it made 21 cupcakes for me, with plenty of frosting to cover them all. It might be a tiny too little if you manage 24 cupcakes. The cupcakes are some of the lightest and fluffiest cupcakes that I have ever had. One of mine even turned onto the side in the oven. It was undamaged but quite funny to me. The cupcakes are so good that you can honestly eat them without the frosting. They’re good with them, but the average cupcake is nothing without its frosting.

I would definitely agree with that assessment… but what about her verdict?
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Recipe: Butterbeer Cupcakes

Once upon a time, I really wanted to try my hand at cupcake baking. I came across this new fangled idea when I was surfing Mugglenet.com and came across a recipe for Butterbeer Cupcakes by the Collegiate Baker. When reading up on what the Collegiate Baker did I realized that she actually adapted her recipe from that of another blog from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen.

When perusing the recipe I realized that I am not exactly a fan of butterscotch to begin with, but Butterbeer is a popular beverage that is described by JK Rowling as

a little bit like less-sickly butterscotch

Ok, so now I’m tempted… I am really really tempted, especially since the homemade frosting became a major draw for me.

INGREDIENTS
For the Cake:
1 box yellow cake mix
1 cup cream soda
3 eggs
1 stick of butter, melted
1/2 cup melted butterscotch chips 		For the FROSTING:
1 stick of butter, softened
3 tablespoons of cream soda
3 cups of powdered sugar
2 tablespoons of butterscotch ice cream topping
butterscotch chips for topping

DIRECTIONS:
Step 1: (Starting with the cake portion): Mix the yellow cake mix, cream soda, eggs, melted butter, and melted butterscotch chips (in that order) in a medium/large mixing bowl.

Step 2: Mix on medium speed for two minutes.

Step 3: Follow the temperature and time directions as instructed on the yellow cake mix box.

Step 4: (Now for the frosting): cream the butter and cream soda by mixing on medium speed for approximately two minutes.

Step 5: Mix in powdered sugar, one cup at a time for easy mixing.

Step 6: Then mix in butterscotch topping.

Step 7: When cupcakes are cooled, cover each with frosting and top with butterscotch chips.

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Reflection: Pottermore Wand and House Selection(s)

So almost a year ago I was lucky enough to be able to test Pottermore and play around with the website. As it was for everyone that has read the Harry Potter books, any fan of the series would be interested to find out what their wand would be and which house they would be placed in. I was no different…

THE WAND CHOOSES THE WIZARD
So when I went through the questions that would lead towards the wand that would choose me I was kind of curious to know what the individuals pieces of the wand signified.

What I really enjoy about Pottermore is that it goes into more detail of the significance of the wood used, the three cores used in Ollivander’s wands, how is length of wand determined, and the flexibility of the wand.

For my wand I was given:
– Wood: Fir
– Length: 10-3/4 inches
– Core: Unicorn hair
– Flexibility: unbending

Based on what was explained on Pottermore:
WAND WOOD – Fir
My august grandfather, Gerbold Octavius Ollivander, always called wands of this wood ‘the survivor’s wand,’ because he had sold it to three wizards who subsequently passed through mortal peril unscathed. There is no doubt that this wood, coming as it does from the most resilient of trees, produces wands that demand staying power and strength of purpose in their true owners, and that they are poor tools in the hands of the changeable and indecisive. Fir wands are particularly suited to Transfiguration, and favour owners of focused, strong-minded and, occasionally, intimidating demeanour.

WAND CORE – Unicorn Hair
Unicorn hair generally produces the most consistent magic, and is least subject to fluctuations and blockages. Wands with unicorn cores are generally the most difficult to turn to the Dark Arts. They are the most faithful of all wands, and usually remain strongly attached to their first owner, irrespective of whether he or she was an accomplished witch or wizard.

Minor disadvantages of unicorn hair are that they do not make the most powerful wands (although the wand wood may compensate) and that they are prone to melancholy if seriously mishandled, meaning that the hair may ‘die’ and need replacing.

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Entertainment: The ‘Auror’s Tale’ by Red Phoenix Pictures

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Yes I’m a huge Harry Potter fan. So when I heard that a group of people over at Red Phoenix Pictures based in New York City was developing a web series called the “Auror’s Tale”, I was about as giddy as a kid at Christmas.

So when MuggleNet posted a 10-second video sneak peek from the “Auror’s Tale”. I was positively thrilled. The sneak peek is fascinating enough for me to want to watch later… Though, later in the day a full minute trailer of the Auror’s Tale was released, and now I can’t wait til the webseries air.

My understanding is that this is set in New York City where Dark Magic controls the underground and it is up to the NYC Department of Magical Law Enforcement (DMLE) is the only defense against them. For anyone that is a fan of the Harry Potter series, this is a web series made by fans that grew up with the books, for fans that grew up with the books. Releasing the web series in 10-minute increments they plan on a DVD release upon completion of the series of 10-minute increments on the web.