The Second book in the Harry Potter series

Well, I have finished the second book in the Harry Potter series. It took my a little while because of all the other things happening around here. I know that I am probably one of the last people on the planet to read this book and the series, so I won't go into to the story too much. I thought the segment about the spiders was written very well. I got chills reading it because, like Ron, I don't like spiders much either. And I liked that Harry outsmarted Lucius and freed Dobby. That was very clever.

Soon I will be starting the third book. I really don't think I will have them all read before July 31st, but I am going to try to read as many as I can. My daughter says I'm not allowed to read the 7th book until after I have seen the movie. She wants an opinion from me without being influenced by the book. So, we'll see...

Kissing the Countess by Susan King

So, I needed a break from the other books I've been reading and sought out a novel set in the Highlands. This was definitely the correct balm. You just knew from the beginning that you were going to fall for Evan Mackenzie. An Earl who doesn't really want to be an earl. He has great compassion for the people of the Highlands - especially the displaced people his nasty old father sent away. Then there's Catriona - don't you just love that name? - she's the picture of a Highland lass: tall and strong with a heart of gold. She risks her life to save Evan from a sudden snow storm after he fell while mountain-climbing. She drags him to a rundown hut nearby and they are forced to stay there together overnight by the storm. You can imagine what happened. Catriona's father, the local minister, and her aunt threaten to send Catriona away in disgrace, but Evan saves the day!!! Of course. Anyway, Catriona makes an excellent Countess. I loved this book and recommend it to anyone who loves the Highlands!

Yay! It's Monday...I'm thinking not many people say that, but...

This Monday, I am reading "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by J.K. Rowling. Every time I write her name, I think I really don't have to because everyone should know who wrote the Harry Potter books. I am relatively late in reading this series, but I have wanted to read it for a while now. I've seen all the movies that are out there with my daughter - several times in fact. So, when I came across the "Harry Potter" reading challenge, I had to join. Joining a challenge worked to get me to read all of the Narnia books last year, so I'm hoping it will work with Harry. I listened to the first book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" on CD. That was interesting. Of course, I already knew the story so when the CD tracks skipped around I knew I wasn't in the right place. I listened to it on my laptop while I was doing other things. The rendition with the British accent was just delightful. I loved it. I took it in to my local library and donated it after I was finished listening to it. They were surprised and happy to have it.

I opted to actually read the book for this one. I'm only on page 33 but I just started it. It moves along quickly and I find myself reading in a British accent! Is that weird? It's fun. Harry was just picked up by Ron and his brothers and is on his was back to Hogwarts. Can't wait to get back to reading, so...