Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

by J.K. Rowling

Oh, my god I love this book.  I know I said I think the third one was my favorite but I might have to remedy that.  This book just has so much more going on in terms of action and clues and mysteries that get introduced as early as the Quidditch World Cup and don't get solved until the very end but they all intertwine and make for a great read.

Firstly, I love the Quidditch World Cup.  Rowling absolutely captures the atmosphere of a major sporting event and I love the way in which she works elements of her own world into this event to help create that atmosphere.  Things like leprechauns flying into the air to form words and pictures to mock their opponents is, of course, extremely reminiscent of the sorts of things we Muggles do with our technology.  But, as usual, Rowling has managed to take that sort of thing and put her own twist on it.  And I will never forget the wizard wearing a nightdress because he prefers a healthy breeze 'round his privates!

Magical things I love in this book: Portkeys.  How awesome would it be if these things actually existed?  Also, I love the way in which Rowling introduces us to this particular bit of magic early in the book so that when it plays a major role towards the end of the book, she doesn't have to waste time explaining what just happened.  Harry (and, consequently, her reader) has already been made to understand;  Dumbledore's Pensieve (again, how cool would it be if this actually existed?); Rita Skeeter's quill. I'm not going to lie, I totally want one of those.  I would love to have a quill which just hangs in the air and writes down everything I say only more entertaining.  I also love the way in which Rowling makes fun of journalists and the fact that you can never believe what you read in the paper, whether you're in the Muggle world or at Hogwarts.  This is also the first time we really see Harry struggling with fame he never asked for.

I just have to take a moment to say GO HERMIONE!  Not because she's so smart and just generally awesome (I think that goes without saying) but because she proved that the nerd can get the jock once in awhile!  Krum was actually kind of adorable in his supremely awkward way and it made me like him so much more when he went after Hermione rather than showing up at Hogwarts with each arm draped over a gorgeous blond.

By the end of the book I was kind of traumatized.  And I had already read it and seen the movie!  But, upon re-reading, I was extraordinarily impressed with Crouch Jr.'s ability to fool even Dumbledore that he was really Mad-Eye Moody and to make it seem as though he were on Harry's side.  That would take some serious skill and, if I were Harry, I don't think I would ever be able to trust anyone ever again after having been through that.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

by J. K. Rowling

This is probably my favorite Harry Potter book. I love Sirius Black and I love Professor Lupin. He really is the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher EVER! I think I really appreciate Black, not just because he's awesome, but because I love that Harry finally has something like a real family. He has a godfather who knew Harry's dad, grew up with him, loved him dearly, and so loves Harry just as dearly. It's probably at least part of the reason I don't like the last two books as much. I have to admit that I wanted Harry to move in with Black and live happily ever after but then, of course, we wouldn't have the Dursleys and it just wouldn't be a Harry Potter book without the Dursleys.

Magical things I love in this book: the Marauder's Map and, of course, chocolate. Something I had forgotten because I don't think it's in the movies is, when you've been around dementors, the best cure is chocolate. So the dementors suck out all of your happiness and make you feel despair and the cure for that is chocolate? I think Rowling has just proven one of my life-long theories!

I also appreciate that, even in a world where magic exists, Rowling still can't get behind Divination as legitimate. Her description of Professor Trelawney is exactly the kind of person you would expect to find trying to charge you money in order for her to "look into your future". But I also appreciated that she had Lavender and Parvati as her little groupees. They honestly thought she could see into the future and, every time she did, they found ways to justify it. I love it because people do that because they want to believe and they just won't listen to the voice of reason (in this case, Hermione). And again I have to take a moment to applaud the casting here. I can't stand Professor Trelawney but I always, always, always love Emma Thompson! She took this role and ran with it!

I also like the Snape character development in this book. I'll admit that, upon first reading these books, I had my doubts about whether Snape was really a good guy until the very end. This book shows some of the basis for that doubt when he has his own version of what happened at the Shrieking Shack and he tries to send Black back to Azkaban. On the one hand, he's held a grudge against Black since they were sixteen and that's just too long to hold a grudge. On the other hand, Black's little prank would have been fatal for Snape had Potter Sr. not intervened, and an attempt on one's life is not something one can let go so I can forgive Snape for that. I cannot forgive him for trying to sentence an innocent man to a fate worse than death. So, while I have been convinced that Snape is not a bad guy, I have decided that he's not really a good guy either. He has his faults.