harry potter and the chamber of secrets, by j.k. rowling

Remember when I said that the best part about this series was the worldbuilding? Clearly I have not met the Weasleys in depth. They are so charming and hilarious and adorable, with their flame-hued hair and sharp, witty sense of humor! Ron! Ginny! Fred! George! Mr. Weasley! Even Percy, who is adorable by acting weird when he's finally dating a girl he really likes (god, boys are so fucking weird ♥).

I think it first started here, where I was CHARMED OFF MY FEET and didn't know what to do because I was beaming my face off:

"Harry?" said Mr. Weasley blankly. "Harry who?"

He looked around, saw Harry, and jumped.

"Good lord, is it Harry Potter? Very pleased to meet you, Ron's told us so much about--"

"Your sons flew that car to Harry's house and back last night!" shouted Mrs. Weasley. "What have you got to say about that, eh?"

"Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Did it go all right? I-- I mean," he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, "that-- that was very wrong, boys -- very wrong indeed..."

"Let's leave them to it," Ron muttered to Harry as Mrs. Weasley swelled like a bullfrog.

And I love the fact that Ron is always blushing, cheeks or ears going pink--

"It's a bit small," said Ron quickly. "Not like that room you had with the Muggles. And I'm right underneath the ghoul in the attic; he's always banging on the pipes and groaning..."

But Harry, grinning widely, said, "This is the best house I've ever been in."

Ron's ears went pink.

♥_♥ CAN I PINCH HIS CHEEKS? UGH, HIS LITTLE FACE. And Mr. Weasley's love for all Muggle-related things -- "But you're Muggles!" said Mr. Weasley delightedly. "We must have a drink! What's that you've got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!" He pointed excitedly at the ten-pound notes in Mr. Granger's hand. -- and Mrs. Weasley's exasperation at her entire family, how she's so annoyed, yet so fond. I love them! If I don't get more Weasley family interaction, I will be massively disappointed, to be honest. Don't let me down, Rowling!

Besides that, Hermione is still a nerdy, adorable thing--

Ron shook his head, wide-eyed. Hermione, however, clapped a hand to her forehead.

"Harry -- I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!"

And she sprinted away, up the stairs.

"What does she understand?" said Harry distractedly, still looking around to tell where the voice had come from.

"Loads more than I do," said Ron, shaking his head.

"But why's she got to go to the library?"

"Because that's what Hermione does," said Ron, shrugging. "When in doubt, go to the library."

As for Harry, hmm, I don't really have an opinion of him either way. I thought it would change in the second book, but it hasn't. I don't hate him, but I don't particularly love him, either. Sometimes he can be annoying and makes me roll my eyes, and other times I'm kind of fascinated about what the kid is even thinking because he's really smart. He's kind of average to me, a wash. I'm much more interested in Ron and Hermione's relationship with each other and how much they will support and defend Harry till the end than Harry himself. I don't know if this will change, but I'm interested to see how Rowling develops his character as the books roll along.

Oh! Ahahaha, okay. I could tell Gilderoy Lockhart was a fake during the first press thing they had in the bookstore in Diagon Alley. What a doofus! Oh, but did he bring the lolz. The pixies!

harry potter and the sorcerer's stone, by j.k. rowling

Okay, let's get this out of the way: I've never read the Harry Potter books in my life. I know, I know. I'm trying to correct this great grievance! It's never too late!

The best part of books, for me, isn't the characters -- which is actually a major, major plus because I can't read an entire novel about an irredeemable asshole --, but instead the worldbuilding and setup for the universe. And this one was awesome. She made up a sport for it! That is so neat.

Ron Weasley might be my favorite. He's terribly adorable and endearing and so cute. I just wanted to hug him! And he made me laugh sometimes! I kind of saw myself lol projecting on Harry some at the beginning when he was at the Dursley's (so predictable, self!) because it was kind of horrible how they were treating him, and I found Harry's general obliviousness kind of charming. Hermione is so sassy; she's such a nerd, but she saves them, and they make such a kickass little team.

I loved this part--

Ron, at the next table, wasn't having much luck.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" he shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.

"You're saying it wrong," Harry heard Hermione snap. "It's Wing-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the 'gar' nice and long."

"You do it, then, if you're so clever," Ron snarled.

Hermione rolled up the sleeves of her gown, flicked her wand, and said, "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Their feather rose off the desk and hovered about four feet above their heads.

"Oh, well done!" cried Professor Flitwich, clapping. "Everyone see here, Miss Granger's done it!"

Ron was in a very bad mood by the end of the class.

Ron was UPSET and then he MADE HER CRY and then--

But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.

THEY SAVE HER FROM A TROLL. THAT IS SO ADORABLE, OH MY GOD. *_____* (Am I supposed to be shipping Ron/Hermione? Because I totally ship it.) I'm so excited to read the rest, yessss.

the secret garden, by frances hodgson burnett.

After softlyforgotten wrote her book review, I told myself that I HAVE to buy this book and read it again. That was months ago! But yesterday I pulled it out and read it all in one day.

Oh, you guys. I forgot how much this book meant to me. ♥ Mary is this foul-tempered thing with a sour attitude and seeing her become this lovely little person, it was amazing. *___* Especially when she interacts with the robin--

Mary began to laugh, and as he hopped and took little flights along the wall she ran after him. Poor little thin, sallow, ugly Mary--she actually looked almost pretty for a moment.

"I like you! I like you!" she cried out, pattering down the walk; and she chirped and tried to whistle, which last she did not know how to do in the least. But the robin seemed to be quite satisfied and chirped and whistled back at her. At last he spread his wings and made a darting flight to the top of the tree, where he perched and sang loudly.

--it's so darling because here comes this tiny, beautiful, red-breasted bird and HE CHANGES EVERYTHING. (Oh, and when the robin and his mate start watching them and describes Colin as a bird trying to fly, that humans were always more clumsy and slow than Eggs, I actually cooed in real life.)

And Mary thinks Dickon is an ANGEL and BEAUTIFUL, and--

"He's gone," she said woefully. "Oh! was he--was he--was he only a wood fairy?"

Something white fastened to the standard rose-bush caught her eye. It was a piece of paper, in fact, it was a piece of the letter she printed for Martha to send to Dickon. It was fastened on the bush with a long thorn, and in a minute she knew Dickon had left it there. There were some roughly printed letters on it and a sort of picture. At first she could not tell what it was. Then she saw it was meant for a nest with a bird sitting on it. Underneath were the printed letters and they said:

"I will cum bak."

--HE WILL COME BACK, YOU GUYS. HOW ARE THEY PRECIOUS. Also, all the talk about Magic makes me so damn positive and happy, that I think this book will cheer up even the most foul of moods. ♥