Is there a new Weasley in town?

Meet Ron and Hermione Weasley's baby boy...





I cracked up the minute I saw the baby's laugh at the end. It's priceless. It makes me wonder how long the filmmakers shot before they captured that laugh. Next up, Capital One should shoot a commercial that features Harry and Jenni's child. Can't you see a little black haired baby wearing tiny glasses?

Harry Potter is back at Pottermore.com

Mark your calenders: October 2011 is the launch for Pottermore.com

Exclusive site for e-books - fine. New information and background to the tale? Fantastic. You can also be sorted into a house, explore Diagon Alley and choose a wand. Sounds like a lot of fun. You can read more in this article: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2007236/Pottermore-J-K-Rowling-unveils-Harry-Potter-e-book-website.html

New Author Aprlynne Pike's Wings

I just finished a great new book by author Aprilynne Pike called Wings. I'll admit, the first thing that caught my attention, was that in googling my name (yes, guilty) it brought up Aprilynne Pike. Hmm, interesting another author named April. It's not like it's a hugely common name, so it's always interesting to check them out. I pulled up her webpage and started reading.

"Aprilynne Pike's #1 New York Times best-selling debut, Wings, is the first of four books about a seemingly ordinary girl named Laurel.

Laurel discovers she is a faerie, sent among humans to protect the gateway to Avalon. Thrust into the midst of a centuries-old battle between faeries and trolls, she's torn between a human and a faerie love, as well as her loyalties to each world. In this extraordinary tale of magic and intrigue, romance and danger, everything you thought you knew about faeries will be changed forever."

Okay, so that had me hooked right away. I love fantasy and anything revolving around the Fae and Avalon. They had my attention. I checked it out of the library and read it in one sitting. (just under 4 hours straight.) I loved it.

I noticed that author Stephanie Meyers (Twilight Saga) had commented on her books too.

"Aprilynne Pike's Wings is a remarkable debut; the ingenuity of the mythology is matched only by the startling loveliness with which the story unfolds."

--Stephenie Meyer, #1 New York Times best-selling author of the Twilight Saga

Impressive, right? Stephenie's right too. It's very unique and imaginative. And I won't go into detail so much as why because I don't want to give all the good stuff away. You have to read it for yourself. If you're a fan of Twilight or Harry Potter or anything like that, there is a good chance you will love this series as well.

However, don't think that this IS another Twilight. It has it's own unique brand of fantastic. I think Aprilynne Pike's books have just as much chance at becoming the next big phenomenon of YA lit, but I hate it when people try to promote them as the next SUCH and such.

Honestly, it's an insult to both authors. There will never be another Twilight. It is fantastic, unique, and inspiring. Anything touted as the next Twilight is going to be seen as a pale comparison. Totally unfair to the new author who's work might be great on it's own. And if it's not, how unfair to Stephenie Meyer's that her ground breaking work is being compared to something sub-par.

The same goes for JK Rowling's Harry Potter, George Lucas' Star Wars, or J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. There will never be another series like them. Don't try, don't compare. They are all legendary and deserve to stay that way.

So I'm NOT comparing Aprilynne Pike's Wings and following books to anything particular. Trust me on this one though, it is totally worth the read. She's turned the Fae into something completely new, and I love the twist.

The second book Spells is on hold at the library now. I can't wait to get my hands on it.

More Harry Potter on the Horizon

Well, J.K. Rowling may have completed Harry's tales, but she's not done with his world yet. Fans can rejoice at the upcoming release of The Tales of Beedle the Bard.


Right now, you can special order them from Amazon.com by clicking the links below. I've already put mine in for the standard edition. As cool as the special edition is, I just don't have room in my library.


The Tales of Beedle the Bard Standard Edition - PRE-ORDER NOW!

In December 2007, J.K. Rowling unveiled The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a very special book of five fairy tales illustrated by the bard herself, embellished with silver ornaments and mounted moonstones. Amazon was fortunate to come into possession of one of the original copies, and it was our privilege to share images and reviews of this incredible artifact. Now J.K. Rowling is giving millions of Harry Potter fans worldwide cause for celebration with a new edition of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, available December 4, 2008.

Offering the trademark wit and imagination familiar to Rowling's legions of readers--as well as Aesop's wisdom and the occasional darkness of the Brothers Grimm--each of these five tales reveals a lesson befitting children and parents alike: the strength gained with a trusted friendship, the redemptive power of love, and the true magic that exists in the hearts of all of us. Rowling's new introduction also comments on the personal lessons she has taken from the Tales, noting that the characters in Beedle's collection "take their fates into their own hands, rather than taking a prolonged nap or waiting for someone to return a lost shoe," and "that magic causes as much trouble as it cures."

But the true jewel of this new edition is the enlightening and comprehensive commentary (including extensive footnotes!) by Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, who brings his unique wizard's-eye perspective to the collection. Discovered "among the many papers which Dumbledore left in his will to the Hogwarts Archives," the venerable wizard's ruminations on the Tales allow today's readers to place them in the context of 16th century Muggle society, even allowing that "Beedle was somewhat out of step with his times in preaching a message of brotherly love for Muggles" during the era of witch hunts that would eventually drive the wizarding community into self-imposed exile. In fact, versions of the same stories told in wizarding households would shock many for their uncharitable treatment of their Muggle characters.

Professor Dumbledore also includes fascinating historical backstory, including tidbits such as the history and pursuit of magic wands, a brief comment on the Dark Arts and its practitioners, and the struggles with censorship that eventually led "a certain Beatrix Bloxam" to cleanse the Tales of "much of the darker themes that she found distasteful," forever altering the meaning of the stories for their Muggle audience. Dumbledore also allows us a glimpse of his personal relationship to the Tales, remarking that it was through "Babbity Rabbity and Her Cackling Stump" that "many of us [wizards] first discovered that magic could not bring back the dead."

Net proceeds from this Standard Edition and the Collector's Edition support of the Children's High Level Group, a charity co-founded in 2005 by J K Rowling and Emma Nicholson MEP to make life better for vulnerable children. (The Children's High Level Group is a charity registered in England and Wales under registered charity number 1112575.)



The Tales of Beedle the Bard Special Collector's Edition - PRE-ORDER NOW!

Tucked in its own case disguised as a wizarding textbook found in the Hogwarts library, the Collector's Edition includes an exclusive reproduction of J.K. Rowling's handwritten introduction, as well as 10 additional illustrations not found in the Standard Edition or the original. Opening the case reveals a velvet bag embroidered with J.K. Rowling’s signature, in which sits the piece de resistance: your very own copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, complete with metal skull, corners, and clasp; replica gemstones; and emerald ribbon.

On an even happier note, you can see the first trailer for the latest Harry Potter film. VH-1 has some really interesting feedback, check out what others are saying about the preview.

I can't wait. I think the film comes out right around my birthday, so I know what I'll be doing to celebrate. Me and my girls are going Potter.

A.

A Harry Weekend

Song Stuck on the Brain: I Swear by Boyz To Men

YAY!!! It's Friday! For the second time this week. I swear I did all this yesterday.

Friday means not only has the weekend arrived, but so has Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. So Saturday is going to be a reading marathon. I've got to find out what happens to Harry, before somebody comes along and lets the ending slip.

I'll post a review once I've finished it. In the meantime, here's something to make you go "Awww!" Who knew porcupine babies were this cute?!

Have a great weekend,

A.