Title: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child"

Author: JK Rowling, Jack Thorne, John Tiffany

Genre: Fiction, fantasy, screenplay 

Synopsis: Nineteen years after the famous Battle of Hogwarts, Harry Potter is working at the Ministry of Magic and is the father of three. The story follows his son Albus Sirius as he struggles to deal with his father's legacy and the darkness and tragedies of his past.

Review: First of all, I knew I wasn't going to love this the way that I love the original Harry Potter series, simply because it is a screenplay and not a novel. However, I didn't expect to be as disappointed as I was. To me, it just seems like this was an afterthought that failed to provide the intricate storyline and details that we've come to expect from Harry Potter and JK Rowling. Again, a lot of this has to do with the actual format and the fact that it is immensely shorter than previous books but, if I am completely honest, I just wish this had never come to light. I read it quickly and while I was engrossed, I found that it felt more like a fan fiction story than the work of a world-renowned author. I did appreciate the humour that was injected in the story (most notably from Ron!) but overall, the storyline was lacking. Even the climax of the novel was somehow anticlimatic. If I hadn't already read the Harry Potter books and had such high expectations, I probably would have enjoyed this more. However, while it was a light and quick read, it was overall a disappointment to me.

Rating: 3/5

Other Musings:

- I still love Ron Weasley!

- I would really like to see this play! Even though I didn't love the book, I feel like it would be an amazing experience to see it in action (I just have to disassociate it from the series).

- I would still recommend you read it if you love Harry Potter, just don't set your expectations high.

- I kept expecting Scorpius and Albus to fall for each other.. did anyone else feel that way?

I'd love to hear your thoughts, especially if you are a fellow die-hard Harry Potter fan like myself! Did you love it or hate it?

Book Review: "Wild" by Cheryl Strayed

Title: Wild

Author: Cheryl Strayed

Genre: Non-fiction, memoir 

Synopsis: Following her mother's death, a divorce, and a short stint of drugs and random hook-ups, Cheryl Strayed decides to hike over a thousand miles of the Pacific Crest Trail, alone and with no hiking experience.

Review: I know I'm a few years late to this book as it was published in 2012, but I am glad that I finally took the time to read it. I actually picked up a hard copy of this in a used bookstore a couple years ago and can I just take the time to say how much I miss holding an actual book in my hands? 95% of the time I read books on my Kindle but I honestly think that reading the actual book made the experience that much better. Anyway, back to the review. I really enjoyed this book, but it definitely seems to be a love-or-hate type of novel. Really, the story mainly just involves her walking countless miles, meeting the occasional person or animal, and finding peace with her mother's death. It isn't the most exciting novel and she can certainly come across as self-absorbed at times (not to mention, hiking a gruelling trail with no prior hiking experience and minimal research is pretty careless), but I still enjoyed it. I'm a sucker for memoirs and also anything to do with setting up camp as it takes me back to my childhood and Little House on the Prairie (is there an adult version of those books?). 

Rating: 4/5

Other Musings:

- I never wanted to hike until I read this book and now I cannot wait for summer so I can go hiking (and camping).

- I read the entire book thinking it was the "Pacific Coast Trail", not the "Pacific Crest Trail". I'm actually pretty embarrassed to admit that.

- I watched the movie last night and I didn't really enjoy it. The plot made for a good book because of the detail and the author's thoughts and feelings but it did not translate well to a movie. 

- I actually enjoy the author's writing style so I will definitely check out some of her other books.

Did you read this book or any others by Cheryl Strayed? Have you seen the movie? What are your thoughts?

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