Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1) in The Dusty Bookshelf

Dec 13, 2010 Jamie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

This is one of my all-time favorite series! I had actually first heard of the series when a friend of mine was reading the Prisoner of Azkaban and was trying to describe a dementor to me. From there I did some looking into the book to discover it was a series. The day before I flew out to visit my grandparents my dad bought me the first book to read on the flight. By the time the flight was over I had devoured the book! I have since read it several times and have yet to tire of it, and each time This is one of my all-time favorite series! I had actually first heard of the series when a friend of mine was reading the Prisoner of Azkaban and was trying to describe a dementor to me. From there I did some looking into the book to discover it was a series. The day before I flew out to visit my grandparents my dad bought me the first book to read on the flight. By the time the flight was over I had devoured the book! I have since read it several times and have yet to tire of it, and each time I read it, I take a little more with me. It never gets tiring or old. I draw a bit more insight from the characters, the places, and the minute details each time I read this.

I think just about everyone has heard about the books by now which is why I am not focusing so much on plot and characters. We've all heard about them. Instead, I want to share mostly the overall feel the book leaves you with.

The world of Harry Potter has to be one of the most engaging concepts I have ever read. Invigorating and rich. Magic and adventure lovers should not miss this book. Honestly one book I think everyone should read at least once is this. In truth, I also recommend once more minimum, after you have read the entire series. find and place and the hidden dots, clues and spoilers. It actually enriches the entire experience.

Saying you've seen the movie does not do it justice. There are so many details you'll miss this way. From how they celebrate holidays with Wizard Crackers to the fantastically annoying Peeves the Poltergeist of Hogwarts (still mad he is not in the movies). While the films are good, the book is so much more!

The story is real enough we can all relate. We've all read stories about good vs evil and this is no exception. But the originality that goes into the world building changes everything! Not to mention the imperfect heroes. Harry Potter is not some grand, perfect student. me makes mistakes, break rules, and is overall average as a student. His friends and even enemies have their own strengths and weaknesses as well.

Yet relate-able as the characters are, the magical world is one so fantastical I hate leaving it. This is one of the best 'escape' from reality books. And a great mood lifter as well.For older kids, teens and adults of all ages! People of all backgrounds can enjoy this book. So if you haven't read it, do so NOW!

2020-It's amazing the things you notice with re-reads. Like how easily muggle-raised wizards/witches like Harry and Hermoine fit into the wizarding world. Like, wasn't Hermoine and her family skeptical finding out about her? I'd love to know earlier reactions or learn about her first trick to get her supplies. Did someone help her like Hagrid helps Harry? Its such a rich world and I always want to go further into it! And Draco- I forgot nearly forgot how immature he was! But how they explained Harry's broom and Draco's part in it was priceless!

2023- Extra focus was give to Snape's scenes this time. My visual image of the potions lab sure changed this time! I found it interesting that Harry was able to have access to and was reading his school books all August long (potentially), yet he still seemed clueless. Did the books not make sense from a more "muggle" standpoint, I wonder? Also small other small inconsistencies to the later books. While I still love these books, the more I read them, the more things I find where I see JK nearly scrambling to come up with a plausible answer. Guess when you reach a level of fandom, you also get critiqued more, especially as we continue to evaluate again and again. Still I love it! ...more

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Jul 08, 2012 raya (a little mango) rated it liked it

Shelves: nostalgia, growing-pains, fantasy

I remember the first time I picked up a Harry Potter book, and how quickly it sucked me into Harry’s world. I recall the late nights I spent reading about The Boy Who Lived and traveling on all of his escapades, how fun and exciting I found it. The text on each page enchanted me, as I vividly envisioned everything — from the pig’s tail sprouting out of Dudley’s backside to Fred and George pummeling Voldemort in the face with snowballs, and—of course—Dumbledore and his wisdom, the lurking danger ...more

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