It might be hard to believe but I had never read the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling before. Even though I read everything I could get my hands on growing up, this book never came on my radar until the movies came out!
So if you don’t know, the Harry Potter series is a Children’s Fantasy series about an 11 year old orphan Harry Potter who finds out he is a wizard and starts going to a mysterious school for young wizards called Hogwarts.
It’s a fun series and I can understand why it’s so popular, especially amongst people who read it as a kid. It will make you wish for an owl telling you that you’re actually a wizard to show up at your window and whisk you away to adventure. As an adult, personally I can’t imagine myself being obsessed with the series but it was a very enjoyable read and I finished the series easily. I still don’t understand why people love Snape and Malfoy so much. To be honest, I found them pretty horrible and don’t feel like they really redeemed themselves in the end. Maybe it is because of how they were portrayed in the movies and by such great actors but in the book, not so much.
The series is appropriate for ages 10 and up for sure. It is a great story filled with magic, mystery, danger, great friendships, found family and a relatable set of heroes.
If you would like to check out the books, we have it at the library and it can be ordered through our catalog and you can check out the ebooks and audiobooks through Hoopla accessible with your library card through the Hoboken website or Hoopla app!
Thanks for reading!
If you would like to watch the video version of this review and more, follow the Library’s teen instagram page @Hobokenlibraryteens!
If the description of pasties and other treats in the novel made your stomach rumble, you can also read a past review of theUnofficial Harry Potter Cookbookhere.
October 11 is Coming Out Day; a day that celebrates the ability for LGBTQ people to be open about their identities. I wanted to pick an author who was not only proudly part of the community, but also one whose work had strong LGBTQ representation, and Lambda Literary Award Winner, TJ Klune, seemed the perfect choice.
The House in the Cerulean Sea I picked up The House in the Cerulean Sea after it was recommended during a webinar about gentle reads, stories that lack graphic sex and violence and often have a theme of finding ones place in life. Like a lot of us after 2020, I was in need of a book that was the equivalent of a friendly hug for my heart and the whimsical plot of the novel also sounded very much in my wheel house. The book, however, was even better than I expected; probably one of my favorites of last year.
The House in the Cerulean Sea tells the story of a very by the book middle aged case worker at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth who is sent to an orphanage on an island in the middle of the sea where magical youths like a gnome and a wyvern live and flourish under the care of Arthur Parnassus, but Arthur is hiding secrets and as they unravel Linus questions his own views and choices.
In a Nerd Daily Interview, Klune stated, “The found family trope is important to me, not just as a writer, but as a queer person. Queer people sometimes have to make families of their own because their real families don’t appreciate them as they should.” Love blossoms between Arthur and Linus, but the resonating messages about friendship, compassion, open-mindedness, belonging, and acceptance give it further resonance; though for those looking for a sweet m/m romance story, it is also a resounding success.
There is a satisfying ending, but I hope that Klune revisits some of the world he created in the future.
Under the Whispering Door Under the Whispering Door came out this past month. I was eagerly looking forward to it after my enjoyment of Klune’s previous work. Under the Whispering Door bears several similarities to The House in the Cerulean Sea, the main character, a work obsessed lawyer, Wallace is similar to Linus in that he seems an unlikely protagonist for a novel, more likely in another work to be a small side character for comic relief or to be pushed aside for someone more dashing or heroic. For me that is part of the charm of both stories, that Linus and Wallace journey shows their inner strengths and compassion, and it gives hope for all of us out there who feel on most days that we are decidedly average.
The cast of the supporting characters in this one as well as quirky setting of a charming tea house, and the tender romance are also equally delightful. As a tea fanatic myself, I’d love to be able to visit a tea shop like the one described in the novel with such a knowledgeable staff and tender scones.
It is also always wonderful to see strong representation of not only gay, but also bisexual characters handled in such a nuanced manner with Wallace and Hugo. In an interview with Syfi Wire when asked about having Wallace be confident in his bisexual identity, Klune stated “”I try to be as inclusive as possible. So if I’m going to have a character be bisexual, it’s going to be damn well on-page that they’re bisexual. It is going to be said out loud because that kind of representation it’s still not where it needs to be. And it just feels like a lot of times when you read queer romance novels that instead of being on-page bisexual, [it’s that] they’re straight and now they’re gay. Bisexual people exist.”
Wallace’s tale is a bit darker in that it involves death and discussions of murder and suicide, however, these are handled in a thoughtful and reflective way rather than pure shock value. This is another novel that will leave you wanting to check out more of Klune’s work.
Written by: Aimee Harris Head of Information and Digital Resources
Hoboken Library Staff Picks 