Mini Reviews: The Hogwarts Library

I got the Hogwarts Library for Christmas from my dear friend Amy at Tripping Over Books and being able to read new (to me) Harry Potter books!? You know I immediately tore into them! The Hogwarts Library is a gorgeous collection of hardcover books of the “extra” Harry Potter books: FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM, QUIDDITCH THROUGH THE AGES, and THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD. These books also happened to juuuust come at the right time to assist me in completing my Goodreads challenge because I needed a few short & quick reads to help me along!

Completed: December 23, 2013
Publishing Info: November 8th 2012 by Bloomsbury (Hogwarts Library Edition)
Source: Hardcover set gifted from Amy at Tripping Over Books
Genre: Fantasy (MG/YA)
Find It Online: Goodreads || Amazon || B&N

   “A copy of Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them resides in almost every wizarding household in the country. Now Muggles too have the chance to discover where the Quintaped lives, what the Puffskein eats and why it is best not to leave milk out for a Knarl.
Proceeds from the sale of this book will go to Comic Relief, which means that the pounds and Galleons you exchange for it will do magic beyond the powers of any wizard. If you feel that this is insufficient reason to part with your money, I can only hope that passing wizards feel more charitable if they see you being attacked by a Manticore.  –– Albus Dumbledore” –– From Goodreads

FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM is hard to review. The beginning was actually… Kind of slow. There’s an explanation and foreword from Newt Scamander about different beasts, how they’re classified, and his adventures to track them all down, but a lot of it felt very textbook, which, well… This is a reference book for wizards! I shouldn’t be surprised haha.

Once I got past the foreword, it was actually a lot of fun reading about the different beasts! It was interesting to see which ones were classified as dangerous and which ones were “boring” (I love that JK Rowling even invented boring creatures haha). The book doesn’t really read like a book — it really is a frame of reference and so the beasts are merely listed and described.

I loved the “real writings” from Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The book is marked as Harry Potter’s official copy so there are occasional notes from the characters and that was honestly my favorite part haha! It’s something fun to zip through but doesn’t really read like a novel so don’t be surprised when you pick it up! Still fun to thumb through and check out all of the fun beasts and creatures from the series.

Completed: December 23, 2013
Publishing Info: November 8th 2012 by Bloomsbury (Hogwarts Library Edition)
Source: Hardcover set gifted from Amy at Tripping Over Books
Genre: Fantasy (MG/YA)
Find It Online: Goodreads || Amazon || B&N

   “If you have ever asked yourself where the Golden Snitch came from, how the Bludgers came into existence or why the Wigtown Wanderers have pictures of meat cleavers on their robes, you need Quidditch Through the Ages. This invaluable volume is consulted by young Quidditch fans on an almost daily basis.
    Proceeds from the sale of this book go to Comic Relief, who will use your money to continue improving and changing lives – work that is even more important and astonishing that the three and a half second capture of the Golden Snitch by Roderick Plumpton in 1921.
— Albus Dumbledore” –– From Goodreads

QUIDDITCH THROUGH THE AGES was a bit more enjoyable for me. It’s still a sort of reference book but there are a lot of little stories too since we’re getting more info on Quidditch history. It’s not just pure reference and involves small anecdotes and facts about Quidditch itself and players throughout history.

One thing that always ceases to amaze me is how much detail J.K. Rowling puts into her worlds. These companion books are just further proof of that. She not only invents the sport of Quidditch, but also comes up with famous players, how the game was invented, rules, fouls, penalties, and so much more.

I think my favorite thing was learning more about the history of the sport, taking us back hundreds of years. The details are just incredible and this book flowed a lot more smoothly versus an index of beasts (see above). I almost wish there was another section that was a bit more reference like, listing a sort of Guiness Book for Quidditch — facts of longest game, best player, most fouls, shortest game — some of these facts were actually mentioned in the book, but I’d like to see them as a list (although I’m sure someone’s listed it on a website somewhere. If so, link me up)! 

Completed: December 24, 2013
Publishing Info: November 8th 2012 by Bloomsbury (Hogwarts Library Edition)
Source: Hardcover set gifted from Amy at Tripping Over Books
Genre: Fantasy (MG/YA)
Find It Online: Goodreads || Amazon || B&N

   “The Tales of Beedle the Bard contains five richly diverse fairy tales, each with its own magical character, that will variously bring delight, laughter and the thrill of mortal peril.
    Essential and enjoyable reading for Muggles and wizards alike, The Tales of Beedle the Bard is a uniquely magical volume. With illuminating notes by Albus Dumbledore.
    Proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Lumos, a charity working to transform the lives of disadvantaged children.” –– From Goodreads

THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD may be one of the most well-known of the companion books due to its heavy involvement in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It’s a collection of fairy tales/fables (although they know fairies so they don’t really call them “fairy tales”) from the wizarding world.

THE TALES OF BEEDLE THE BARD was much easier to read as a continuous novel. It’s an actual collection of stories, each with commentary from Albus Dumbledore after them, breaking down the true message and and possible information surrounding the retellings and modifications to the tale. The last tale in this collection is in fact the tale of the three brothers that Hermione shared in HP7.

I really enjoyed these short stories! They were a lot of fun to read and like usual, just add a deeper layer to the entire world. It was just more thing to make me feel like I was really in the wizarding world and perhaps, just maybe, it really could exist, hidden from Muggle eyes.