Week Two - Task #05. "Muggle Meetup"

[Prof. Sindor Aloyarc]

You’re invited to a Bridgeton Book Club by one of the café regulars. It's all Muggles who are chatty, clever, and far more curious than you’d like.

Tonight’s discussion: Witchcraft in Historical Fiction. Of course.

You dodge questions, deflect, sip wine, and pretend to know what a Kindle is. Then a graying man leans across the circle and says in hushed tones, “Funny, isn’t it? How the town’s been acting… odd lately.”

You freeze. “Odd how?”

He shrugs with a knowing grin. “Things go missing or act funny. People say they feel watched," his head tilts as his gaze flickers around the room, "yet everyone keeps going about their lives, business as usual, without stirring up the usual fuss we'd expect.”

You smile weakly as your heart skips a beat, realizing you may not be the only one investigating within this group and slightly discomforted he’d been able to tell you’re of the magical persuasion when you hadn't caught wise in return.

Task:
Write and post below a Review of one of your favorite HOL appropriate books using a minimum of 100 words.

Alternatively you can create a new Forum Post in our "Below the Branches" (discussions and games) section of the Roost, using a minimum of 150 words for full credit. Please reply here sharing a link to the thread you create to show your work. 15 beans/sapphires are available for this task, with an extra 15 for completing all Week Two tasks by end of activity.

[Emily Spencer]

I love to read, so it’s rather hard to narrow it down to one ‘favorite’, but one book that immediately comes to mind is Dracula by Bram Stoker. Yes, I am aware that it is not the first vampire novel, but the name Dracula has become synonymous with vampires. I was rather young when I first read it, and the love affair has never ended.

The story is told from the perspective of Jonathon Harker, a young businessman who travels to Transylvania in order to broker a business deal with his firm’s client; one Count Dracula. Little does the poor, unsuspecting Mr. Harker realize how this one moment in time will affect his life, and the lives of ones he holds dear, forever. Count Dracula, you see, is no ordinary elderly gentleman looking to buy property, but the embodiment of a centuries old evil. Count Dracula is actually not human at all, but a vampire.

The novel, in my opinion, is a study in atmospheric writing. Stoker sets the stage perfectly, not only in action but in the growing dread he evokes with the vivid details he provides. Reading it, I almost felt as if I, too, were there, walking step by step with Mr. Harker and his tragic young fiancé, Mina. Count Dracula, himself, is equally repellent and intriguing, which is, again, a stroke of genius on the part of the author.

If you were to ask my opinion on the quintessential vampire novels, this would be the one I would recommend every time. Sparkly vampires, begone! You cannot hold a candle to the Count, at least in this reader’s opinion.

[River Fenwick]

One of my favorite books I've read is Hatchet by Gary Paulsen. It's about a thirteen-year-old boy named Brian Robeson who boarded a plane heading to Canada, when the pilot had a medical emergency mid-flight, and Brian had to land the aircraft to the best of his ability. He's left stranded in the woods, having to figure out how to survive until help arrives.

Admittedly, I'm a bit biased about the book, as it is a point of nostalgia for me from my schooling days. The writing and plot kept me invested in it when I first picked it up, hoping the best for Brian and his entire experience in the woods, but knowing that there are so many dangers and unknowns in the woods for a teenager such as himself. It's a story that has a strong theme of making the best of what you're handed, especially with unplanned things like an emergency plane landing, and I can always find that to be a great read.

[Aisling Lestrange]

One book that really stuck with me from my childhood is Pegasus and the Flame by Kate O’Hearn. It’s the first in her Pegasus series, and it blends Roman/Greek mythology with a modern New York City setting in a way that’s surprisingly fun and easy to get lost in.

The story follows Emily, whose life changes when Pegasus quite literally crashes onto her rooftop during a storm. From there, she’s pulled into this fast-paced adventure with gods, monsters, and even government agents getting tangled up in it all. What I really like is how the book doesn’t just stick to the well-known myths; it expands on them, introducing characters that are often overlooked and giving them fresh roles in the story.

I’ll admit, it’s not a super deep or complicated book, but that’s part of its charm. The action keeps moving, the friendship between Emily and Pegasus is sweet, and it scratches that same itch as books like Percy Jackson, but with its own spin. For me, it’s just a really enjoyable, fast read that feels like stepping straight into a myth brought to life.

[Luna Ravenlong]

A book that I read recently that I really enjoyed was Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books. The premise is a small town bans all books apart from a selection of “approved” titles in Lula Deans lending library. However, someone swaps the dust jackets, replacing the sanitised books with those on the “banned list.” The town views slowly change by reading these books that aren’t approved-such as The Diary of Anne Frank and Are you there God, it’s me Margret.

I liked this book, as it deals with some quite serious topics well, a lot of which are only brought up because of what people have read. However, it never gets too dark, and blends in humour without it seeming jarring. I really liked how the majority of characters weren’t one dimensional and were willing to change their opinion.