Here’s Part 2 of the HP Spell Survey created and hosted by Flip That Page. In case you missed Part 1, here’s what it’s all about, in the words of its creator (aka Jasmine):
“So how does it work? Basically, it’s a survey of sorts, where I give you a certain spell from the Harry Potter series, and you answer with the title of a book you’d like to cast the spell on.
The first one, Reparo, for example, is all about… well, repair. So you answer me with a book you’d like ‘repaired’ in a way—a book that you thought could have had more potential if it was just tweaked up a bit here and there.”
(If you missed it, you can find Part 1 here.)
A book with a chapter I couldn’t seem to get over: I don’t really remember any individual chapters, but I’m sure TFIOS had one or two that really got me.
A book that generally confused me: Beautiful Creatures. The premise was good, and I liked the ideas… but there were so many weirdly dangling details and plot points that I ended up wondering why they even bothered including them since they went nowhere. So disappointing.
A book that was a pain to read: Going Bovine by Libba Bray. I loved the beginning – the characters were interesting, the tone was exactly my brand of sarcastic, profane and humourous. But then it turned into a weird acid trip that seemed to meander about without a lot of plot momentum. It took me weeks to finally make it through this book, and I felt so disappointed because I thought it was going to be AWESOME. Oh well. Bummer.
A feel good book that I enjoyed: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion. Wasn’t super thrilled by the ending (a bit too tidy, that’s all I’ll say in case you haven’t read it), but about 80% of it was entertaining and endearing, if not all that realistic. Fun and easy to get through.
A book with a swoon-worthy character: Don’t shoot me, but I don’t really do book crushes. Maybe it’s because I’m in my early 30s and read a lot of YA books so I’d feel like a perv. Though I don’t remember ever really doing big book crushes, even when I was younger, so maybe not. Does Dave Grohl count? I had a major crush on him after reading This Is A Call. I also had an even bigger crush on David Bowie after reading a biography about him.
A book that kept me up all night reading: Oh, all of them. If I’m into a book, it’s more important than sleep. I don’t even have to be that into it. Divergent kept me up. Agent 21 kept me up. Orange Is the New Black kept me up. Obsidian kept me up. Rivers of London kept me up. You get the idea. (Reviews of Obsidian and Rivers of London coming soon!)
A book that left me speechless after I read it: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. There was a lot of “I just… I mean… It’s…” *cries*
A book with well-developed characters: Eleanor & Park and TFIOS both come to mind.
A book that changed your mind about a character from its prequel: I don’t really do a lot of series. So this is a tough one. I honestly can’t think of any. Maybe Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter books – I hated him a bit less later in the series because I kind of felt sorry for him. And I went back and forth on Snape, but of course I did, you’re supposed to.
A book with a story I can’t remember: There are books I don’t really remember the plot of, not because they weren’t amazing books, but just because I read them so long ago. Some notable examples are The Catcher in the Rye and To Kill A Mockingbird. I remember loving both of them. I remember the writing in both being excellent. I remember the feeling I got from reading them. I just couldn’t for the life of me tell you the plot points.
A boring book that had absolutely no effect on me: This Is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith. It was a bit too predictable and the characters were cute, and there were moments that almost sparked some interest… but not quite. I got to the end, shrugged, and put it back on the shelf. I haven’t really thought about it since.
A book that convinced me to reconsider a certain genre: Hmmm. I know I’ve mentioned it a lot, but The Fault In Our Stars. You guys might think of me as primarily a YA reviewer, but the truth is that I didn’t read that much of it other than the big blockbusters until this book. Since I just haven’t been able to get enough.
A book that made you laugh: Good Omens! I cannot tell you guys how hilarious this book is. Just read it, willya?
A book that may have scarred me for life: The World According to Garp by John Irving. There’s this one scene involving a couple getting it on in a car… if you’ve read it you’ll know the one I mean. *shudder*
A series finale that made me feel giddy: Again, not big on series. I wouldn’t say that the end of Harry Potter made me giddy, exactly, because it was really sad. But it was very satisfying and well-written.
A book that made me explode with the feels: We’re back to TFIOS and Eleanor & Park again. Sorry to be repetitive, but these really were the emotional Mack-truck books of the year. Also Harry Potter – pretty much every single book in the series.
A book I thought I’d dislike, but ended up loving: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. I missed a lot of ’80s pop culture and have never been into video games. And those are the two big components of this book. But I actually loved it! Super easy to get into, excellent pace and though there was a lot of gamer and ’80s stuff that I wasn’t familiar with, it didn’t detract from the reading experience. Super glad I gave it a shot.
That’s it! If this looks like fun, share some of your answers in the comments, or write your own post and share the link (don’t forget to head over to Flip That Page and share with Jasmine as well)!