Coming Soon - The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac

Coming Oct 2023

I cannot wait for this!!

The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac: The official magical companion to J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books  

by J.K. Rowling and illustrated by Peter Goes,  Louise Lockhart, Weitong Mai,  Olia Muza,  Levi Pinfold, Pham Quang Phuc and Tomislav Tomić

What they say: The only official companion to the seven spellbinding novels about the Boy Who Lived, fully illustrated and superbly sorted – the perfect gift for Harry Potter fans of all ages! Whisk yourself away to Harry Potter’s wizarding world with this Whiz-bang of an illustrated companion. Discover magical places, study wandlore, encounter fantastic beasts, and find out about the witches and wizards who lived. From the Sorting Hat to the secrets of the Forbidden Forest, it’s all packed inside! This dazzling gift book brings together beloved characters, unforgettable moments, and iconic locations from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone all the way through to The Deathly Hallows . It’s the ultimate magical miscellany, filled with facts and fun about the wizarding world, beautifully catalogued and brilliantly explored. Joyfully illustrated throughout in full color by seven stunning artists and tingling with astonishing details to spot on every page, this is the ideal introduction to the Harry Potter stories for new readers and sure to surprise and fascinate lifelong fans. From incredible cross-sections to magical maps and ingenious lists, lose yourself exploring Hogwarts and beyond…

More info

Spotlight - The Best of Harry Potter Colouring

I've always enjoyed colouring but have found it particularly therapeutic since lockdown started. I love Harry Potter, so decided it was time to combine both.

Harry Potter Colouring Book Celebratory Edition: 

The Best of Harry Potter colouring

by Warner Brothers

What they say: The perfect introduction to the Harry Potter Colouring Book series. This special Celebratory Edition features a selection of artwork from the Harry Potter Colouring Book, Harry Potter Magical Creatures Colouring Book, and Harry Potter Magical Places & Characters Colouring Book, along with several exclusive never-before-seen images. For best results, we recommend the use of colouring pencils to colour and create your stunning pictures. 

More info!

Buy here!

Top Fav to Celebrate Graduation

This is a special day for me. I'm officially qualified...!

#Classof2019

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

by J.K. Rowling

I have several versions of all of the HP books including 1st editions (yes I know I'm lucky - this isn't a 1st edition in the picture as wouldn't dare fold it open like this). I wanted to focus on one of my all time favs today...

What they say: Harry Potter's life is miserable. His parents are dead and he's stuck with his heartless relatives, who force him to live in a tiny closet under the stairs. But his fortune changes when he receives a letter that tells him the truth about himself: he's a wizard. A mysterious visitor rescues him from his relatives and takes him to his new home, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

After a lifetime of bottling up his magical powers, Harry finally feels like a normal kid. But even within the Wizarding community, he is special. He is the boy who lived: the only person to have ever survived a killing curse inflicted by the evil Lord Voldemort, who launched a brutal takeover of the Wizarding world, only to vanish after failing to kill Harry.

Though Harry's first year at Hogwarts is the best of his life, not everything is perfect. There is a dangerous secret object hidden within the castle walls, and Harry believes it's his responsibility to prevent it from falling into evil hands. But doing so will bring him into contact with forces more terrifying than he ever could have imagined.

Full of sympathetic characters, wildly imaginative situations, and countless exciting details, the first installment in the series assembles an unforgettable magical world and sets the stage for many high-stakes adventures to come.

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Favourite Festive Treats - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

One of my fav stories to read at Christmas is Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - it will always represent Christmas for me and as a Brit it'll always be Philosopher rather than Sorcerer!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

by J.K. Rowling

What they say: Exclusive Gryffindor house edition to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the first publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone – a highly collectable must-have for all Harry Potter fans!

Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw … Twenty years ago these magical words and many more flowed from a young writer’s pen, an orphan called Harry Potter was freed from the cupboard under the stairs – and a global phenomenon started. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone has been read and loved by every new generation since. To mark the 20th anniversary of first publication, Bloomsbury is publishing four House Editions of J.K. Rowling’s modern classic. These stunning editions will each feature the individual house crest on the jacket and sprayed edges in the house colours. Exciting new extra content will include fact files, profiles of favourite characters and line illustrations exclusive to that house. Available for a limited period only, these highly collectable editions will be a must-have for all Harry Potter fans in 2017.

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Harry Potter & the Joy of Christmas

Harry Potter & Christmas 

Avoiding the books verses movies debate, I always think both make for fabulous Christmassy reading and viewing, in particular the earlier books/movies!

What could be more Christmassy than a snowy castle, Weasley Christmas jumpers, beautiful trees and feasts?

Need more convincing? Okay, how about...
Hagrid's hut? Christmas at the Burrow? The snowing Great Hall, come on it's SO christmassy! 

Image credit - giphy

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Awesome Bookish Goodies

Quirky & Cult-ish Merch!

I'm a big fan of bookish, comics, TV and movie themed merchandise and have an unhealthy obsession with quote mugs.
My main geeky obsession is anything Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and Thor related but I NEVER miss an opportunity to buy more book themed or other fandom merch!

Here are some of my fav places to grab some great geeky goodies:

Wizarding Wares - for awesome Harry Potter themed greatness rating from bags, mugs and jewellery.
House of MinaLima - Harry Potter artwork
Truffle Shuffle - for pretty much anything related to pop culture.
Etsy - for homemade crafty goodness!
Forbidden Planet - doesn't need any explanation.
REDBUBBLE - for super quirky artwork and designs. I have lots of tote bags from here. 

GOT mug present - Amazon UK HP makeup present - LBQ from Shiro cosmetics Yoda 3D card - present HP cards - House of MinaLima Disney pen - Magic Kingdom Florida Jack Skellington pillow - Disney Springs Florida TARDIS mug - LFCC/YALC 2016 TARDIS card present - LBQ Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them magazine - Odeon

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Truly Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Bring on the Magic!!

My short & quick as non-spoilery as possible take on Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

David Yates, J. K. Rowling, Eddie Redmayne and the entire cast of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them have done a truly wonderful job extending Rowling's magical world beyond or before Harry, Ron and Hermione. We're transported to 1920s New York where we get to meet a whole host of new characters and creatures. Not only is the film amazing, but it's really flipping cool!!
Upon hearing the first few beats of the original Harry Potter music I was instantly transported to a world so familiar, yet wonderfully new and different. I particularly liked the attention to detail (Giggle juice anyone?)  but I really loved Eddie Redmayne's charming portrayal of Newt. 
I cannot wait for the next film and hopefully more Niffler's, No-Maj's, MACUSA troubles, Obscurus twists and of course Newt, Jacob, Tina, Queenie and a certain dark wizard *ahem* Grindelwald...!

Final Day at YALC and LFCC

YALC and LFCC Final day snaps! 

I'm sure you're more than over me sharing random photos by now so here are just a very few more...


Did you say Potter Party?!

Dobby & Potions Class...

To look at all my pics from the event then head over to my Pinterest Events board & my Instagram account.

What was your YALC or London Film and Comic Con experience like?!

Also watch out for a special giveaway featuring lots of the goodies I picked up at the event!!

Waiting on Wednesday: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne & John Tiffany

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What they say: Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, a new play by Jack Thorne, is the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. It will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on 30th July 2016 
It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband, and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes darkness comes from unexpected places.

July 31st 2016 by Little Brown UK

Buy links:
UK * US

Book & Author links:

Website * Goodreads * Twitter * Pottermore

Why I'm waiting...

1. Er hello! It's Harry Potter!!
2. JKR is the Queen!!
3. I cannot wait to get more info on Albus Severus and the younger generation!

Harrius Potter Latin in Modern Fiction

Like so many children I grew up with Harry Potter. I am fortunate enough to own first editions of all of the books. I remember being very young and walking into our local bookstore and seeing a small display of books with a cartoon of a boy with a funny scar on his head. It turns out that Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (or Sorcerer's Stone in the US) had been released that day and I had purchased one of the very first copies.

From the second I read the words "The Boy Who Lived" I was hooked. I grew up in a household full of books, where the written word was worth far more than any new toy or game and knowledge really was power. I remember finding it strange that friends were more interested in watching cartoons and playing with dolls and action figures than reading books. This all changed with Harry Potter, because suddenly children were reading again. J.K. Rowling really did inspire a generation.

Coincidentally I ended up studying at the same University as J.K. Rowling (Exeter). Everywhere I turned I could see parts of Hogwarts. Exeter Uni even has its own Great Hall, dorms (or halls as we called them) with motto's (mine, Kilmorie was nimis non est satis, which is Latin for excess is never enough). Beautiful cobbled streets and villages which bare a striking resemblance to Hogsmead surround the city.


Peter Needham (a former Latin professor) translated the books into Latin. I've been studying Latin for a couple of years now and have decided that it was about time I try to read them. I'm starting with Harrius Potter et Philosophi Lapis.

You may be wondering the purpose of this post, and I am getting there I promise! Other than the obvious opportunity for me to reminisce about my childhood, I'm conducting a study into the usage of classics in modern books. For example Cassandra Clare includes many references to Latin, Greek and Romanian in her Mortal Instruments series. In The Hunger Games series Suzanne Collins called her distopian nation, Panem (after the famous Latin phrase 'Panem et circenses' meaning the bread and circuses, by which trivial matters appease nations).

The list goes on...! If you have any suggestions of ancient languages appearing in modern books (particularly YA books please do let me know).