Reading for African American History Month

| January 30, 2016

Native SonReading to celebrate African American History Month

February is African American History Month, and to celebrate I am reading Native Son by Richard Wright. I began reading Native Son in one of my undergrad classes. I unfortunately never finished reading it, so in my continued effort to read all the books on my book shelves I am picking it up again.

Native Son is about a 20-year-old African American man named Bigger Thomas from 1930s Chicago. Bigger is unhappy with his life and struggles with his day-to-day existence.

Other books to read to celebrate

Your plans

Do you plan to read any books to celebrate African American History Month? If so, what do you plan to read and why? Let me know in the comments.

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Illustrated version)

| January 23, 2016

Book Review: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Illustrated version)

 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (illustrated)Title: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: The Illustrated Edition (Harry Potter, Book 1)

Author: J.K. Rowling

Illustrator: Jim Kay

Publication: New York: Arthur A. Levine Books; Illustrated edition (October 6, 2015).

Description: 256 pages

Price: U.S. $39.99

ISBN: 978-0545790352

Plot Summary

Harry Potter is a boy living with his horrible aunt, uncle, and cousin. He has no idea his life will change on his 11th birthday leading Harry into a new world of friends, enemies, and magically mysterious events.

The first book in the Harry Potter series is now beautifully illustrated by Jim Kay.

What I liked about the book

The illustrations in this version are exceptional and bring to life the characters and settings better than the Harry Potter movies. While reading the book, the illustrations drew my attention, and I ended up staring at them searching for all the nuances of the text drawn into the illustrations.

As an editor, I noticed a few differences between the illustrated version and the US text publications .

  • The use of the British English vs. American English spelling (realise vs. realize)
  • The use of the British English vs. American English wording (“revision timetables” vs. “study schedules”)∗

Dislikes

Absolutely none!

Conclusion

I listed the illustrated version of Harry Potter and Sorcerer’s Stone on my Christmas wish list. Thankfully, my mother bought it for me, and I’m excited she did. I loved reading this version because it renewed my love for the Harry Potter series. I look forward to the release of the remaining illustrated versions, years 2 through 7.

Have you read the illustrated version yet? What did you think about it? Let me know in the comments.

∗ Found in the third paragraph of Chapter 14: Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback.