I seemed to remember this book much more than the others, whether it’s because I’ve read it more often or if I’ve just seen the film a lot, but the book felt extremely familiar.

The thing I love the most about this book is that it is the first time that Harry feels like he has an actual family (I don’t think the Dursleys count as a normal loving family), and even though Harry’s dreams of living with Sirius are cruelly snatched away after half an hour and now it looks like he has no chance of seeing him again, he knows that he has someone who loves him.

My favourite quote from this book was from when Buckbeak was sentenced to execution and Harry, Ron and Hermione are trying to comfort Hagrid. When Hagrid’s howling becomes unconsolable, Ron says ‘Er, shall I make him a cup of tea?‘ After a stare from Harry, he says that it’s what his mum usually does when someone is upset. Apart from the fact that I can’t get enough of tea at the moment, the exchange reminded me of Sheldon from Big Bang Theory.

This book brings back some of the tension between Ron and Hermione, with Hermione stressed out by taking so many subjects and Ron and Harry baffled as to how she manages it, and Hermione understandably getting a bit snippy. As well as all the work, she’s trying to find a way to free Buckbeak and constantly worrying about Harry with Sirius ‘on the loose’. Not that she gets any thanks for it when she has Harry’s precious new broom temporarily confiscated for ‘tests’.

I was hoping that I would have been able to read Goblet of Fire before the end of the  year, but with 5 hours left, I don’t think I stand a chance, so I’ll leave it at 34 books read this year. Not quite as good as the 68 last year, but not too shabby since I hardly read at all over the summer. I think I’ll aim for 50 next year and see how it goes…