What I'll be reading in September 2017...

The excellent Bex recently posted about reading schedules and their positive/negative effects on an individual.

I of course related to the post and each excellent point within it. I've never actually sat down and mapped out all my TBRs properly before 2017 began – and I only elected to do it really, just to see if I could. To see if it would help me sift through my piles of neglected reads as well as the ones I 'need' to look at for upcoming blog posts. Also a major plus about the prospect of a schedule was just the fact that I could say 'I can't read [book I don't fancy], I'm actually on a strict reading regime this month'! 

So far this year, making a list each month has really helped me and my reading. I mean yes, I have had a few moments when I've come round to the next in the list and thought 'aww, I don't wanna', but for the most part it's been really good having plans!

I kinda can't believe that I've managed to (mostly) stick to my schedule for 9 whole months now. Good work, me. Don't f*ck it up! 

On that note, let's look at my September reading plans, shall we...?

So, as you know last month I indulged in a little re-reading time – despite having stacks of brand new books that were crying out to be read ASAP, oops – and I really enjoyed it. Every book I re-read, I had read first when I was a very young teen. So reading them again as a twenty-something was very interesting; I picked up on things I'd missed before, I related to different characters, and read each one slightly faster than I had the first time. What was especially lovely was that when re-reading, I'd picture things almost exactly the same as I had before! Leo and Stargirl looked the same as they had way back when; Adrian Mole's house was just as dilapidated as I'd envisioned it back in 2006; the terror surrounding Daisy and her cousins was actually more intense than it had been first time around...

All this got me thinking. Did I dare do that?! Was it finally time to do it...the big one...the golden egg....the ultimate re-read? Yes, it most definitely is. 

That's right, readers. From the beginning of September 2017, perhaps a decade or so since I last read one of this magnificent series, I will be diving back into the bewitching world of the one and only HARRY POTTER!!! 

When working as a bookseller this time last year, I was constantly eyeing up our special little Harry Potter section (more like shrine, tbh) in store and debating if it was worth investing in some new editions of my childhood faves. I mean, my original copies are dangerously close to falling apart, and much like my first edition of 'How to Be a Woman' by my gal Cat, I wanted to retire them and buy new. Eventually I did it, I bought the gorgeous new versions of the series (with their colourful, almost Lemony Snicket-style covers!) and it was the best possible use of my staff discount. They now sit beside my bed, on their own shelf, a staple feature in my bedroom as well as my bookish world.

Then the utter babes at Books Are My Bag sent me a special Ravenclaw hardback of 'Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone' – which then of course made me want the paperback, too, and the latter is what I most recently re-read.

I adored all the special extra info about the school and my house within it – the history, the most notable Ravenclaw Hogwarts graduates, the tale of the founder Rowena – but of course I was most excited about the story itself. It really felt like coming home; I'd read each chapter and not only remember certain sentences in full, but picture it almost exactly as I did when I first read this book, aged 7. Hagrid's hut looked in my head nothing like it did in the films, but I liked that. Harry's features were much more pointy and scruffy in my imagination than Dan Rad had ever looked on screen. Dumbledore definitely seemed more eccentric in the books and in my brain, and he's always looked to me way more like Richard Harris than Michael Gambon. 

I read most of the first book while flying to and from Barcelona last week; I found I'd race through 100+ pages in just under an hour, much faster than any other book I've read (or re-read) recently. I'm so comfortable within this world, and J.K.'s writing style will always captivate me like no other. Always.

A post shared by Grace Latter (@_gracelatter) on Jun 19, 2017 at 12:07am PDT

Now, as I embark on this colossal re-read, I am aware that not only will other books creep in on me (and the blog) but also I may at times need a brief break from the magical world (I don't wanna rush anything, or go too hard, y'know?!) so this means I may at times stray from the path and treat myself to a wild card – maybe a non-fic, or a poetry collection?! Nothing too hefty, though. I hope you, my fellow Potterheads, will understand this. I'm a Ravenclaw – I need all the books!

Have you ever re-read the Potter series? If so, do you have any tips for me?! If not – why not??! Tweet me or comment below with your thoughts. Also maybe tell me about your houses, and patronuses...

Mischief Managed.