Harry Potter Re-Read Books 1-4

As a massive Harry Potter fan, I have been wanting to complete a re-read of the series for a while. I have, of course, read the series multiple times but haven’t completed a compete re-read since I was an undergrad in college. During my honeymoon I fell in love with the illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s/Philosopher’s Stone. I read my copy in March and immediately wanted to finish re-reading the series. Due to time and a large list of other books I needed/wanted to read, I did not continue my re-read. I then found out that the illustrated version of Chamber of Secrets was coming out in October and immediately pre-ordered it. At the same time, my friends had discussed starting a group re-read in September!

The minute that the illustrated version of Chamber of Secrets showed up on my door, I dove in. Immediately after that I jumped into Prisoner of Azkaban and shortly after that, Goblet of Fire. I am completely sucked back into the world of Harry Potter and it is wonderful.

As I mentioned before, I have not re-read this series in at least 5 years. I was curious to see if anything would change for me during this re-read. I’m older, have lived more, and it has been a long time since I’ve read the books. I have to say, it is every bit as magical as the first, second, third, etc time I’ve read them.

One of the fun parts about this re-read is that I’m reading different versions of the series. The first two books I read were the illustrated versions. If you are a Harry Potter fan I HIGHLY recommend these. Not only are they pieces of art work, but they add a sense of fun to reading a story you know and love. I have found the experience of reading the illustrated versions enjoyable and having a bit of that anticipation from when I read each book the first time. I love reading through it and not knowing what pictures are going to come up next.
 

The other version that I’ve been reading is the new hardcover collection from the UK. For our one year anniversary (paper anniversary) my husband purchased the full set for me. So far, I have only read Goblet of Fire in this edition, as I didn’t have it in time for book three and did not have the patience to wait.
 

This re-read has solidified the fact that these books are my absolute favorite books of all time. Of course there are things here or there I could criticize, but it’s always due to personal feelings and never to do with the actual stories or the writing.

Harry Potter is perfection and I cannot wait to continue my re-read. I will check back in with you all after book 7, and then I think I will finally read The Cursed Child (I was lucky enough to see the play and loved it so I’ve been waiting to read the actual script). I'm also curious to see if what I say is my favorite book in the series is still going to come out as my favorite!

Have you completed a re-read of Harry Potter? When was the last time you read them? Is there a book/series you can read over and over and still love just as much the first time?