Book Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

I'm zooming through Harry Potter in hopes to be at least half way finished before watching the first part of Deathly Hallows--In theaters mid November. I'm LOVING it and although I've been reading through it mostly, I also listen to it on audio when I'm working out.

I REALLY enjoyed Chamber of Secrets this time around. I have probably read it about four times and I LOVE Gilderoy Lockhart. He has to be one of the most pompous, crazy, hilarious fictional characters that I have ever come across. How amazing is the title of his autobiography "Magical Me." I've also been paying close attention to Ginny Weasley and Harry Potter and Ron Weasley and Herminone Granger. I want to try and pinpoint when exactly romantic interests start.

Also, I have to say, Jim Dale is a pretty incredible narrator. He does great voices (although I hope to one day hear Georgia's Dobby) and his Voldemort/Basilisk voice is dead on (in my mind)

I'm really enjoying reliving the series! Adam bought me a beautiful set Christmas 2007 which I haven't read so I'm enjoying breaking in the spine and smelling the beautiful "new book" smell.

I thought I'd start adding a little behind the scenes fact as I learn about the books, so to catch up on the Sorcerer's Stone:

The word "Erised" (pronounced eer-ih-sehd) is "desire" spelled
backwards meaning the name could also be known as the "mirror of
desire."
The backwards text is a symbol of the odd nature of the mirror, because
the mirror works in a very backwards way from regular mirrors in a way
...that it shows the inside and not the outside of a person. The
inscription around the mirror reads "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi" The message backwards is "I show not your face but your heart's desire."

...and for Chamber of Secrets: For one of the most chilling scenes of all time, when Tom Riddle reveals himself to be Lord Voldemort (I STILL get chills when he waves his wand and the letters rearrange themselves...)

Spanish version, Tom Marvolo Riddle is called Tom Sorvolo Ryddle for the
scene he makes his name into "I am Lord Voldemort": In Spanish, it
would be "SOY LORD VOLDEMORT". In the French version, he is called Tom
Elvis Jedusor (forming the sentence "JE SUIS VOLDEMORT"). Al...so, in the
Romanian version, Voldemort's name is changed to Tomas Dorlent Cruplud,
so it forms the sentence " SUNT LORDUL CAP-DE-MORT"

Pretty neat eh?