Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
by JK Rowling
The Alchemyst
by Michael Scott
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
by Ransom Riggs
The Magicians
by Lev Grossman
MuggleCast Podcast
From About Us: "MuggleCast is the original Harry Potter podcast. The show launched in August 2005 and quickly gained an audience of over 50,000 listeners a week...MuggleCast discusses the original series, Fantastic Beasts, the theme parks, and many other elements of the thriving fandom."
Weird Sisters Podcast
Two sisters discuss each chapter of the books as they re-read the series. There is much more, however, such as in-depth character analyses, chapter rankings, and other bits of pop-culture crossover that are discussed.
Imaginary Worlds Podcast
From About Us: "Imaginary Worlds is a bi-weekly podcast about science fiction and other fantasy genres...I talk with novelists, filmmakers, comic book artists, game designers, and other creators about the craft of making fictional worlds."
Welcome to London, England. This is where the magic happens! Unfortunately, we are muggles (non-magical folk), so we have to purchase some event tickets offered by some very kindly witches and wizards to explore the most famous sites of the Potterverse. No fireplace access, trick walls in cellars, or magical toilets will take us to our destination otherwise. Now, let's stick out our wand hands and summon a triple-decker Knight Bus to take us to the Harry Potter Studio Tour.
The Diagon Alley Set. Image ("The Making of Harry Potter 29-05-2012") provided by Karen Roe from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK
The studio tour takes us through four sets (Platform 9 3/4, Diagon Alley, the Great Hall, and the Forbidden Forest), shows us hundreds of props, costumes, and decorations from the films, and allows us to explore the offices of our favorite - or LEAST favorite Hogwarts faculty. If you don't have the galleons to drop on the flight and tickets right now, watch the video below and take your own virtual tour.
Did you notice the interactive stations where you can practice your spellcasting? What did you think about flying over the quidditch pitch, seeing Hagrid's motorbike, and even exploring Number 4 Privet Drive? It's so much to take in, which is why the Harry Potter Studio Tour in London is a bucket list item for any diehard Potterhead.
If you're a wise Ravenclaw, make sure to visit during an important holiday. The Great Hall and Diagon Alley transform depending on the season, becoming a romantic escape during the Christmas and Valentine's Day seasons. During Halloween, Voldemort's Death Eaters come out to play, casting secret dark marks you must follow through Diagon Alley. Don't be surprised when you're challenged to a duel in front of Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes shop! The best part of visiting during the holidays is feasting in the Great Hall. Each holiday has custom dinners, desserts, and curated entertainment.
Great Hall Valentine's Day Feast. Image provided by Jenikya's Blog (http://jenikya.com/blog/2016/02/valentines-day-in-the-harry-po.html)
Great Hall decorated for the Dark Arts event (around Halloween). Image from https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/studio-tour-dark-arts-feature-to-return
Are you ready to venture beyond the screen and apparate to London and begin your own wizarding adventure? Visit the official WB Making of Harry Potter Studio Tour site and work with a trained witch or wizard and book your excursion!
Extra Features
Harry Potter is all about the bonus content. For hardcore fans, here is a virtual and a physical experience you MUST try.
The Virtual Experience - Wizarding World (formerly Pottermore)
Sign up to find your Hogwarts house, discover the patronus creature living within you, and learn so much more about the Potterverse than appeared on page or film, with all kinds of bonus content from Jo Rowling herself!
Harry Potter's stag patronus cast on the banks of Hogwarts' Black Lake. Image provided by https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/patronus-charm
The Physical Experience - The Elephant House Cafe
Why go to a cafe? Why go all the way to Edinburgh, Scotland just to go to a cafe?!?! Well...Jo (J K) Rowling is from Edinburgh. Jo likes cafes. Jo likes writing in cafes. Also, Jo just happened to like writing Harry Potter in THIS cafe, The Elephant House. While Jo Rowling disputes their claim that the cafe is the "birthplace of Harry Potter," she does admit that much of the first 3 books were written within. She even had her own special seat in a cozy corner which has been memorialized.
The Elephant House Cafe - "birthplace of Harry Potter." Image provided by wikimedia commons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Elephant_House_Front,_Edinburgh,_Scotland.jpg
The Harry Potter Studio tour is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and for most of us, a bit out of our reach, figuratively and literally. More accessible is the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, part of Universal Studios in both Orlando, Florida and Hollywood, California. While the props and sets don't come directly from the films, this immersive experience is perfect for those of us who love roller coasters, 3-D rides, and for people in need of some shopping therapy (there are many themed stores so it seems like you just got your letter to Hogwarts and now you're getting school supplies).
There are street actors, regularly scheduled live entertainment (such as the Frog Choir), explorable shops that look just like the movie equivalents (Gringotts has the dragon from "The Deathly Hallows" perched atop it), and food galore! John Williams' famous HP scores play throughout the park while you dine at The Leaky Cauldron, or sip a frozen butterbeer.
My personal recommendation is to go to Ollivander's Wand Shop. If you have a young one with you, there's a good chance they get to reenact the famous scene from "The Sorcerer's Stone" in which the famous phoenix core wand chooses Harry.
Take one last video tour below before we set off for Middle Earth:
Here we have a meal Harry, Ron, Hermione, and the other countless Hogwarts residents enjoyed quite regularly - Shepherd's Pie. Check out GrumpyIrishLady's food.com recipe below:
Traditional Irish Shepherd's Pie
Shepherd's Pie in a casserole dish. Image provided by Dennis Wilkinson (https://www.flickr.com/photos/djwtwo/8567452924)
Description - This casserole is a beef (or lamb) and vegetable stew baked with a thick mashed potato crust on top. A simple, yet hearty meal to get one through those blustery British days.
Don't forget dessert. Recreate this great chocolate frog recipe by K.T. Crownhill - no wand necessary.
Chocolate frogs on a clear glass plate. Image provided by Robert Couse-Baker (https://www.flickr.com/photos/29233640@N07/11031948203)
Description - A rich, dense chocolate treat. These molds of chocolate, peanut butter, and nuts (optional) are great treats to break out for parties. Prefer dark chocolate? Flex out any milk chocolate ingredients for their dark chocolate kin, such as the chocolate chips.
