02

Like many Potterheads across the globe, I could hardly wait to get my hands on a copy of the Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac, which serves to accompany J. K. Rowling’s seven magical books in the spellbinding series. So as soon as it was announced that the almanac was available for pre-order in Malaysia, I surveyed my options as to where I could get the compendium from. Ideally, I would have liked an owl to deliver my parcel.

Colourful visuals will greet you from the front cover and make up the entire book. While I like most of the illustrations, a few of the characters could have been better illustrated. It must be said though that I can see how much effort it must have taken to put this whole book together.

And while I’ve yet to reach the end of the almanac, every time I open it, I feel transported to the magical universe – over and over again, regardless whether I’ve read through or savoured that page. Oh, the sense of nostalgia – I’m referring to Harry Potter’s letter of acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Reading the book can be as complicated as the staircases at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. With different fonts used, it isn’t exactly eye-friendly. However, it is still a good book to enjoy and to hand out as a gift.

Going through the book, you’ll notice that there are pages that aren’t numbered. To me, this is an important detail because it is a good indication of the number of pages of the book and help you keep track of your reading/enjoyment pace. But maybe it’s partly due to the visual nature of the book. Or it could be that the illustrators and editors are as mischievous as the Weasley brothers, hehe.

It would also have been much nicer if there was a section on what the Hogwarts students eat and some of their recipes. Yup, this book would have made me much hungrier.

Nevertheless, it’s good to see the Harry Potter universe presented in a different light. Even if it’s a children’s book, there’s something for everyone in it.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to mull over the Official Harry Potter Cookbook (Sept 2023) – inspired by the (eight) film adaptations.