Mark Reads Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Mark Reads Harry Potter #3

by Mark Oshiro

If dementors terrify you, if you want to get a hug from Lupin, and if you love time travel more than most things, we should talk. Because Mark Reads Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban might just be for you! In this third journey through J.K. Rowling's series about a boy wizard, Mark reacts to the dramatic change in tone in the story, and then he starts shipping Lupin/Sirius. AS YOU SHOULD. Included are twenty-two new reviews written after Mark finished the series!

Genres: Harry Potter, Nonfiction, Humor

241 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

MARK OSHIRO is the queer Latinx, Hugo-nominated writer of the online Mark Does Stuff universe (Mark Reads and Mark Watches), where he analyzes book and TV series. He was the nonfiction editor of Queers Destroy Science Fiction! and the co-editor of Speculative Fiction 2015, and is the President of the Con or Bust Board of Directors. When not writing/recording reviews or editing, Oshiro engages in social activism online and offline. Anger is a Gift is his debut YA contemporary fiction novel.

Reviews

[Stephanie Fysh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mark Oshiro is not only emotional (and yes, yes, one of the best things fiction can do is make us feel things); he's also generous - remarkably generous in letting us into his life, opening his experience and emotions to us to help us see how reading and emotion go together. There are wonderful things in the Mark Rereads section of this book that enhance the original blog posts. Like Mark, I too once discovered that reading can be about emotion, and that it was especially wonderful when those emotions included hope. I can't wait for the rest of the Mark Reads Harry Potter ebooks, to get to know Mark (and Harry Potter) better. And I hope he will consider rereading Lord of the Rings for those ebooks too, someday.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading along with Mark during the last several chapters is amazing good fun. He's completely overwhelmed by the plot twists, the character depth, and the epic and beautiful use of time travel (his favorite thing). He steadily loses the ability to can. And so did I, my first time!

There are a few chapter reviews where Mark intentionally writes in a different style - the Dementors is one, the live chat is another. It might be off-putting to readers who aren't used to this from Mark's site.

[Chris Whisonant]

Note: I didn't listen to this specific book but since Goodreads doesn't allow for multiple reads yet I used this as a placeholder for listening to the Pottermore Prisoner of Azkaban audiobook.

[Nadhilla Melia · Rating 4 out of 5]

As with the rest of this series, I much prefer reading Mark's commentary the first time he's reading the book as compared to his reread. His reactions are so genuine and his obliviousness for what's to come is so hilarious. I'm not quite sure how I feel about all his personal anecdotes. They add a touch of genuineness but I think there's a tad too much of it.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh Mark, what I wouldn't give to live for a while inside your brain.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Flawless.