Ok, so these last couple weeks have been super rough and to be honest it is probably not gonna improve for at least a couple weeks more. That being said I have this amazing group of friends that have become my family. After coming home from work and sobbing and blubbering to Hubbin (who was f*%#ing amazing by the way) I immediately contacted my friends...who in all honesty are not my friends, they are my family and boy did they come through and help pull me out of my funk. Being of the literary minded I was eventually led to think of all of the awesome friendships in my beloved books (who also work as friends and family lol). Here are some friendships that I feel bring the vibe that I have with my peeps.
Samwise Gamgeee - After mentioning this one to Hubbin, he made the point that I really did not need to look any further, and he is probably right. Sam from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings series, embodies true friendship to the point of family. He takes his duties as Frodo's best friend very seriously. He keeps Frodo fed, clothed and in all honesty grounded in reality. I still maintain without Sam, Frodo would have perished...or at least given up very early on. This guy embodies everything one looks for in a true best friend. Loyalty, helpfulness, intelligence, resourcefulness...seriously this guy is the ultimate best friend!
Jill and Eustace - At the outset this mismatched pair from C.S. Lewis Silver Chair don't seem like friends at all. Over the course of the book however the two learn to not only work together, but to trust each other in a way that ensures an enduring life long friendship. This friendship is proven in later books as the pair are brought back the to magical world of Narnia once again to help it. This is a case of circumstances leading to the choice of becoming mortal enemies or best of friends and these two decide on the bond of friendship, much to their mutual benefit.
A Through L - After being brought to a world of pure awesomeness, our favorite heroine, September meets up with the wavery A-L and forms a lifelong friendship that can never end. Through out the series we see just how tight these two are and just how valuable the friendship is. This is a case of truly mutual beneficial a friendship can be, as both parties rely on each other, help each other, depend on each other and come through for each other no matter the situation. Even though both parties meet other entities the truest friendship is with each other and that is awesome.
Piemur - This lovable scamp is the friend that all of need. When Menolly arrives friendless, familyless and pretty much nothingless (that's a word right?), this guy steps right in. Through his cleverness and ability to manipulate almost anybody, Piemur helps Menolly go from a friendless oddity to one of the most valued members of Harper Hall. This friendship continues as both parties grow older. This is a friendship that is shared until death, this is a friendship that causes children to call them auntie and uncle, this is a friendship that can never end as it is so tight that the bonds of family and friend are irrevocably blurred.
The Hogwarts Trinity - We can't really mention bestest friends without mentioning Harry, Ron and Hermione. This trio's ability to maintain the tightest of friendships regardless of insane circumstances is utterly amazing. I kind of feel like my firehouse family has a bond like this...given a bit expanded as there are more then 3, but still a super tight bond that is able to endure hardships, squabbles, boy/girl troubles and pretty much anything else life has to throw at us. The author imagines this trio enduring well into adulthood and beyond and to be honest my boys and girls are there for me in the same way. It is nice to know that friendships like this are real.
Ok, I'm done gushing now, but seriously I feel that friendship is very important, in both a real and literary sense. I am always rooting for the friends, I always want the friendship to endure and a large part of this is my amazing luck at having people like this in my own life. My boys and girls who get me through this sh*t...you know who your are ( I know at least two of you read this on at least a semi-regular basis lol). I love you all so very much and am glad to have these legendary friends in my life. Happy Reading Everybody!
HI! Guess what I saw? Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which is based on the encyclopedic style book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by J.K. Rowling and Newt Scamander. I've had the book forever and when I heard they were gonna make a movie based on it I was a little confused 'cause it's not a story...it's a list of magical creatures and some cool facts about each one. While the book was entertaining and fun, not so much movie material. That being said there was not way on God's green earth that I was gonna miss the change to get some much needed wizarding world magic, especially during this holiday season.
So Hubbin packed me up and hauled me to the movie theatre were I was alternating between apprehension that this all new, unprecedented untold story would not live up to expectations (slim as they were as again the book wasn't really a story) of the great world of Harry Potter and sheer and utter child like excitement of the idea of finally having any sort of magic back after years of nothing. The movie started...and people it was sheer and utter magic! Sure it had a few dark moments, and sure it was probably twenty minutes longer then it needed to be and with out a doubt the "revelation" at the very end of the movie was just...dumb...but seriously folks over all the movie was incredible. It felt like it should be over the top, but as Hubbin said, it was just the right amount for us poor HP starved fans. A couple of highlights. It was set in New York in the 1920's which was pretty much the awesomest thing ever as it totally set it apart from Harry Potter and expanded into a full fledged Wizarding World. We got to see a different era, a different place, different customs, different laws and all seen through a foreigners eyes so that the explanations and confusion made sense.
The over all story tied directly into the history we learned in HP and gave us a connection to our beloved stories without retelling Harry Potter. The best part for me however was the sheer number of Fantastic Beasts that were shown and discussed in the movie. Seriously they actually made a movie off this book. Mr. Scamander's suitcase filled with so many magical creatures each in their own makeshift habitat made me ache to go live in the suitcase. Beginning to end with a very few minor considerations, this movie was sheer magic and made this Wizarding World fan so very very very happy. Here is to the next four movies being as good! Happy Reading Everybody!
Hi Everybody! (Hi Dr. Nick...sorry I may have been watching waaaaay to much Simpsons while unpacking...) Anyways just a quick post to let you all know I am head out to the great state of Texas for my Hubbins family reunion. I have never really been to Texas but I hear it's hot and everything is bigger out there. On that note me and my books will be out for the week so no posting for the next 7 days or so.
I did however just get back from three different book stores to stock up on books for the trip so I promise some good ramblings when I get back, including my whole experience with Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, which I have exerted great amounts of self control to save until vacation time. Hope you all have a book filled week. Happy Reading Everybody!
I've finally done it, I have finally finished reading and watching the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling. I'm not gonna lie, this is by far my least favorite book in the series...but there is still some good stuff too. For a complete synopsis of the book pop over to the HP Lexicon here if you are on of the three people left who have not read it. Lets dive right in, as always SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Camping - Every time I even hear this book mentioned, the first thing I think about is the seemingly endless camping our main trio do. I understand that they are on the run, and in all honesty a tent stuffed in a magic traveling bag is a new twist on the old "on the run from the corrupt government" deal, but seriously SO MUCH CAMPING! I felt a lot of this book was just our trio moodily introspecting in that stupid tent that I just really wanted to start skipping pages, even the first time I read it. It just got really really tedious.
Horcrux/Hallows - I was not entirely thrilled with the addition of the Hallows in this last book in the series. While the concept itself is very cool, and I loved the story/fable/myth behind it, it felt like it's own separate story and quest. Especially since it did not seem Voldemort even knew about the Hallows, much less wanted to use them. The Horcrux's on the other hand really seemed to fulfill that history/mythic/Voldemort/Harry link and to me it kind of made the Hallows superfluous. I would have much rather seen this last book focus on the Horcrux's and their history and connection to each other and save the Hallows for another story/quest.
Snape - HA! I was RIGHT! HE IS AWESOME!!!!! Ahem...sorry...just had to get that out of my system. From the very first book I have loved Snape, something about him just always struck the right chord with me. I don't know if the fact that he did not love Harry like everybody else did, or that he seemed to do the right think while having an attitude or...I don't know what it was but he's been my guy. After the events in the last book and watching him kill Dumbledore, everybody was all like "see, he's evil", but I still felt like we were missing something. When he dies and gives Harry his memories and we see the complete tragedy that was his life, and his willingness to risk everything numerous times to protect Harry...well WOW THIS GUY ROCKS!!!! Anyways I was pretty stoked that I was right and loved that the author really played a very good long game with the readers in regards to this character.
Family - I know this topic comes up in pretty much every rambling I do on HP, but it is a main theme yet again. Here we see family across all lines and in all forms. We see the Weasely's, Potters, Lovegoods, Malfoy's (yes I said the Malfoy's), Lupins and any other number of family's do what they need to do to protect each other. We see fierce mother's love in the form of Molly Weasley taking out Bellatrix to protect her daughter, and Narcissa Malfoy willing to defy the Dark Lord to ensure her son's safety. We watch a father willing to bend on his beliefs to keep his precious daughter safe in the form of Luna and her father, we see siblings band together when Percy comes home to open arms, and them helping each other through Fred's death. We hear how Albus Dumbledore's past was influenced more by his family then anything. I could go on and on, but true to form the author puts family front and center, which is in part what I think the series is about. It was refreshing to see supposed "bad guys" also display love and protectiveness when it came to their families, showing that every person in the universe wants, needs, and can use family bonds.
The Movies - The book was made into two movies, which was completely unneeded...but was still more entertaining then the book. As with most of the later movies I felt that the movies focused on the personal relationships more then the overall story and after watching all of them don't know how well the actual story comes across. All that being said I will watch it over and over and over just to watch my beloved Alan Rickman (I miss you so much) play my beloved Snape. The casting of most of the bad guys was pretty cool too. I don't know...I should probably just not watch the later movies.
The Ending - Ok folks, before we get all up in arms, just remember that this rambling is only my opinion. I hate the ending of this series. I felt that after all the creativity and wonder and building up of the story, the ending was to trite and derivative for my taste. What my big girl pretentious words mean is that in almost any fantasy story, especially the more old school ones, "the hero having to die...but wait not really 'cause he just had to prove that he was willing to make the sacrifice and that is enough now he can come back and marry the girl" I did not feel there was any real creativeness or story development that came out of the way Harry defeated Voldemort, it felt like every other basic fantasy epic that gets churned out I've ever read. I guess I just expected more considering the awesomeness of the previous books.
Overall I felt this book was tedious and dark and trite with glimpses of the authors true genius. Although the series has been getting progressivly older and darker...as it should because of the story arc, this book seemed to be borderline hopeless in a way even the last book wasn't. I think the biggest issue is that this book suffers by comparison. The first books were so full of wonder, the middle books continued letting us muggles continue to discover the wizarding world, and the last books still gave us some insight and moments of humor and hope. Other then the realization that Snape is the man (which I already knew) I don't know, I felt like this book was almost written by another person who wanted to cram all the rest of her idea's into one book, but didn't know how to make it interesting. I know I sound crabby and bitter, the book was still much better then many books that I have read, I guess I just love certain things about the series to much and they were not present in this book which makes me sad. I will probably do one more post about the series as a whole but until then Happy Reading Everybody!
One of the best things about a good series is the world building. Some authors have created such complete worlds that they cannot put all of their ideas and stories into the actual books. I love it when this happens 'cause now a days they tend to create online sites for all the extras! To me reading through some of these sites makes the books that much richer and more complete. Chalk up another plus for technology. Here are some of my favorite extra's sites.
The Harry Potter Lexicon - This all inclusive website gives us page by page info, extras and links to even more Harry Potter goodness. There is so many cross links and rabbit hole possibilities that I can (and have) spent almost as much time clicking through the site as reading the books.
Pottermore - Just like the name implies, this site is more of Harry Potter. More illustrations, more stories, more details, more interactions. It is a great way for those of us who love the series to continue to explore the rich wizarding universe.
InCryptid Field Guide - This handy little field guide give those of us who want to delve into the varied and rich history of Cryptids in Seanan McGuires IncCryptid world need look no further then her website. Add to this a great listing and description of the series books and a whole TON of short stories (seriously gonna have to take a sick day to read them all) makes this site a massively cool extension of an awesomly great series.
A Wheel of Time Wiki - Anybody who has read the Wheel of Time series can tell you that as awesome as it is, a guide is definitely needed (unless you have a photographic memory) to try and keep the people, cultures, places and story lines straight. I had a friend who tried to do this using colored pennies but had to stop after he almost when bankrupt (teeheehee). This guide is much easier and bit less bulky.
Tolkien Gateway - When Tolkien wrote his famous Lord of the Rings trilogy, he intended it to be one piece in a larger mythology...that he then proceeded to write. If one has the time and enough pots of coffee you can discover on of the most detailed worlds in literary existence, with each story and character linking to each other in fantastic ways. This wiki helps us keep all the strands of this beautiful tapestry from getting to tangled.
Dragonriders of Pern - One of my first introductions to a series where the world was as important as the story and characters, the books of Anne McCaffery and Pern in particular have inspired my imagination and fueled my devouring of books like no other series. This wiki gives us just a bit more information, and a bit more time in the world I love so very much.
There are a ton other great sites dedicated to other literary worlds of awesome that I can't wait to explore...so off I go down the rabbit hole, you all start on these and we will meet back here and talk ok? Happy Reading Everybody!
I got a craving to read Harry Potter right before my cruise, so spent the week before leaving, rereading Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (now known as HBP) by J.K. Rowling. It's taken this long for me to ramble about it 'cause I had to get through the movie first. Like before, if you want a full synopsis look here. Now on to my very own, very personal thoughts on this sixth book. As always SPOILERS AHEAD!
Voldemort - I loved loved loved finding out about Tom Riddles history and journey to becoming the Dark Lord. It gives some substance and meaning to this slithery guy's actions. One of my favorite things is when the bad guys have a reason for being the way they are. It was cool to see Voldemort's history intersect with the mythos history as well. The following of Slytherin's line from it's glorious founder to it's ignominious end with the Gaunt's was very interesting. I also liked the continuation of pointing out the similarities between Harry and Tom and showing how various circumstances and decisions have led them to become such different people.
Romance - I am normally not a huge fan of teenage romance 'cause it can get very angsty and stupid, but I thought the author actually imbued the book with a decent sense of humor and realism when it came to the many many many romances in the book. Ron especially got some great page time with his various romances, love potions and sheer teenage boy stupidity. We finally get our Ginny/Harry romance which actually made some sense. I really enjoyed how in this book we see every form of romance, from crushes, to teenage puppy love, to complicated adult relationships, to engagements to marriages.
Harry Harry Harry - Usually I talk about the characters in context of the trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione, and while the three of them definitely had their time together (and apart, and fighting, and saving etc.) Harry really started to stand apart as the main guy in this book. Harry went with Dumbledore (who finally decided to include him in stuff), Harry had the irrational issue with Draco (even if he did turn out to be right), Harry found the potion book, Harry was a favorite of Slughorn, Harry got the memory, Harry witnessed the BIG DEATH, this book was all about the Harry.
The Potion Book - The world building in this book was more minimal then in some of the other books, focusing more on the characters and stories. That being said, using the Half Blood Prince's potion book allowed to spend some time with Potions and learning more about that subject which was pretty cool. I also LOVED how the whole book was kind of a misdirection about the previous owner of the book and the ultimate importance Snape (who turned out to be the Half-Blood Prince) played not only in this book, but the series as a whole.
Movie - This movie sucks. They changed so much, cut out so much, focused so much on relationships that I felt the true point of this book was completely lost. I know that the audience for this movie is the teeny bopper crowd, but let's give them some credit and assume that they would at least like to follow the over all story. In fact now that I have reread the book and re watched the movie, I'm wondering if some of my apathy towards this book is partly based on the movie...hmm... The Big Death - Since GF, death has been present in the Harry Potter books, we have had numerous people die and have felt the consequences of those deaths through out the series. This book is no exception with the author stepping up the deaths big time, really showing us the impact of Voldemorts return. Of course we still have the BIG DEATH, I am of course talking about Dumbledore. I think the biggest thing here is not so much who died, but how he died, who killed him, and the twisty path it sends our trio of friends on.
Overall still not my favorite book, but I did find that I enjoyed more the second time around. It is much darker then the previous books and set's up the last installment for all of its heavy epic conclusion. There are still some light-hearted moments, a little bit of wide eyed magic, but you also start to feel the fear and angst of a world in danger and turmoil. I give this installment 7 out of 10 splinched eyebrows. Just one more book to go folks! Happy Reading Everybody!
I have finally gotten a chance to read (and finish) the fifth Harry Potter book. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling is one fat book chock full of stuff. I have to admit, this is the book that marks a bit of a decline in my enjoyment of the series, but still lots of stuff to love. As with previous HP rereads I will skip the recap as a detailed one can be found here and go straight to my varied and very personal thoughts.
Size-One of the most notable things to me about this book is the sheer size. It comes in at a whopping 870 pages and a hefty 257,045 words. In my very own opinion, I think this book was about 200 pages too long. There was a lot of great stuff in here, but there were a couple of chapters that I admit, I usually skip during my rereads. This also reminds me why as much as I love actual books, sometime an e-reader can come in handy when I am trying to read a tome this size in between calls.
Politics - I have mentioned wizarding politics before and in previous books I found them to be interesting. In this book I find I have mixed feelings about them. Part of the problem is the sheer amount of the book devoted to the magical bureaucrats. I know that the age of the reader is assumed to be a bit older as the character's age...but it gets a little heavy for your average preteen/teen...and for the adult audience too. I also found that while I agreed in general with the political premise the author put forth, I found it to start to get a bit preachy and having read the whole series, this is just the beginning of this complaint, sorry. All of that being said, I understand how the politics of the government, school, and society all play a role in allowing Voldemort to return, and only wish it was a bit more subtle.
More Wizarding World - One of the things this book gives me that I love is even more insight into how the wizarding world works. I think my absolute favorite thing about this series is the world building and this book uses part of its heft to deliver just that. Here were my favorite glimpses of the daily life of a wizard. The Ministry of Magic - As Harry makes his way through the Ministry of Magic to attend his hearing you see glimpses of an office at work in a magical way. They have their own version of rush hour using the Floo Network, memo's fly around as magic planes, and window's show whatever weather the temperamental weather wizards decide upon. There are various offices, jobs and just like any other office building a pecking order. St. Mungo's - My absolute, without a doubt favorite idea in this book is the magical hospital with it's various wards for various magical maladies. If I could have any job in the wizarding world, it would probably be as a healer. Obviously with my day job as an EMT and my background in medicine I find the various incarnations of fantasy medicine to be fascinating. St. Mungo's is no exception and I (being the super dork that I am) could probably read a whole book dedicated to the various magical ailments and their wizarding cures. O.W.L's - By the time Harry and friends get to their fifth year, they are expected to be able to pass their O.W.L's and the results will help them determine what to study in the future and what potential jobs they can hold. I like this part because it serves as both a reality check in this crazy fantastical school and a reminder that wizards need jobs to. It was interesting to see the potential future these kids have (even if as many people have mentioned the majority are with the government) and to realize that they are going to go on to hopefully find partners, maybe have kids, career's and a home to pay for.
Growing Up- This book shows us a lot of our favorite (and not so favorite) characters hitting those crucial teen years of angst. We see this mostly in Harry as he not only has to cope with this insane Voldemort thing and all the drama it entails, but also with puberty, girls, and grasping that he can't
stay at Hogwarts forever. Ron and Hermione also go through their own changes, though I like to think Hermione does it with the most grace, but that may be attributed to the fact that she has always been a bit old for her age. Ginny also has blossomed from the shy little sister of the Weasly's to her own snappy, capable and awesome self. Watching the Fred and George make a decision about their own future, regardless of what anybody else wants is inspiring. Neville starts coming into his own here, and with the introduction of Luna, and the formation of the DA we see our peeps branching out of their protected Gryffindor tower to mingle, work and play with a larger group. Sadly we also see some of the down sides of growing up. Harry has to come to terms with the fact that his idolized parents could just as cruel as any other teenager. Sirius is not able to stand his isolation and forced inactivity and his inherent recklessness is subconsciously projected onto Harry causing no end of problems. Percy and his falling out with his family is particularly brutal, even if it does have a ring of truth to it. This growing up aspect of the series while inevitable, makes me a little sad as the amazing sense of wonder Harry and his friends experienced in previous books has naturally waned.
Movie - Of all the movies in the series, I find this one to be the most disappointing. As always I understand that converting a 870 page book into a 2 hour movie is going to result in some cuts, but to me this resulted in a choppy, disjointed movie. I felt that if you hadn't read the book, the movie would not make a whole lot of sense. That being said my Hubbin watched it and said he could follow it just fine, so it may just be me. To me I felt a lot of what I liked about the book got cut or shortened, and what drove me crazy about the book took center stage.
Ok so this post is getting as long as the book, and even though there is so much else I could talk about (Grimmauld Place, The Order, the prophecy, Firenze, Occlumancy, Cho, and everything else!) I'm pretty sure it would just be rehashing the book, so instead I will let you all go back and read (or reread) it yourself and you can tell me what you think.
What is your take on this book? Do you think I am being overly harsh over a "childrens" book? How long do you think it will take me to read the next book?
The holidays are a time to get together with friends and family...and annihilate them at card and board games!!! What...is that just my family? Is making your baby sis cry over a game of Life not what you are supposed to do when you all finally get together? Oh...oops...sorry baby sis. Well maybe we can play some of these literary themed games and talk about books instead :-)
This is something my whole family could have fights...I mean fun with :-)
In all honesty, playing games with my family and friends is one of the things I look forward to most during our rare get togethers. As insanely competitive as we are, we always have such an amazing time, laughing, fighting, cheating and discussing our favorite board games. Who knows maybe one these games will be this years memory. Happy Reading Everybody!
Ok folks, this has taken a while, but I am finally ready to ramble about Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I know I finished rereading it a while ago, but you know...life and such. If you need a synopsis go to the HP Lexicon and you will get all the details. As always SPOILERS AHEAD!
This is my favorite HP book, it takes us into the wizarding world as a whole, and starts the end game in a most spectacular fashion. We also get our first glimpse of just how far the author is willing to go for her story. Let's go through the things that struck me the most.
Quidditch World Cup - So many things to love about this part of the book. First off, it is the wizard version of the FIFA World Cup, which is a favorite of mine, so right off the bat I'm pretty happy. I also really liked seeing people live their everyday lives in the wizarding world. Having Harry stay at the Weasly's as they eat, clean, play and figure out basic things like how to get to the Quidditch World Cup with a bunch of kids takes the magic from the classroom to the everyday. We also get to see that wizards are from all over the world, each with their own culture, dress, and ways of doing things. The game itself was wonderfully written and a prime example of why I love these books so much. It could easily get muddled or boring, describing a bunch of people flying around on brooms and hitting balls, but Ms. Rowling shows us the whole thing from Harry's perspective, which is that of a first timer, just like the readers. I could read this opening over and over and over...oh wait I have.
Tri-Wizard Tournament - There is a ton to love about the tournament, starting with our first glimpse of other schools. Hermione makes a point that there obviously has to be more then one school of magic out there as their are thousands of wizards and at most Hogwarts graduates apx 40 kids a year, and that is assuming that they all pass. Seeing the different way's the students are taught, how their enviroment and culture infulence their uniforms and attitudes is pretty neat. The challanges are pretty cool, being varied in nature and once again showing us a bunch of things we have never seen before. Each of the contestants comes at each challange in a different way, showing us that critical thinking plays a part in most magical dealings. I do however feel bad for the rest of the students at all three schools. Durmstrang and Beuxbatons both left the bulk of their students behind with some substitue headmaster, while the Hogswarts students have nothing to do all year except go to the three challanges spread through out the year...and the second two were not even visible to the audiance.
Hermione and the Boys - I love love love Hermione in this book (ok I love her in all the books, but seriously she is awesome in this one). She shows everybody that while she may be super smart and practicle, she is also a girl, with feminine feelings and the ability to clean up pretty when she wants to. This is one of those cases that adds a sense of reality to the books. Hermione is around Ron and Harry so much, in the role of friend, researcher, homework nag, and awesome spell caster that the fact that she is also a teenage girl is totaly lost on them. It takes a boy ( a kind of dumb boy) who has some distance and perspective to make them realize that yes in fact Hermione is a potential love intrest...or at least somebody to ask to a dance. I like that Hermione deals with it partially in a grown-up, roll her eyes at the idocy of boys way, and also in a frustrated, tear filled, teenage girl way. It is good to show that even our smarty mcsmarty pants has emotions, and that they are valid and in no way make her any less of an awesome person.
Ron and Harry - Ron and Harry have always had an interesting relationship. They are mostly inseperable, teaming up when Malfoy gets out of hand, Divination homework is due, or Hermione gets a bit high and mighty for their taste. It has to be hard on Ron though, already being the youngest boy in a very chaotic family, and then the best friend of the kid who everything seems to happen too. When Harry's name comes out of the Goblet of Fire, I imagine Ron just lost it, I'm sure he was thing "of course Harry is going to be in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, why would he? Everything happens to him, or is given to him, or is about him." Of course Harry rarely goes searching for these things, and many times much angst and anguish accompany these "adventures", but I can see where it would be excruciating at times for Ron. The fight in this book between the two of them is realistic and heartbreaking, and lets the reader explore some of the problems of being the percieved her and sidekick.
The Ending - So much happened in this book, but of course what most people talk about is the end. Several BIG things happen in the last couple of chapters. First of all the normal culmination of all the little tidbits that Ms. Rowling has sprinkled through out the book come to the awesome conclusion of Mad-Eye, Barty Crouch Jr. and of course the return of HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED! Second, they way that Voldemort came back was just...evil. If we ever thought that maybe our resident Dark Lord was just misunderstood, these chapter's completely dispelled that notion. The casual death of a young person, the brutal collecting of flesh and blood, the toying with his followers and then attempting to kill Harry (which would be a second dead kid in a short span) all show us just how bad this bad guy is. The ending leaves us with a sense of dread and foreboding, knowing that it can only get worse.
The Film - The movie version of this book is a bit dissapointing. I know it is mostley because the book is stuffed full to bursting with all kinds of awesomeness that just does not translate to the screen...but still. They cut out a lot of characters, Dobby does not even make an apperance, despite his pivotal role in the second challange. The movie feels rushed and bit like they were catering to what they thought the audiance wants, rather then what the book was doing. The change to make the two schools all male and all female seemed odd to me as that was not in the book, skipping the whole Duddly and the Ten-Tounge Toffee bit was sad, Dobby missing is never good and...well there was just a bunch of stuff that made me go blah. The visuals were stunning as always, and I could watch the under the lake challange several times over. Danial Radcliff , still does a great look of wonder when encountering new magic that makes me smile every time I see it. The interaction between the three friends is still wonderful on screen, and the kid who played Victor Krum was quit tasty. Overall the movie was ok, but the book was much better.
I love rereading this book, there is so much to it and it gets the second half of the series off to a rousing start. When I think of this series, this is the book that usually comes to mind. It is the perfect mix of a school age adventure, growing up, and how events in the world will always play a role in a persons life, regardless of their age. I give this book 9 out of ten Hungarian Horntails.
What was your favorite part of this book? Were you dissapointed in the movie, or do you undertand that it can't be 10 hours long? How bad do you wish you had the ability to turn certain people into ferrets?
I am of the firm opinion that the earlier you expose a child to books, the better that kid will turn out :-) What better place to start then in the nursery! There are several options out there to create this little literary haven, here are just a few.
This is a perfect introduction to books. By using the books as part of the decor, you not only get an awesome visual appeal, but it is easily updateable as baby grows up and likes different books.
I love love love this vintage style Beatrix Potter themed room. Besides being awesome it is a bit of nostalgia for me as I LOVED these books when I was growing up.
I would have never thought about using Charlotte's Web for a nursery theme, but I have to say I love it. The book has a great message and the room has an awesome spider lamp, what else could a baby possibly want?
How cute are these jr versions of the four house banners from Harry Potter? I love that this room combines a definite "baby" feel, while still adding some of the darker color palate you usually don't see in a baby's room.
I hope you have all enjoyed my little foray into the world of babies. I am not a mamma, but I know a lot of them and am hoping they will let me help choose the decor for their precious bundles of joy. In the meantime I'm gonna go make my own nursery for my "babies" and by babies I mean books :-) Happy Reading Everybody!
Who is ready for some more Harry Potter? I AM! Today we shall explore the third book in the series, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. If you are one of the few people who have not actually read/watched the series then you can get a great summation here, along with some other really cool stuff. I will now jump right to the good stuff, as always SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!
This is a lot of peoples favorite book in the series, and while it is not my very favoritist, I can totally understand why so many people rate it as number one. Let us list why this book is awesome. Series Story - For me this is the book that really let me know that the author had a long term story in mind, the first two books definitely had bits and pieces of a larger story, but I felt that they were more focused on creating the world of Hogwarts and cementing the friendship of Harry, Ron and Hermione. This book really started expanding the story, showing us a history that went beyond Harry and beyond Hogwarts and affected the whole wizarding world. This was also the book that really showed how much attention one had to pay while reading, that even the most insignificant happening could come back and be super important. This story is also where we see all three of the "kids" start to grow up and accept some responsibility outside of themselves and start showing the eventual legends they will become.
New Places - Along with expanding the story, this book also expands our places in the wizarding world beyond Hogwarts. We get to see Hogsmede, an all wizarding villiage. We visit the Shrieking Shack and learn it's importance in Harry's personal history. We learn about more Azkaban, which is a wizarding prison that plays a huge role in the rest of the series and is the home to the super creepy dementors, who may be one of the most terrifying creatures ever. It is cool to watch our world expand beyond the sheltered and enchanted castle of Hogwarts. The Maurders Map - Along with learning the history of Padfoot, Prongs, Mooney and Wormtail, we are introduced to one of the most recognized "props" in recent book history, the Maurders Map. It is nice to see that Harry's up to now "perfect" father had a mischievous streak to him as well. I love that this map is passed from these four to Fred and George, and then to Harry who uses it to great advantage when combined with his invisibility cloak. Politics - The politics in the wizarding world are very well thought out and come in to play several times in this book. We have the underlying prejudice in certain families toward "Muggle-borns" or "Mudbloods" that still prevails. We have Malfoy employing his wealth and influence to get the poor hippogriff Buckbeak executed, just to spite Hagrid, whom he considers beneath him. We see Lupin get discriminated against for being a werewolf and Sirrus can never be cleared of the murder of his best friend because of the overriding prejudice. We start to see the ugly side of this enchanted world and it adds a layer of depth and awesome. The Movie - I really really liked the movie version of the book. We got to see more of Hogwarts, I especially loved when Lupin and Harry were talking behind the clock face, just stunning. I am ambivalent on the casting of Lupin and Sirrius, sometimes I think the casting is perfect, other times I want...I don't
know...more rougeish maybe? The casting of Wormtail however I felt was dead on and perfect in every way! There was a lot of the story that was cut out for the movie, which is understandable for time concerns, but it does lose a bit of the richness that I love in the HP books. The movie however has its share of great moments like when the dementors first appear and everything goes dark and cold. When the class works on banishing the boggarts and Snape appears dressed in Nevilles grandmothers clothes is priceless! My favorite moment however is when Hermione slugs Malfoy after one too many insults, GO HERMIONE!
So ends another HP ramble and another happy day remembering an awesome book, I will now go read the next one so I can gush some more!
What do you like about this book? Do you understand why it is so many peoples favorite? How badly do you want a Maurders Map? Is I Solemnly Swear I Am Up To No Good your new phrase? What is your Patronus?
Woooohooo time for another Harry Potter Post! I intended to have this up a couple weeks ago, but you know...life. Anyways lets jump right into this. This post will be me gushing...I mean rambling about Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling. As before I will not go into any detailed plot synopsis as that is available in a plethora of sources (my favorite being the Harry Potter Lexicon) and instead will mostly be talking about my own personal feelings on various topics. As always SPOILERS AHEAD!
So this book is cool 'cause we get to come back to a world we already know. We have been introduced to the wizarding world, we have all secretly watched our mailboxes for our Hogwarts letters (mine is just a wee bit late, I know it!), we all know that Slytherin is bad and Gryffindor is good (I do have a bit of a problem with this, but it gets resolved in later books) and we have all fallen in love with Hagrid. This of course makes the fact that our poor hero stuck friendless with his horrid Muggle relatives all summer just that much more awful. I like how much the opening of the book drives home that as bad as Harry thought he had it before, a taste of a better life makes his Muggle life that much worse. We are all confident in our knowledge as a reader that we know whats going down 'cause hey we read the first book and now we are wizard experts...except BAM here comes Dobby to add another dimension (one that turns out to be not so pleasant in later books) to our known world. Now Dobby is special to me 'cause he is my Hubbins favorite character, so much so that he said if we ever had a kid he would call it Dobby (just one of the many reasons we are skipping the whole kid thing), anyways every time Dobby appears on page or screen it makes me think of Hubbin and smile. This book shows us that there is a myriad of facets to the wizarding world and not all of them as magical and savory as we would like. So this is skipping around a bit so lets move on to a more list type format and see if that works better shall we?
Random things that caught my attention in the book, movie, and the Lego game Family-The book especially shows the different facets of family. The lengths Ron and his brothers go through to get Harry not only speak of a deep friendship, but of a comradrie among the Weasley boys that makes them help each other without really questioning it. Molly Weasley being angry at the boys has less to do with true anger then it does her fear that something happened to them. The ease of which they "adopt" Harry into the family, the instant love Harry has for the Burrow (even though some people think it is shabby), and the all around live and let live attitude of the whole Weasley clan is pretty awesome and reminds me of my own family (yep I am one of those lucky people who pretty much grew up in a Weasley type house...I even think there was magic!). Contrast this to the coldness displayed in the interactions with the Malfoy family. Draco likes to run around pretending that his life is perfect in his rich pure-blood mansion, but the interactions we see with his father of of a fairly cold nature. He is expected to live up to impossibly high standards and is given no leeway when he falls short. I sometimes think Draco is probably pretty jealous of Ron Weasley because as much as he gives him a hard time, Ron is the one with the loving family, Ron is the one with the friends, and in the end Ron is one of the hero's. Again this all comes in to play in later books. Set-Up-This is the book, when after finishing the series and looking back starts to really set up the long term stuff. There is of course stuff in the first book (Harry's origin's especially) that overeach the whole series, but this book is where we look back and see specifics start to emerge. Like the diary being a Horcrux...something that isn't even mentioned until the sixth book. We also see the family dynamics that build through out the rest of the books. Here is where we start to really set up the pure-bloods against the rest of the world conflicts, starting with little jabs and pokes, such as when Draco calls Hermione a mud-blood, (can I just say in the movie, the scene when Hagrid comforts Hermione when she is in tears is one of the best scenes in movie history...I just loved it!) or the more sinister outright murder of Muggle borns. We start to learn the story of Tom Riddle/Voldemort and the theme of the similarities between Harry and the Dark Lord starts to take shape. We also hear Dumbledore drive home the fact that in the end it is the choices we make and not the circumstances we are put in that make us who we are. Polyjuice Potion makes its first appearance here and is used to great effect here and in future books. The first book did an excellent job creating this world and it's number one villain. This book turns it into a saga of epic awesomeness. Characters/Casting-This book introduced us to a wide range of characters outside of our three hero's. We get to delve a little deeper into several inhabitants of the wizarding world. Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington or Nearly Headless Nick is the Gryffindor ghost and we get to see the world of ghosts through his deathday party. In the movie and game this is left out as it really does not further the whole storyline, but it will always be one of my favorite parts in the book. I also love how the three friends are willing to go to the party to help Nicholas feel better, even though the party itself is pretty rotten (literally!) We are introduced to Draco's father Lucius Malfoy in this book/movie and can I just say that Jason Isaacs plays him with a cold cruel perfection! Lucius is our link to post Voldemort Death-Eaters, he is the face of prejudice and entitlement and while he is a bit of a stereotype, he serves a purpose in the books. We get to see more of the teachers, Madame Pompfrey (I want to be a wizard nurse so bad!) and Professor Sprout get some great page/screen time and remind us that there is more to Hogwarts then Dumbldore, Snape and
McGonagall (who form there own little trio of of mismatched "friends" through out the books). I still am not thrilled with the casting of Percy or some of the other lesser students, but most of the casting was spot on. Gildroy Lockheart-I know he is a character, but he gets his own section 'cause there is so much to say about this guy. First of all I love him in the books, and the casting in the movie was perfect with Kenneth Branagh smarming it up all over the place. This character is probably one of the most wonderful embodiment's of how people are around celebrities and how it can easily go to a persons head. His constant need to be in the spotlight, to show up everybody around him, but with no actual talent (other then memory charms) is an ailment that is very pervasive in the real world. What I like most about this character is how other people react to him. Hermione and Mrs. Weasley in paticular go ga-ga over him. This is a great way to show that as smart and logical as our Hermione is, she is still a human girl and is able to be blinded by the most charming smile (five years in a row in fact :-) ). Here eventual disillusionment of her crush is sort of sad, and yet so relateable. I am kind of sad that this was not shown in the movie (though the Lego game showed in the most hilarious way possible, hearts in the eyes and everything) because I think it is a humanizing point for Hermione and shows that you can be a smart girl, and a girly girl, and a sweet girl, and a genius all in the same package. I also loved that the Harry and Ron in particular learned you can seriously dislike somebody for reasons other then they are evil. Lockheart was never an "evil" character, he was never a Death-Eater, he was just really annoying, so annoying in fact that Ron and Harry were tempted to root for the dreaded Professor Snape in dueling class. The Ending-I will say I have mixed feelings about the last couple chapters of this book. I thought that the phoenix coming in with the hat, sword and healing tears was a little convenient, I know it was meant to show just how loyal Harry was to Dumbledore and the precepts of Gryffindor, but it felt a little deus ex machina to me. I did however like how long it took Harry to figure out that Tom Riddle was a bad guy, it shows his tendency to want to think good of people in general. The whole Hagrid and Argog thing...eh, again seemed really convenient. I do however love how Harry got Lucius Malfoy to free Dobby and the consequences it has in future books. The idea that this rich, entitled, powerful man was tricked into freeing his servant, who is a great status symbol by a second year student with a sock was pretty sweet.
I loved the first book for the world building and its ability to completely immerse me in this alternate universe, I love the second book for being just as good as the first and for setting up the rest of the series. There is so much more I could talk about, but this is already a mega post and there are five more books to read! It is now time for me to go read, watch, play and interact with the third book and I am very excited about it. I love this chance to just go on and on and on about these books that I love. Thanks for hanging in there and Happy Reading Everybody!
Did you like the second book as much as the first? What are your feelings on Dobby? Did this post make any sense? Do I ever make any sense?
Who here has not wanted to hear those three little words "You're a wizard", I know ever since reading Harry Potter and the Philosopher (Sorcerers)Stone (now known as PS) that I am convinced that my letter got lost in the Owl Post somewhere. If that last sentence made any sense whatsoever then you are in the right place. That is right people today is the first post in my Harry Potter (HP) re-read! This will be a bit different from my usual ramblings because I am not gonna sum up the book, mostly because the few people who have not seen it, watched the movie, played the games, or visited the theme park can get the complete plot from one of the zillions of sites dedicated to the HP phenomenon. That being said as always SPOILERS AHEAD!
First off here is a list of things I did for the PS reread.
Read the book by J.K. Rowling (It is only called the Sorcerers Stone in the US)
Watched the movie
Played the Book 1 Level on Lego Harry Potter
Went through the first book on Pottermore
All of this combined with rehashing it with my siblings, parents, Hubbin and anybody who would listen to me made for a great experience. And now for some completely random thoughts on this book. This is the book that made me give up my snobbish "well I don't read books just because everybody else is reading them" attitude. I was house sitting and had run out of books (I know sounds like the start of a horror film) and picked up PS because it was there. I remember starting on the first pages, not really expecting a whole lot and finding myself looking up and hour later realizing that it was now dark. I promptly made myself a cup of coffee, canceled all non-essential plans and classes (this was during my college days) and tried to figure out if I could afford to call in sick to work. This book completely drew me in. This was my start to my great HP adventure that would grow to consume my whole family, and later my Hubbin. I think even though this is not my absolute favorite book in the series (that would be Goblet of Fire), but I loved how it introduced this whole entire world to us, through a person who knew even less then we did. The idea that we can exist along side all of this wonderful magic, and to watch Harry's joy and confusion (which let's be honest, we would all be feeling if we got taken to this world) really hit home with me. I loved how everything was introduced in a practical way, and that most magic seems to have some type of purpose. On the flip side I also love how certain wizards had a fascination with Muggle (best descriptive word ever) technology, even referring to it as magic of its own kind, reminding us that magic is all a mater of perception and while we may not be wizards, we all have our own brand of magic too. This is one of those books where you live in the world that was created, long after you have closed the covers on the pages. This to me is the ultimate test of a good book/story.
This gets me to the other thing I love about this book. We are not introduced to the top tier group as our guides to this madness. We have a boy who has been
neglected and downtrodden with little to no self-esteem who is more clueless then the reader is as our hero. Our sidekicks (though I would argue by the end of the book we end up with more hero's then sidekicks) consist of a lower middle class boy who has either perfect brothers, or class clown brothers to live up to, no easy going for our favorite red-headed best friend Ron. He is constantly trying to stand out as outstanding at something, yet finding it difficult to even maintain good enough. Hermione is every kids worst nightmare, the know it all, who is not only extremely proficient at magic, but being Muggle born knows the other world as well. Unfortunately socialization is not her strong suite, and she isn't even all that pretty (which is a smart girls saving grace in most books, ugh eyeroll). Add to this the clumsiest boy who may have ever survived his fifth birthday (aw I love my Neville) and our guides to the wizarding world are far from perfect. It is this humaness, these kids who react just like normal 12 year olds would react, regardless of them going to a school for magic, or a boarding school, or a public school. The magic aspect is just one more facet to these all too human kids.
Ok moving on to some other media. I love the movie. The casting was sublime (seriously Maggie Smith AND Alan Rickman my life is complete) and this is what made the movie for me. I had read the book at least twice before the first movie came out and I was very anxious because this world and especially the characters had become a major part of my life (if you were wondering just how geeky I am I think that last sentence probably summed it up nicely). There were a few castings that did not 100% what I had in my (Mr. Weasly and Professor Quirrell being two) but on the
whole I was astounded how closely the actors matched what I saw in my head. Of course after the first movie I had visuals in my head for all the books going forward, which usually irritates me, but since they matched so well, I could deal with it. The trio (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson) not only pulled of there characters wonderfully, but you could see the actual growing of a friendship that is the basis for the rest of the series. This movie very much set the tone as far as visuals and music went so very beautiful. I think you could tell that the author had a hand in the movie, because a lot of what made the book successful was also put into the film, you know the little things like tapping the brick, and Quirrell twitching and stammering, and even the owl that distracts Dumbledore. You can never replace the book, but I thought this is one of the best adaptions of a book I have ever seen. I think of all the HP movies this is my favorite, just because it is that first real glimpse of magic and awesomeness, and after it is more like returning home then it is so wondrous.
Playing the Lego Harry Potter games makes me very very very happy. They are funny, interesting and add one more dimension to the HP universe. My favorite things about the Lego games is that they are geared for the younger crowd so some of the more scary elements are comiced up (that is a word I promise). For instance, when they go into the woods, instead of a dead unicorn, they find a sleeping unicorn in Hagrids hut and he is helping it. You play little episodes so it is less of a full blown story and more like vignettes. You also get to explore a lot of places. In the first book you see Diagon Alley, Hogwarts, The Forbidden Forest and the Quidditch Pitch. All in all a humorous non-frustrating way to get a little HP time.
Pottermore has improved greatly from when it first launched. It used to be kind of clunky and a wee bit confusing, but the new interface is very nice. It still has a few glitches, and we are still missing the last three books, but they have been steadily adding to the site. This is a great place to hang out with other HP fans and get your own Hogwarts experience. In the first book you get to go get your wand, school supplies and get sorted into your house (I'm a Slytherin). The artwork is gorgeous and there is a ton of extra tidbits the author has thrown in, background about certain characters, where she got some ideas, the books and myths she used in her stories. Totally worth checking out.
Whew, you sick of my undying HP love yet? In case you haven't figured it out. This first book in this magical series makes me so very very happy. The budding friendships, the first innocent look at magic before we are terrorized by the evil, the shiny newness of this world that is so different and yet so familiar. There is so much to love about this book, and I agree with the people who have declared it a classic, it sits next to my Narnia's and Lord of the Rings books on my favorites classic shelf at home. Ok I will quit gushing now so I can go start on the next book!
Here are a few other great Harry Potter obsession sites for you to check out while reading this series. Mark Reads Harry Potter- Follow along chapter by chapter as a guy reads HP for the first time, it is like reading it for the first time all over again, very cool and since he goes chapter by chapter you can follow along if you like. The Harry Potter Lexicon-Pretty much the wiki of HP, a great place to look up your favorite spells, or get a handle on all of the characters. Also great for those tricky British words for us 'Mercans. The Leaky Cauldron-Your place for EVERYTHING HP, books, movies, games, park, news, chit-chat, debates, even issues of the Quibbler.
What is your favorite part about this first book? How innocent do they all seem? What part of the wizarding world would most like to visit? How much convincing would it take for me to get my husband to buy me compete sets of every cover of these books? How geeky am I?
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