Abracadabra

Well, the past couple weeks have seen a lot of at home stress and marital spatting, so I haven't been as keen on blogging or writing actual e-mails (so easy to veg it all away on facebook), maybe something interesting to blog about soon (well, I did reconnect with a very long-lost old friend in this time and I should blog a bit about that, and there are baby vat updates).

For now, though, 50 Book Challenge Books 19-21: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. All by JK Rowling as if you didnae know. No spoilers because I rightfully assume anyone who plans to read this would have done so already and if you haven't, I'll pretend to be remorseful for ruining it for you.

I'm glad to have finally gotten around to reading this series so that I can now never read it again. The stories are great; the writing is just passable. I don't find Rowling to be very descriptive or very good at fleshing out her characters, such that the important deaths of characters like Lupin, Tonks, Colin Creevey and others just doesn't resonate for me (I was more moved by the wonder at what life must be like for the Weasley twin who survived as his life went on without his other half). Add to that, the deaths are so off-hand and barely written that I feel let down (the sole exceptions being the deaths of Dumbledore and Snape, and Molly's shining moment killing Bellatrix). As is most typical for me, I hated the main character (should be no surprise to long-time friends and readers), though I did grow quite fond of Neville, Luna, Molly Weasley and Professor Mcgonnagal--the former two displaying a lot more growth throughout the books than do Harry, Ron and that Mary-Sue Hermione.

Meh. I think the 6th book, and most of the 7th, were my favourites in the series, while book one and almost all of book five were by far the most tedious.

Ah well, at least I'm almost halfway there in the challenge as I begin book 22 with the first book in another series (Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake Vampire hunter series), Guilty Pleasures.

Do You Believe in Magic?

50 Book Challenge, Books 16-18: Harry Potter and: the Chamber of Secrets; The Prisoner of Azkhaban; the Goblet of Fire, all by JK Rowling as if you didn't already know (seeing as I'm the only literate English speaker in the universe, it seems, who hasn't already read all seven of these books). As I write this I'm on page 53 of book 5, The Order of the Phoenix, and if the dementor attack on Dudley is in the 5th movie then I'm ready to go see it, Brian. For the time being, I won't be reading any further in Potter; I have a few hundred unread comics to sift through and have told Denise I refuse to continue in her favourite book in the series until she recommences the Dark Tower series (ironically, she quit at the lobstrosities because they were fantastical creatures; ironic because this Potter fantasy series is her favourite series of books and goes reread at least once yearly).

Given what I wrote in this post, there was obviously enough entertainment in books 2-4 to keep me deciding to read the next book. As I mention above, you've all read these already, so I won't was loquacious about what worked; instead I'll share me problems:

1. Harry Potter is a total prat. He spends a great deal of time pointing out how wonderful and trustworthy Dumbledore is in every book thus far; Dumbledore constantly shows himself as an understanding and trustworthy mentor, and yet Potter constantly keeps very important events hidden from Dumbledore because he doesn't trust Dumbledore to be understanding. It's enough hypocrisy to make Scott Summers proud. I was very pleased in the 4th book to find that, while Harry was keeping everything secret from Dumbledore, again, Dumbledore already knew everything because he and Sirius were keeping their knowledge and communications secret from hypocrite Harry.

2. If any random wizarding owl can find anyone anywhere to deliver post, why don't the Aurors just affix magickal tracking devices to a few letters and send owls to deliver these letters to the fugitives/villains they seek like Sirius and Wormtail? This really bothered me in book 4 when Harry was using every random owl he could to reach Sirius, I mean if the owls are that capable, you'd think the wizards would be more crafty with them.

3. If Snape is really anti-Voldemort, and knows Malfoy's a death eater, why is he so encouraging of young Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle in their nefarious activities?

4. I absolutely hated how Bill & Ted book 3 was (which I hated about movie 3 too).

Actually, complaining about Potter is tiring me. Anyway, I'll get back to reading book 5 just as soon as Denise starts reading Drawing of the Three again.

Abracadabra

50 Book Challenge #15: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.k. Rowling. Yes, I've finally broken down and decided to give it a read (babysitting today lasted longer than the shows I had saved up on their tivo, so I buckled and cracked open a book. Damn that literacy). I gave the book a try way back in early 2001 and didn't find it to my liking after one chapter, and so stopped there. I do have to say that the first three chapters or so remained tortuous to me. And despite the descriptions in the text, much of the imagery is controlled by my film viewing experience. However, given the furor of excitement over the new book, I felt maybe it was time. I liked it ok. I don't come away feeling it was as fantastic as so many of you make it out to be. It was good genre fantasy work and I'll give book two a try (each book will determine whether I want to read the next).

That's all. Still a little under the weather. Had a mostly pleasant weekend.

Peace.