Yer A Wizard!

I've started re-reading Harry Potter.
I don't know what made me do it. I'm going to blame tumblr.

I have a love/hate relationship with these books. I grew up loving them, but in my college years started to hate them. But then I still liked the movies... But I was grateful to J.K. Rowling for writing the series, but resented how she always claimed to be a victim of the stories emotional trauma just like us readers. And I dare say no, do not trivialize what I am feeling because of what you have written by saying you feel the same way. You can cry because you killed off a character, but let's never forget that you did it, and you didn't have to -- hat you decided it was more important to make a point about some social issue (as apparently they all were symbolism). I'm much more appreciative of George R.R. Martin's style of -- yeah I did it, and i'll do it again, just wait! you think this was bad, you don't even know! mwahahaha! *giggles*

So that's why I wasn't reading Harry Potter...even when I took a class in college about Harry Potter. Yeah, that was a thing. I compared Harry's invisibility cloak to Plato's Ring of Gyges to determine that Harry would probably stop at a stop sign even if there was no one around. Woo college!

But anywho, I've been on tumblr a lot lately and seen a lot of posts about the world of HP, and Rowling released the new update on his life or something, and a musician that I don't remember, and I was like "hey, maybe I should give it another try?" So I did, and was quickly engrossed. And I rewarded my read-a-thon of the 1st book with a viewing of the 1st movie. Husband noticed what was happening and quickly jumped on board. So we're now reading the books in order, and watching the movie whenever one of us finishes the next book -- which is always when Husband finishes the book now, since he's a crazy fast reader.

The books are wonderful. I admit it. They are incredibly crafty and witty when Rowling wants/needs to be, and I can't help but get suckered into it. I definitely like the lighter side, and am slowing down the darker the books get. But I do enjoy being able to read at my own pace. It's not a competition (although it does kind of sound like one...) and it's not the release of any of them. There are no spoilers to look out for, and I don't need to be the first kid in class to finish them either. It's kinda nice. In just a week or so I leisurely made it to book four, and well stopped. (I had a craving to read some Sherlock Holmes.) But that's settled and I'm back at it trucking along. I'm super excited to take the time to continue to appreciate all the stuff that gets ignored in the movies. Particularly Hermoine and the house-elf stuff. That stuff was totally skimmed when I had a little brother anxiously waiting for his turn to read the book and we were sharing a copy. But Hermoine is a badass, was totally my role model growing up, and I'm excited to read it and actually appreciate it.

I've also enjoyed watching the movies. Can't help it. And it's been funny to see them so close together. Not having years between a book's release/read and the movie. They are pretty cheesy. Don't get me wrong, great fun. But kind of terrible. Harry is a character that needs an omniscient narrator, so you really get a feel for what's going on in that kid's young little head. (a.k.a - what is wrong with Harry Potter??) It really makes no sense after reading the books which are so thorough in explaining stuff and his motivation for doing stuff. By comparison the movies are now like high-quality Potter Puppet Pals. Not a dig on their acting (they're just kids!) but in how frenzied the action and pacing is. And he just seems daft, like all the time! And without understanding the nuances of his rivalry I actually started to feel bad for Malfoy at the end of the last movie (Prisoner of Azkaban). I'll have to explain why in another post, but if you think about it, it's not a stretch of the imagination...besides the whole, father is a death eater thing...

If you want a good late-summer read, I recommend giving the books another go. And if you want a great laugh, watch the movie immediately after... which reminds me, I owe someone a viewing of Goblet of Fire...

'til next time!