This was my night.
I know you understand the sequence of emotions lol
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Days 14 & 15, 2,097
Days 14 & 15 : July 6th and 7th
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, page
Total pages read : 2,097 of 4,100 (51% completed)
And we're off to the Order of the Phoenix! Right now, I'm starting Chapter 14, and am just getting that first taste of how evil Umbridge is at Hogwarts!
The idioms in Harry Potter have really caught my eye so far. It's great, they're just subtly hidden in there that really sell you on the idea that there's really a whole new culture that we're learning about here. "...Well, it's no good crying over spilled potion, I suppose ... but the cat's among the pixies now..." says Ms. Figg, and later Ron says "Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots".
When the advance guard comes to transport Harry to the Order of the Phoenix, they arrive at 12 Grimmauld Place and Harry says "it was as though they had just entered the house of a dying man". He finds out that it's actually Sirius's house a while later. It's a great subtle bit of foreshadowing there! I'm actually really proud of myself for catching this...
The trio is subjected to help deep-clear the house! They come across a lot of items including "a heavy locket that none of them could open". It's the horcrux locket!
Lupin and Tonks are discussing work and he Order, and say "What were you saying about Scrimgeour?" "Oh...yeah... well, we need to be a bit more careful, he's been asking Kingsley and me funny questions". It's good that we're getting a little shred of his character before he becomes Minister.
When Mr. Weasley escorts Harry to the Ministry for his hearing, they meet a man in the elevator. "Urgent business, Bode" ... "Ah, yes," said Bode, surveying Harry unblinkingly. "Of course." Harry barely had emotion to spare for Bode, but his unfaltering gaze did not make him feel any more comfortable. More introduction of Bode! We'll be hearing more about him later.
"I don't believe it! Oh Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!" "What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?" said George indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son. Again, the Weasleys are missing the point when it comes to Fred and George. They're different, but they're not inferior.
"Been having a nice little chat with her about whether or not I'm a lying, attention-seeking prat, have you?" Harry said loudly. "No," said Hermione calmly, "I told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually. And it would be quite nice if you stopped jumping down Ron's and my throats, Harry, because if you haven't noticed, we're on your side." FINALLY! When Harry said this I was seriously about the drop the book because he's has been so freaking angsty. Luckily the next line is Hermione putting him back in his place. Thank God for Hermione.
Two funny quotes! "Ah," said Fudge, who looked thoroughly disconcerted. "Dumbledore. Yes. You --- er --- got our --- er --- message that the time and --- er --- place of the hearing had been changed, then?" "I mist have missed it," said Dumbledore cheerfully. "However, due to a lucky mistake I arrived at the Ministry three hours early, so no harm done."
"Well, I had one that I was playing Quidditch the other night," said Ron, screwing up his face in an effort to remember. "What d'you reckon that means?" "Probably that you're going to be eaten by a giant marshmallow or something," said Harry, turning the pages of The Dream Oracle without interest."
I actually had a deep thought about what I've read so far in Order of the Phoenix (Before I went to Steubenville, mind you). Harry is getting extremely angry and frustrated because Dumbledore isn't filling him on what's been going on. And Dumbledore has been making a few decisions that Harry doesn't like, for example, making Ron a prefect instead of him, or having members of the Order tail him. Harry feels betrayed and starts to lash out at his friends. But what he doesn't understand is that Dumbledore knows SO much more about the situation than he could even guess. Dumbledore had Ron be prefect because he felt that being in the public eye and having even more responsibilities would be the last thing Harry would want. He had members of the Order tail Harry to keep him protected. He withholds information from Harry because Harry doesn't need to know the whole plan yet!
It reminded me a lot of how we deal with God sometimes. He has a plan and we want to know all of it NOW! But if you're giving someone directions to a far-away place, you don't just quickly list off all of the turns and steps! You go slowly and one-by-one, because if you just regurgitate all that information, the person won't understand.
God has a fantastic plan for us, but if He revealed it all to us it would be so crazily overwhelming. So we receive the plan one step at a time. We sometimes get frustrated, angry, and feel betrayed because we don't understand why God is doing certain things. But we just have to remind ourselves that God has a plan, and it would be silly to think that it's good for us to be told the entire plan right now. Trust!
Only 2,003 pages left to go!
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, page
Total pages read : 2,097 of 4,100 (51% completed)
And we're off to the Order of the Phoenix! Right now, I'm starting Chapter 14, and am just getting that first taste of how evil Umbridge is at Hogwarts!
The idioms in Harry Potter have really caught my eye so far. It's great, they're just subtly hidden in there that really sell you on the idea that there's really a whole new culture that we're learning about here. "...Well, it's no good crying over spilled potion, I suppose ... but the cat's among the pixies now..." says Ms. Figg, and later Ron says "Poisonous toadstools don't change their spots".
When the advance guard comes to transport Harry to the Order of the Phoenix, they arrive at 12 Grimmauld Place and Harry says "it was as though they had just entered the house of a dying man". He finds out that it's actually Sirius's house a while later. It's a great subtle bit of foreshadowing there! I'm actually really proud of myself for catching this...
The trio is subjected to help deep-clear the house! They come across a lot of items including "a heavy locket that none of them could open". It's the horcrux locket!
Lupin and Tonks are discussing work and he Order, and say "What were you saying about Scrimgeour?" "Oh...yeah... well, we need to be a bit more careful, he's been asking Kingsley and me funny questions". It's good that we're getting a little shred of his character before he becomes Minister.
When Mr. Weasley escorts Harry to the Ministry for his hearing, they meet a man in the elevator. "Urgent business, Bode" ... "Ah, yes," said Bode, surveying Harry unblinkingly. "Of course." Harry barely had emotion to spare for Bode, but his unfaltering gaze did not make him feel any more comfortable. More introduction of Bode! We'll be hearing more about him later.
"I don't believe it! Oh Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!" "What are Fred and I, next-door neighbors?" said George indignantly, as his mother pushed him aside and flung her arms around her youngest son. Again, the Weasleys are missing the point when it comes to Fred and George. They're different, but they're not inferior.
"Been having a nice little chat with her about whether or not I'm a lying, attention-seeking prat, have you?" Harry said loudly. "No," said Hermione calmly, "I told her to keep her big fat mouth shut about you, actually. And it would be quite nice if you stopped jumping down Ron's and my throats, Harry, because if you haven't noticed, we're on your side." FINALLY! When Harry said this I was seriously about the drop the book because he's has been so freaking angsty. Luckily the next line is Hermione putting him back in his place. Thank God for Hermione.
Two funny quotes! "Ah," said Fudge, who looked thoroughly disconcerted. "Dumbledore. Yes. You --- er --- got our --- er --- message that the time and --- er --- place of the hearing had been changed, then?" "I mist have missed it," said Dumbledore cheerfully. "However, due to a lucky mistake I arrived at the Ministry three hours early, so no harm done."
"Well, I had one that I was playing Quidditch the other night," said Ron, screwing up his face in an effort to remember. "What d'you reckon that means?" "Probably that you're going to be eaten by a giant marshmallow or something," said Harry, turning the pages of The Dream Oracle without interest."
I actually had a deep thought about what I've read so far in Order of the Phoenix (Before I went to Steubenville, mind you). Harry is getting extremely angry and frustrated because Dumbledore isn't filling him on what's been going on. And Dumbledore has been making a few decisions that Harry doesn't like, for example, making Ron a prefect instead of him, or having members of the Order tail him. Harry feels betrayed and starts to lash out at his friends. But what he doesn't understand is that Dumbledore knows SO much more about the situation than he could even guess. Dumbledore had Ron be prefect because he felt that being in the public eye and having even more responsibilities would be the last thing Harry would want. He had members of the Order tail Harry to keep him protected. He withholds information from Harry because Harry doesn't need to know the whole plan yet!
It reminded me a lot of how we deal with God sometimes. He has a plan and we want to know all of it NOW! But if you're giving someone directions to a far-away place, you don't just quickly list off all of the turns and steps! You go slowly and one-by-one, because if you just regurgitate all that information, the person won't understand.
God has a fantastic plan for us, but if He revealed it all to us it would be so crazily overwhelming. So we receive the plan one step at a time. We sometimes get frustrated, angry, and feel betrayed because we don't understand why God is doing certain things. But we just have to remind ourselves that God has a plan, and it would be silly to think that it's good for us to be told the entire plan right now. Trust!
Only 2,003 pages left to go!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Days 11, 12, & 13, 1,819 pages
Days 11, 12, & 13 : July 3rd, 4th, & 5th
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, FINISHED
Total pages read : 1,819 of 4,100 (44% completed)
These past few days have been crazy because of 4th of July festivities and the awesome PPI camp-out. I'm really behind schedule, but at least I finished Goblet of Fire! GoF was my favorite HP book when I was in middle school. I remember finishing the book for the first time on the couch and being absolutely petrified at Voldemort's return. I used to just go back and read the end of the book because it was so great and because that was when everything changed. I mentioned this to someone earlier, but the first 4 books really are the nice-and-happy books. From now on, things are very very dark.
I think this quote meant the most to me. Sirius says... "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." It reminded me a lot of the quote from Pope John Paul II, saying "A society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members." The Harry Potter books make a lot of bold statements against prejudice, bullying, discrimination, and hate. And this quote does a great job of summing it all up!
"It was Voldemort, Harry thought, staring up at the canopy of his bed in the darkness, it all came back to Voldemort . . . . He was the one who had torn these families apart, who had ruined all these lives." The other day Zach and I were talking about something, I think it was the different character flaws that lead to Voldemort's rise. And a bit about the nature-nurture thing as well. But what we came down to is that it's not about all the intricacies and whose fault it is. In the Harry Potter books, the root of evil is just Voldemort.
Voldemort gives us some huge clues about horcruxes in this book. He's reprimanding the Death Eaters when he says "They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death?" Then later he says "I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal--to conquer death. And now, I was tested, and it appeared that one of more of my experiments had worked . . .for I had not been killed, though the curse should have done it." MAN, those are seriously some massive hints when it comes to horcruxes. But we, as readers, literally had no idea that those exist, because they only exist in the HP world.
"Decent people are so easy to manipulate, Potter." says the imposter-Moody to Harry. It's really sad, but I can see how that's true in some cases. Sometimes it's really easy to take advantage of decent people, because it's possible to predict how they're going to act. Again, sad but true. Got me thinking about it for a while.
Cornelius Fudge is being close-minded, and Dumbledore confronts him about how he has been valuing pure wizarding blood over the more important things. He says, "You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!" Again, the Harry Potter books say a lot about discrimination. In the books, being pure wizarding blooded tends to be over-valued. Those who are half-blood or are born from Muggles are treated like lesser beings. Dumbledore is taking a stand and saying that those characteristics aren't what matter, it's what you make of the situation and the person you grow to be that's important. This relates to real-world issues, where those born certain races, orientations, and beliefs, (etc) are discriminated against. I don't like it when people try to say that the Harry Potter books are bad for children when they actually teach some of the most important lessons out there.
And to finish off, a quote from Dumbledore that simply doesn't need explanation or analysis :) "We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it by only showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."
Goblet of Fire is an AMAZING book, and I'm excited to move on to the books that deal with Voldemort's rise. Only 2,281 pages to go!
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, FINISHED
Total pages read : 1,819 of 4,100 (44% completed)
These past few days have been crazy because of 4th of July festivities and the awesome PPI camp-out. I'm really behind schedule, but at least I finished Goblet of Fire! GoF was my favorite HP book when I was in middle school. I remember finishing the book for the first time on the couch and being absolutely petrified at Voldemort's return. I used to just go back and read the end of the book because it was so great and because that was when everything changed. I mentioned this to someone earlier, but the first 4 books really are the nice-and-happy books. From now on, things are very very dark.
I think this quote meant the most to me. Sirius says... "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." It reminded me a lot of the quote from Pope John Paul II, saying "A society will be judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members." The Harry Potter books make a lot of bold statements against prejudice, bullying, discrimination, and hate. And this quote does a great job of summing it all up!
"It was Voldemort, Harry thought, staring up at the canopy of his bed in the darkness, it all came back to Voldemort . . . . He was the one who had torn these families apart, who had ruined all these lives." The other day Zach and I were talking about something, I think it was the different character flaws that lead to Voldemort's rise. And a bit about the nature-nurture thing as well. But what we came down to is that it's not about all the intricacies and whose fault it is. In the Harry Potter books, the root of evil is just Voldemort.
Voldemort gives us some huge clues about horcruxes in this book. He's reprimanding the Death Eaters when he says "They, who knew the steps I took, long ago, to guard myself against mortal death?" Then later he says "I, who have gone further than anybody along the path that leads to immortality. You know my goal--to conquer death. And now, I was tested, and it appeared that one of more of my experiments had worked . . .for I had not been killed, though the curse should have done it." MAN, those are seriously some massive hints when it comes to horcruxes. But we, as readers, literally had no idea that those exist, because they only exist in the HP world.
"Decent people are so easy to manipulate, Potter." says the imposter-Moody to Harry. It's really sad, but I can see how that's true in some cases. Sometimes it's really easy to take advantage of decent people, because it's possible to predict how they're going to act. Again, sad but true. Got me thinking about it for a while.
Cornelius Fudge is being close-minded, and Dumbledore confronts him about how he has been valuing pure wizarding blood over the more important things. He says, "You fail to recognize that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!" Again, the Harry Potter books say a lot about discrimination. In the books, being pure wizarding blooded tends to be over-valued. Those who are half-blood or are born from Muggles are treated like lesser beings. Dumbledore is taking a stand and saying that those characteristics aren't what matter, it's what you make of the situation and the person you grow to be that's important. This relates to real-world issues, where those born certain races, orientations, and beliefs, (etc) are discriminated against. I don't like it when people try to say that the Harry Potter books are bad for children when they actually teach some of the most important lessons out there.
And to finish off, a quote from Dumbledore that simply doesn't need explanation or analysis :) "We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it by only showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open."
Goblet of Fire is an AMAZING book, and I'm excited to move on to the books that deal with Voldemort's rise. Only 2,281 pages to go!
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Day 10, 1,542 pages
Day 10 : July 2nd, 2011
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, page 457
Total pages read : 1,542 of 4,100 (38% completed)
I'm still in Goblet of Fire, I last left off about a month before the 2nd task. Zach and I were talking about this, but Jo is such a great writer that you really feel what her characters are feeling. My heart was racing when Harry was sitting in the tent waiting for the 1st task to begin! But seriously, the humor in this book continues to just completely catch me off guard! This book is hilarious.
In my opinion, the 3rd and 4th movies are the worst. I think I'm lead to believe this just because they were so funky and different from the books. Again, I understand that things won't stay exactly the same when you go from a book to a movie, but there was too much warping of the story in the 3rd, and same goes for the 4th.
One of the significant differences I've realized in GoF is Dumbledore's reaction to Harry. "Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?" he asked calmly. is the quote from the book. In the movie, Dumbledore absolutely freaks out. Here's a clip ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG5fr3ldcpk (you only need to watch the first few seconds... it loops) Of course, this brings up the perpetual Michael Gambon vs. Richard Harris debate. But this doesn't have anything to do with the actor, the script obviously called for the actor to be anything but calm. I just don't like when the movies are so contradictory, it can change your perception of the characters.
"Yeah, it can see through Invisibility Cloaks," Moody said quietly. This is the second time I remember someone seeing through Harry's cloak, the first was in the 3rd book when the minister and Dumbledore come to Hagrid's hut. The trio are hiding under the cloak, and Dumbledore looks straight at them. But... I thought in the 7th book, it's said that the cloak is completely impenetrable! We'll have to check that out later.
Ron suggests that Ginny could go to the Yule Ball with Harry. "I can't," said Ginny, and she went scarlet too. "I'm going with --- with Neville. He asked me when Hermione said no, and I thought...well... I'm not going to be able to go otherwise, I'm not in fourth year." She looked extremely miserable. "I think I'll go and have dinner," she said, and she got up and walked off to the portrait hole, her head bowed. Ron goggled at Harry. "What's got into them?" he demanded. Haha the whole Yule Ball chapter was great! As a re-reader, I know who everyone's gonna end up with. So it was interesting to see Ginny upset that she was so close to being able to go with Harry, and to see Ron get angry at Hermione without realizing that he's angry because he has feelings for her.
"But Ron was staring at Hermione as though suddenly seeing her in a whole new light. "Hermione, Neville's right --- you are a girl..." "Oh, well spotted," she said acidly." This is probably the beginning of Ron starting to see Hermione ...well, as Jo put it, in a whole new light! He obviously doesn't understand now, but throughout the next two books, and finally, in the 6th book--- well... he dates Lavender Brown. Okay, he's dumb. But he eventually gets there.
"---that revolting Skeeter woman buzzing around---" Percy said at one point in a rant about his job, the Ministry, Mr. Crouch, etc. I'm loving the subtle hints that are being dropped, we later find out that Rita Skeeter is an Animagus who turns into a beetle.
Goofy quotes! "He sounds exactly like Moody," said Harry quietly, tucking the letter away again inside his robes. "'Constant vigilance!' You'd think I walk around with my eyes shut, banging off the walls . . ." (DAWN!)
"Dobby looked suddenly nervous and beckoned Harry closer. Harry bent forward. Dobby whispered, "He said we is free to call him a --- a barmy old codger if we likes, sir!" Dobby gave a frightened sort of giggle."
"Percy wouldn't recognize a joke if it danced naked in front of him wearing Dobby's tea cozy!"
Only 2,558 pages to go!
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, page 457
Total pages read : 1,542 of 4,100 (38% completed)
I'm still in Goblet of Fire, I last left off about a month before the 2nd task. Zach and I were talking about this, but Jo is such a great writer that you really feel what her characters are feeling. My heart was racing when Harry was sitting in the tent waiting for the 1st task to begin! But seriously, the humor in this book continues to just completely catch me off guard! This book is hilarious.
In my opinion, the 3rd and 4th movies are the worst. I think I'm lead to believe this just because they were so funky and different from the books. Again, I understand that things won't stay exactly the same when you go from a book to a movie, but there was too much warping of the story in the 3rd, and same goes for the 4th.
One of the significant differences I've realized in GoF is Dumbledore's reaction to Harry. "Did you put your name into the Goblet of Fire, Harry?" he asked calmly. is the quote from the book. In the movie, Dumbledore absolutely freaks out. Here's a clip ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG5fr3ldcpk (you only need to watch the first few seconds... it loops) Of course, this brings up the perpetual Michael Gambon vs. Richard Harris debate. But this doesn't have anything to do with the actor, the script obviously called for the actor to be anything but calm. I just don't like when the movies are so contradictory, it can change your perception of the characters.
"Yeah, it can see through Invisibility Cloaks," Moody said quietly. This is the second time I remember someone seeing through Harry's cloak, the first was in the 3rd book when the minister and Dumbledore come to Hagrid's hut. The trio are hiding under the cloak, and Dumbledore looks straight at them. But... I thought in the 7th book, it's said that the cloak is completely impenetrable! We'll have to check that out later.
Ron suggests that Ginny could go to the Yule Ball with Harry. "I can't," said Ginny, and she went scarlet too. "I'm going with --- with Neville. He asked me when Hermione said no, and I thought...well... I'm not going to be able to go otherwise, I'm not in fourth year." She looked extremely miserable. "I think I'll go and have dinner," she said, and she got up and walked off to the portrait hole, her head bowed. Ron goggled at Harry. "What's got into them?" he demanded. Haha the whole Yule Ball chapter was great! As a re-reader, I know who everyone's gonna end up with. So it was interesting to see Ginny upset that she was so close to being able to go with Harry, and to see Ron get angry at Hermione without realizing that he's angry because he has feelings for her.
"But Ron was staring at Hermione as though suddenly seeing her in a whole new light. "Hermione, Neville's right --- you are a girl..." "Oh, well spotted," she said acidly." This is probably the beginning of Ron starting to see Hermione ...well, as Jo put it, in a whole new light! He obviously doesn't understand now, but throughout the next two books, and finally, in the 6th book--- well... he dates Lavender Brown. Okay, he's dumb. But he eventually gets there.
"---that revolting Skeeter woman buzzing around---" Percy said at one point in a rant about his job, the Ministry, Mr. Crouch, etc. I'm loving the subtle hints that are being dropped, we later find out that Rita Skeeter is an Animagus who turns into a beetle.
Goofy quotes! "He sounds exactly like Moody," said Harry quietly, tucking the letter away again inside his robes. "'Constant vigilance!' You'd think I walk around with my eyes shut, banging off the walls . . ." (DAWN!)
"Dobby looked suddenly nervous and beckoned Harry closer. Harry bent forward. Dobby whispered, "He said we is free to call him a --- a barmy old codger if we likes, sir!" Dobby gave a frightened sort of giggle."
"Percy wouldn't recognize a joke if it danced naked in front of him wearing Dobby's tea cozy!"
Only 2,558 pages to go!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Days 8 & 9, 1,334 pages
Days 8 & 9 : June 30th and July 1st, 2011
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, page 249
Total pages read : 1,334 of 4,100 (33% completed)
So I've gotta say that I'm loving the introduction into the wizarding world in this book. Sure, we've been getting bits and pieces as each book comes along (as Dawn mentioned when she talked about Floo powder, etc). But GoF has such a great opportunity with the Quidditch World Cup! The little kid running off with his dad's wand, the child zooming around on a toy broomstick (which we later learn Harry used to have!!), etc. And again, over these past two days I've randomly found myself laughing out loud... to have my family ask me what exactly I'm laughing at! Most of the quotes I picked are humorous.
One that really made me laugh was the situation where the old wizard Archie wants to wear a nightgown and a Ministry wizard tries to convince him to wear pants to blend in. It reminded me of an animation I saw forever ago. Quote found in animation, no need for me to type it up! http://creativefamily.net/emmy/mugglepants/ (Be sure to hit up the "Supa Dance Mix" at the end!)
"You're eating again, I notice," said Ron, watching Hermione adding liberal amounts of jam to her toast too. "I've decided there are better ways of making a stand about elf rights," said Hermione haughtily. "Yeah...and you were hungry," said Ron, grinning. Here comes S.P.E.W.! Haha I'm never gonna get tired of Ron making fun of Hermione.
"Oh Professor, look! I think I've got an unaspected planet! Oooh, which one's that, Professor? "It is Uranus, my dear," said Professor Trelawney, peering down at the chart. "Can I have a look at Uranus too, Lavender?" said Ron. Most unfortunately, Professor Trelawney heard, and it was this, perhaps, that made her give them so much homework at the end of the class. Ahahahahahahahahahahaha I laughed so hard at this one, I had to read it out loud to my family.
And finally, a serious quote! Mr. Weasley is introducing Harry to Ministry folks. "...and that's Bode and Croaker... they're Unspeakables..." "They're what?" "From the Department of Mysteries, top secret, no idea what they get up to..." Ahhh here we go! The Department of Mysteries scene in OotP is one of my favorites of the whole series! This subtle introduction of the department got me excited :)
Only 2,766 pages to go!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Days 6 & 7, 1,166 pages
Days 6 & 7 : June 28th and 29th, 2011
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, page 82
Total pages read : 1,166 of 4,100 (28% completed)
These past two days have been a lot busier than the rest of the summer, and I haven’t been able to get in as many pages. On Wednesday I went to Cedar Point with the amazing Dawn Purcell and Zach Jones and we had some great HP discussions. Links to their own "Harry Potter Challenge" blogs are on the left. Do it! So anyway, I figured I should just combine the past two days into one entry so as not to waste your time with two short ones. So here we go!
I finished the 3rd book and got just a little way into the 4th! One of my favorite things about re-reading is that it brings back how I felt when I first read them. I remember feeling really confused near the end of Prisoner of Azkaban; primarily when Dumbledore comes in and instructs Hermione that “three turns should do it”, and especially when the truth about the betrayal of the Potters is revealed in the Shrieking Shack. I remember being so confused because the trio thinks they have things figured out, but their beliefs and deductions are really shattered. It was a different experience than the “mystery novel” endings of Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets.
As I finished reading Prisoner of Azkaban, I realized that I really hate how the 3rd movie was directed. The 1st and 2nd were very similar to the books, but man does the 3rd one just butcher and mangle the timeline. Sure, when you’re transferring a book into a movie there’s bound to be a lot that just has to be changed. But in the 3rd movie some things are changed and added for no reason. Things like future-Hermione throwing the shell-like stone at past-Harry’s head to get the past-trio to move out of Hagrid’s Hut, etc. But where this really frustrated me was the area of Lupin. I think the character Lupin is great and is really important to Harry. But when I re-read the 3rd book I realized that the relationship between Lupin and Harry isn’t really that strong, but it’s portrayed as being very tight-knit in the movies. In the books, Lupin is very distant when he explains to Harry why he didn’t want him to face a boggart, he’s reluctant when Harry wants lessons to defend himself against Dementors and tells him to wait until a better time, and once he’s back from his last werewolf-bout he forgets he’s agreed to help Harry. Of course, he does act as a mentor figure, but the way I saw it was that he’s more of a literary tool to link Harry to Sirius and his father. When Sirius comes along, that is who Harry is interested in. It’s all he can think about during the hour that he thinks he may be able to live with Sirius instead of the Dursleys. I don't know, I just feel like the focus of the movie is really off. But that's just my opinion.
On to the bits of the books that got my attention. This one really got me thinking about how much Voldemort's wrath pushed people apart, but at the same time, pulled them together. "You don't understand!" whined Pettigrew. "He would have killed me, Sirius!" "THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" roared Black. "DIED RATHER THAN BETRAY YOUR FRIENDS, AS WE WOULD HAVE DONE FOR YOU!" What Voldemort's reign was doing was putting people's character to the test. Some people crumbled, like Pettigrew. But others stood strong and were connected in ways they never believed possible, like Sirius, Remus, James, and Lily. This kind of love is what saved Harry, what held the trio together, and ultimately is what gave Harry the strength to defeat Voldemort in the end. As Jo Rowling put it so well in a past interview, "Love wins. It does win. We know it wins!".
And on a less serious note, this quote was the first to make me laugh out loud in GoF. Harry is talking about Mrs. Weasley, and Mr. Dursley describes her as "dumpy". "Harry frowned. He thought it was a bit rich of Uncle Vernon to call anyone "dumpy", when his own son, Dudley, had finally achieved what he'd been threatening to do since the age of three, and become wider than he was tall."
GOTTA GO, time to catch up! Please feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts or ideas :)
Only 2,937 pages to go!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Day 5, 982 pages
Day 5 : Monday, June 27th, 2011
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, page 332
Total pages read : 982 out of 4100 (24% completed)
I love this book! Prisoner of Azkaban used to be my least favorite... now it's growing on me more. I'm basically at the part right before they all journey to the Shrieking Shack, it's about to get really good. I just took a break, and when I came back I looked at my book and started laughing out loud... it looks like I'm reading it for school or something!
The red tab is my awesome bookmark, the blue sticky-note is the one I use to mark the place I need to read up to each day. The orange sticky-notes are what I use to remember the important things I want to blog about here, and the yellow sticky-notes are ones I put in there years ago when I was comparing the 3rd book to its movie. Reading Harry Potter is not a joke ;)
So, things that have caught my attention thus far! The first is when Sirius sneaks into the school and students speculate that he could've Apparated in. Hermione quickly clears this up with her Hogwarts A History knowledge by saying "The castle's protected by more than walls, you know ... there are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here ... They'd have seen him fly in too." This made me think of the end of the 6th book where Dumbledore and Harry Apparate into Hogsmeade (which is allowed), then quickly fly up to Hogwarts. Dumbledore has to mutter spells to lower the enchantments so they can safely pass thru to Hogwarts. Huh, well there have been plenty of times that people've flown into Hogwarts without those enchantments stopping them. Ron and Harry flew the Ford Anglia in and Charlie flew in to retrieve Norbert(a). There are also a few times where people fly freely out, like when Sirius escapes on Buckbeak, the gang flies to the Ministry in the 5th book, and when Fred and George Weasley leave Hogwarts on broomsticks in the 5th book. Maybe it doesn't really matter for people leaving, but still, there are a lot of cases where people freely entered. Thoughts?
In the Hogsmeade conversation where the adults unknowingly inform Harry about Sirius' supposed betrayal of the Potters, Hagrid talks about Sirius' giving him his flying motorcycle. "I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then ... what was he givin' it ter me for? ... Fact is, it was too easy to trace." But, was it? That's what Harry and Hagrid ride in the beginning of the 7th book because it's a method of transportation that isn't able to be traced by the Ministry. Though, I'm thinking Hagrid might be saying "trace" in the sense that there aren't a lot of flying motorcycles around, even in the wizarding world. So people might've been able to quickly identify it as Sirius' bike. Maybe.
Next, one of Harry's dreams is being described. "He was walking through a forest, his Firebolt over his shoulder, following something silvery-white. It was winding its way through the trees ahead, and he could only catch glimpses of it between the leaves. Anxious to catch up with it, he sped up, but as he moved faster, so did his quarry. Harry broke into a run, and ahead he heard hooves gathering speed. Now he was running flat out, and ahead he could hear galloping. Then he turned a corner into a clearing and ----" he wakes up. This reminded me a LOT of when Harry follows the doe Patronus through the Forest of Dean to find the Sword of Gryffindor in the pond. He didn't have his Firebolt, and Patronuses don't make noise as far as I remember, but still, this dream seems like some big foreshadowing. I'll have to check that out once I get to the 7th book.
Another one that just straight-up made me laugh out loud. ""Ah, well, people can be a bit stupid abou' their pets," said Hagrid wisely. Behind him, Buckbeak spat a few ferret bones onto Hagrid's pillow." Hahaha that's just so Hagrid.
These last two are going a little more into Dawn's territory with the whole relationship thing, but I'll give it a go. Each is a moment I found funny about each couple. First is after the Quidditch match where the Dementors enter the field and Harry falls off his Nimbus. He's in the Hospital Wing and it says "Ginny Weasley, blushing furiously, turned up with a get-well card she had made herself, which sang shrilly unless Harry kept it shut under his bowl of fruit." I'm sorry, but I just had to burst out laughing on that one. In the past 3 books there have been plenty of hints toward Ginny crushing on Harry and I didn't want to take note of all of them (again, Dawn will!) but this one was just so great I had to talk about it.
The second relationship quote is where Ron resolves to help Hermione prepare Hagrid to Buckbeak's appeal. "You won't have to do all the work along this time, Hermione. I'll help." "Oh, Ron!" Hermione flung her arms around Ron's neck and broke down completely. Ron, looking quite terrified, patted her very awkwardly on the top of the head." This falls in line with what I said in a comment on Dawn's blog post. I basically said that Ron and Harry are being protective over Hermione and Ginny, but the feelings haven't really kicked in yet. It's still just subconscious. Hermione and Ginny (Ginny especially) have a better understanding of where their emotions are leading them. Bottom line, nobody full-on knows, but the girls are way closer to knowing what they want than the boys are. It'll be great seeing all of this take shape over the next few books!
Only 3,118 pages to go!
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, page 332
Total pages read : 982 out of 4100 (24% completed)
I love this book! Prisoner of Azkaban used to be my least favorite... now it's growing on me more. I'm basically at the part right before they all journey to the Shrieking Shack, it's about to get really good. I just took a break, and when I came back I looked at my book and started laughing out loud... it looks like I'm reading it for school or something!
 |
So, things that have caught my attention thus far! The first is when Sirius sneaks into the school and students speculate that he could've Apparated in. Hermione quickly clears this up with her Hogwarts A History knowledge by saying "The castle's protected by more than walls, you know ... there are all sorts of enchantments on it, to stop people entering by stealth. You can't just Apparate in here ... They'd have seen him fly in too." This made me think of the end of the 6th book where Dumbledore and Harry Apparate into Hogsmeade (which is allowed), then quickly fly up to Hogwarts. Dumbledore has to mutter spells to lower the enchantments so they can safely pass thru to Hogwarts. Huh, well there have been plenty of times that people've flown into Hogwarts without those enchantments stopping them. Ron and Harry flew the Ford Anglia in and Charlie flew in to retrieve Norbert(a). There are also a few times where people fly freely out, like when Sirius escapes on Buckbeak, the gang flies to the Ministry in the 5th book, and when Fred and George Weasley leave Hogwarts on broomsticks in the 5th book. Maybe it doesn't really matter for people leaving, but still, there are a lot of cases where people freely entered. Thoughts?
In the Hogsmeade conversation where the adults unknowingly inform Harry about Sirius' supposed betrayal of the Potters, Hagrid talks about Sirius' giving him his flying motorcycle. "I shoulda known there was somethin' fishy goin' on then ... what was he givin' it ter me for? ... Fact is, it was too easy to trace." But, was it? That's what Harry and Hagrid ride in the beginning of the 7th book because it's a method of transportation that isn't able to be traced by the Ministry. Though, I'm thinking Hagrid might be saying "trace" in the sense that there aren't a lot of flying motorcycles around, even in the wizarding world. So people might've been able to quickly identify it as Sirius' bike. Maybe.
Next, one of Harry's dreams is being described. "He was walking through a forest, his Firebolt over his shoulder, following something silvery-white. It was winding its way through the trees ahead, and he could only catch glimpses of it between the leaves. Anxious to catch up with it, he sped up, but as he moved faster, so did his quarry. Harry broke into a run, and ahead he heard hooves gathering speed. Now he was running flat out, and ahead he could hear galloping. Then he turned a corner into a clearing and ----" he wakes up. This reminded me a LOT of when Harry follows the doe Patronus through the Forest of Dean to find the Sword of Gryffindor in the pond. He didn't have his Firebolt, and Patronuses don't make noise as far as I remember, but still, this dream seems like some big foreshadowing. I'll have to check that out once I get to the 7th book.
Another one that just straight-up made me laugh out loud. ""Ah, well, people can be a bit stupid abou' their pets," said Hagrid wisely. Behind him, Buckbeak spat a few ferret bones onto Hagrid's pillow." Hahaha that's just so Hagrid.
These last two are going a little more into Dawn's territory with the whole relationship thing, but I'll give it a go. Each is a moment I found funny about each couple. First is after the Quidditch match where the Dementors enter the field and Harry falls off his Nimbus. He's in the Hospital Wing and it says "Ginny Weasley, blushing furiously, turned up with a get-well card she had made herself, which sang shrilly unless Harry kept it shut under his bowl of fruit." I'm sorry, but I just had to burst out laughing on that one. In the past 3 books there have been plenty of hints toward Ginny crushing on Harry and I didn't want to take note of all of them (again, Dawn will!) but this one was just so great I had to talk about it.
The second relationship quote is where Ron resolves to help Hermione prepare Hagrid to Buckbeak's appeal. "You won't have to do all the work along this time, Hermione. I'll help." "Oh, Ron!" Hermione flung her arms around Ron's neck and broke down completely. Ron, looking quite terrified, patted her very awkwardly on the top of the head." This falls in line with what I said in a comment on Dawn's blog post. I basically said that Ron and Harry are being protective over Hermione and Ginny, but the feelings haven't really kicked in yet. It's still just subconscious. Hermione and Ginny (Ginny especially) have a better understanding of where their emotions are leading them. Bottom line, nobody full-on knows, but the girls are way closer to knowing what they want than the boys are. It'll be great seeing all of this take shape over the next few books!
Only 3,118 pages to go!
Monday, June 27, 2011
Day 4, 728 pages
Day 4 : Sunday, June 26th, 2011
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, page 78
Total pages read : 728 out of 4100 (18% completed)
Didn't read as much today! Too much stuff going on lol. But still, I finished Chamber of Secrets and started Prisoner of Azkaban. The part in PoA that really got me excited was when Harry was given 2 weeks to stay in the Leaky Cauldron to explore and wander around Diagon Alley. He kept talking about how much better aquinted he was becoming with the area, and when Ron and Hermione come to shop he's able to recommend places for them to go. This just got me a bit excited for the college atmosphere of being able to go out and have fun in the city your college is in and really make that a new home for yourself.
At the end of the book when Harry and Dumbledore have their annual "let's-talk-about you-and-Voldemort" meeting, one snippet of conversation stuck out to me. ""Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said, thunderstruck. "It certainly seems so."" Of course, this seems obvious to me now, but back then we didn't think it was so literal! Not only did Voldemort put a bit of himself (Parseltongue, some of his powers, etc) in Harry, he inadvertently inserted a bit of his soul! But it's funny how Harry just says it so literally so that we can get a better idea. I wonder how much Dumbledore knows at this point. Do you think he has an inkling yet?
And then a little bit later, Dumbledore explains "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Michelle put this in her graduation speech last year, and it's perfect! There are plenty of truly talented people out there who just squander their abilities. It's all about harnessing your different gifts and talents and using them to make the world a better place. Makes me think about Voldemort. He had all of this potential and these fantastic gifts, but his choices steered him away from being good. It makes you wonder if he was born like this, or if his environment (the potentially toxic environment of the orphanage) made him the way he was?
Didn't read as many pages as I should've today, gotta catch up! Only 3,372 pages to go!
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, page 78
Total pages read : 728 out of 4100 (18% completed)
Didn't read as much today! Too much stuff going on lol. But still, I finished Chamber of Secrets and started Prisoner of Azkaban. The part in PoA that really got me excited was when Harry was given 2 weeks to stay in the Leaky Cauldron to explore and wander around Diagon Alley. He kept talking about how much better aquinted he was becoming with the area, and when Ron and Hermione come to shop he's able to recommend places for them to go. This just got me a bit excited for the college atmosphere of being able to go out and have fun in the city your college is in and really make that a new home for yourself.
At the end of the book when Harry and Dumbledore have their annual "let's-talk-about you-and-Voldemort" meeting, one snippet of conversation stuck out to me. ""Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said, thunderstruck. "It certainly seems so."" Of course, this seems obvious to me now, but back then we didn't think it was so literal! Not only did Voldemort put a bit of himself (Parseltongue, some of his powers, etc) in Harry, he inadvertently inserted a bit of his soul! But it's funny how Harry just says it so literally so that we can get a better idea. I wonder how much Dumbledore knows at this point. Do you think he has an inkling yet?
And then a little bit later, Dumbledore explains "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities." Michelle put this in her graduation speech last year, and it's perfect! There are plenty of truly talented people out there who just squander their abilities. It's all about harnessing your different gifts and talents and using them to make the world a better place. Makes me think about Voldemort. He had all of this potential and these fantastic gifts, but his choices steered him away from being good. It makes you wonder if he was born like this, or if his environment (the potentially toxic environment of the orphanage) made him the way he was?
Didn't read as many pages as I should've today, gotta catch up! Only 3,372 pages to go!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Day 3, 582 pages
Day 3 : Saturday, June 25th, 2011
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, page 273
Total pages read : 582 out of 4,100 (14% completed)
Phew! Again, this is difficult but fun. This is putting me in the perfect state for the premiere. As I keep reading, I'm remembering all the crazy stories and mishaps that are to come. What I've found interesting is how dire everything seems to the trio. Not that they're not facing legitimate dangers in these first two books, but compared to the eventual showdown in Hallows, Voldy/Quirrell just seems like nothing! It was interesting to see them dealing in absolutes in times of danger ("it doesn't matter if we risk being expelled, we have to do *this* or else all is lost"), knowing that they've got real troubles ahead. They don't even know about horcruxes lol.
So there were only a few places that stuck out to me this time. The first is just that we've really gotten to get a good look at Percy Weasley as a person. There've already been a few instances where he's staying on the path of pushing his family away. Here he's yelling at Ron. ""Five points from Gryffindor!" Percy said tersely, fingering his prefect badge. "And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more detective work, or I'll write to Mum!"" The future fall-out with his family is being really well set up. It's sad.
Oh--the other thing that literally made me laugh out loud was the description of the Mandrakes! It's completely left out of the movies, and I was probably too young to get it all when I first read this book. Their maturation is described in terms of a human, and it's hilarious! "Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood. "The moment their acne clears up, they'll be ready for repotting again" Harry heard her telling Filch kindly one afternoon" and later on it says "in March several of the Mandrakes threw a loud and raucous party in greenhouse three. This made Professor Sprout very happy. "The moment they start trying to move into each other's pots, we'll know they're fully mature," she told Harry." Yeah, there've been a few times that I just had to burst out laughing while reading haha.
Right now I'm at the point where everyone's been petrified and Ron and Harry have "followed the spiders" into the forest. They're about to meet Aragog. Gettin' close to the end!
Only 3,518 pages to go!
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, page 273
Total pages read : 582 out of 4,100 (14% completed)
Phew! Again, this is difficult but fun. This is putting me in the perfect state for the premiere. As I keep reading, I'm remembering all the crazy stories and mishaps that are to come. What I've found interesting is how dire everything seems to the trio. Not that they're not facing legitimate dangers in these first two books, but compared to the eventual showdown in Hallows, Voldy/Quirrell just seems like nothing! It was interesting to see them dealing in absolutes in times of danger ("it doesn't matter if we risk being expelled, we have to do *this* or else all is lost"), knowing that they've got real troubles ahead. They don't even know about horcruxes lol.
So there were only a few places that stuck out to me this time. The first is just that we've really gotten to get a good look at Percy Weasley as a person. There've already been a few instances where he's staying on the path of pushing his family away. Here he's yelling at Ron. ""Five points from Gryffindor!" Percy said tersely, fingering his prefect badge. "And I hope it teaches you a lesson! No more detective work, or I'll write to Mum!"" The future fall-out with his family is being really well set up. It's sad.
Oh--the other thing that literally made me laugh out loud was the description of the Mandrakes! It's completely left out of the movies, and I was probably too young to get it all when I first read this book. Their maturation is described in terms of a human, and it's hilarious! "Madam Pomfrey was pleased to report that the Mandrakes were becoming moody and secretive, meaning that they were fast leaving childhood. "The moment their acne clears up, they'll be ready for repotting again" Harry heard her telling Filch kindly one afternoon" and later on it says "in March several of the Mandrakes threw a loud and raucous party in greenhouse three. This made Professor Sprout very happy. "The moment they start trying to move into each other's pots, we'll know they're fully mature," she told Harry." Yeah, there've been a few times that I just had to burst out laughing while reading haha.
Right now I'm at the point where everyone's been petrified and Ron and Harry have "followed the spiders" into the forest. They're about to meet Aragog. Gettin' close to the end!
Only 3,518 pages to go!
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Day 2, 321 pages
Day 2 : Friday, June 24th, 2011
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, page 12
Total pages read: 321 out of 4,100 (8% completed)
Wow, this is gonna be hard... but fun. I did the math, and because of my retreat I'm going on I'm gonna need to read a little under 250 pages a day to make it. This isn't necessarily really difficult, but it does mean that if I skip reading just for a day I'll be way behind.
Anyway, the books! I finished the first book, and then read 12 pages into the second. The Sorcerer's Stone... cracked me up. There's so much foreshadowing and laying down of a perfect foundation that it's not even funny. Plus, the characters are just perfect. I'd forgotten how good of an author J.K. Rowling really is. What really made me laugh was how stupid Harry is. Just young-stupid. Think about it! He's not a freshman or anything in this book.... he's 11, so that puts him in 5th or 6th grade. And so are Ron and Hermione. I'm excited to see this arc with all of them. For Ron to come out of his shell and be comfortable with himself as an individual, for Hermione to learn to shaddup, and for Harry to become the hero we all know.
There were a couple places in the book that made me stop and think. The first was on page 128, just after everyone sings the school song (everyone sings to their own tune). "Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!" This statement is really important because music has so much meaning in today's world. And Dumbledore is brought to tears by the un-polished school song!
The next is after the troll fiasco when Hermione lies to keep the boys out of trouble. "But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them." Haha this ties back to how great of a writer Jo is, and how excited I am for the character arc of these three.
The next quote is Harry and Hermione talking before Harry's first Quidditch game.
""You've got to eat some breakfast."
"I don't want anything."
"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.
"I'm not hungry."
Harry felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field." This just made me crack up because I'm pretty sure that later in the books, when it's Ron's first Quidditch game, the conversation is pretty much the same. We'll have to wait and see.
Next. "The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban." At this point in the book we don't know that Voldemort is back there, but as a re-reader I could catch this one. Hahahaha think about it! They unknowingly just pelted Voldemort in the face with a bunch of snowballs.... repeatedly. Appreciation. I wonder if Voldemort knows it was them?
After they send Norbert off to safety, the trio gets busted. "It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. He'd had it with sneaking around and spying." Haha I don't think so. There wouldn't be 6 more books if that were true! I can't imagine Jo could have written that with a straight face.
After Harry defeats Voldy/Quirrell, Dumbledore says "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows." This is so true! I was actually waiting for some sort of explanation of this in the 7th book. Think about it... this carries on for 6 more books. I wonder if there's a reason for why everything seems to leak out?
Dumbledore explains to Harry, "You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all---the trouble is, humans do have a knack for choosing precisely those things that are worst for them." It's true! Ahhhh I love Dumbledore.
And finally. Harry is about to ask Dumbledore a lot of meaningful questions, and he asks for the truth. ""The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution."" Mmmmmm, that's a lot to think about. Truth has so much power, but it's often misused.
So now I'm on to the second book! It makes me laugh because the beginning is such an excuse to recap the first book. I've never noticed because I usually don't read them in this quick of succession. But I'm pumped to finish this one tomorrow because I remember it being sooo good.
Only 3,779 pages to go!
Current Book : Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, page 12
Total pages read: 321 out of 4,100 (8% completed)
Wow, this is gonna be hard... but fun. I did the math, and because of my retreat I'm going on I'm gonna need to read a little under 250 pages a day to make it. This isn't necessarily really difficult, but it does mean that if I skip reading just for a day I'll be way behind.
Anyway, the books! I finished the first book, and then read 12 pages into the second. The Sorcerer's Stone... cracked me up. There's so much foreshadowing and laying down of a perfect foundation that it's not even funny. Plus, the characters are just perfect. I'd forgotten how good of an author J.K. Rowling really is. What really made me laugh was how stupid Harry is. Just young-stupid. Think about it! He's not a freshman or anything in this book.... he's 11, so that puts him in 5th or 6th grade. And so are Ron and Hermione. I'm excited to see this arc with all of them. For Ron to come out of his shell and be comfortable with himself as an individual, for Hermione to learn to shaddup, and for Harry to become the hero we all know.
There were a couple places in the book that made me stop and think. The first was on page 128, just after everyone sings the school song (everyone sings to their own tune). "Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!" This statement is really important because music has so much meaning in today's world. And Dumbledore is brought to tears by the un-polished school song!
The next is after the troll fiasco when Hermione lies to keep the boys out of trouble. "But from that moment on, Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them." Haha this ties back to how great of a writer Jo is, and how excited I am for the character arc of these three.
The next quote is Harry and Hermione talking before Harry's first Quidditch game.
""You've got to eat some breakfast."
"I don't want anything."
"Just a bit of toast," wheedled Hermione.
"I'm not hungry."
Harry felt terrible. In an hour's time he'd be walking onto the field." This just made me crack up because I'm pretty sure that later in the books, when it's Ron's first Quidditch game, the conversation is pretty much the same. We'll have to wait and see.
Next. "The lake froze solid and the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban." At this point in the book we don't know that Voldemort is back there, but as a re-reader I could catch this one. Hahahaha think about it! They unknowingly just pelted Voldemort in the face with a bunch of snowballs.... repeatedly. Appreciation. I wonder if Voldemort knows it was them?
After they send Norbert off to safety, the trio gets busted. "It was a bit late to repair the damage, but Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren't his business from now on. He'd had it with sneaking around and spying." Haha I don't think so. There wouldn't be 6 more books if that were true! I can't imagine Jo could have written that with a straight face.
After Harry defeats Voldy/Quirrell, Dumbledore says "What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows." This is so true! I was actually waiting for some sort of explanation of this in the 7th book. Think about it... this carries on for 6 more books. I wonder if there's a reason for why everything seems to leak out?
Dumbledore explains to Harry, "You know, the Stone was really not such a wonderful thing. As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all---the trouble is, humans do have a knack for choosing precisely those things that are worst for them." It's true! Ahhhh I love Dumbledore.
And finally. Harry is about to ask Dumbledore a lot of meaningful questions, and he asks for the truth. ""The truth." Dumbledore sighed. "It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution."" Mmmmmm, that's a lot to think about. Truth has so much power, but it's often misused.
So now I'm on to the second book! It makes me laugh because the beginning is such an excuse to recap the first book. I've never noticed because I usually don't read them in this quick of succession. But I'm pumped to finish this one tomorrow because I remember it being sooo good.
Only 3,779 pages to go!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Day 1, 71 pages
Day 1 : Thursday, June 23rd, 2011
Current Book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, page 71
Total pages read: 71 out of 4100 (2% completed)
So I recently decided that I'm going to take on the task of reading all 7 Harry Potter books before the premiere of the 8th and final movie of the series. The catch is that there are only 21 days until it's time to head out for the premiere! I've read all the books more than once, and I think that at one point I've read them all again in order, but I can't remember when it was or if I actually did it! Erin gave me the idea to blog about this experience, and Zach convinced me to actually do it. So I am! Partially because... it'll be awesome. And mostly because it'll be motivation to actually finish all 7 books in time for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. Entries might technically be posted a day late sometimes just because I'll probably read when I'm in bed. So I'll be posting the next morning before I pick up reading again.
So today I only read 71 pages because I started later in the day. Before I began reading, I was afraid that the books would seem foreign to me because it's been a while since I've read some of them. But they're not foreign at all! Some things I had forgotten, obviously, but it feels like remembering good times with an old friend more than anything.
I have found, though, that the movies have somewhat warped my memory of what actually happens. Just little things. In the movies when Hagrid reveals to Harry that he's a wizard he says "Yer a wizard, Harry!". It's about as quotable as "Luke--I am your father"! And that's the way it's stuck in my mind. But in the books, Hagrid actually says "Harry----yer a wizard". Just silly little things like that.
Right now, Harry is out of the Dursley's house and is with Hagrid. They're juuuust about to enter into Diagon Alley... and then the fun begins!
But bottom line... I'm excited! Tomorrow is the last day of teaching Religious Ed, and after that I'll have a lot more free time to just read (minus when I go on a retreat from July 8th to July 10th, but I'll figure it out). Tomorrow begins the hardcore reading!
Stay tuned. Only 4,029 pages to go!
Current Book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, page 71
Total pages read: 71 out of 4100 (2% completed)
So I recently decided that I'm going to take on the task of reading all 7 Harry Potter books before the premiere of the 8th and final movie of the series. The catch is that there are only 21 days until it's time to head out for the premiere! I've read all the books more than once, and I think that at one point I've read them all again in order, but I can't remember when it was or if I actually did it! Erin gave me the idea to blog about this experience, and Zach convinced me to actually do it. So I am! Partially because... it'll be awesome. And mostly because it'll be motivation to actually finish all 7 books in time for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. Entries might technically be posted a day late sometimes just because I'll probably read when I'm in bed. So I'll be posting the next morning before I pick up reading again.
So today I only read 71 pages because I started later in the day. Before I began reading, I was afraid that the books would seem foreign to me because it's been a while since I've read some of them. But they're not foreign at all! Some things I had forgotten, obviously, but it feels like remembering good times with an old friend more than anything.
I have found, though, that the movies have somewhat warped my memory of what actually happens. Just little things. In the movies when Hagrid reveals to Harry that he's a wizard he says "Yer a wizard, Harry!". It's about as quotable as "Luke--I am your father"! And that's the way it's stuck in my mind. But in the books, Hagrid actually says "Harry----yer a wizard". Just silly little things like that.
Right now, Harry is out of the Dursley's house and is with Hagrid. They're juuuust about to enter into Diagon Alley... and then the fun begins!
But bottom line... I'm excited! Tomorrow is the last day of teaching Religious Ed, and after that I'll have a lot more free time to just read (minus when I go on a retreat from July 8th to July 10th, but I'll figure it out). Tomorrow begins the hardcore reading!
Stay tuned. Only 4,029 pages to go!
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