Monthly Archives: July 2007

No Harry Potter Spoilers

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Amber, Megan, Me, and Ashley at the Harry Potter Midnight PartyBefore I say anything, I want everyone to know I won’t give anything away. My first post about the book won’t be until July 28 (changed based on Becky’s feedback–see first comment). I don’t want to ruin the experience for anyone.

As you can tell, I haven’t really posted anything for a while. I was so busy trying to finish Half-Blood Prince, and then my Internet connection went down on Friday night. Although, by that time, I was so engrossed in getting and reading Deathly Hallows I wouldn’t have posted anything anyway. ;)

I went to a Harry Potter midnight party at Borders with my nieces Amber and Megan, and Amber’s best friend, Ashley. We had lots of fun! :D We made wands; we made flowers to put on Dumbledore’s and Sirius’s graves; we were sorted into a Hogwarts House–I was sorted into Hufflepuff; we ate blood pops–that’s why I’m sticking out my tongue in the picture above; we put on temporary tattoos; we listened to a local band called Harry Potter and the Lightning Bolts; and, we got our book around 12:15 am.

Me Putting a Flower on Dumbledore’s Grave Me and Megan

Me and Ashley Rockin’ Out to Avoid Spoilers Me and Ashley Rockin’ Out to Avoid Spoilers

I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Sunday morning. It took me about 18 hours to read. As you can imagine, I’m extremely tired, but staying up to finish the book was so worth it. I absolutely loved the book and I thought JK Rowling couldn’t have tied up the loose ends any more nicely than she did.

I’m so glad JK Rowling decided to share the wonderful story of Harry Potter with the world. These books have changed my life. I didn’t really like to read before I read Harry Potter. Sure, I read a few books here and there like enjoying a good mystery by Mary Higgins Clark or a good science fiction novel, Dune being my favorite. But, it wasn’t until I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone that I realized that I do actually enjoy reading.

If you had to choose your favorite Harry Potter moment from any of the books, what would it be? My favorite Harry Potter moment was when Harry realized he liked Ginny in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

Albus Dumbledore

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Albus DumbledoreI finished reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. As I read the last page of chapter 37, “The Lost Prophecy”, I couldn’t help feeling sad because I know what’s coming in Half-Blood Prince. Dumbledore cares so much for Harry, more than Harry can or will ever know. His love seems so unconditional. His greatest desire is for Harry to be safe and not to carry the burden that he has to.

I know it was hard for Harry when Sirius died, but I feel much more of a loss knowing Dumbledore will die at the end of Half-Blood Prince and not able to help Harry in Deathly Hallows. I tried to cry when Sirius died, but I find myself more teary-eyed as I read the last two paragraphs of chapter 37.

“I feel I owe you another explanation, Harry,” said Dumbledore hesitantly. “You may, perhaps, have wondered why I never chose you as a prefect? I must confess … that I rather thought … you had enough responsibility to be going on with.”

Harry looked up at him and saw a tear trickling down Dumbledore’s face into his long silver beard.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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Harry Potter and Order of the Phoenix PosterCorey and I saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix last night. I thought it was a good adaptation of the book. They did a good job of extracting the important parts of an almost 900-page book and showing those parts in a movie. However, there were a few things I didn’t like how they were portrayed in the movie.

First, the dementors in the movie grabbed and choked Harry as they tried to “kiss” him. In the books, dementors don’t grab people. (The only time they actually touch someone is when they’re “carrying” you to prison as a policeman would an assailant.) Once the dementors come close enough to you, you feel “as though all happiness [has] gone from the world … and [you remember] … dreadful things” as stated by Arabella Figg in the book. The dementors don’t need to grab or choke you before they “kiss” you.

Second, I wished the movie would’ve explained that Umbridge ordered the dementors to attack Harry and Dudley because she wanted to discredit him more than he already was. It shows how power hungry she is and how much she hates Harry. In the movie, I felt like she was only there because Fudge (Minister of Magic) sent her there when, in fact, she helped set the events in motion that made him send her there.

Third, because there have been different directors for the movies, there have been some continuity issues with the movies. The dementors, in this movie, looked like burnt logs.  Whereas, in the Prisoner of Azkaban movie, they were cloaked as described in the books.

Even though I was disappointed with the above things, I still enjoyed seeing the movie. I enjoyed seeing things come to life and experiencing the book in a visual manner. I loved the scene with Fred and George’s fireworks. It was really neat, especially with Professor Flitwick’s “yes” as they left the school.

Steph-Heads Unite

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Recently, there was an article in the Phoenix New Times publication about Stephenie Meyer. I posted the following comment about the article:

This is a great article! I love seeing Stephenie in such a personable light. I just wanted to say that not all her fans are teenage girls. There are many that are nearly 30 (like me) and older who adore Stephenie just as much! Twilight and New Moon are so captivating! Once you start to read them, you can’t put them down. They draw you in and make you feel like you’re a part of the story. You can relate to the characters so easily. The way Stephenie describes things is so visual and allows you to see a clear picture of everything going on. She is amazing!

Twilight Lexicon Link IconI’m completely a Steph-Head. I visit the Twilight Lexicon (Lex) at least once a day to read what others think about her as well as post my own thoughts. It’s so much fun being a part of something so amazing. The fans have so much fun talking about the books and Stephenie Meyer. I’ve made a few friends from going to the Lex. Her fans adore her so much and I think it’s because she’s so personable. From what I can tell, she doesn’t seem to let her fame go to her head and she seems very down to earth.