All Is Right With The World.
This is yet another pop culture post. I know I haven't posted much about spiritual matters lately or about any of the goings-on at church. Those just aren't things I want to dwell on right now. I'll write about them when I'm able to without causing the vein in my forehead to throb. I also haven't visited other blogs much. I'm sorry that I've been missing those. As summer winds down and the school year begins, that happy habit will be reestablished.
WARNING! NO SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
We got in from Pismo around 3:00 on Saturday. Lisa made me help unloading the Durango before crossing the street to get the mail. She knew, you see, that my copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" awaited me there and if I got my grimy hands on it, that would be the last she saw of me. She was right. She's always right.
I had completely avoided the internet, newspapers, magazines, TV stories...anything that might give away something about this book. (Then I read my blog comments and almost threw something at the monitor. I said I was HALF-finished. HALF-FINISHED!!)
Yesterday, I completed one of the most thoroughly satisfying reads in living memory. I can't write a critique yet; Lisa is only about a quarter of the way through. But I can say a few things.
For one, Rowling has turned into a real, live author. The seventh book incorporates facets from each of the first six, many of them important. It's clear that she had this mapped out from the very beginning, unlike, say, the writers of "The X-Files" or "Alias." (Note to JJ Abrams: If Milo Rambaldi shows up anywhere in "Lost," I'm done, my friend. Done.)
This was not a book for children. Aside from the fact that they probably have never heard the words "doppleganger" or "diadem"...unless of course they were brought up in the C of C, then they've sung the latter...this was adult material. It was scary, funny, poignant. It was deep. This book explored the nature of friendship as well as any I've ever read, with the possible exception of "It." Yes, "It."
I so appreciate an author that doesn't need to spell everything out. She trusts that we know the characters. She leads us to the water and knows we'll drink. Other writers force your head under and pry open your mouth. Ugh. Water's less refreshing that way.
In a few weeks, when the whole world knows whether Harry lives or dies, I'll probably write more of a review. For now, I just want to say that I put this series in a class with Narnia and "Lord of the Rings." And the last book was easily my favorite of the lot...much like "The Last Battle" and "Return of the King" were my favorites of the other series. I'm a sucker for resolution and closure.
In other news, George Lucas has seen the light. Here is a picture of him wearing a shirt that says, "Han Shot First." I believe my views on the importance of that fact are widely known. Anyway, the universe is fitting better into place having seen this photo.
posted by Thurman8er @ 9:18 PM
10 Comments:
Hey! I didn't say that what I wrote was correct or incorrect! I only said that some stuff I dismissed and didn't think could happen, did happen. AND I wrote my blog on Thursday, so I knew as much as you did. I didn't spoil anything! Wow, you're touchy about your seven-book, 780-page per book series...
Wendy was being a "futurist" (or a predictor) for book seven. Was she RIGHT? Remind me to tell you HOW she reads a new Harry Potter book! Better yet, she should tell you...(talk about instant gratification!!)
Will you still like me if I tell you I have not read a single Harry Potter book AND I have only seen a portion of ONE of the movies, that being because I was a somewhat captive audience. I mean, I COULD have gone out on the front porch and played with the dog while the rest of the family finished watching it................
:)
Seer of seers! Prognosticator of prognosticators!
I don't deal with suspense well, so I read any book like this one three times - the first is a speed-read, which I can do in a day. The second is in chunks, a bit more detailed. The third is every word savored. What, did you think I read the end first? Hardly!
1. Lucas is only wearing that shirt because THE Han Solo is standing right next to him and everyone know there is no 4th Indiana Jones film without Ford.
2. I'm so glad you did not destroy your computer. I would hate for you to have to explain to your son why daddy destroyed the computer.
3. Who is Milo Rambaldi? Now I got to google it or this will be bothering me for weeks. Even if this Milo comes on, I will remain a loyal viewer. Even if the final three seasons go sour, I will go down with the ship.
4. I...I forgot point number 4, so I will just skip it and go to point number five.
5. This was not in your blog, but what you did on Wednesday. Thanks for sharing that set of verses about Moses in the cleft. I have been looking for that story for a couple weeks now. I of course did not read the whole book of Exodus, but I tried Biblical search engines and got too many verses to look at without my brain exploding. It took some time, but God finally answered my prayer. I guess I was in the wrong cleft for a while. I do not just have one favorite verse, but my favorite Psalm is Psalm 138.
Yeah. who is this Milo dude?
And I failed to "get" the "Han Shot First" on Lucus' shirt...I couldn't even SEE that on his shirt. What does THAT mean...the words on the shirt, I mean...not that I couldn't see it.
It would be sacrilegious to cast anyone but Ford as Indiana!
So sorry I missed your class Wed. nite...(knee surgery went fine)
My favorite bible chapter is Ps 139
I still have HP #5 to read...I just found it in my bookshelf...it sure is a FAT one - but it's the hardcover. So, I guess I'm 3 books behind everyone else!
Back to work in a few weeks, ugh! I haven't read any of the Potter books but I have seen the movies. My son Steven loves the books and movies.
It does seem that this series has grown up.
Diadem! Ha, ha, ha! :-)
I have the book ordered, but it hasn't arrived yet.
No way in the world I would put the books on the same level as LEWIS and TOLKIEN. No way in the world. Books five and six were fillers, as far as I'm concerned. All three reading experts in my home agree.
Now, I'm not saying I haven't enjoyed them very much.
And thanks for not spoiling the book. Much appreciated.
It's great that you finished the book and all, but when are you going to finish writing a new blog?
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