kriti ki kahaani

Pottering, Day Six-Going-On-Seven: Book Seven

I don’t have much coherent to say about this book considering I read the first two hundred pages from about 2 a.m. to 3:45 a.m. last night and the remaining 560ish from around 12:15 a.m. to 4:10 a.m. just now (I have the American hardcover version of this one which is spacier in its typeface/layout/what-have-you so it seems like I read a lot faster than my approximately 100 pages/hr for the British paperbacks). Basically, attribute this to it being the wee hours of the night or not, this one was a rollercoaster of emotions! I did like it a ton more this time around than last (I distinctly recall thinking that some of the plot points were too much like those in some of the fan fiction I’d read; the comparative meh-ness of five years ago could also have been from isolating myself in my room until 2 p.m. while waiting for the book to be delivered to my doorstep).

…so I’m trying to make sense out of what I want to say, but basically: I adore all the good guys in this to bits and J.K. Rowling is so frickin’ amazing my god I really have no eloquent words to describe how amazing she is I practically cried, multiple times, while reading this, and not just due to being somewhat tired.

…it’s 4:30, good night y’alls!

Seven books in seven days: mischief managed :)

Pottering, Five-Going-On-Six: Book Six

• I had some semblance of a social life for a day so HBP took a while longer, but…
• HARRY & GINNY <3 <3 <3 I remember totally completely falling in love with the scene in the common room after the Quidditch match (I put it right up against the Anne & Gilbert scene on the bridge, I think in ‘Anne of Avonlea’?).
• I love Luna’s “knack for embarassing honesty.” I do wish there was more Luna and Neville in HBP but whenever they were mentioned they were always recognized for their unwavering support and endearing quirks so it’s all good :)
• I wonder what Amortentia would smell like to me.
• I can’t remember how I felt when I first experienced Snape’s “betrayal” but the fact that I was furious even the second time around, even though I remember something in book seven about Snape-Lily and more reasons as to why Dumbledore trusted Snape, is a testament to Rowling’s amazingness and resulted in more fan-girling.
• Remus & Tonks! Finally! I remember feeling like the only one who was totally in love with them being together and then I discovered the Mugglenet Fanfic community (don’t knock it ‘til you’ve read it… and by ‘it’ I mean the good ones). There is some ridiculously amazing Remus-Tonks fanfic out there (mostly written before book seven came out gawd here come the waterworks).
• I can’t believe I have only one more book left TT_TT
• But then I’m watching all the movies!
• And I think I’ll attempt making Butterbeer for that ^___^

Pottering, Day Three-Going-On-Four: Book Five

I can’t even put into words my love for this book. If I remember correctly this was my favorite in the series and thus far into the reading marathon my love for OOTP is just grown exponentially. This is me being about 23094 times less emotional than I actually am about this book, I love it love it love it to bits.

There’s so much in OOTP I seriously don’t know where to begin. I love Ginny’s new confidence. I like to think having Tonks around during the summer brought that out in her, of course along with the whole not-crushing-on-Harry thing. Luna Lovegood, she just makes me so happy I want to hug her! And I’ve been waiting since the start of ‘Goblet of Fire’ to get to book five for Fred and George’s crazy antics (I cannot wait to see the fireworks and hallway swamp scenes in the movie, I do hope they do the book justice!) And I love love love Hermione (and Ron, of course), and oh! when the super six get together for the first time, so much love! So many new characters, so many new details, so much beautiful description and character building and – basically J.K. Rowling is a witch of the highest order possible, I basically have no words to praise her enough. Honestly, her plot lines are so intricately and finely weaved it’s mind-blowing.

 tl;dr: Rowling is my idol. Rowling is a god.

I swear, I’m fan-girling right now more than I fan-girled during the Royal Wedding when I stayed up until five a.m. to watch that thing and I was seriously fan-girling a whole ton then (I baked scones at two in the morning and watched about three 20/20 specials on Kate Middleton to stay awake). Goodness I should just move to the U.K.

Pottering, Day Two: Book Four

Definitely out of practice with the whole reading thing because book four took me all day! All the feasts in this book sure made me excited for the savory stews and sweet puddings I’m expecting at my college Dining Commons on its Harry Potter themed days. Pumpkin juice, Yorkshire pudding, treacle tart, chocolate gateau, bouillabaisse, black pudding, blancmange, éclairs, and Butterbeer – I don’t know what half these things are but they sound brilliant!

Can’t believe I’m already half way through the series…

Pottering, Day One-going-on-Two: Book Three

Read from 10:30 p.m. to almost 1:30 a.m., pretty much non-stop. SO GOOD. There were all these little details, like how Mrs. Weasley assures Ron that she didn’t make corned beef sandwiches for the train ride to Hogwarts, which were the kind of sandwiches Harry said he’d trade Ron some of his candy for on their first ride to Hogwarts in the first book. Marvellous. Simply splendid. Absolutely spiffing. (Learned all that from Fred and George!)

It’s kind of late but I do want to say, even almost an hour later, I am still in awe of Rowling’s use of writing in all caps for some of the intense scenes. Most of the time when I read something in all caps it just looks so… wannabe-intense. Maybe because the use of writing in all capital letters has become so common with gchat/Facebook that it’s just LOL or OMGAREYOUSERIOUSRIGHTNOW BAHAHAHA but with Rowling I swear I stopped hearing everything else around me and all I could hear was Harry screaming at Sirius with pain and anguish and confusion. Seriously spellbinding.

Pottering, Day One: Book Two

• Rowling is a regular Annie Oakley with her use of Chekov’s gun (pardon the pun).
• And a ridiculous amount of ‘awww!’ squeals (silent, in-my-head ones) took place in the reading of this one. There are SO many absolutely adorable, ‘awww!’-inducing moments where Ginny is all shy and clumsy around Harry and when Ron is so worried about Hermione and distraught when she’s not in class. So totally squeal-worthy!
• How Harry was treated and how he felt at Hogwarts in his first few months was probably how Emma Watson was treated and how she felt at Brown, with equal amounts of idolatry, sucking up, and contempt.
• Gilderoy Lockhart reminds me of that news broadcaster that Sue Sylvester had a crush on in Glee, the one with the tan and the teeth. And now I’m picturing a slimmer version of John Boehner…

I just might have time for book three today!

Pottering, Day One: Book One

There’s a new sort of magic the books bring when it’s been so long that you’ve just about forgotten the story. The details are new again, for the most part, but everything brings back memories from the first time I read these books, about ten or so years ago. I’m reading the British versions this time around (bought in India almost five years ago to the day as to distract myself from the heat) and so there are some differences (I’ve heard this is true especially for the first book). Yet –

For a second time, I giggled at the exclamation, ‘Blimey!’ For a second time, I decided that I would run a bookstore called Flourish and Blotts when I got older. For a second time, I smiled during Harry’s first Quidditch match as Lee Jordan commentated in a charmingly pro-Gryffindor way. For a second time, I saw the trio become the trio.

This time around, I also enjoyed the British English: favourite programme, pyjamas, tinned tomatoes, furore, hoover (instead of vacuum). Seeing Harry confined under the stairs reminded me slightly of Roald Dahl’s Matilda, another childhood favorite.

I wonder when Rowling knew her story would truly be magical. Maybe it was just coincidence, but Professor McGonagall so totally called it in the first chapter:

He’ll be famous – a legend – I wouldn’t be surprised if today was known as Harry Potter Day in future – there will be books written about Harry – every child in our world will know his name!

Finished with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, and now off to lunch and then book two!