I haven't posted a spoiler alert for these posts because I've just assumed that anyone who reads them have either read the books for themselves or has seen all of the movies. Just be warned, I will be discussing connections between ALL SEVEN BOOKS. This means that I will assume things have already been revealed to you.
I finally finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets! When I was young, this was one of my least favorite HP books. The plot just never appealed to me, and the Deathday Party terrified me and gave me nightmares.
There were many details in this book that are carried through the rest of the series. For example, this is where Harry learns Expelliarmus!, which will later become one of his signature spells and helps his characterization. Also, we see Polyjuice Potion, which for such a dangerous potion, is used quite frequently through the rest of the series (GoF and DH come to mind instantly).
The most important item from this book that will be relevant later is, of course, Riddle's diary. This is our first look into Riddle's past and the dark magic that created Lord Voldemort. What struck me the most was that JKR even told us that Harry is a Horcrux.
"Voldemort put a bit of himself in me?" Harry said, thunderstruck.
"It certainly seems so." (Dumbledore)
At this point, we didn't know that this "bit" was a part of Voldemort's soul, but Dumbledore had knowledge of Harry's destiny. But he gives him a warning that should sum up the difference between Harry and Voldemort: "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities".
Pages read: 650/4195
Time read: 4 hr 47 min 03 sec
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Second Half of Sorcerer's Stone
I finished SS! It took me a lot longer than I had hoped, but isn't that the way that life seems to happen? Anyways, this section had some of my favorite parts in the entire series.
1. Through the Trapdoor
This is chapter 16 of SS, and by far one of my favorites in the entire series. When I was younger, I loved the obstacles that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to overcome to reach the Stone. My favorite, though, was Snape's. The logic puzzle with the potions was brilliant in my eyes, and I always wanted to have the bottles in front of me so I could prove my aptitude at logic, just like Hermione. Thinking back, I think that I always appreciated that Ron, Hermione, and Harry were all vital in the quest for the Stone. None of them could have reached the Stone without the other two. This foreshadows the quest they go on for the Horcruxes in DH, and is a motif pulled throughout the entire series.
2. The Man with Two Faces
This is the final chapter of SS, and has some of my favorite quotes from Dumbledore. Here are a few:
"To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."
"As much money and life as you could want! The two things human beings would choose above all- the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."
"The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution."
SS has always been one of my favorite HP books. Now to move onto CoS!
Pages read: 309/4195
Time read: 2 hrs, 31 mins, 16 secs
1. Through the Trapdoor
This is chapter 16 of SS, and by far one of my favorites in the entire series. When I was younger, I loved the obstacles that Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to overcome to reach the Stone. My favorite, though, was Snape's. The logic puzzle with the potions was brilliant in my eyes, and I always wanted to have the bottles in front of me so I could prove my aptitude at logic, just like Hermione. Thinking back, I think that I always appreciated that Ron, Hermione, and Harry were all vital in the quest for the Stone. None of them could have reached the Stone without the other two. This foreshadows the quest they go on for the Horcruxes in DH, and is a motif pulled throughout the entire series.
2. The Man with Two Faces
This is the final chapter of SS, and has some of my favorite quotes from Dumbledore. Here are a few:
"To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."
"As much money and life as you could want! The two things human beings would choose above all- the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."
"The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution."
SS has always been one of my favorite HP books. Now to move onto CoS!
Pages read: 309/4195
Time read: 2 hrs, 31 mins, 16 secs
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Harry Potter
Well, it's been ages since I've done a post or had time to work on this project. But I'm back, and rereading my favorite series- Harry Potter. With the final movie coming out in less than two weeks, it's about time that I started my reread. I'm looking forward to and dreading this movie. I realized that this is the last time I'll be rereading the series in preparation for a book or movie premiere. (With Pottermore, it looks like the next time I read the series will be in a different medium.)
I'm also going to time myself. I did this last summer when I reread them, and I think it would be cool to see how accurate that time was and/or if I could beat it. So, just for the record, it was approximately 44 hours last time.
Here is a key for the abbreviations that I'll be using. I've used these for years, and they've just become habit.
JKR: J.K. Rowling
SS/PS: Sorcerer's Stone/Philosopher's Stone
CoS: Chamber of Secrets
PoA: Prisioner of Azkaban
GoF: Goblet of Fire
OotP: Order of the Phoenix
HBP: Half-Blood Prince
DH: Deathly Hallows
I'm also going to post every night with an update. It might just be how much I read that day or it could be some new connection I found. What I'm marveling today is the connections that JKR pulled through the entire series. Sirius Black, a character that we don't meet until PoA, is mentioned on page 14 of SS. Hagrid mentions three magical families- "the McKinnons, the Bones, [and] the Prewetts" on page 56. The McKinnons' deaths were again mentioned in DH in Lily's letter to Sirius. Susan Bones is sorted only a few chapters later in SS. And the Prewetts were Molly Weasley's brothers. JKR has connections and threads through the entire series that can caught with many rereads of the series.
Pages read: 179/4195
Time read: 1 hr, 28 min, 56 sec
I'm also going to time myself. I did this last summer when I reread them, and I think it would be cool to see how accurate that time was and/or if I could beat it. So, just for the record, it was approximately 44 hours last time.
Here is a key for the abbreviations that I'll be using. I've used these for years, and they've just become habit.
JKR: J.K. Rowling
SS/PS: Sorcerer's Stone/Philosopher's Stone
CoS: Chamber of Secrets
PoA: Prisioner of Azkaban
GoF: Goblet of Fire
OotP: Order of the Phoenix
HBP: Half-Blood Prince
DH: Deathly Hallows
I'm also going to post every night with an update. It might just be how much I read that day or it could be some new connection I found. What I'm marveling today is the connections that JKR pulled through the entire series. Sirius Black, a character that we don't meet until PoA, is mentioned on page 14 of SS. Hagrid mentions three magical families- "the McKinnons, the Bones, [and] the Prewetts" on page 56. The McKinnons' deaths were again mentioned in DH in Lily's letter to Sirius. Susan Bones is sorted only a few chapters later in SS. And the Prewetts were Molly Weasley's brothers. JKR has connections and threads through the entire series that can caught with many rereads of the series.
Pages read: 179/4195
Time read: 1 hr, 28 min, 56 sec
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Gandalf!
He's back!
And, sadly, I knew it was coming.
While watching the FotR movie, I commented on Gandalf's death to my brother. I told him that I figured that he couldn't be dead yet, because the wise mentor isn't allowed to die til almost the end. My brother, being the secretive creature that he is, stared at me with a guilty look and commented that Gandalf the Grey wouldn't be coming back. That, of course, led me to the realization that Gandalf would come back as Gandalf the White. I came to this conclusion mostly because of the Christian implications on how Gandalf is the "Jesus Christ figure" in the LotR series.
I just didn't expect him to come back in Chapter 5 of The Two Towers, "The White Rider". That was a lot sooner than I could have expected, or even hoped. But let me just say, welcome back Gandalf, even if you are a little different. I've missed you greatly.
----------------------
Well, I'm almost two months into this project and I've finished a grand total of... zero items off the list. I'm not going to give up, but I'm starting to realize how impossible a year is for the time length of this project. Especially because I have other responsibilities and readings for school. I still want to work my way through this list, but not in a year. I feel like this quotation from Arthur Ashe sums up my feelings nicely, "Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is usually more important than the outcome".
Til next time, happy reading and DFTBA!
And, sadly, I knew it was coming.
While watching the FotR movie, I commented on Gandalf's death to my brother. I told him that I figured that he couldn't be dead yet, because the wise mentor isn't allowed to die til almost the end. My brother, being the secretive creature that he is, stared at me with a guilty look and commented that Gandalf the Grey wouldn't be coming back. That, of course, led me to the realization that Gandalf would come back as Gandalf the White. I came to this conclusion mostly because of the Christian implications on how Gandalf is the "Jesus Christ figure" in the LotR series.
I just didn't expect him to come back in Chapter 5 of The Two Towers, "The White Rider". That was a lot sooner than I could have expected, or even hoped. But let me just say, welcome back Gandalf, even if you are a little different. I've missed you greatly.
----------------------
Well, I'm almost two months into this project and I've finished a grand total of... zero items off the list. I'm not going to give up, but I'm starting to realize how impossible a year is for the time length of this project. Especially because I have other responsibilities and readings for school. I still want to work my way through this list, but not in a year. I feel like this quotation from Arthur Ashe sums up my feelings nicely, "Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is usually more important than the outcome".
Til next time, happy reading and DFTBA!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
WTH JRRT?
Spoiler for the beginning of The Two Towers book or the end of tFotR movie.
In the Fellowship of the Ring movie, Boromir's death was this great event of redemption. He fought of tons of Orcs single-handed. It was, to put it simply and colloquially, epic.
In The Two Towers, his death is practically glazed over. Aragorn hears Boromir's horn and runs to help him. But, alas, Boromir was "pierced with many black-feathered arrows; his sword was still in his hand, but it was broken near the hilt; his horn cloven in two was at his sing. Many Orcs lay slain, piled all about him and at his feet". Then, Boromir and Aragorn have a brief conversation, in which Boromir tells Aragorn that the Orcs took the "Halflings" (which is his word for "hobbits"). But, he fails to mention which hobbits were taken before he died.
This is just another instance of how the movies go into more emotional depth than the books. Which, as a contemporary reader, appeals to me greatly.
Just a quick note: now that I'm back at school, things might be going more slowly than I hoped. I'm taking eighteen hours at college, and also balancing a social life with two groups of friends. But, that will not hinder me!
DFTBA!
In the Fellowship of the Ring movie, Boromir's death was this great event of redemption. He fought of tons of Orcs single-handed. It was, to put it simply and colloquially, epic.
In The Two Towers, his death is practically glazed over. Aragorn hears Boromir's horn and runs to help him. But, alas, Boromir was "pierced with many black-feathered arrows; his sword was still in his hand, but it was broken near the hilt; his horn cloven in two was at his sing. Many Orcs lay slain, piled all about him and at his feet". Then, Boromir and Aragorn have a brief conversation, in which Boromir tells Aragorn that the Orcs took the "Halflings" (which is his word for "hobbits"). But, he fails to mention which hobbits were taken before he died.
This is just another instance of how the movies go into more emotional depth than the books. Which, as a contemporary reader, appeals to me greatly.
Just a quick note: now that I'm back at school, things might be going more slowly than I hoped. I'm taking eighteen hours at college, and also balancing a social life with two groups of friends. But, that will not hinder me!
DFTBA!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
I Finished FotR!
Yes! I finally finished the Fellowship of the Ring! It took me about a month, which is an unusually long time by my standards. But because I finished the book, I watched the movie. This is my opinion of the books/movies thus far.
I think that the books are really difficult to get into, just because they are not written in a format that is typical with contemporary literature. While I was reading Fellowship I noticed that Tolkien focuses more on the setting and the lay of the land, over the characters. I found myself wishing there was more emphasis on the action scenes, like I'm used to from modern media. Tolkien is letting us into his world through a small, albeit pivotal, event. I don't dislike his writing, and I definitely respect him, but it's not my "cup of tea" exactly.
Movie-wise, I saw lot more of what I wanted from this book. There were exciting action scenes and focus on the characters. I was partially distracted the whole movie though because Merry is played by Dominic Monaghan, who was "Charlie" in LOST and "Simon" in FlashFoward. Anyways, here were my major problems with the movie: not enough of Lothlorien, which was one of my favorite locations from the book, and that it made Boromir's greed so obvious. But beyond that, it was an excellent movie. Gandalf's death was well done. The way he fell reminded me of Dumbledore's death in HBP, which made the scene a stab in the heart for me.
Another small note is that I made a video about this project and it's on my YouTube channel! The link is: http://dft.ba/-hpo21yt. If you do the YouTube thing as well, please subscribe to me!
Much love and DFTBA!
I think that the books are really difficult to get into, just because they are not written in a format that is typical with contemporary literature. While I was reading Fellowship I noticed that Tolkien focuses more on the setting and the lay of the land, over the characters. I found myself wishing there was more emphasis on the action scenes, like I'm used to from modern media. Tolkien is letting us into his world through a small, albeit pivotal, event. I don't dislike his writing, and I definitely respect him, but it's not my "cup of tea" exactly.
Movie-wise, I saw lot more of what I wanted from this book. There were exciting action scenes and focus on the characters. I was partially distracted the whole movie though because Merry is played by Dominic Monaghan, who was "Charlie" in LOST and "Simon" in FlashFoward. Anyways, here were my major problems with the movie: not enough of Lothlorien, which was one of my favorite locations from the book, and that it made Boromir's greed so obvious. But beyond that, it was an excellent movie. Gandalf's death was well done. The way he fell reminded me of Dumbledore's death in HBP, which made the scene a stab in the heart for me.
Another small note is that I made a video about this project and it's on my YouTube channel! The link is: http://dft.ba/-hpo21yt. If you do the YouTube thing as well, please subscribe to me!
Much love and DFTBA!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
FotR SPOILER ALERT
SPOILER! (huh, what do you mean no one needs a spoiler alert because they've all seen the movie? Yeah, uh-huh. Well I kept away from everything until I read the books, so there!)
I just finished Chapter 5 ("The Bridge of Khazad-dum") of Book 2. Holy freakin' crap, if Gandalf is really dead I'm gonna be so pissed. He can't die! He's the wise old mentor, like Dumbledore or Brom. He's not allowed to die until about 4/5 of the way through the series! Ugh...
Oh, and Chapter 5 was by far the best chapter, in terms of suspense and 'hook', thus far. It was the first time while reading this novel that I didn't want to put it down. Then I finished the chapter and I wanted to throw it at the wall, but I resisted because he can't die yet.
DFTBA!
P.S. Arguing with the voice inside your head is probably not the best sign of good mental health.
P.P.S Sorry if this doesn't make much sense, it's 3 in the morning and I'm exhausted. But I couldn't sleep without venting.
I just finished Chapter 5 ("The Bridge of Khazad-dum") of Book 2. Holy freakin' crap, if Gandalf is really dead I'm gonna be so pissed. He can't die! He's the wise old mentor, like Dumbledore or Brom. He's not allowed to die until about 4/5 of the way through the series! Ugh...
Oh, and Chapter 5 was by far the best chapter, in terms of suspense and 'hook', thus far. It was the first time while reading this novel that I didn't want to put it down. Then I finished the chapter and I wanted to throw it at the wall, but I resisted because he can't die yet.
DFTBA!
P.S. Arguing with the voice inside your head is probably not the best sign of good mental health.
P.P.S Sorry if this doesn't make much sense, it's 3 in the morning and I'm exhausted. But I couldn't sleep without venting.
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