15 Questions for Heavy Readers

This post is blatantly borrowed from Julie D. over at Happy Catholic, who is certainly a more organized reader than I am. (I don't keep lists.)

15 Questions For Heavy Readers

Via Thomas L. McDonald on Facebook ...

You know the drill: answer and pass along. Unless you’re tired of these things. (Who could POSSIBLY be tired of these things?) Go ahead, include up to 3 answers each if you like. We won’t tell. If you’re religious, consider The Bible or other religious texts a gimme, particularly for question #15.

1. Most treasured childhood book(s)?
Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass; Peter Pan (Roy Best illustrated picture book that was my mother's); Heidi

2. Classic(s) you are embarrassed to admit you’ve never read?
A Tale of Two Cities

3. Classics you read, but hated?
Little Women (got through the abridged version in 8th Grade; never have been able to finish the complete edition)

4. Favorite genre(s)?
If it's printed, I'll read it.

5. Favorite light reading?
Stephen King, Ray Bradbury, Jane Austen, Outlander Series by Diana Gabaldon

6. Favorite heavy reading?
American History & biographies, especially David McCullough's works.

7. Last book(s) you finished?
The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold; Falling Up, Nick Hornby

8. Last book(s) you bailed on?
A study guide to the Bible that I'm supposed to review. I feel guilty about it, too, in good Catholic fashion.

9. Three (only three!) books on your nightstand?
The Master, Colin Toibin (a novel about Henry James); a copy of the Catholic Student's Bible that I "borrowed" from one of the kids; the aforementioned Bible Study Guide; a Year with Pope John Paul II--different excerpts from John Paul II's writings, sermons, and addresses for each day of the year; Tales of Beedle the Bard, J.K. Rowling

10. Book(s) you’ve read more than once?
Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass; Pride & Prejudice; Bridget Jone's Diary; the Harry Potter series

11. The book(s) that meant the most to you when you were younger (ie, college/young adult)?
Mr. Blue, by Miles Connolly; Poetry of Robert Frost; Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov; Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart; Poetry of Dylan Thomas; Stranger in a Strange Land, Robert Heinlein

12. Book(s) that changed the way you looked at life?
Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart; Mr. Blue, by Miles Connolly

13. Favorite books
Most of them! ;)

14. Favorite author(s)
Wow--a tough one. But there are certain authors who rarely disappoint me: Jane Austen, Stephen King, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Robert Heinlein, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaimon, Nick Hornby, Agatha Christie, Alexandre Dumas, Charles Dickens, Connie Willis, Nancy Kress.

15. Desert Island Book
Can we count all 7 Harry Potters as one book? Although I think the Boy Scout Field Manual would be more helpful. :)

BONUS!
Desert Island Book for Your Worst Enemy
Wifey, an adult novel by Judy Blume. I finished this book only because I kept hoping it would get better. It didn't.

My Bookstack Runneth Over

I'm currently reading Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf. The story still stands the test of time. On the nightstand I have my recently purchased copy of The Essential Catholic Survival Guide by the Catholic Answers staff, along with Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, 1776 by David McCullough, my Bible, my Year with John Paul II, and One for the Money, a "Stephanie Plum" detective novel.

Next to the bed, in a whimsical book bag from Barnes & Noble that I just couldn't resist, are several craft books to inspire me as I enter my card-making mania.

Along the wall next to my dresser are more books, mostly purchased from used book sales. They are an eclectic lot because I never know what I might feel like reading next.

So what book did I pull out for my "before bedtime" reading pleasure?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Yes, I'm re-reading it. I read it in such a rush before I left for Japan that I feel I didn't do it justice. I have to be careful, though--I tend to get sucked into it and time magically disappears.

(Am I the only one who is actually looking forward to when my favorite TV shows go into re-runs so I can read more?)

Movie Review: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

In honor of my birthday, the six of us went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. We paid full price, too, since we went to the 8:00 p.m. showing. And we sat together--I'm not sure when that last happened.

But the movie...

Okay, imagine you're a director and have been asked to film a movie of a book that is a phenomenal international success. The book is roughly 900 pages long (my edition, the first hardback version published by Scholastic, is 870 pages) and is filled with intertwining plots and subplots and features one main character and 10 second-tier characters, and about 10 to 15 third-tier characters. This book is the fifth in a series of seven, where much has happened previously that affects what happens now and much that happens in this book will affect what happens later. Only you don't know what happens later because the sixth book hasn't quite been released yet and the seventh book isn't even written.

Your run time must come in under 3 hours.

Many of the readers of the series are fanatics and will know every misstep you make. They have their favorite characters and favorite scenes. There are websites devoted to the finer details of plot points and character. They will not just watch your film; they will scrutinize every frame.

On the other hand, you have to make the film understandable to those in the audience who haven't read the books at all.

The age of your audience ranges from 5 or 6 through adulthood.

You do have high quality, A-list actors, mostly from the U.K. and Ireland, who are quite willing to be in these films, even for 30 seconds (think Tracy Ullman as the maid in Prisoner of Azkaban.)

Oh, and by the way, the actors playing most of the major characters are now teens, threatening to age out of their roles, so there's a bit of urgency in getting this film done.

Given the above, I find it quite amazing that there are directors even willing to tackle these films. I think Chris Columbus (Sorcerer's Stone and Chamber of Secrets) was probably wise to pass on the rest of the series.

Of the six of us, only DD#1 and I have read the books. We have all seen the movies. The "kids" range in age from 23 to 13. Hubs and I are suitably older. I'm probably the most serious Harry Potter fan in the bunch.

We all enjoyed it. The effects are great, although not as spectacular as the dragons in Goblet of Fire. Although there is one scene with fireworks. And the fight scene at the Ministry of Magic.
The lack of razzle-dazzle is fine, though, because much of this story is about relationships: among Harry, Ron, and Hermione; between Harry and Dumbledore; between Harry and Cho; between Harry and Sirius; between Harry and Voldemort. This movie has a darker emotional landscape--as the tag line says, The Rebellion Begins. This movie really does earn its PG-13 rating.

There is also rather clever use of clips from the previous movies. I'd forgotten how young Harry was when he started at Hogwarts.

One caveat: if you have read the book, don't re-read it beforehand. It won't help. Many of the subplots and many details have been eliminated. The movie makes sense as a movie and that's how we judged it. I do think the movie is faithful, for the most part, to the spirit of the book, even if it's not a faithful word-for-word recreation of it.

On the March Hare scale: 4.5 out of 5 Golden Tickets.

--------------POSSIBLE SPOILERS-----------------

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When I finished reading Order of the Phoenix, I felt I had been emotionally sucker-punched. The scene at the end of the book, where Harry takes out all his anger and frustration on Dumbledore and his office, felt real to me in a very visceral way: I cried in sympathy while I read it.

The movie lacks that intensity. As DD#1 pointed out, you have to be able to leave the theater at the end of the movie. And she's right. Still, I thought that Harry's anger in general, and in the office scene with Dumbledore, was underplayed.

The fight scene at the Ministry of Magic was considerably shortened and simplified.

Many of the subplots are simplified and not much time is spent on Cho or Luna. Or Tonks. DD#2 picked up on the fact that the characters wish each other "Merry Christmas" rather than "Happy Christmas" which is more customary in England and she missed that.

I'm more comfortable with Michael Gambon's Dumbeldore in this movie because he has to be more physical during the fight scene and I don't think Richard Harris could have done it.

The entire section about the O.W.L.s is gone. Harry's counseling session with Professor McGonagall is deleted. Again, it's about the pesky run time limit.

No mention is made of the mirror that Sirius gives Harry for Christmas. This may prove to be an important omission, as Ms. Rowling has indicated that it may be important in Book 7. And we, the readers, don't take anything she says about the Potter 'verse lightly!

Nor is any mention made that there is another child who fits the prophecy. In the book, Dumbledore tells Harry that Voldemort could have chosen Neville Longbottom as his nemesis. But, instead of choosing the pureblood child, Voldemort chose a child like himself: a mixed-blood (or "mud blood"), the very race he claims he hates. (I don't think the actual prophecy that Harry listens to is proclaimed very clearly in the movie. DS#2, who hasn't read the books, understood it was Sybil Trelawney who made the prophecy and that it indicated that Voldemort and "The One" could not both live.) I think this is a crucial omission--I think Neville has slowly been coming into his own and I believe he will have a crucial role to play in Deathly Hallows.

Of course, once Deathly Hallows is published, we'll know for sure if David Yates (and the previous Harry Potter directors) guessed correctly.

How I'm Spending My Actual Birthday

Standing in line for the movies, DS#2 noticed that the new Harry Potter movie, HP & the Order of the Phoenix, is coming out earlier than previously announced.

I turned to Hubs and said, "I know what I want to do for my birthday!"

DS#2 sighed and said, "It figures."

He doesn't fool me. The original release date of OOTP was his birthday.

Booked by 3 Meme

Julie D., over at Happy Catholic, tagged me with this because she knows I'm a biblioholic! But... just 3???

Name up to three characters . . .

1) . . . you wish were real so you could meet them.

1. The Cheshire Cat (Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll)
2. Peter Pan (Peter & Wendy, J.M. Barrie)
3. Elizabeth Bennet (Pride & Prejudice, Jane Austen)
   

2) . . . you would like to be.

1. Tuesday Next (The Eyre Affair and others, Jasper Fforde)
2. Morgaine (Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley)
3. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling)
   

3) . . . who scare you.

1. The Vampire in 'Salem's Lot by Stephen King
2. Norman Bates (Psycho, Robert Bloch)
3. Sauron (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien)
   

I am tagging:

Deb at ukok's place (who complains she never has time to read anymore!)
Karen at The View From My Chair (who also complains she doesn't read much anymore)
TBG at Listen to Uncle Jay (he must have read something while sitting on the plane!)

Harry Pottermania

I have to admit it--I'm bummed. The new covers for the last Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling hasn't updated her website.

I keep checking back to see if the "Do Not Disturb" sign is no longer hanging from the doorknob, but it's still there.

Pottermania is slowly going to get worse around these parts as the new movie and the book release are scheduled for the same month. And I may not have a chance to read the book before I leave for Japan. There's a 65 lb. maximum weight, so packing is at a premium.

Until then, let the speculation begin!

(My own personal theories: Harry defeats Voldemort but loses his magical ability and becomes a Muggle. Aunt Petunia does something heroic to justify Dumbledore's faith in her "blood oath" agreement to care for Harry. I think that Harry, Hermione, and Ron are too young to become the Defense Against Dark Arts professors, but Hermione might become the assistant. Or she'll assist McGonigal.)