Lisa's 20 & 21
Book 20 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Surprisingly fun re-read. I hated this book so much the first time through that I'd blocked most of it out of my memory by the time HBP came out, but the movie managed to soften the edges that my imagination had rendered unbearably sharp in my first read-through of the book. Biggest change being that Umbridge was fun to hate in the movie... she didn't even have that working for her in the book, so reading any bits with her before was just misery for me. Plus, I empathized with Harry more this time through. To be honest, my first time through the books I didn't particularly like Harry as a character until the last two books, but now I can't help but care about him, so. Also, my having blocked so much of it out before, bits of it felt like I was reading new canon for the first time... which was lovely.
Book 21 - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
I never read these books as a kid, minus The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and while I vaguely remember watching the old BBC TV adaptation, the only bit of it I could remember from this particular novel was the Death Water scene. Had a lot of fun reading this, as it was all one little adventure after another, but I'm sad not to have any Pevensies to look forward to in the next one...
Surprisingly fun re-read. I hated this book so much the first time through that I'd blocked most of it out of my memory by the time HBP came out, but the movie managed to soften the edges that my imagination had rendered unbearably sharp in my first read-through of the book. Biggest change being that Umbridge was fun to hate in the movie... she didn't even have that working for her in the book, so reading any bits with her before was just misery for me. Plus, I empathized with Harry more this time through. To be honest, my first time through the books I didn't particularly like Harry as a character until the last two books, but now I can't help but care about him, so. Also, my having blocked so much of it out before, bits of it felt like I was reading new canon for the first time... which was lovely.
Book 21 - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis
I never read these books as a kid, minus The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and while I vaguely remember watching the old BBC TV adaptation, the only bit of it I could remember from this particular novel was the Death Water scene. Had a lot of fun reading this, as it was all one little adventure after another, but I'm sad not to have any Pevensies to look forward to in the next one...