Energized
I'm finally feeling less achy, and it's about time. Yesterday was busy, so I didn't blog. My friend came for a visit, and we made rhubarb pie, and had tea with it. She just started her vacation, and she's going to travel a little, and visit her parents, so we won't be seeing much of each other for a while. I'm not going anywhere just yet, except for maybe seeing some friends later this week.
I've been getting a lot of rest these last days, so I felt energetic today. I didn't do much about it, except for doing the laundry and buying groceries, and finishing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling. I ought to read the whole series and review it as a series, and I may do that at some point, but it's going to take a while to read all of it, so I'll get back to that maybe in the autumn or winter, depending on what else I read this summer. Anyway, I like the books about Harry Potter, and I would probably have liked them even more if I had read them when I was younger. The plots are interesting and the characters intriguing, funny and horrifying. The language, to me personally, isn't all I could hope for, but I try to keep in mind that these are childrens' books, and not meant to have an immense vocabulary, or a complex style. I'm not referring to the made-up words, the amount of which is stunning, but I sometimes think that the narration could benefit from the use of more unusual verbs, and less of hyperbole (everyone is always saying things, and most things are the most wonderful X that Y had ever seen). Anyway, as I've read the whole series before (I listened to Deathly Hallows, if you want to be very exact), and have watched the movies several times, I like to reread everything and try to trace the clues to future plot twists from the very first book. Some of the characters are especially great. Harry, Ron and Hermione are wonderful, and their relationship is realistically portrayed, I think. Of the teachers, my favourites are Snape, Lupin and McGonagall, and I also love Firenze the centaur. The themes grow increasingly sober and mature, and I like the way morality is handled. There's a sort of brilliance in the way that even the Big Bad, Voldemort, is portrayed as someone who could have chosen another path, but didn't. It's a more complex way of handling the subject of evil than you see in many other books and films, even for mature audiences. That take on things is in itself something that deserves praise. I'd be glad to recommend these books to any kid, and to a few adults, as well. How do you like them? Have a good week and see you tomorrow!
I've been getting a lot of rest these last days, so I felt energetic today. I didn't do much about it, except for doing the laundry and buying groceries, and finishing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J. K. Rowling. I ought to read the whole series and review it as a series, and I may do that at some point, but it's going to take a while to read all of it, so I'll get back to that maybe in the autumn or winter, depending on what else I read this summer. Anyway, I like the books about Harry Potter, and I would probably have liked them even more if I had read them when I was younger. The plots are interesting and the characters intriguing, funny and horrifying. The language, to me personally, isn't all I could hope for, but I try to keep in mind that these are childrens' books, and not meant to have an immense vocabulary, or a complex style. I'm not referring to the made-up words, the amount of which is stunning, but I sometimes think that the narration could benefit from the use of more unusual verbs, and less of hyperbole (everyone is always saying things, and most things are the most wonderful X that Y had ever seen). Anyway, as I've read the whole series before (I listened to Deathly Hallows, if you want to be very exact), and have watched the movies several times, I like to reread everything and try to trace the clues to future plot twists from the very first book. Some of the characters are especially great. Harry, Ron and Hermione are wonderful, and their relationship is realistically portrayed, I think. Of the teachers, my favourites are Snape, Lupin and McGonagall, and I also love Firenze the centaur. The themes grow increasingly sober and mature, and I like the way morality is handled. There's a sort of brilliance in the way that even the Big Bad, Voldemort, is portrayed as someone who could have chosen another path, but didn't. It's a more complex way of handling the subject of evil than you see in many other books and films, even for mature audiences. That take on things is in itself something that deserves praise. I'd be glad to recommend these books to any kid, and to a few adults, as well. How do you like them? Have a good week and see you tomorrow!