Reading roundup, including Harry Potter and the Cursed Child

[hamsterwoman]

51. Rainbow Rowell, Landline -- after finishing Carry On and Eleanor and Park, I was reminded by ms_geekette that Rowell had also written some adult titles. Attachments, which I also want to read, actually sounded more interesting, but Landline was on sale for like two bucks, so I went with that one. Apparently it was 2014 Goodreads Choice best fiction winner

Comments

[meathiel]

Wot? Wot? Wot? I only just sent you "Cursed Child" ...

I actually loved Fire Touched ... gave it 5 stars.

[hamsterwoman]

It's actually a very quick read! Short, and because of the play format, it goes even quicker -- lots of white space and short lines :) (And thank you again for the book! :D)

I think my favorite Mercy Thompson universe aspects are ones that don't come up as often as a lot of the other stuff -- I am not in it for the werewolves, really, but I like Stefan and a number of the fae. So when they are present and active, I tend to enjoy the books more, but when it's Pack dynamics... not so much.

[_profiterole_]

I keep reading that Cursed Child is like fanfic, but here's interesting meta about how it's not fanfic. I haven't read the book, but apparently it has queerbaiting that fanfics wouldn't have, and that Carry On doesn't have, and that A Hero at the End of the World doesn't have.

[hamsterwoman]

That is interesting meta, although I'm not nearly as interested in the 'political' nature of fanfiction as the author is

[_profiterole_]

I do agree that Carry On does better as far as critical commentary, but then, I don't think TCC is trying to do that

That's surely true, but they did cast a Black woman as Hermione (and consequently as Rose), so one could expect that they wouldn't have stopped there. Though it's already a great thing to do.

I do think Albus and Severus work as a platonic friendship, although given the ficcy feel of the thing, it definitely felt shippy in context.

I've read quotes for Albus/Scorpius and they sounded slashier than the quotes for Sirius/Remus back then. I don't mind if the result is m/m or m/m/f, but it's sadly not the case one way or another.

[hamsterwoman]

I really liked the casting of Hermione -- well, from the still; obviously I haven't seen her actually act -- and I'm partial to Rose's "Afropuffs" hairstyle, courtesy of fondness for Tip from The True Meaning of Smekday(/Home), but I don't really see that as a critique of the book canon -- although it's definitely a nice addition to it. (Does it actually contradict anything in canon? I mean, I know that characters intended by JKR to be Black get that highlighted as part of their description, and book!Hermione does not, but it's not really the same thing. It obviously contradicts movie casting, but that's not on the same level.)

I've read quotes for Albus/Scorpius and they sounded slashier than the quotes for Sirius/Remus back then

Oh, they are very slashy, for sure. And, unlike Remus and Sirius, they are not part of a larger group of close friends, they are literally all the other person has at Hogwarts.

[your_insomnia]

I'm slogging through The Cursed Child right now and I haaaate it. Like more than I thought I would. Literally every single HP fanfic I've read is somehow better than this. It's a fanfic written by two men with a story approved by J.K. Rowling (though why she would, boggles the mind) and it's horrible. None of the dialogue is written well, none of it remotely resonates, none of the jokes land. Ron is made into a bumbling fool, Albus having angst over his father being HP is manufactured and makes absolutely no sense (in fact, most of the conflict is manufactured in this "HEY LETS GO SAVE CEDRIC BECAUSE??!!"), none of the female characters shine (why does Rose get two lines in this?!) and just ughhhh. This book's saving grace are Harry/Draco's interactions which are somehow so plausible and so plausibly fanficcy, it makes me feel great about shipping this couple, epilogue included. Also, Ginny saying "DRACO IS RIGHT. JESUS CHRIST JUST LISTEN TO HIM." Finally, Draco gets a redemption arc he never got in the books.

[hamsterwoman]

Also, Ginny saying "DRACO IS RIGHT. JESUS CHRIST JUST LISTEN TO HIM." Heh. But, yeah, I appreciate this for the Draco arc, and, like I'm not even actually a H/D shipper or a hardcore Draco fan or anything, but I did want to see a redemption arc for Draco, apparently, in something approaching canon, and the dynamic between them here was lovely

[asthenie_vd]

Oooh, you're reading more Witcher! Did you read the first book of short stories as well? Glas you're having fun. ^^ (Though I actually like Yennefer and thought her motivation for wanting a child made sense - though I think her upbringing is only explained in the chronological last novel, which is a bit late. I find her relationship to Geralt gets better as well once Ciri is in the picture. Ah well...) And I have to admit, I'm super stoked that you like Dandelion. He's one of my favourites, and A little Sacrifice is one of my favourite stories because of him. And I do love the shapeshifting dragon as well!

[hamsterwoman]

Did you read the first book of short stories as well?

No, or t least not yet. I do seem to enjoy the Ciri stories more, so I'm not sure if I should go back and try to read the earlier collection? I gather, from talking to lunasariel, that there's a lot more of random females throwing themselves at Geralt, and that I could probably skip...

though I think her upbringing is only explained in the chronological last novel, which is a bit lateAh, if there's explanation/justification for it, I haven't encountered it yet

[asthenie_vd]

I think the novels (and anything to do with Ciri, really ^^) are better than the first short story collection, but I'd recommend reading it before you start the last novel. There's one short story about Ciri's parents in it and one of the revelations in the last books will make more sense if you've read that one (the other stories in that collection aren't essential, and I really never liked the first Yennefer story much, even though I like her now, so you'll probably be even more annoyed by it. XD)

But I'm going to start the second novel soonish, and in that one Yen, Ciri, and Geralt may actually be in the same place at the same time,

They will! :D

[hamsterwoman]

Thank you for the reading order advice! That sounds like probably what I should do -- keep reading the novels, catch up on the early short stories before the last one. And thanks for the warning about the Yennefer story -- I suspect you're right about that :P

Looking forward to seeing what I think of Geralt and Yen interaction with Ciri in the mix! (I could definitely see it being a lot healthier / less annoying for me personally with a kid they're both protecting/raising in the picture :)

[aravishermione]

Regarding the Cursed Child, I'd kind of gotten the basic plot and synopsis off the internet but I really enjoyed what you wrote, mostly because I'm not planning to read the book but do want to have an idea of what's in it. One of the reasons I don't really want to read the actual book (er...play?) is that from everything I've heard about it, it does rather seem like fanfic. And I've sort of mentally been treating as such in that I tend to avoid any fic that goes against my headcanons. In fact, one reason I avoid fanfic in general is that I have become ingrained with my own fancies about what actually happens and just like some old man stubbornly arguing about an opinion he's held for so many years I tend to argue things like "No! That just wouldn't happen!". Especially since some of the minor characters, in true Joss form, were among my most beloved characters and so about whom I have very strong opinions. Case in point, my Hufflepuff hero Cedric. The first time I read GoF I fell in love with him and even though his life was confined

[hamsterwoman]

Yeah, the Cedric-becomes-a-Death-Eater mirror universe thing was even harder for me to suspend disbelief for than Voldemort's daughter and all that nonsense. Like, it clearly came out of logic that said, "OK, we need this character to be an innocent who dies, so that Albus thinks he's doing a good thing by saving him" and "it has to be someone who is out of commission before the Battle of Hogwarts, so that they can play a pivotal role there" -- which I guess left them with Cedric, but completely ignored the part where him becoming a Death Eater MADE NO BLOODY SENSE. Anyway!

DRAMIONE THO!!!

Seriously, between that Draco line and Scorpius's crush on Rose for next-gen Malfoy/Granger-ness, I feel like one of the authors at least is a Dramione shipper, and we know it's not JKR :P

[aravishermione]

I feel like one of the authors at least is a Dramione shipper, and we know it's not JKR Very true! I am getting such a kick out of a Sooper Stealthy Shipper sneaking in little lines and plots here and there without getting "caught" by JKR, like some little kid slipping candy into the shopping cart. The shippers will go mad! So many years the ship has been living on Hermione's one line "Sorry, I was thinking about Malfoy and got distracted."

(I will never stop getting a kick out of your icon ♥)

[hamsterwoman]

So many years the ship has been living on Hermione's one line "Sorry, I was thinking about Malfoy and got distracted."

Heh, yeah, I think the play adds to that nicely :)

NGL, I was very happy when I realized that the "alas, earwax" icon fit my comment to you pretty well, and couldn't resist taking advantage of that :)