Harry Potter Readalong: Final Post

So, today is the last day of the Harry Potter Readalong, which was hosted by the wonderful Jenna at Lost Generation Reader.  This means I should really do a final post listing everything I've achieved and what I've learnt etc.

Except I haven't finished rereading the series.

I stopped at Prisoner of Azkaban.

I would love to say I have good reasons for failing to do something I was incredibly excited about, but mostly I got behind and then couldn't catch up and, what can I say, it's pretty much my time at university all over again.  At least this time I had read the books before so I don't have to sit there nodding along as the lecturer talks about themes and meanings and the like.

But, I did really enjoy the start of the reread and I am going to finish it in my own time, most likely in January - plus, I really like the idea of rereading a series I love and having a fixed day to post reviews (I did it on Saturdays), so I think I'll make that a feature of my blog in 2013.

All of this is a long winded way of saying: I haven't finished the series, but I intend to, and will do so (with reviews) in January.  And then I will move on to other series I enjoy and have actually completed.

Posts for the Readalong
Sign Up Post - fascinating info on my decision to start the readalong.
The Beginning - in which I wax lyrical about my love of Harry Potter.
Top Ten Harry Potter Moments - it was a freebie at Top Ten Tuesday so I went with this.

Books reread and reviewed
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Books to reread and review
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Quidditch Through the Ages
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The Tales of Beedle the Bard
Harry: A History by Melissa Anelli

I'll update this post with links to reviews as and when I post them.

And at some point I will have to do a big write up of my visit to the Harry Potter Studio, especially as I'm hoping to drag my friends there for my 30th next year.

Finally, thanks to Jenna for hosting the readalong in the first place. 

Review: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling

In the third Harry Potter book, all the awesome is brought.  Or, to be clearer, everything I love about the series crystalises in one book, including an "oh, J.K. Rowling you did not just do that" moment.  And, on top of all that, one of my favourite characters makes their first appearance.  As nearly perfect as the series gets.

Published: 1999
Pages: 317 (Bloomsbury, 1999)
Series: Harry Potter #3
First Read: Summer 1999
Times Read: At least 10
Part of: The Harry Potter Readalong

Synopsis: The notorious murderer Sirius Black has escaped from the wizard prison, Azkaban.  As a supporter of Voldemort, he is out for revenge on Harry Potter for defeating the Dark Lord.  Harry, however, is more worried about the Azkaban guards swarming around the school - until he learns that there is a greater connection between himself and Sirius Black than he knew...

Review: As with Philosopher's Stone and Chamber of Secrets, I'm splitting this into two sections for those who haven't read the books and those who have.

For those who haven't read the book(s) before
This is my favourite Harry Potter book, and I think it will remain so even after I've finished this readalong.  To me, it encapsulates everything that makes the books fantastic: the magic, the mystery, the characters, the plot, the sense of a fully formed world, the humour and the depth of feeling.  Everything locks together and the clicks into place perfectly.  More than any other book in the series, it makes you aware of just how well J.K. Rowling plotted the individual novels.

I am tempted to say that if you read only one Harry Potter book it should be this one.  Not only because it is the perfect example of the series, but because there isn't a lot of back story and all of it is mentioned (it's missing from later books) so the basic catch up is easy.

And I really have to stop now because anything I say, however oblique, has the potential to ruin the plot.  Go forth and read!

For those who have read the book(s) before
Before I get truly, ridiculously fangirly, I'm just going to bring up the one thing that has always bugged me about this book.  I hate doing it, because I do love Azkaban, but I notice it every time I read the bok so here goes: there is an error with Lupin's lycanthropy (at least, I've always thought so).  He says that without the Wolfsbane Potion he would become "a fully fledged monster once a month" (258) but he only transforms when his by direct moonlight  it happens as they all return to Hogwarts (278) and he doesn't change on the way to the Whomping Willow because "[c]louds were obscuring the moon completely" (296).  So, why not just stay in a windowless room every full moon?  It may cut back on your social engagements but at least you wouldn't change. 

Sorry, that has just bugged me for ages.  On with my thoughts on the book...

SIRIUS!  Oh my God, Sirius!  And Lupin!  But I like Sirius more (sorry, Lupin)!  And timey-wimey wibbly-wobbly stuff!  And That Plot Twist!  Fangirl flail!

And an invocation of depression through the Dementors, who are terrifying.  I don't think the concept of anything else in Harry Potter is as scary (not even the Inferi).  They make you remember your worst moments and there's no relief from it; that to me is horrible to contemplate.  And Harry has to hear his parents dying over and over - this book, more so then Chamber, builds on what it means for Harry to have grown up without a family, and the thread runs right from his wanting his dad to have cast the Patronus to The Forest Again. 

I was going to say that, much as I love Azkaban, it seems more standalone than some of the others - despite Pettirgrew escaping - but there are themes that are constants of the series.  It's also the first time we see Snape's side of things, and get the first real hints that James Potter was a pillock.  I am on Snape's side in how he viewed the Marauders (though less so on how he chose to deal with his teen angst - maybe don't join a group of evil doers, Severus, at least not till you've given it a good long think).  And as much as I love Sirius there are hints in his entire portrayal that he wasn't as badass a teenager as he is an adult.

This is getting a little muddly, mostly because I can't think of how best to convey my love of this book.  You've all (hopefully) read it, you know how awesome it is.  I really think it is the best book in the series as well as my favourite - though Deathly Hallows runs it a very close second.  I think reading Azkaban is what cemented me as a full on Harry Potter fan; there was no going back after this.

Rating: 10/10

Review: The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling (Readalong Part Two)

This review is part of The Casual Vacancy Readalong, which is being hosted by Beth at Bookworm Meets Bookworm and Brenna at Literary Musings.  This is the second of two posts, the first of which was the non-spoilery early reaction post of last week.  This post is the full review, so it will be more in-depth than last week.  I'm not going to post the entire plot or ending, but I will speak more about themes and events than last week (though in a generalised way for the latter).  (Also, I feel really bad for not replying to the comments on the first post - part of that is because I didn't want to spoil, but mostly because I still wasn't sure what I thought. Hopefully this answers some of the matters raised in comments last time, and I'll definitely reply to the ones for this post as now I can stop wondering how far people have got in the book).

Published: 2012
Pages: 503 (Little, Brown, 2012)
Read: 27/9/12 - 29/9/12

Synopsis: The idyllic village of Pagford is ripped apart by the local parish council election and the hostilities, hypocrises and prejudices it brings to light.  The election is seen as a means of finally enabling the council to reassign jurisdiction of the Fields, a council estate that borders the village, to the local town, thus removing the pollution of the estate from the village.   

Review: As I said in my first post for the readalong, I'm really not sure how I feel about this book (even now, two weeks later).  Thinking about it in a bare bones, structural way: the beginning is a little confusing, as there are a lot of characters introduced in a short space of time; the middle is really good as she explores everyone's characters, hypocrisies and prejudices, and applies that to society on the whole; and the ending slips into Dickensian melodrama with a death which is obvious pages before it happens.  Yes, sorry, that's a bit of a spoiler but there are deaths in this book (it's JKR, that's how she rolls) and one of them is very obviously an example of how people can get so caught up in their own problems and reliant upon their own prejudices that they fail to perform an act of basic goodness which could, ultimately, save a life.  Even as I was reading it thinking "oh, no, not even Jo would do that" I knew what was going to happen because it felt inevitable.

I think that that is my problem with the novel: that the ending feels tacked on yet inevitable.  That may not make much sense, but that's how it seemed to me.  There are so many amazing moments in the book, and so many pithy descriptions of how people are that made me think "yes, that is so true!  That is so well observed!" that the ending was a let down.  The book really excels when showing people - especially teenagers - as they really are that the ending came as a huge disappointment, because it didn't seem to gel with what the rest of the book was doing.  As Julie Myerson said on The Review Show last week, it's jarring to go from a comedy of manners to tragedy, and I think that was my major issue with the book.

As for the politics - and there has been a request for my political rant, though I'm still not going to give it as it descends into Father Jack-style swearing - I think the novel was spot on about how many people view the poorer people in society, especially those living in places like the Fields.  Those sections seemed genuine, and as if Rowling was writing from her own experience of living on benefits.  Given what George bloody Osborne has been suggesting this week - slashing benefits rather than taxing the rich; basically taking from those with little so that those with plenty are left feeling happy with the government (which is presumable the whole damn point, mustn't upset your mates)* - I think this was a very well-timed novel.  Although it was started under the Labour government, it is particularly applicable to the coalition, and it scares me that Rowling was originally writing in reference to what the Tories were doing in the early 90s rather than what they're doing now.  I'm not sure how many people's minds will be changed - I've seen some reviewers on the right panning the book (though the main one I saw is someone whose opinion I wouldn't trust on whether milk had gone off) - but I still think it's important that it was written, and that J.K. Rowling is saying these things.

(Hmm, that last paragraph may contain a cleaned up version of my political rant).

To sum up - if I ever will, I could go round and round on this book - I would definitely recommend reading this book, not just because it's "what J.K. Rowling did next" but because it says some important things about the state of Britain today.  Of course, I may just think that because I agree with a lot of her opinions, but I do think it's important that this book was written.  Though that may be why I didn't enjoy it as much I could have done: it felt too much like an issues book, with an ending that served to make a point rather than tell a story, for me to enjoy it as a piece of writing.  As a damning critique of modern society it is excellent; as a novel it is flawed. 

Rating: 7/10

* I also like that he isn't going to go through with a "mansion tax" - essentially taxing homes worth over £2 million more - because too many people would be affected.  I don't know how many people George knows whose homes are worth over £2 million, but I don't know any.  It must be nice to live in a world where everyone has plenty of money and nice big houses.

The Casual Vacancy Readalong: Part One (no spoilers)

The Casual Vacancy Readalong is being hosted by Beth at Bookworm Meets Bookworm and Brenna at Literary Musings.  It's been divided into two parts: this first one is non-spoiler-y general impressions, and the second (next Thursday) will be the full in depth review.

I have finished the book.  I sat up till 3.30 Saturday night/Sunday morning to do so, mostly because I wasn't tired and I only had 100 pages to go so I really thought I ought to finish.  I then sat for a while trying to decide how I felt about the book, sent some sleep-deprived tweets on the subject, and went to sleep. 

I am still trying to decide exactly what I think about the book. 

To be honest, I'm disappointed by it.  Without spoiling, I feel like it started strongly, had a decent middle and then failed at the end.  I think the ending was what J.K. Rowling was writing towards rather than where the story should have gone, if that makes sense; like it was planned so therefore it had to happen.  I don't know, it felt forced.  I'll be able to talk about this in more detail next week when I can say how it ended (to an extent, I'm not going to flat out tell everything) and I'm actually worried that even my disappointment is a spoiler, but the more I think about it the more I dislike how it ended.

Time for some bullet points, I think (this combination of trying not to give anything away and still being unsure how I feel is tricky).

1) A lot of Harry Potter fans have been running around saying this ruins HP for them and it's destroyed their childhood and what?  I treat this as completely separate to Harry Potter.  This is what J.K. Rowling chose to write next, not how Harry's world/life now is. 

2) Having said that, I did spend way too much time going "oh my God, J.K. Rowling used a swear word!" or "oh my God, J.K. Rowling mentioned sex!" like she's not an intelligent, grown woman who's also a bit of a badass.  I found it very difficult, especially for the first 30 or so pages, to separate the book from who wrote it.  Usually I can do that just fine, even for writers I love, so that made this a weird experience.

3) This inability to completely separate who wrote it from the book itself has been what's tripped me up a lot, I think.  I didn't go in expecting to love it like I love Harry Potter, but I did want to like it more.  I almost felt like giving the book extra points for being written by JKR, as if that could somehow mitigate the problems I have with it.  If anything, I wish it was better because I know how good she is.

(This is turning into a circular argument, welcome to my head on this subject).

I was going to write something about the politics of the novel, but both times I tried it turned into a rant about the coalition government which got a bit juvenile.  Suffice to say, this is a very political novel, and it said a lot about what's happening in Britain today.  However, I'm not sure how much it will actually change things, as those who agree with her don't need to be convinced and those who disagree won't be won round.  I do think it was an important novel to write, though, if only because one of the most famous women in the world talking about these things and stating her position is always going to get some attention.

So, in short (and this post is a mess, I know) I'm disappointed by this novel but I'm glad I read it, if only to say that I have.  This is no way changes how I feel about Harry Potter or J.K. Rowling, and anything she publishes I'll buy and read.  I just wish I'd liked this book more.

Review: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

Before Harry Potter returns for his second year at Hogwarts he is warned that terrible things will happen at the school.  A wave of mysterious attacks sweep the castle, and Harry finds himself caught up in the efforts to discover the culprit.

Published: 1998
Pages: 251 (Bloomsbury, 1998)
Series: Harry Potter #2
First Read: Spring 1999
Times Read: At least 10
Part of: The Harry Potter Readalong

First line(s): "Not for the first time, an argument had broken out over breakfast at number four, Privet Drive.  Mr Vernon Dursley had been woken in the early hours of the morning by a loud, hooting noise from his nephew Harry's room."

Review: As with my review of Philosopher's Stone, I've split this into two parts - one for those who haven't read the books before, and one for those who have.

For those who haven't read the book(s) before
In many ways, Chamber of Secrets builds on Philosopher's Stone, expanding the world and introducing themes that will run throughout the series.  The main focus in this book is the anti-Muggle prejudice that exists in the wizarding world, and which is J.K. Rowling's means of exploring intolerance.  This may make the book sound heavy-handed and moralistic (and it is the latter) but it loses nothing of the whimsy and humour of the first book.  It may seem like a slight rehash of Philosopher's Stone, but it is a great book on its own and features the fabulous creation that is Gilderoy Lockhart.

I'm trying not to say too much as an in depth discussion would be spoilery, but know this: when you've read this (even if you dislike it, as much of the fandom seems to) you can go on to Prisoner of Azkaban which is oh my God amazing.

For those who have read the book(s) before
I know this is one of the least popular books in the fandom, but I've always rather liked it.  It isn't one of my favourites, but I don't dislike it.  It's funny, and servicable, and it doesn't leave me let down like Order of the Phoenix nor does it seem slight like Half-Blood Prince.  I see that it is a lot like Philosopher's Stone, and it still feels like an introduction, but I rather enjoy the ever-expanding element of the wizarding world and Rowling's way of moving the reader deeper into it as the books progress.

The main flaw with this book it that the mystery isn't completely solvable by the reader.  All the other books provide you with the required information, so that when you read the answer you say "oh, why didn't I see that, it was right there!".  While this is true of the Ginny element of the solution, it isn't so with the answer of the basilisk - it is revealed in a short paragraph that tells what has gone before rather than shows.  It would have been difficult to work the information in without it being bloody obvious, but it feels forced and sloppy when it is revealed.  This is the most disappointing element of the book, which is frustrating as the mystery is usually one of the best things in a Harry Potter.

However, much as I still notived the flaw on this reread, I was most struck by how much Chamber of Secrets foreshadows Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows.  Quite apart from the items in Borgin and Burkes which Draco uses in HBP, and the two Vanishing Cabinets (oh my goodness she really had this planned), there is the diary!  A piece of Lord Voldemort's soul, right there, being flushed down toilets and thrown around by teenagers!  I almost wish there was some way he could learn exactly what happened to the diary after he'd left it with Lucius.  It could be seen as merely important to the plot of Chamber, but the word "soul" is thrown around a lot as Tom Riddle explains what happened, and even on the first read this element seems important enough to be noted though you don't know why.  And that is part of the genius of the series as a whole.

My favourite line from this book though, the one that leapt out at me this time, was "[l]et's match the powers of Lord Voldemort, heir of Salazar Slytherin, against famous Harry Potter, and the best weapons Dumbledore can give him" (233) because that is exactly happens at the end of Deathly Hallows and that says so much about Voldemort's weaknesses and ultimate defeat.

So, despite the fault with the mystery, I really like Chamber of Secrets.  It may seem a more important book now the series is complete, but I've always enjoyed reading it.  Still, I'm curious: what is it about Chamber of Secrets that fans dislike?

Rating: 9/10

Review: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Orphaned as a baby, Harry Potter is brought up by his neglectful aunt and uncle and thinks he is an ordinary boy.  Then he discovers he's a wizard, goes to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and fights the Dark Lord who murdered his parents.  And it is awesome.

Published: 1997
Pages: 223 (Bloomsbury, 1997)
Series: Harry Potter #1
First Read: Spring 1999
Times Read: At least 10
Part of: The Harry Potter Readalong

First Line: "Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much."

Review: This book is very difficult to review, because it's Harry Potter and I just want to bounce around going "it's awesome, if you haven't read it before go and read it, if you have read it before then read it again.  Either way, get thee to the book!" but that probably isn't very helpful.  Also, I want to speak of spoilery things, but that's hardly fair to new readers, so I have divided this into two sections: one for those who haven't read the books, and one for those who have.

For those who haven't read the book(s) before
Part of me wants to say, simply, "remedy that" but that's not exactly a compelling argument.  So I will say: the word 'magical' is constantly thrown around about Harry Potter - especially given its immense popularity and J.K. Rowling's rags to riches story - and it is an epithet that fits.  These books are magical, especially this first one when everything is sparkly and new and the series hasn't yet taken the dark turn it does in later books (oh, the pain those later books can cause).  Yes, the language is simplistic and geared at a young audience, and some of the characters are painted with broad strokes, but it is a fun, fast-paced read that perfectly sets up a series full of mysteries, laughs and drama. 

Read it, and know that people are envying you for being new to the world and to not knowing all the answers (because the films don't include everything).  As a piece of pop culture, it's worth reading; as a children's book, it's fantastic.  Get thee to the book.

For those who have read the book(s) before
This is more difficult, because I feel like I ought to be talking about themes like love, death and loyalty, and basically writing an essay that encompasses the entire series and interviews from Rowling, complete with me fangirling all over the place and going "this is why I love her and her books, because of these moments, and because she'll talk about the coalition and how much they're screwing the country over!  Stuff like this!".  But I'm really not sure if that isn't something better saved till the end of the series as I'm constantly reassessing on this reread - for example, I've realised just how much Chapters 17 and 18 of Chamber of Secrets foreshadow Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows.  There is so much there it's ridiculous in hindsight.

And because, on rereading, this book doesn't contain as much information as some of the later books.  That seems self-evident, but in terms of moments where I was going "oh my God, that's setting up this!" it doesn't have half as many as in CoS.  There's the mention of Sirius, and I really wonder if Harry's dream at the end of Chapter 6 (when Malfoy turns into Snape and there's a flash of green light) is a reference to Half-Blood Prince, but the actual information that Jo gives is minimal.  It's really the introduction to the world and the big mysteries: why did Voldemort want to kill Harry?  How did Harry survive?  Why does Harry's scar hurt?  And how much, exactly, does Dumbledore know? 

I have to admit that, with hindsight, I am watching Dumbledore more closely.  Not in a judgemental way, as you know he doesn't want to use Harry in the way he does (even if it's an action which even Severus 'I want that boy expelled' Snape is quick to condemn) but because you're aware of what his true actions are.  When he tells Harry he isn't old enough to know the truth, you know that he has his reasons for not saying, all of which are explained in Order of the Phoenix - he loves Harry too much to cause him the pain of knowing the truth.  Of course, another part of me was thinking "yeah, plus Jo needs to spin this out for several books" but, at the same time, I don't know that the books would be improved by Philosopher's Stone ending with "hey, Harry, there's this prophecy and you're in it!".

I think the thing that most staggers me, repeatedly, with Harry Potter is: how did J.K. Rowling* pull this off?  The more I read the series, and the more I attempt to write my own books, the more I have to marvel at her achievement.  Yes, there is the occasional plot hole that makes me want to tear my hair out** and yes there are times when I think "wouldn't this have been a bit simpler for the bad guys?" (particularly in Goblet of Fire) but ultimately: how did she do this?  How did she plan it, hold it all in her head, and then get it down on paper over the course of ten years (seventeen including planning)?  Even without the immense pressure she was under as the series went on it would be difficult, but with that media spotlight and the fans' expectations, I really don't know how she did it.  The amount of care and attention and planning that went into these books is phenomenal and one of the things that I take away most from them.

So, I think my reaction to Philosopher's Stone is 1) I'm back at Hogwarts, yay!; 2) how on Earth did J.K. Rowling do this?; and 3) there is so much more to come and I cannot wait.  Onwards!

Rating: 10/10

* I know the correct, academic usage would be 'Rowling' but I feel weird writing that, just as I feel weird writing just 'Austen'.  Though writing Jo also feels a bit too personal as I've never met her, however much I may be 'but that is my name too!'.
** There's one in Prisoner of Azkaban that I will discuss when I get there.

Harry Potter Read Along: The Beginning

The Harry Potter Read Along is being hosted by Jenna at Lost Generation Reader.  It starts today but I'm in York until Monday so won't be starting any reading or reviewing till then.  Still, it's Harry Potter and any excuse to talk about the books is fine by me.  This post is basically all about how I first got into the books; if you don't want to read that (I suspect it will be long) then skim to the bottom of the post where I've listed the books in my order of preference.  That's probably all you really need to take away from this post.

So, Harry Potter.  I think I infuriated my friends and family with how much I obsessed over and talked about those books between 1999 and 2007 (and how much I still do so now).  And it's my mother's fault for suggesting Philiosopher's Stone in the first place.

It was sometime in spring 1999, and despite having lots of books I had nothing to read (a problem which persists to this day).  We were in a bookshop and Mum all but threw Philosopher's Stone at me, saying that a lot of kids at her school were enjoying it and maybe I would too - bearing in mind she teaches infant school and I was 15 at the time.  I took the book, skimmed the back, noted the whole "Harry is a wizard" thing which seemed pretty cool and then checked the copyright page to see who this J.K was.  That she was actually a Joanne, like me, and published, like I hoped to be some day, made me decide that my money could definitely be spent on this book.

We then went to a clothes shop for my sister - because then we were very fixed in our stereotypes of bookish tomboy and clothes-loving girl - and I sat in a corner of the changing room, wedged between the wall and a stack of chairs that were inexplicably there, and read the first sentence:

"Mr and Mrs Dursley of number four, Privet Drive were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much." (from memory, am both sad and proud of that)

I was hooked.  I polished off Philosopher's Stone that day, got Chamber of Secrets the following weekend, and bought Prisoner of Azkaban when it came out even though my mother told me to save money and wait for the paperback (I waited a couple of weeks so it isn't a first edition, dammit).  An equally obsessed friend and I got Goblet of Fire opening day.  After that it was all midnight openings, though the one for Order of the Phoenix only happened because my mum couldn't sleep and so burst into my room at 11.30 at night saying "do you want to go buy the book?".  I put off writing my MA Dissertation to read Deathly Hallows and paid for this by being the only one of my friends to have finished, meaning that I had all the Feelings and no one to share them with - though I did go into a friend's room and sob uncontrollably for five minutes over one of the deaths in that book, while being unable to tell her who it was. 

I can't really explain my love for these books.  I started reading them when I was in Year Ten at school and depressed and lonely, and finished when I was in my fourth year at university, happy and with some of the most awesome friends in the world.  Eight years of my life had the series as a constant, and a constant I could go back to when life sucked or things got too much.  I know a lot of Harry Potter fans have this sort of relationship and feeling for the series, and that there's something about the world that feels comforting even when all the bad things are happening at Hogwarts, even though it's a something that's hard to pinpoint.  The books are just wonderful and there when you need them.  And much as I complained about having to wait at the time, I wouldn't trade in the theories and speculations and midnight openings for anything, even to have had all 7 in 1999.

Also, J.K. Rowling is one of my personal heroes.  Just throwing that out there because it is so true.

The List
Basically, I thought that before I did this re-read I'd list the books in my order of preference to see if that changed.  The first three were very easy, after that it became trickier.

1. Prisoner of Azkaban
2. Deathly Hallows
3. Goblet of Fire
4. Philosopher's Stone
5. Chamber of Secrets
6. Order of the Phoenix
7. Half-Blood Prince

In fact I have pretty much gone in chronological order from 4 onwards but I'm really not a fan of Half-Blood Prince (I think it suffers from being a prologue to Deathly Hallows).  Anyway, that's my list - and my history with Harry Potter - so let's see how things change in the weeks ahead.

Harry Potter Read Along: Signing Up

The Harry Potter Read Along is being hosted by Jenna at Lost Generation Reader.  I am signing up because I have never actually read all the books back to back.  I've read all of them multiple times, but an actual readthrough in order, no - and I used to long for the day when I'd be able to do just that (oh, 2007 and the months of waiting, how I miss you).

I'm going to sign up to read all seven books and possibly Harry, A History as well to round things off.  Within the dates specified for the read along there also a couple of events, namely:

22nd September - I go to the studio tour!  For my mum's birthday, because that is what she wanted (because she is great and the one person I could vent to about the books when I finished reading before everyone I knew.  She didn't mind being spoiled so I could yell about who died and who killed them and oh my God, how could JKR do such a thing?).

27th September - The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling is published.  I may have pre-ordered mine and be planning to dash in town and collect it on my lunch break.

I may also do a post about my love for Harry Potter, how it started and how I bored the pants off everyone I knew while obsessing over it, but the short version is: I first read Philosopher's Stone in 1999 just before Prisoner of Azkaban came out.  I've been hooked ever since, have had to replace a few of my copies from over-reading and when I was rereading Chamber of Secrets recently I found notes I'd scribbled in the margins as I tried to predict what would happen in Deathly Hallows.  It is probably the purest example of what an obsessive geek I can be under the right circumstances.

And this may be a good reason for my flatmate and me to rewatch the movies in order (we did that a few months ago but it's totally worth redoing).
So, yes: all seven Harry Potter books and potentially Harry, A History.  In three and half months.  Easy.

Readalong: The Woman in White - Part One(ish)

Part one of this readalong covers the first half of the book, which in my edition (the Penguin one; ISBN 9780141439617) took me to page 302, or the end of part VI of Marian's narrative in the second epoch.

Except...I haven't got that far yet, because I was drinking watching Inception three times in a fortnight distracted by something shiny lazy.  This is like being back at uni and sitting in seminars with a rudimentary knowledge of the text, blagging like hell and attempting to appear knowledgeable.  I am currently on page 133 in Gilmore's narrative in the first epoch.  Oops.  I'm posting because this is the last day for the first half of the readalong, but I plan to follow it up when I've actually got to the midpoint noted above.

And what makes this laziness even weirder* is that I am really enjoying the book.  It's up there with Dracula in terms of Victorian novels that I find easy to read and which have a rollicking good plot as opposed to, oh I don't know, an opening that goes on for three tiny font pages about how much mud and fog there is in London (really, Dickens, London was a bit dingy in the 19th Century?  Colour me stunned).  When I did bother to pick the book up, I found pages flying by, at least in Walter Hartright's narrative; Gilmore's is a bit more stilted and correct, but that's fitting for the character.  Much as I like novels that are assembled like this - different narratives, either from people recording things after the event or writing journals - it's a bit like the epistolary novels of the 18th Century, taken to another step.  It means that the story can be continually covered even when the 'main' character isn't present while it still being first person, but it also means that there aren't heroines fainting and yet remembering everything while they're unconscious (yes, Pamela, I am looking at you, with a sidelong glance at Fanny Hill).

This isn't to say that what I've read so far is perfect.  There have been more than a few occasions when I'm brought straight up against the fact that I'm reading a book written in the 19th century, with all the casual racism (look at the amusing Italian short bloke, ha bloody ha) and sexism this entails.  Just as I was thinking that Collins was pretty awesome from being anti-corsetry, we then get the introduction of Marion who is criticised for being a bit too mannish despite her fantastic figure.  April at Good Books and Good Wine has done a drinking game for the novel (which I am v tempted to try except my liver is still annoyed with me for the weekend's excesses**) and I am definitely agreeing with the second part of Take One Drink.  I don't care if it's being done is a self-deprecating way, please to stop suggesting women are useless.  Especially as I think most of the women in this are pretty awesome so far; there's a nice lack of "no, little lady, you'd better not do that, wait for a man", and Marion, at any rate, is currently included in all the Drama.

The thing that has been especially striking me are the similarities with Fingersmith.  I know this is intentional, as Sarah Waters based her novel on this one (and kind of on Collins in general), but it is a bit disconcerting at times.  I kept expecting Mr-Fairlie-the-Hypochondriac-Uncle to produce his collection of erotic books instead of his Rembrandt prints.  Even though I know this book isn't going to follow the exact plot of Fingersmith, it means that I'm constantly second guessing things and expecting plot twists and unlawful incarcerations in asylums and all sorts of other things which may not happen. (NB: I highly recommend Fingersmith; the prose alone is worth it, but when it's coupled to a plot that made me squawk in surprise at one point then it goes to a whole new level of fantastically amazing).

So far, all I can really do is make conjectures about what's going to happen.  I have spent a few pages yelling "oh my God, you idiots, this all clearly means X is happening" - my favourite of these being "who could the ghostly woman possibly be?"  Oh, I don't know, someone with a propensity for dressing in white?  Who could that possibly be?  The moments when the characters are standing around being puzzled are, at least, believable and not long winded like some Victorian literature, but being a couple of steps ahead of the characters can be annoying when you're clearly not meant to be.  Anyway, predictions:

- Laura and Anne are Secretly Sisters because Mr-Fairlie-Laura's-Father was a Scoundrel.  There are references to Anne not knowing who her father was/is, and she and Laura are meant to be practically identical - the point hasn't been laboured at all - so if this doesn't turn out to be a Super Secret Twist I may be a little annoyed.
- At some point Marion is going to go Hypochondriac Uncle with some Suspicions and she is going to be shot down.  I can see Hypochondriac Uncle being a problem.  If not, he'll die at a convenient point, possibly aided by Sir Percival.
- There's going to be an old switcheroo with Laura and Anne and the asylum.  I'm not even sure how this would work, I just think it's going to happen and there will be lots of misunderstanding and panic and derring do.

Notes, or Random Thoughts While Reading
- Why did they invite a Weeping Angel to the wedding?  At least in the dream, there's an "angel weeping" at the ceremony (80) which sent my mind straight to Doctor Who.  Steven Moffat has clearly destroyed my brain.
- "[h]e has fought successfully two contested elections; and has come out of the ordeal unscathed" (83) so at least one of our politicians hasn't been claiming for a second home, putting in a moat, or spending a small fortune on a duck house.

* Apart from the Inception watching, because ohmygod I love that film.
** Awesome as Inception is, watching it while downing three double gin and tonics may not be the best way to spend an evening <- responsible adult talking there.