So I've finally decided to read Harry Potter

[Xehupatl]

After years of putting it off, I finally get around to read those dreadful books. Having decided that they most assuredly won\'t live up to the high standards I had set myself with \"The Lord of the Rings\", I thought \"aww, it, everybody\'s doing it; if I\'m going to rant about them, I should\'ve at least read them!\"

So I read Book 1 yesterday.

Book 1: The Philosopher\'s Stone
Having seen the movie when it came out (=years ago), I wasn\'t allowed the luxury of engaging my own imagination. In my mind, everybody and everything looks like they did in the movie. Potter is that guy, Hermione is hot hot Emma Watson, Hagrid is that cool guy from \"Coltrane\'s Planes and Automobiles\" and Nearly Headless Nick is John Cleese (woohoo!).

Not to be thwarted, I read on, and found the book rather engaging. The time flew by, and before I knew it, I was on page 150.

I\'m pretty convinced that there are hidden subliminal Satanic messages everywhere, because somebody said so, and because you can\'t reach such a level of fame without help from the Dark Lord, or at least L. Ron Hubbard.

Maybe the beginning letters of words in sentences spell some kind of dark commands, like \"Haill Satan!\" in \"[b]Harry And Ingrid Looked at Snape And Thought, \'Aaah! Nasty!\'\". Well, that\'s the best I could think of.
At 425 Million in the bank, I\'m sure Mrs. Rowling lets some kind of secret government super computer do that kind of work ...

But I\'m not really convinced about it just yet, and once I start walking around in black robes, eating people\'s faces, I\'ll be sure to notify you about it.

The movie pretty much spoiled the experience, because I couldn\'t think \"Oh no, Snape is the evil d00d and that stuttering weakling is such a nice guy blah blah!\"


Thank god I haven\'t seen the second one yet, so Book 2 will be more of an experience.

I\'ll keep you posted. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

In a few days: The Chamber of Secrets

[Charisma]

Hehe, you must hurry then, the movies follow one another in just the same swift pace like the books... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

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I\'m pretty convinced that there are hidden subliminal Satanic messages everywhere, because somebody said so, and because you can\'t reach such a level of fame without help from the Dark Lord, or at least L. Ron Hubbard.

Maybe the beginning letters of words in sentences spell some kind of dark affirmations, like \"Hail Satan!\" in \"Harry And Ingrid Looked at Snape And Thought, \'Aaah! Nasty!\'\". Well, that\'s the best I could think of.
At 425 Million in the bank, I\'m sure Mrs. Rowling lets some kind of secret government super computer do that kind of work ...

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I don\'t get it. What does it affirm? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[DaVinciKittie]

The casting for the movies is almost dead on for the characters described in the books, IMHO, so don\'t feel too cheated there. The first movie is incredibly true to the first book (the length is testimony to that), and although the second diverges slightly (at the end) it is also very similar. If you liked Philosopher\'s/Sorceror\'s Stone, you\'ll *really* like the other books. I read the first and thought, \"Hey that was pretty good\" (and found ALL sorts of parallels between the HP story/characters and LOTR). Then I read the second and immediately went out and bought the third (needless to say, I enjoyed it more than the first). Read the third and actually had *dreams* about it. They just keep getting better and better, and JKR does not disappoint with the latest installment. My personal favorite is still #3 (Prisoner of Azkaban) since it actually kept me in the dark for most of the story, and therefore the ending was a total surprise (I picked up on her writing style after that, so there weren\'t too many surprises for me in #4 and #5). Keep reading- you\'ll be addicted before you know it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

OH, and I just have to say, Alan Rickman is *THE* perfect Snape!

[Xehupatl]

Charisma: blaeh changed \"affirmation\" to \"command\" if that pleases you more

DVC: When I saw alan rickman as snape I popped a boner (not gay) hearing him talk had me on the verge of auditory orgasm. ahem .. so to speak (not gay!)

[Sexyredhead]

Alan Rickman--YES!!! He\'s chooses all the characters I\'ve seen him play so well, IMO, and Snape is one of them. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

I loved all the books. DVK, you\'re right, I had no problem imagining the movie characters as the ones in the books.

I meant to tell you I finished HPV a week or so ago.
All I can say is--Neville. Who\'da thunk??? VERY GOOD book. My mom wanted me to tell her about it, \'since she won\'t have time to read it anytime soon\'. I told her she\'s got 3 years before the movie comes out, so I figure she can fit it in by then. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Have fun, Xehupatl. All the \"adults\" I\'ve know who read HP loved him.

[Xehupatl]

Noooo SRH!! You\'ve spoiled it for me!
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Neville. Who\'da thunk???

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And I\'m only up to book 3!

Anyways:

Book 2: The Chamber of Secrets

Yeah I admit it, it only took me a day to finish it. I couldn\'t go to sleep knowing there were only 50 pages left to go.

These \"Dursley\" people start seriously pissing me off. How can someone beaten, punished, looked down upon and spending his whole childhood locked in a small cupboard have healthy emotional development?

HP must have some serious issues. I bet he goes all psycho later and starts stalking people!

The thing with Ginny\'s obsession for Harry and Percy\'s girlfriend made me think.

Girl\'s and Boy\'s sleeping chambers are all in the same place! I mean, putting 10-16 year old boys and girls in the same place like that ... who\'s keeping them from doing their own little magical experiments? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I\'m taking a wild guess here that there are weekly or monthly \"House Orgies\". /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

How come Rowling puts so much emphasis on this Dudley dude being so fat, when Ron and Harry are constantly stuffing their faces themselves at Hogwarts? I guess they can wizard their extra weight off in some way.

I\'m such a nerd! (emphasis added for Elana)

Started \"Prisoner of Azkaban\" today. We\'ll see how that\'s going.

[DaVinciKittie]

Ooooooo, you\'ve definitely gotta give us an update after you finish Prisoner! It\'s my favorite so far (and likely in the series), hands-down. It\'s funny that you should mention that about the girls and boys dormatories. I thought the same thing, but just assumed there was some sort of magical charm at work. I mean, if fully grown and experienced wizards cannot apparate or disapparate on the Hogwarts grounds, then it is entirely plausible that students wouldn\'t be able to break the dormatory charms. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif However, without giving anything away, I\'ll jsut say that your curiosity about that should be quelled in Order of the Phoenix. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

You better go easy on the reading there, or you\'re going to start dreaming that you\'re Harry Potter. Hell, who wouldn\'t want to have magical powers?! LOL! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[Xehupatl]

hehe
finished \"The Prisoner of Azkaban\" (or is it Akzaban?) yesterday.

wow I\'ve been tearing through these books like a kangaroo on steroids!

Well they DO make an entertaining read, however they\'re always the SAME.

Rowling explains everything over and over again, yes, Mrs. Rowling, by book three, I know the rules of Quidditch, I know who Malfoy is, what the Sorting Hat does, and how evil Snape is ...

I guess she does this for adult readers, since I\'m sure that children will pick everything right up and remember it!

Those Dementors gave me a real fright; very very good idea and description in my opinion! Looks like the books are getting darker and darker - excellent!

The writing style in Harry Potter reminds me a lot of The Hobbit, just without the .. you know ... literary skill Tolkien had. But I\'m not going to hold that against Rowling; Tolkien is one step above EVERYTHING else! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Now I\'ve got to buy the other two books, but I\'ll wait until someone else in my family buys them ... or I\'ll just download them from kazaa (note to FBI - I\'m not a terrorist! note to RIAA - screw you!)

Snape reminds me alot of my old Latin teacher ... strict, but he really knows his [bad word]! Well, he didn\'t hate me, though.

It was a shame to see that new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher go ... I\'d have thought that at least in the third book Rowling would let the new teacher stay ... shame that - such a nice guy!

[DaVinciKittie]

Did you clue in to the \"Scabbers\" secret and the big black dog before the scene in the shrieking shack? I actually didn\'t, and that\'s what made the book so great for me- the element of surprise. Now I\'ve caught on to her style, tho, and I doubt it\'ll happen again (more\'s the pity).

I think it\'s safe to say that JKR has read and enjoyed Tolkien\'s LOTR series. There are so many parallels to LOTR throughout the HP series, it\'s crazy. I actually enjoy her writing style. It\'s *much* easier to read than Tolkien and it\'s so vibrant- she makes me feel as if I were *in* the story. I enjoyed LOTR but there were times when I would space out while I was reading it and completely lose track of what was going on. The story is amazing, and his ability to describe the setting and characters is on par too, but it\'s so dry. I know a lot of people truly and thoroghly enjoy Tolkien\'s writings and style, and I wish I was one of them, but I just can\'t jive with it. &lt;shrugs&gt; Oh well, to each his own. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Xehupatl]

yeah \"to each his own\" - how true! I\'m not going to argue with you /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif I find Harry Potter very engaging and entertaining. phew I\'m nearly finished with the fourth one! It\'s getting really ... well ... darker. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif And Rowling makes an effort to deal with the whole puberty thing´.. must be hard!
She\'S definitely easier to read, but that\'s what sets the Lord of the Rings apart, really. I love how he writes! There are times where I\'m just awestruck with the way he described little details, or the landscape and setting, even if it goes on for pages! The Lord of the Rings is the only book that made me all teary and choked up, just because it\'s sooo beautiful ... you can call the waaaambulance any time I read the part in Khazad-Dûm when Gandalf dies. Man I really should read the Lord of the Rings a fourth time.

edit: oh yeah just thought of this: Dementor = Nazgûl! hehe

[Sexyredhead]

On the \'charms\' for the dorms:

I remember in HPV that Harry and Ron find out when they try to go up the steps to the girls dormitory, the stairs straighten out and become a slide. Strangely enough, the girls are allowed in the boys\' dorms, but the boys aren\'t allowed in the girls\' dorms. I guess they figure the girls are more likely to behave. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[DaVinciKittie]

SRH, X hasn\'t gotten to HPV yet!! So much for being circumspect about the dorm charm! LOL! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[DaVinciKittie]

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oh yeah just thought of this: Dementor = Nazgûl! hehe

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Yep! One of many! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif So, at the risk of sounding repetitive, did you figure out the whole Scabbers/black dog/Lupin thing before the scene in the Shrieking Shack? I\'m curious to know how other people picked up on the clues for that from the first two books (and what\'s in book 3). My dad professes to have figured it out, but I don\'t believe him. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Sexyredhead]

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SRH, X hasn\'t gotten to HPV yet!! So much for being circumspect about the dorm charm! LOL! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

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I think he\'ll be ok. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif. After all, now he has to read to find out why they were trying to get up there. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif And the way he\'s going, he\'ll be there by the weekend anyways. lol

And FWIW, I didn\'t get the clues with Crookshanks/Snuggles, etc either. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[DaVinciKittie]

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FWIW, I didn\'t get the clues with Crookshanks/Snuggles, etc either.

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Oh good! I feel a little better now. After I initially read that book I was feeling pretty stupid for not catching all those hints! Glad it wasn\'t just me. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[Sexyredhead]

To be honest, I like HP because I still can\'t figure out everything that\'s going to happen. I hope I don\'t. Most of the time, I can get about a third of the way through a mystery, and I\'ve got it figured out. That\'s so annoying. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

[DaVinciKittie]

I guess I want the satisfaction of knowing I can figure it out before it\'s revealed AND to be surprised too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif There\'s just no satisfying me! &lt;ahem&gt; Pun intended. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Xehupatl]

hehe ... finished HP 4 yesterday ... very depressing that ... the scene with Voldemort and Harry was very impressive!

No I didn\'t get the whole Wormtail thing until they started to explain. At the beginning I suspected Lupin, then that cat - well I was wrong!

Started HP 5 yesterday right after finishing 4 ... whoa ... we\'ll see how it turns out. So when does Rowling plan to release the rest of the bunch? I wouldn\'t want to wait for years to read them ...

anyways ... I\'ve heard that one of the main characters dies in part 5, rumor is, it\'s Hermione, but we\'ll see; at the rate I\'m going through these books I\'ll find out tomorrow!

abra cadaver!

[DaVinciKittie]

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Started HP 5 yesterday right after finishing 4 ... whoa ... we\'ll see how it turns out. So when does Rowling plan to release the rest of the bunch? I wouldn\'t want to wait for years to read them ...

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Ha! Don\'t hold your breath. It took her 3 years to come out with book 5. She doesn\'t work under a deadline, so it\'s done when it\'s done. I do know that (according to JKR) book five will be the longest in the series, so hopefully 6 and 7 will not take as long to write. She\'s already written the final chapter of book 7, too, but that doesn\'t mean anything time-wise.

There *is* a death (significant character) in this book, but I won\'t spoil it for you. I will say that I did not like the way it was done. Although I might not *like* to see a character die, I can appreciate a good death scene (the one at the end of book 4 was very well written even though the death itself was very short), but I *hated* the way she did this one. I think the character deserved better. However, b/c of the nature of the death I think JKR might be intending to incorporate it into one of the later books. Guess we\'ll just have to wait (hopefully not another 3 years!) to see. You\'re lucky that you get to read them all back to back like this. Most of the major questions are answered by the end of book five, and you\'re not left hanging like you would have been if you\'d stopped after books three or four. They\'re great fun, aren\'t they?! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[tallmacky]

Harry Potter is great, you guys should read it when you are on Extasy and GHB it blew my mind.

[Sexyredhead]

Yeah, you\'re right, DVK. After I read it, I kept thinking, is *____* really dead??? It just happened so quickly and boom!....gone. I hope something happens in 6 or 7 that reverses it. I was just a bit flummoxed by the way it happened, ya know? *_____* deserved to go out in some better way, I think. Or, oh I don\'t know, just something....different!


TM, if I was doing either one of those, the last thing I think I\'d want to be doing was READING A BOOK.

But that\'s just me... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Elana]

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TM, if I was doing either one of those, the last thing I think I\'d want to be doing was READING A BOOK.

But that\'s just me...

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I hope you wouldn\'t be doing any cooking either. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Xehupatl]

So .. I just finished HP 5 .. I can\'t believe I\'ve managed to go through nearly 800 pages in about a day! Very very odd book, that. It definately left me wanting more, even if it was just reading about how the school year\'s going. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
One thing I\'d like to see is Rowling top HP 5. I mean, after that action/mystery extravaganza that was \"the order of the phoenix\" ... what will come next to top that? Huge, LotR-style wizard battles? Dunno, after that, everything else might seem a bit ... insignificant.

Well, so ends the tale of me reading Harry Potter! You know, I think as a wizard, a good old handgun might come in handy - I mean how much lead can you pump inside Voldemort before he is able to say some silly spell? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[DaVinciKittie]

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You know, I think as a wizard, a good old handgun might come in handy - I mean how much lead can you pump inside Voldemort before he is able to say some silly spell?

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LMAO! That\'s exactly what my brother said too. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif Welcome to the world of waiting for JKR to produce. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif It sucks. Maybe she won\'t torture us for three years this time. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif