Potterhead Report

What are Harry Potter fans called? Are they potheads? Potterheads? Or do they not have a name?

Anyhoo, I finished The Half-Blood Prince the other day and although I was giving the Unreasonable Man a hard time for saying it was the best book of the series, now that I've finished it I think I see what he means. By midway through, I felt like it wasn't moving very quickly and that not much was actually happening; the form was starting to feel a little stale and it almost seemed like it was just the outline of a book. But things did start to pick up from there and I realized that part of why I might have felt that way was that I was just reading it all much faster than I had read the other books so it all seemed more compressed and flattened by the speed. By the final 50 pages or so things really speed to a rousing conclusion and it left me with a very satisfying yet bettersweet feeling. Of course, I can't wait for the final book.

Speaking of the Unreasonable Man, he found a funny (but, um, shall we say, ribald?) comparison between Hogwarts and law school from Law & Alcoholism. My favorite bit:

3. Watch out for professors that have Dark Wizards growing out of the back of their heads. They tend to have tough curves.

I also know what he means about finishing the book quickly and feeling a sort of hangover afterwards—it's like post-Potter depression.

Meanwhile, Andrew Raff is also applying his legal education to the book by analyzing whether a certain bequest violates the rule against perpetuities. (Very slight spoiler there as to the parties involved in the bequest, so don't go if you don't want to know.)

Since I tend to take books perhaps more seriously than I should (esp. when we're talking about “young adult” books), below are some comments that you might not want to read if you haven't read the book—you know, light spoilery stuff. Don't click for “more” if you don't want to read that sort of thing!

To no one's surprise, I'm ambivalent about Harry Potter the character. On the one hand, I like the way Rowling continues to make Harry sort of bumbling and only competent in bursts so that he has to rely on his friends to pull him through and keep their little world moving in the right direction. That's refreshing because it means Harry's not some dominating hero type and is therefore more believable. However, I don't feel Harry has developed or matured very much as a character. Sure, he's possibly less impulsive now than he was in past books, but not much (if at all). Worse, his hair-trigger temper and his weakness for being blinded by anger remain distinguishing characteristics and there is little sign that he's aware of how devastating these weaknesses are. Also, the fact that he continues to sort of blow off school and not take learning magic seriously means that it's not very plausible that he's supposedly a great wizard who is going to be able to defeat moldy Voldy. Even the magic battles in which he engages in this book are a little surprising; he never practices or pays attention to anyone, yet we're supposed to believe he can hold his own against powerful wizard and witches? I just feel like its time he became more serious about developing his powers even as he becomes more serious about fulfilling the role he supposedly must fill.

Parallel to this is the continued frustration that no one seems to listen to Harry, despite the fact that the past books showed time and again that his hunches were more or less right. Of course, perhaps these things go hand in hand—why would they take him seriously when he just doesn't act very serious most of the time?

Other, really minor things I quibbled inwardly about or really liked while reading:

• The use of another “found” book to move the plot forward. It was a little too reminiscent of Book 2 and Tom Riddle's diary.
• Likewise, although it's a brilliant idea, the constant use of the pensieve for backstory seemed a little deus ex machina -esque. I don't know how else she could have done it, and it worked well, so I'm not really complaining, just saying. I guess that's the advantage of writing fantasy like this—if you need some mechanism to talk about the past other than a dream or a plain old flashback, you just invent a pensieve. In that light, it works well b/c it adds the challenge of forcing the characters to actually “acquire” the required memories in the first place.
• I don't know what to make the of idea that Voldemort appears to come basically from a family of dissipated wealth and prestige. Rowling certainly made the Gaunts out to be the most vile, inbred sort of social trash and I'm not sure why that was necessary or what she's trying to say by that.
• I really enjoyed the idea that Fred and George Weasley have a “security line” of magic products. It certainly rings true in light of current events where people are constantly searching for ways to be more “secure” and the “security industry” is making money hand over fist.

So, no deep thoughts, just thoughts. It was a terrific read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like everyone else, I can't wait for the next and final installment, although I do hope to see a Harry that's a bit more, well, heroic in the end.

Posted 01:14 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | ai books

Rascal

We went last night to meet Rascal, the dog I mentioned yesterday, and to let our current dog, Sisu, meet him and see what would happen. As you can see from the picture, the two of them wore each other out. They got along famously; I don't think we'd have to worry about dog fights. Actually, the two of them look like they're siblings or something—very similar builds and features. When they were racing around the field we let them play in they looked like they were having the time of their lives.

But that doesn't mean we should get another dog. I realize, in practical terms, another dog is probably a bad idea. More cost, more time, more hassle, definitely bigger issue when looking for places to live. But, well, since when is even one dog practical? Who gets a dog because it makes logical sense?

We really don't know. I keep reaching a point where I realize we just don't need another dog, yet the thought keeps creeping back in my head that it might be fun. Of course, our landlord could be the final arbiter of that plan, yet I'm not even sure I want to ask.

And then it's always possible this is all just a distraction from other things....

Posted 07:45 AM | Comments (7) | TrackBack | life generally

Dog Roberts

Ok, I heard that Yubbledew* picked a nominee for the Supreme Court, and NPR tells me that Republicans are happy, Democrats are “cautious,” and Laura Bush is pissed. (Ok, NPR didn't say that, but it did say that Bush ignored his wife's public plea for a female nominee. Tee hee hee.)

That's all very interesting. I mean, I know I should care, and I do, but... Well, anyway, I have a more pressing and weighty issue that requires careful consideration: Should we get another dog?

Specifically, I'm wondering if any kind reader out there has more than one dog and can tell me how much more work and effort and cost is involved in going from one to two. Also, more generally (if generalizations on this are even possible), do you have any thoughts about pros and cons of having one dog as opposed to two, or two as opposed to one? Am I just crazy to even consider getting another dog when it's likely I'll be moving a year from now and starting a new job as a lawyer? (That's something that is also worthy of consideration, but as E. Spat. notes, that subject causes way too much anxiety so I'd rather think about other things—like dogs.)

The situation is that someone at work must get rid of her 1.5 year-old pit bull mix. He's nice, friendly with people and other dogs, crate-trained, has all shots and has been neutered, doesn't bark, responds to basic commands (sit, stay, come, roll over, etc.) and is almost exactly the same size as our current dog. I know if we don't take him he'll still find a good home, so it's not a question of being forced into it for the dog's sake. It's just that, against my own better judgement, I kind of like the idea of having another dog. Am I crazy?

* When I say that name I'm also thinking of the witch Valerie in The Princess Bride who is married to Miracle Max (the character played by Billy Crystal). Valerie keeps yelling “liar!” and “I'm not a witch I'm your wife!” But really what I'm saying is that when I think of Yubbledew I also think of that voice saying “liar!”)

Posted 07:07 AM | Comments (8) | TrackBack | life generally

Heat Is On On On?

When I wrote yesterday I really had no plans to stay home and read Harry Potter. However, I was waiting for the plumber/HVAC guy to arrive so I was going to be late for work. Not surprisingly, the expert took much longer to arrive than expected, only to show up and tell me that the problem is that our landlords have had their heat on all summer! They have hot water heat (steam radiators) and the boiler is downstairs in our apartment. I was wondering why the darn thing was always so hot and now I know. But why would they have their freaking heat on when the weather around here has been insanely hot (and wet) for weeks?

Anyhoo, I'm halfway through book six and am very entertained. I don't want to say much b/c I don't want to spoil anything for those who have not been able to dig in yet.

If you're not a fan of the kid wizards, you may find something more to your like at Blawg Review #15 (aka, “the multiple personalities of George”).

Posted 06:57 AM | Comments (5) | TrackBack | ai books

Potter Monday

So who would rather stay home and read Harry Potter than go to work today? Oh yeah, that would be me. Thanks to L.'s sister, I scored a copy but I haven't been able to start it because I've been catching up on what I'd forgotten about book 5. If you're like me and you'd like to refresh your memory about the Order of the Phoenix, check out David Harris' chapter summaries. He only made it to chapter 30, but you can get summaries of the last few chapters from Sparknotes.

Oh, and to those of you who are studying for the bar and will have to wait to read the new book until after you've passed, well, um, it's something to look forward to, right? ;-)

Posted 06:37 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack | ai books