Harry Potter Hype by a Non-fan

What is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 like if you aren’t a fan? This is the blog of a woman on a mission.  A mission to see the show after not having seen any of the films or read any of the books since the first of each.

Disclaimer: This was my third stop of the evening and I had a huge tanker of beer sitting between me and my incredibly attractive date.

While my earlier Harry Potter post may lead you to believe I’m one of you trendy Harry Potter-loving nerds, I’m not; the truth is that I’m just a big admirer of J.K. Rowling’s business acumen. I’m not not a fan, mind you – I just read the first book, said, “It’s cute,” and shelved the thing. I didn’t think the movie was cute at all. I thought it was downright disappointing after the vibrant world that I’d imagined, chalked it up to the way of things, and moved on.

Well, here’s what I thought of the movie: It was flashy, visually mesmerizing, and it really ticked me off because I just found out that Ron and Hermoine are together. Um, excuse me? Emma Watson is much, much too cute for Ron or Rupert Grint (apologies to Rupert and all of his cult followers), and I hope that in some of the upcoming releases, she realizes this and kicks him to the curb. Hermoine is obviously meant to be with Harry. (Ginny who? He doesn’t even hang out with Ginny, she just makes random appearances when nothing important is going on.) Harry and Hermoine, now- power with depth, and a much shorter attractiveness gap to bridge.

As a standalone movie, this really wasn’t half bad, but I guess the other pieces of the puzzle might enrich it further. Here’s my conundrum: I didn’t like the first movie (though the book was alright) but I liked the last a lot. Do I read the books or watch the movies, or leave it alone now that it’s over and the Libran-o-meter has tipped towards “like”?

By the way…. do these make anyone else anywhere on this whole planet think of Narnia?

Catching Fire – More Hunger Games!

Katniss Everdeen lives in a dangerous world. Her district is one of twelve that is punished yearly for a previous uprising against the imperialism of the City of Panem by a perverse lottery which lands those teens whose names are drawn in a televised fight to the death, and for the impoverished families of the districts to gain further coal and grain allotments to survive, the children must enter must enter multiple times.

Spoiler Alert! If you don’t want the details from me, just buy the book, already, and read it yourself! I know many bookstores are sold out, but you can download it!

Katniss has already survived the Hunger Games once, along with Peeta Mellark, the good-hearted young man from her district that confessed to being madly in love with her before the games. Instead of being free to survive in peace with her extra supply of food, fuel and acclaim as they expected, the Capitol is furious that they have made the government appear foolish by humanizing the contestants with their refusal to kill one another, and neither of them are safe. Will they be thrown back into the arena again?

And what of Gale, her lifelong friend and hunting partner, who also has feelings for Katniss?

This book is equally as fascinating as the first, and even more fraught with tension and intrigue. Read it, read it!

The Hunger Games

I read this book in one night. And the second the next night. And the third, the one after that. Riveting, to the point of addictiveness. After being rendered virtually incapable of entertaining any thought outside the arena of these books for three days, all I have to say is that Suzanne Collins is a very talented lady. Granted, her plots aren’t unpredictable for those of us that read plenty of post-apocalyptic literature, but the way she writes! With a style similar to that of Margaret Atwood, but aimed toward a much younger target audience, these books are accessible and engaging for nearly any reader.

Since I was turned on to the books by my dear friend, Kirinjirafa, let me give you her take on The Hunger Games:

 With the impending end of two wildly popular book/movie series, it’s no wonder Hollywood has been quick to jump on Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy.  

This post-apocalyptic sci-fi follows sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen through a life or death survival contest.  The plot is rich in action and pathos; it’s easy to get pulled into the story, and hard to put the book down once you’ve started.

 Collins has an arresting technique in creating an instantly recognizable fantasy world. Her likeable main character is far from the stereotypical teenager without any compromise in believability.  Every step Katniss takes in the book seems exactly as it should be. The environment around her rings true as well; for instance, the first ominous mention of “the reaping” occurs within a few paragraphs of the beginning, and we are immediately disconcerted. The reader can worry about the event without having to know what it is.

As a stand-alone piece of work, it’s a great investment of both the time and money.  Having read this first installment in the set, I’m already looking forward to the movie and hoping that the next two can deliver as much impact.  

Tune in tomorrow for my take on Catching Fire, the second book in the trilogy. And tune in each week for the next 5 weeks for Kirinjirafa’s thoughts on more exciting Summer Reading!