Year: 2007

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    Harry Potter, Part Three — Severus Snape

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    Oh, Severus.

    Finally, finally, after seven books we understand why you seem to hate Harry so much and whose side you’re really on. 

    The side of love.

    Severus works for Dumbledore. He protects Harry. He double-crosses Voldemort. He risks his life countless times. He incurs the wrath of the Order of the Phoenix. He lets others assume the worst of him – all because of love.

    Severus fell in love with Harry’s mom, Lily, when they were children. And it’s the reason he does everything he does. I have to say I didn’t see that one coming. Never even thought about it. But it makes perfect sense. The scenes of Severus and Lily are some of the most poignant in the whole book. Years after Lily’s death, Severus still makes his Patronus take on the form of hers — a silver doe. How sad and romantic and heart-breaking is that? 

    In the book, Rowling calls Harry, Severus, and Voldemort “the lost boys.” Really, they’re archetypes. Harry is ultimate good, Voldemort is ultimate evil, and Severus is stuck somewhere between the two.

    To me, Severus is the most interesting character of the three. He could so, so easily be evil. But because of Lily, he chooses to be good. And that, I think, is the ultimate sacrifice. To strive against your nature, to try to be better than you are. 

    I don’t think Severus hates Harry. Certainly, he doesn’t love him. At least, not in the way most people love. I think looking at Harry is just too painful for him. That Severus knows that perhaps Harry could have been his son, if he hadn’t called Lily a Muggle. That he sees his betrayal of Lily (which eventually led to her death) every time he looks at that scar on Harry’s forehead. That Severus realizes what he’s lost.

    We saw Voldemort’s fractured soul in the train station. How hideous and twisted it was. I’m going to choose to think of Severus at peace. Perhaps playing with Lily when they were children. Or in a portrait in Dumbledore’s office, talking with the other headmasters of Hogwarts.

    It’s a place of honor. And Severus belongs there. 

    What about you? Do you love or loathe Snape? Inquiring minds want to know …

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    Harry Potter, Part Two — The Problem with Prophecies …

    Prophecies have always bugged me. Mainly because people always have the same reaction when they hear them — they try to do everything in their power to stop them from coming true. Oedipus. Macbeth. Countless other books and myths and stories — including Harry Potter.

    I always wondered what would happen if someone in a story heard a prophecy and then did absolutely nothing about it. Would the prophecy still happen? I think not. To me, it seems like every action taken to stop a prophecy only brings it that much further along.

    Let’s look at Harry Potter. His parents are murdered. He lives with his uncaring aunt and uncle. He is alone and friendless and unloved. Then, he goes to Hogwarts and finds his home, his friends, the world he belongs in. So, is it any wonder that Harry does everything in his power to keep his world safe? Harry fights for Ron and his family. He fights for Dumbledore. He fights for Hogwarts. He fights for all the people who have been kind to him since he grew up without a real family. He knows how important they all are, and he’ll do whatever he has to — including dying — to keep them safe.

    But what if Voldemort hadn’t killed Harry’s parents? Would Harry be a different person?

    Oh, yes.

    Snape describes Harry’s father, James, as arrogant. And you know what? Snape is right. The images we see of James Potter aren’t very nice ones. He plays a cruel prank on Snape. He’s mean to Lily Potter. He struts around Hogwarts with Sirius. James Potter is arrogant. (I’m not saying he stays this way, but that’s how he was a kid.)

    But what if Harry had grown up in the magical world with his parents. With the same sense of entitlement that James and Sirius had. Would Harry value Hogwarts and his parents the same way he does in the books? Maybe, maybe not. Harry might still be a hero, might still take on Voldemort, but he wouldn’t have the personal reason to fight. The sense of longing and loss. Which, to me, makes all the difference. That’s why we care about Harry. That’s why we root for him.

    And really, it’s all because Voldemort acted on a prophecy. Just like Oedipus. Just like Macbeth. Just like countless others, most of whom meet a grisly end.

    It bugs me.

    What about you? Do prophecies bug you? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • 817 and counting …

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    Finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling.

    Wow.

    This book absolutely blew me away. It was that good. I know, I know, everyone else has read it already. But still. I always forget how wonderful these books are until I read them. They more than live up to the hype each and every time.

    Wow. 😯 If I could write something a tenth as good as Rowling, I’d be one happy camper.

    I’m not going to recap the plot since everyone knows it’s the final showdown between Harry and Voldemort. Instead, I’m going to talk about what I loved about the book. Here are some of my favorites:

    1) My absolute favorite thing is how Rowling tied everything together so beautifully. She brought back so many things and characters that were mentioned in previous books — Dobby, the mysterious locket found in Book 5, Dumbledore’s mangled hand, the scene where Harry’s father tortures Snape at school — and made them all make sense and further the story. As someone who writes a series, I really, really appreciate this. I usually drop names and characters and minor plot points two to three books ahead before they appear, but I’m nowhere near Rowling’s level. She is truly a grand master.  

    2) Neville. Neville has probably shown more growth than any other character, going from a shy boy to a rebellious hero. Remember when Harry found out that Neville could also have been the boy of the prophecy and that Voldemort and his minions made Neville’s parents insane as a result? So how appropriate was it that Neville would be the one to draw the sword out of the hat and kill Voldemort’s snake — destroying the final Horcrux. Poetic justice.

    3) Snape. Oh, Severus. We finally now why you do the things you do — because you loved Harry’s mother ever since you were both children. This was one of the most beautiful things about the story — how love truly can conquer evil in so many ways. (More on Snape to come).

    4) Dumbledore’s gifts to Harry, Ron, and Hermoine. I love these sorts of puzzles that Rowling puts into the story and watching the characters try to figure out what the items really mean.

    5) Learning more about Dumbledore. Finally, we get some more insight into his past and why he does the things he does.

    However, the book isn’t without its problems, minor though they are. Here are some of my quibbles:

    1) The time in the woods where Harry, Ron, and Hermoine are camping drags a little bit. I read one reviewer say that it felt like Rowling was drawing the time out to make it match the year format of the other books. I think the reviewer is right. That section could have easily been cut down 20 or 30 pages.

    2) Sometimes, I get rather tired of the angsty Harry, who is angry at Dumbledore for not telling him everything and feeling rather sorry for himself. Harry, you knew it was going to come down to you vs Voldemort for seven years now. It’s not fair, it’s not right, but that’s how it is. You also knew Dumbledore couldn’t risk information falling into the wrong hands. I think it’s time you accepted those facts and concentrated on stopping Voldemort, instead of whining about it.

    3) The same thing goes for angsty Ron, who is still insecure around Harry. Don’t you know, Ron, that Harry wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you (and Hermoine)? He would have died back in one of the earlier books. You are just as much a hero as he is, even if other people don’t quite see it that way.

    4) I also kind of thought Rowling killed Hedwig off just because it would have been difficult to include the owl in the whole story. But maybe it’s just me.

    5) Rowling lost me at times. I didn’t really understand the bit about the wands and who was master of what until I read an article in Entertainment Weekly explaining it. Also, it was difficult keeping up with the number of Horcruxes and what was what and what book it appeared in. 

    6) I also would have liked another scene with Harry and Snape (and more Snape in general). I think that could have been really powerful, them coming face to face with all the secrets revealed between them. And I really, really wanted one more scene at the very end in the epilogue, maybe just a glimpse into Dumbledore’s office at Hogwarts with his and Snape’s portaits up on the walls. Maybe even with little Albus Severus there.

    Still, big, big thumbs up. This is the best book I’ve read so far this year. I’m sure a lot of people would agree with me. 😎

    I’ll be doing a couple of posts on Harry Potter so stay tuned for more …

    What about you? Did Harry Potter live up to the hype? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • ‘Bourne’ again …

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    Saw The Bourne Ultimatum this weekend.

    And loved it. I’m a total sucker for spy movies, and I’ve enjoyed the first two Bourne movies. They’ll never replace my rabid, fangirl love of the James Bond franchise, but they’re darn good action movies. And, it’s rare that a movie series maintains such quality from film to film, without dissolving into a muddled mess. But Bourne manages to do it. Unlike, say, Pirates of the Caribbean.

    Matt Damon is back as Jason Bourne – a man of few words, but many punches, car chases, narrow escapes, and moody flashbacks. This time, he’s determined to get to the heart of the matter and find the guy who created the shady spy organization called Treadstone — and ultimately, Jason Bourne himself. The action picks up right where the second film left off, sometimes even jumping back in time to the second film. But those scenes were used seamlessly and actually added to the story, filling in the gaps, as they were.

    There’s a really intense cat-and-mouse scene where Bourne chases a bad guy who’s chasing Julia Stiles through the streets. Another great scene is Bourne giving a reporter instructions via a cell phone on how to avoid surveillance.

    I always enjoy little details, throwbacks to older movies that the audience can pick up on. There were plenty of those in Bourne. There are a couple of scenes that eerily mirror those in previous movies, like when Julia Stiles cuts and colors her hair in order to go on the run. She looks so much like Marie from the first movie, it’s scary. You wonder if Jason picked Marie in the first movie because she looked like Julia, or if he didn’t kill Julia before because she looked like Marie. Add that to the fact that Julia hints that she and Bourne had a relationship before he got amnesia, and things get really interesting regarding the Bourne-Marie-Julia love triangle.

    The only thing I had an issue with was the apparent ease at which Bourne breaks into CIA headquarters and steals classified documents. He basically uses a stairwell, and bada-bing, bada-boom, he’s inside. In real life, I imagine it would be a little more difficult than that. At least, I hope it would be.

    I also wanted one more scene at the end between Matt Damon and Julia Stiles — a reconciliation scene were they run off into the sunset together. Sadly, I did not get it, but given how much money the movie made this weekend, I’m hoping they’ll do a fourth one. Fingers crossed. 😎

    Bourne is definitely the best movie I’ve seen all year. Although, that’s not saying much, since I’ve only been to the theater three times so far. 🙄

    What about you? What’s the best thing you’ve watched this year? Inquiring minds want to know …

  • 816 and counting …

    Finished Full Throttle by Wendy Etherington. I met Wendy at RWA and sat next to her at the Literacy Signing. A very nice, funny lady. We talked about NASCAR for a while, since I live close to a town that has a track.

    This book focuses on car chief Lexie Mercer, who can’t figure out what’s wrong with her star driver, Kane Jackson. Turns out Kane has been distracted lately — by Lexie. The two have a history together, and Kane wants to pick up where they left off. Lexie isn’t so sure that’s a good idea, though, given how their NASCAR team is trying to make the Chase for the championship.

    This is one of a series of NASCAR romances that Harlequin is putting out. I read somewhere that the books weren’t allowed to have any sex scenes in them. Maybe no drinking, smoking, or cursing either. (Which doesn’t really reflect what NASCAR or even real life are like. C’mon. Who doesn’t cuss from time to time?).

    I don’t remember the exact details about the no-nos, but I can say if you’re looking for a sex scene, you’ll be disappointed. Most of the action happens behind closed doors. But if you want a behind-the-scenes look at the world of racing, you’ll probably enjoy it nonetheless.

    So, thumbs up.

    Up next: Not quite sure. Maybe another RWA book or I might tear into that Harry Potter package I finally got from Amazon …