So, I apologize for the delay in today's post, but I have been rather busy this morning rereading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, and I'm watching the Deathly Hallows premiere as I write this. I'm going to take a leaf out of Nathan Bransford's book (his blog has a Harry Potter theme this week) and dedicate this post to the overall awesomeness that is Harry Potter.
Harry Potter is what first inspired me to pursue a writing career. They're the first books I really fell in love with and what turned me into such an avid reader. J.K. Rowling really did a wonderful job, honing her craft as she wrote each book, bringing us wonderful characters and a vivid magical world. David Heyman took those books to film and brought all that magic to life, and for the past decade, the books and films have fueled an almost unhealthy obsession.
My favorite book is easily Deathly Hallows, though I love them all (except maybe that bit in Order of the Phoenix with Grawp). Of all the books, Deathly Hallows was impossible to put down. I remember my mom had to bring me breakfast in my room, and I'll admit, I even took the book with me to the bathroom.
It's actually funny, of all the books I own, the Harry Potter series are the most uncared for. Each subsequent book has more dog-eared pages than the last, and you can easily figure out what I ate while reading them. My copy of Prisoner of Azkaban is on its last stitch - the last quarter of the book is falling out.
So, I want to know, how did Harry Potter affect you? What is your favorite book? Your favorite character? Your favorite film? Here's your chance to give a speech on everything you love about Harry Potter.
Umm... really? Really?! Am I going to have to add the Harry Potter series to my to be read list? It's already soooo long! Ah yeah, well, suppose I should.
ReplyDeleteAs to my favorite and how it affected me... I'll have to get back to ya!
you haven't read them?!? yes, you better add them to your list right now!
ReplyDeleteRemember, Brooke, that a good book is often identified not by its perfect state, but by its worsening condition. If I go to a used book store and look for something new to read, the books that have been dog-eared, marked, highlighted on certain passages, those are the books that I can tell to be great.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, I remember picking up Harry Potter for the first time in 6th Grade (which was when it came out, at least in my lifetime). I knew that several other children were reading it -- in fact, our English teacher at the time had put it on her weekly "Read this book" list -- and I'll admit, at first I was hesitant. The cover was unappealing and the basic premise was unoriginal, for the most part (then again, one can argue that nothing in this world is original). However, I gave it a chance, and I found myself in a world as believable as our own. I felt myself as Harry's shadow, there in the story with him, but unable to affect it. When I was finished... I read it again, two more times.
That being said, it really changed me in the same way it changed you -- it inspired me. I knew that the power of creation (in the form of words at least) was within my grasp. From there on in, I knew that, at least as a possible future, writing was a great path. If nothing else, it helped me in certain times of my life.
I would have to say that Deathy Hallows is my favorite book as well. It just does such a great job of tying everything together, and giving off that whole "last showdown at the OK Corral" feel. You get character development AND a good sequence of flowing events in the novel -- which is seemingly rare these days.
My favorite character would have to be Sirius Black. While he's never really focused on as a central character, the depth at which we see him is stunning -- aside from the whole "tortured soul", at least you can find there really is a soul to him. He's intelligent, caring, and a bit awkward -- living in Azkaban can do that. However, that's also what adds to his character, the fact that he has to adjust back to the real world while fighting the greatest evil ever known. He's also one hell of a spell-slinger, from a nerd point-of-vew.
While Hallows was my favorite book, I would have to say my favorite film was Order of the Phoenix. The camera angles, dialogue, and general feel of the events (music, facial expressions, etc.) are almost overwhelming, but not confusing. The scenery we see in that film is so stunning... Oh, and the battle at the end is pretty cool, tool.
=D
Thanks for sharing :)
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