Harry Potter and Life After Hogwarts
Yep, the great saga has come to an end. A couple weeks ago, I took a week off from work, and joked as I did that I was taking time off to read my new Potter book. It was only a half-joke, because that's exactly what I did. :) In a week's time, I finished up the second half of the second run of Half-Blood Prince and then immediately launched into Deathly Hallows. After quite a few bouts of marathon reading, I had completed the story and was now free to roam the Internet without fear of spoilage...I've often heard people talk about feeling a bit sad after finishing a book... like they were leaving friends behind. Though I can't say that's happened to me often, nutty as it seems, I found myself feeling this way after finishing this book. Maybe it's because I had read the whole series again in fast succession over a period of a few months. Who knows?
Of course, it's not a perfect conclusion by any means. Some parts seemed to drag a bit; others seemed a bit hurried. But overall, I was very pleased with the outcome of the series. I'll try not to do any spoiling here, just in case by some chance you are intending to read it (and will hate me forever if I ruin it for you ;)), but I will say there are plenty of plot twists as usual, and as far as I can tell, no loose ends left to hang. I still wouldn't mind some sort of sequel to the series (as long as it's not overkill *coughleftbehindcough*), but at least the ending holds up well enough on it's own that it wouldn't be necessary.
From Reader to Writer and Back Again
After finishing up Deathly Hallows, I decided I should probably get back to finishing Bird by Bird before moving forward. I think I mentioned in the other blog that I had a renewed interest and desire to write... just didn't know what to do with it. And I don't exaggerate when I say that this book really did give me not only a revived excitement about writing, but also practical advice to make it happen, as well as a sense that I do indeed have stories to tell and something worth saying -- everyone does.
In true Anne Lamott fashion, this book can thoroughly offend you one moment, then have you laughing the next, before blindsiding you with a shimmering gem of wisdom or an anecdote that can bring you to tears. Oh yeah, and there's writing advice too. She explains the value of short assignments, index cards, and how to cleverly disguise your detestable characters so the real-life people you based them on can't come along and sue you for libel (not that you or I would do such a thing, right? :)).
But most of all, this book reminds you of why we write in the first place... why some people just have this need to follow this craft. It isn't all about getting published, and she reminds her readers and students of this too. It's a glimpse into what it really means to be a writer. And I am all the more grateful for it when I find myself itching to pick up the pen...
So... now what?
Well, as I plow ahead with my 50 books goal, I realize I need to step it up and read a bunch of small stuff really fast. ^^; But that's okay! I really feel amazed and glad I've passed the halfway point.. quite a goal!
I decided I should probably start tackling some of those classics I never bothered to read in high school and never got assigned in college. Starting with Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. I've always liked the Victorian English style, and I enjoyed Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre when I read it last year, so this seemed like a place to start. (that, and I still had the book I bought for a lit class I ended up dropping last year... figured I'd keep it, since I wanted to read it anyway)
So far... well, I'm halfway through, it's starting to make sense, but up until now I had no idea what the heck was going on. The style can be very hard to follow; it's written in first-person, but the narrator switches a lot from Mr. Lockwood to Nelly and back so much you have to pay attention to who is telling the story at the moment. (It doesn't help that one chapter totally turned into a very detailed letter from yet another character...) But except for that quibble, I'm enjoying it. It's fun to take on something 19th century, literary, and British now and then.
If I had to sum up the cast of Wuthering Heights so far in three words: English. Rich. Dysfunctional. Always gotta be rich and dysfunctional.
