So guys, we’re just NOT going to talk about the fact that I haven’t actually been posting about the Harry Potter readalong, OKAY?
Despite the fact that I have actually been reading along and I’m accidentally ahead. WHOOPS. But I was serving on a jury for a murder case (I KNOW!!) that ended last Friday (which is why you didn’t get any First Line Friday last week) and we came to a verdict of guilty. And I’ve been totally emotionally, physically, and mentally exhausted by it all. I’m only just now feeling like my normal self.
But Harry Potter totally got me through that trial. I couldn’t concentrate on really anything but the case and schoolwork, so I dutifully packed along Sorcerer’s Stone and then Chamber of Secrets, and finally Prisoner of Azkaban. I read through the first half of PoA the last week of the trial and then just couldn’t stop myself.
So I’m technically on Goblet of Fire, but I promise I won’t talk about any of that since it’s not on the schedule.
BACK TO PRISONER OF AZKABAN!
I’m seriously even more conflicted about this book than I was the first several times I read it. Lupin? LOVE HIM SO MUCH. But I think my love is mostly stemming from the movie. But after a string of horrible Dark Arts professors, it is so nice to get someone who knows their shit, werewolf or not. (I’m also secretly judging Potter for not getting that the orb that Lupin sees in the boggart is a MOON. What a ninnie.)
Sirius?? He’s kind of amazing, but like, why all the sneaking around, yo?? And like, you’re surprised that no one trusts you? Yeah, yeah, there’s the whole “murdered thirteen people” thing, but really, the whole thing seems so anticlimactic.
Anywho, I generally find the first half of PoA to be boring as fuck. I think its like where J.K. was all like, I’m gonna make this shit a little more nefarious, but I want to lull everyone into thinking it’s like a normal year at Hogwarts. And then BAM! Shit gone crazy!! But LULL first, LULLLLLL.
Tricky, Rowling. Very tricky!
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I look forward to the second half of PoA cos yeah, the first part is all set up and foreshadowing and WHAT IF PEOPLE ARE NOT WHAT/WHO YOU THINK? If we could just get to that, that’d be cool.
Yeah, I’m definitely a bit like ‘WHERE IS THE ACTION JK?’ in the first half of PoA, but I know that shit’s about to get CRAAAAAZY, so I am EXCITED!
hah–I was talking earlier about how I remember PoA to be the most awesome book in the series but re-reading the first half (and not skimming this time like I usually do) was a little on the dull side. I used to think that JKR was a masterful plotter but now I”m not so sure…
Can’t wait to get to the second half…
It’s weird reading it and knowing about Sirius, so the whole “OH NO SIRIUS BLACK AHHH” thing isn’t scary at alllll anymore, but we get to catch other things! Like Kayleigh’s focus on the flobberworms.
Poor flobberworms.
I must be the lone wolf here, but I actually dig the first half of this book and think it is FULL of action. Or it is compared to book 1 & 2 anyway. Plus the ‘this is what happened before’ exposition isn’t nearly as on the nose in this one. But I love this book miles above the rest, so there could be THAT.
I like that all your gifs are eye-blinks/rolls.
I ALSO think Harry should have maybe picked up on the moon, or at least not been like, Why is Lupin afraid of a magic ball? Because that’s dumb.
I kind of dig the beginning of book 3, if only because it’s more interesting than the first halves of books 1 & 2. There’s DADA classes and Hagrid classes and dementors and mysterious things from Harry’s past and it’s all just so exciting because we know where it’s all headed!
I also think it’s silly that no one recognized that Lupin is afraid of the MOON. Come on, kids.
Holy wow that is intense, and a totally understandable reason to not be posting. WOW. I too am ahead (finished PoA a week ago) so I’m taking an HP break. I disagree about Lupin though – book-him is so much sweeter and kinder and believable than movie-him. I’m sorry you don’t like this one and also totally confused because I LOVE IT. Harry gets to be relatively normal for a change which makes him so much more relatable and realistic. Yeah, the build-up to Sirius is weird (why would he slash apart the Fat Lady who he once had a relationship with?) but the rest of it totally works for me!