Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, parts one and two

by John Tiffany and Jack Thorne,
based on an original story by J.K. Rowling
donated copy, hardcover, 308 pages
genre: play script, fantasy

I'm so glad I read this! At first, it really bothered me and I didn't like where the story was going . . . but it made sense by the end. I liked some of the new Potterverse perspectives. I did *not* like the crummy parenting that Harry and Ginny gave to Albus! Dude! How could they be so clueless?!

Delphi was only a little bit of a surprise, since it has been hard to completely ignore references to this story. I don't know that I'd like to see the play, but I'll enjoy re-reading this book.

I loved the friendship between Albus and Scorpius! In fact, Scorpius was my favorite character. The time travel and alternate realities got a bit mind-bending at times. Most of all, this seems to be a story about parents and children. A tale as old as time!

Harry Potter - all of 'em

by J.K. Rowling

Over the last month-ish, I've re-read all seven HP books. I'm not sure why, since I've had such a huge pile of other books to read. I think it's a de-stress mechanism. But I stayed up 'til midnight last night to finish The Deathly Hallows. That was stupid. I need more sleep. I did, however, enjoy reading the books!

 

Funny. I have a blog entry from 2010 on HP #1-7. That must have been the first time I re-read them all. Then this entry from 2015. Now I'm listening to the audiobooks. Jim Dale does a marvelous job narrating them! The holds / wait times are long. I requested Sorcerer's Stone earlier in the summer (while working at Mackin) and listened to it sometime in August. Then I requested Chamber of Secrets. I got that last week and just finished listening (mostly in my car, but sometimes while doing chores). Now I'll request Azkaban.  

A Casual Vacancy

by J.K. Rowling
Hennepin County Library audiobook 15 CDs
read by Tom Hollander
genre: adult fiction

I only made it through seven of the CDs (not even halfway!). I have wanted to read this since it came out, but my curiosity could not overcome my dislike. Hollander's vocal work was wonderful, but the story was just too negative. Referred to as a "big novel about a small town," this book reminded me of Sinclair Lewis' Main Street. Nasty, small-minded people. Very little to like about it.

I had to make notes because there were so many characters:
Simon - abusive / running for parish council
Ruth - nurse
Andrew - angry teen / wants Gaia / BFFs with Fats
Paul - little brother

Cubby / Collin Wahl - administrator / teacher, mocked by kids, nervous disorder, inordinately attached to Barry Fairbrother
Tessa Wahl - school counselor, has some deep dark secret
Stuart "Fats" Wahl - nasty teen boy

Barry & Mary Fairbrother - he dies of a brain aneurism at the outset of the story (leaving the casual vacancy of the title), she struggles with grief and being a single mom

Howard Molisand (?) - I never quite caught their last name, deli owner, nasty human being, obese
Shirley - wife, also nasty but covers it in smothery sweetness, adores her son

Miles Molisand - pathetic boor, appeases his parents, smug lawyer
Samantha - his wife, chesty and showy and terribly unhappy
Lexi
Libby

Paminda & Vikram Jawanda - She is a g.p. and was a close ally of Barry's on the council. He is a stunningly gorgeous heart surgeon.
Sukvinda - one of their children, feels unworthy and is bullied badly. She cuts herself. Gaia seems to be her only friend.

Gavin - commitment coward, partner in law with Miles, target for Samantha's rage and frustration
Kay - social worker, trying to get Gavin to treat her as a partner
Gaia - Kay's daughter, stunningly gorgeous, unhappy to have moved from London to Pagford

Terri - druggie mom who can't parent
Crystal - her teen daughter who is managing the best she can, with lots of the F word and misbehavior, was on Barry's rowing team and lost an advocate when he died
Robbie - 4 years old and still in diapers

So much nastiness - Simon's abuse, Sukvinda's cutting, Andrew's use of porn, the F word, . . . and general meanness, selfishness, and greed. I found myself not really caring about these people, except perhaps Crystal. But there is too much of this story to extract one thread. The smallness of Pagford and everybody being in everybody else's business just didn't hold my attention enough.

Kudos to Rowling for branching out from her Harry Potter books, but I'm not yet a fan of her adult fiction.

HP #5 & #7

You know I'm feeling stressed when I read cover-to-cover something that I've already read multiple times . . . at least I didn't start with #1 and read all seven . . .

Harry Potter (1-7) and updates

by J.K. Rowling
home copies
genre: YA fantasy

I re-read all the HP books over the last month or so. I think it was my version of vegging out in front of the TV. Enjoyable, relatively mindless relaxation. Louie teased me about re-reading these when I didn't get a book club title read in time . . . but it was enjoyable. And I think I *finally* understood the whole "elder wand master" thing at the end of #7. Call me slow. I thought the wand itself had physically transferred from Dumbledore to Draco to Harry. But the whole point was that the wand recognized them as its master, regardless of who physically held it. (I think this was my third reading of #7.) Ah well. On to the stack of books I've been putting off.

 

<Above written 11.14.10. Below added 6.5.24.>

 

I see that I also blogged all seven of the books in 2015.  I'm re-listening to the audiobooks while I work at Mackin this summer. I actually started last summer, then decided to "save" the rest for this summer. I've just finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (#4) and I noticed a few things I've not noticed before!

Jim Dale is an amazing narrator. His voice absolutely defines the Harry Potter audiobooks. However, it most definitely sounded as though he pronounced "leprechaun" as "lepreCORN." Over and over (at the Quiddich World Cup), he was saying "lepreCORN." It made me laugh. But also - how have I never noticed this before?

I also remembered one thing about this book that bugs me as an educator. No Quiddich for an entire school year because of the Triwizard Tournament? Even though only one student from the school is supposed to be a participant? And the tournament which was started 700 years previously had not been done in over a century? That doesn't make sense! To remove a very popular activity that has 24+ participants, regular matches, and a huge fan base . . . for an activity for four people (two of whom are not from Hogwarts) and have three events (late November, late February, and late June)? That's just silly! I understand why Rowling chose to do this for her author purposes, but it doesn't make sense from a school standpoint!

<below added 6.24.24>

Libby offered me HP and the Order of the Phoenix as a "skip the line" title . . . which I accepted. But that meant I only had a week to "read" it. I listened to some of it while working at Mackin, but realized that it would be returned before my next work date. So I've been listening to it at the lake while doing a jigsaw. Last night, I finally grabbed a print version to finish the last few chapters. 

So now I need to learn more about this "skip the line" thing in Libby . . . and order the next audiobook. It seems weird that none of the adults thought to communicate more clearly with Harry, though Dumbledore chalks this up to his advanced age forgetting what it is like to be young. I like when Harry is able to talk with Sirius and Lupin about his dad as a fifteen year old and make the connection that he is fifteen and not a jerk like his dad was.

<Below added 1.4.2025 from Reading Log dated 7.11.2007.>

"Harry hits adolescent angst and suffers from anger, self-pity, and hormones. When he dreams, he experiences Voldemort's mind. Sirius is killed in a fight with the Death Eaters. Harry teaches a secret Defense Against the Dark Arts class."

"Time-killer. The movie released today, but I'm sure it will be as disappointing as the others. So many things have to be skipped to make it not-too-long, and the director will need to put their personal spin on it. My favorite part is when Fred & George defy Delores Umbridge."

<Below added 7.15.24>

I got Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince quicker than anticipated. I started it while working, but finished it at the lake! I haven't read this one as often as the others . . . there were some details I forgot. (RAB and the decoy locket, death eaters fighting in Hogwarts, Harry sharing the Felix potion, . . . ) I was sad about the ending, even though I knew it was coming.

 

<Below added 1.4.25 from my Reading Log! entry 7.13.2007>

Harry's sixth year at Hogwart's. Slughorn is Professor for DADA. Dumbledore offers to teach Harry himself and reveals Lord Voldemort's history. Together, they try to get and destroy the six horcruxes holding pieces of Voldemort's soul. Book #7 will be released next week. Storyline is fresh in my mind now.

<Below added 8.19.24>

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Libby audiobook. I think I'm a bit too OCD . . . I finished listening to this at our family reunion in Michigan last week. The culmination of the series is so satisfying. This was another "skip the line" title and I remembered most of the plot twists (about the elder wand, Snape's true self, etc.). I was still sad and just a bit weepy when Dobby died.

Harry Potter

I've spent the last week re-reading HP #6, #5, #1, and #7 (yes, in that order). Kind of a long story why, but it was enjoyable. The books are so much better than the movies! I especially like when Fred & George get revenge on Umbridge. Nice. Louie's planning on reading #7 (for the first time!) while we're on vacation. I asked him if he even remembered what happened in book six . . . it's a bit vague for him.