Whimsical Wednesdays is my personal departure from my Current Reads list. For one evening each week, I go back to a book I enjoyed as a child, teen, or young adult, and spend some time revisiting favorite characters or authors. Sometimes they are classics, other times it's something quirky that just caught my fancy.
I don't suppose I really need to explain the plot of this one. If you haven't read it, you've probably seen the movie, or know someone who has waxed enthusiastic over it and maybe used you as a sounding board for trying to figure out the reasons why this character acted a certain way, what mysterious objects were meant to be found, and who was falling in love with whom (although most of that comes later in the series). Instead, I will just give a few reasons why I enjoy the books.
First of all, they are well-written. Unlike another recently popular series, which shall remain nameless, these have obviously been carefully crafted in terms of grammar, syntax, and basic word construction. It's hard to lose yourself in a story if your high school English teacher is constantly popping up in your head to correct some error in the word flow. But beyond that, the story is well done. The characters are well-thought out, the settings are fully crafted, and the plot is a unique spin on the classic "hero theme". It isn't a moral tale, so characters aren't black and white; they have nuances and difficulty in making what they think is the right decisions.
Maybe part of it is also that I would have loved to have gone to a school like Hogwarts when I was that age... oh, who am I kidding? I'd still love to find a way into that world! Until I receive my owl, discover The Leaky Cauldron, or stumble upon Hogsmeade, this is the closest I can get. And that can be kind of magical, too. :)
I was bound and determined *not* to read the HP series, but a friend of mine literally forced the book into my hands and sent me on my way. I was still determined not to read it...until a severe antibiotic reaction in August of 2005 left me bed-ridden and I finished the book I was reading. The only book close by was Sorcerer's Stone. I think I read the book in less than a day.
ReplyDeleteI want an owl. A snowy owl. Definitely. =) [or a saw-whet owl. Owls are awesome.]
The other series you mentioned made me want to tear my hair out. I read the first book, just because I was looking for something a little less brain-scratching than my normal fare. Yeah, I found it. It annoyed me, and I sold the book the same day that I finished it. Good riddance!
I was reluctant about reading HP at first, too, mostly because I thought they were too young. My aunt finally convinced me to give it a shot, and the rest is history. :) I think what I love best about it is the way she wove established historical and mythical characters and creatures into it, and simply made them matter-of-fact. There's a bit of extra info about Nicholas Flamel, but others, such as Agrippa, Merlin, kappas and manticores are mentioned in passing. If you don't know about them, you have to go search it out on your own; she isn't going to waste time and detract from the story by spelling it out to you.
ReplyDeleteI want an owl, as well. The snowy owl is gorgeous, but I also think the scops owls are adorable. :)
Hm, you got further than I did on that other series. I just couldn't make myself finish it. I should have sold it, but ended up giving it to a friend who had read the second one and wanted to figure out a few things. Not sure what she did with it when she finished, as I made it very clear I didn't want it back. Definitely good riddance!
I tend not to jump on the bandwagon either, but I'm a sucker for the blend of folklore and modernity. When my daughter read the first HP almost straight through without putting it down, that was enough to recommend it. (Incidentally, she tried to listen to the first audiobook of the other series in order to provide accurate reader's advisory for her reference desk job, but choked on the overdose of teen angst)
ReplyDeleteThe target age of the HP series never bothered me much. When I was young, I satisfied that craving for "mundane protagonist in a magical land" by reading Oz and Narnia. So I knew it could be done in a very rich way. We shouldn't let ourselves miss out on a good thing because we've got a few years behind us!
I'm not usually one for picking up the mainstream stuff, either, but having been raised on a steady diet of Carroll, Baum, Tolkien, Lewis, and later, Brooks and Chaulker, I did have to admit to being interested.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point, Cielle. I think, the older I get, the less I worry about whether something is "too young". If I enjoy it, I read it (or watch it, as the case may be!). It's one of the reasons I look forward to my Wednesday reading so much! :)