Category Archives: Read-A-Long

May 17, 2013 · 3:00 am

Harry Potter readalong! And the deaths begin…

Happy Harry Potter post day ya’ll!

I meant to post this 2 weeks ago, but I forgot, so here we go – Dumbledore vs. Gandalf Epic Rap Battle of History. It’s actually not one of the better ERB’s, but I had to do it anyways:

 

 

Speaking of Dumbledore, I’m kind of excited to re-read this one because it’s the one I’ve read the fewest times and I only barely remember the whole Dumble-family drama. But this book also brings SO MUCH SAD and I’ve already teared up several times. Soooo yeah. Bullet points!

  • Awww, the slight making-up scene between Dudley and Harry.
  • Hehehe, 7 Harry Potters. This makes me want to re-watch the movies really bad. I can’t believe I don’t own them yet.

im hideous

 

  • And then this not-brilliant plan goes into action and just…. sigh.
For Hedwig and Mad-Eye Moody and George's ear...

For Hedwig and Mad-Eye Moody and George’s ear…

 

  • George getting his ear blasted off made me cry the most :-( The twins, I just want to hug them.
  • And poor Hermione, having to erase her parent’s memories so that they’re in less danger. Shit got real.
  • Good for Ron, finally reading a book on how to deal with girls.
  • Hey, Rowling re-named the Light-Putter-Outer! Good job.
  • If Scrimgeour wanted Harry on the Ministry’s side so badly, you’d think he’d do something like fire Umbridge to appease Harry and try to make up for all the crap he had to put up with…
  • Krum makes another appearance! I missed him. And he’s all angry about that weird symbol that Luna’s dad is wearing, I wonder if that’s important… HMMMMM….
  • EVERY PURSE should come with an Undetectable Extension Charm on it. Just sayin.
  • Why does Harry have to have a freaking crisis all the time about the adults he looks up to? It’s so annoying. Was his affection and faith in Dumbledore that weak that after hearing the tiniest rumors he has to spin into a anxious fit over it?

gag

  • Hey, we know who R.A.B. is! That was fast.
  • Hmph. Still don’t like Kreacher…

And that’s all I got! Short and sweet this week, apparently. Seriously though, can someone get on inventing an extension charm thingy for purses? Cause I would pay like a million dollars for that. If I had a million dollars.

 

~Sarah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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May 10, 2013 · 4:16 am

Harry Potters readalong! Beedle Beedle Beedle

It’s Harry Potter post day!

This is only the second time I read The Tales of Beedle the Bard (I first read it in 2011 after re-reading the series yet again).

So let’s be honest – this a cute little book, but most of the stories are like “Oh, that’s cute. Whatevs.” EXCEPT for The Warlock’s Hairy Heart, which… geezus. Chill, JK Rowling. Way to give kids nightmares. Who the hell would read that to a small kid? I wouldn’t, and I don’t even like kids.

aaaak

 

Most of these are pretty pro-Muggle and be nice and don’t lock your heart away because it will get hairy and gross. But of course the best story is The Tale of the Three Brothers, and not only because it’s the story that has the most significance in the last book. It was the only one that I think really shows JK’s awesome writing skills. It reads beautifully, the moral of the story was pretty damn obvious, etc. Clearly Voldy never heard this story as a child – maybe if his mother had stayed alive and read it to him, he wouldn’t have been all crazy “I’ll never die not ever ever”. MAYBE. He was a creepy kid.

Also, for those of you that have seen the movies – how awesome was this part?

“But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him.”

 

Clearly awesome. I LOVED this animation.

This book would be basically nothing without Dumbledore’s notes for each story.

“A simple and heartwarming fable, one might think – in which case, one would reveal oneself to be an innocent nincompoop.”

It’s almost like he’s still alive… sad face. 

Oh, and how hilarious is Deathstick? Clearly a creepy euphemism for a dude’s junk. Gross, JK. Although let’s face it, Lil’ Kim and 50 Cent ruined the possibility of ever referring to a wand as some sort of stick without it seeming sexual.

 Anyways… yeah. That’s about all I got. I do really like this book – I think it’s a really nice addition to the series, much cooler than those Harry Potter “schoolbooks” you can buy.

 Whatchya’ll think?

~Sarah

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May 2, 2013 · 2:12 pm

Harry Potter readalong! Dumbledore dumbles no more.

You guyyyyys, it’s Harry Potter Post Day! (Well actually tomorrow is, but I just published this by accident on Thursday afternoon, and I’m rollin’ with it.) But it’s a bit of a sad one, because DUMBLEDORE!!

tearing up

But I’m getting ahead of myself, as always. There’s a lot to chat about here, so I’ma jump straight into the bullet points. Kay?

  • Luna’s Quidditch commentary is obviously stellar, and McLaggen is such a douche.
  • Hepzibah Smith sounds like a female version of Professor Slughorn – they’re both large, addicted to comfort and luxury, and ended up giving Voldy something he wanted without meaning to.
  • Again, the Voldy memories are super fascinating. I totally forgot how he got the cup and locket.
  • Also, Dumbledore in that meeting when Voldy asked again for the DADA job? Ruled it

LIKE A BOSS

  • Wooooot and now we now why the DADA position is actually cursed!
  • You’d think that the “Half-Blood Prince” wouldn’t have just left his shit around for anybody to look at like that…
  • Harry takes the Felix Felicis and it’s hilarious, although I think more so in the movie.
pincers

Seeee? Felix is like a drug!

  • THE HORCRUXES! Dumbledore finally realizes what the hell he’s been doing and his big theory about why Voldemort didn’t die. And it’s awesome. And led to constant speculation about what exactly the four Horcruxes might be (because back when the books were still new, it seemed like maybe Dumbledore could’ve been wrong about one or two, and we didn’t know what the thing from Gryffindor or Ravenclaw might be.)
  • I find it interesting that the Dementor’s Kiss removes your soul from your body and you basically become a catatonic skinbag – no personality, no thoughts or dreams or desires. Buuuut apparently you can purposely rip your soul up into itty bitty pieces and store those pieces in random objects that might get destroyed without any real effect on your personality or powers. Oh, but it makes your physical appearance change and your face looks waxy and warped. What the hell, JK.

weird stare

  • Soooo… were brooms not an option to get across that creepy zombie-filled lake? Just wondering.
  • If only Dumbles was strong enough to apparate… Harry would’ve been safe stuck underneath the Cloak, but he could’ve saved himself.
  • Damn Malfoy, who is still a HORRID person and I can’t stand, but apparently he’s not a real killer.
  • DUMBLEDORE!!!! More sad faces.
  • Aaaand the biggest “Is Snape good or evil?” debate begins! That was a fun bout of speculation while waiting for the 7th book. I honestly don’t remember which side I was on…
  • Oh and Snape is the Half-Blood Prince! But by this point, who cares?
  • Ummm that battle scene in Hogwarts was EPIC. Can’t believe they left it out of the 6th movie.

how rude

  • So how gross is it that Fenrir Greyback has developed a taste for human flesh even when he’s not in werewolf form? So gross.
  • AWWWWWW Fleur loves Bill even though his face is all messed up. And AWWWWW Tonks and Lupin are in love! So sweet. And this:

“Dumbledore would’ve been happier than anybody to think that there was a little more love in the world.”

  • Scrimgeour, once again, sucks. And good job to Harry for refusing to tell anybody what him and Dumbledore were working on, except his close friends.

OHMYGOODNESS WE ONLY HAVE ONE BOOK LEFT! Well, two if we’re counting The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which we should even though it’s tiny, because it’s delightful. I’m dreading that in about a month I’m going to actually have to come up with something else to post on Fridays :-/

~Sarah

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April 26, 2013 · 3:42 am

Harry Potter readalong! All the VOLDY-time

Good morning and Happy Harry Potter post day! This section was kinda dark but quite fun, right?

Jumping right in, Harry is an ass for blaming Snape for Sirius coming to the Ministry to rescue him. I mean come on Harry, you know damn well that it wasn’t Snape’s teasing that made Sirius rush there – it was you, and the fact that he cared about you and would always rush anywhere to help you if you were in danger. Suck it up dude. Don’t blame Snape for something that was mostly your fault.

Bullet-points? Yes.

  • Felix Felicis makes you feel good and everything goes your way and would obviously be abused like crack in the wizarding world. I mean honestly, there must be SO many adult wizards who just mix it into their morning coffee, despite the risks of over-use.
  • So, Snape used to usually write potion directions on the board, right? But here Slughorn is using the textbooks’ potion directions, which obviously are incapable of ever producing a potion correctly because Hermione follows them and can’t even manage it. Does Slughorn not realize this? Why isn’t he teaching the kids how to make the potions the right way?
  • What would you guys do if you had a day of liquid luck to use? I would TOTALLY play the lottery. Obvs. Or if that for some reason didn’t work, I’d go get an awesome job of somesort that pays awesomely and gives me flexible hours and relates to books in some way.
haaay

Haaaaay.

  • Tiny Voldy is hella creepy.

teeny voldy

almost as creepy as this…

WHAT THE HELL

SO EFFIN CREEPY

  • But am I the only one who’s totally loving seeing all of Voldy’s backstory? It’s so INTERESTING. He was a sociopath even as a BABY. That’s crazy. And we find out exactly who his parents were, and that the Slytherin line fell really far because they’re all inbred, and he was all murdering folks as a teen. But he was super sneaky about it, whereas right now he’s all just killing parents of Hogwarts kids and stuff…
i kill what you love

how Voldy feels inside

  • Back to the kids, and it’s so teenage-y! Harry realizes he has some feelings for Ginny. Ron is snogging Lavender because he’s mad that Hermione probably snogged Viktor, and Hermione is going all crazy-girl on him and attacking him with little teeny magical birds and that’s awesome and hilarious. They’re so confused, but you can see the love-y feelings coming out.

romantic gaze

  • Minister Rufus sucks, cause he wants to use Harry as a Ministry of Magic posterboy. And Percy sucks as well. Of course.
  • When the older Weasley brothers just casually flick their wand and make gravy go back in the bowl before spilling, all I hear in my head is “LIKE A BOSS”.
  • Dumbly-dore mentions something on page 363 about child-Voldy, of “the woman he had thought could not be a witch if she had succumbed to the shameful human weakness of death”. Geez. So he was obviously obsessed with not dyin’, but why didn’t Dumbles like IMMEDIATELY say “Dude- wizards and witches die too, it’s natural, circle of life, etc.” I mean it probably wouldn’t have made much a difference, but ya never know.
  • Ron is poisoned! Dun dun dunnnnn.

~Sarah

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April 5, 2013 · 6:04 am

Harry Potter readalong – Weasley twins forever!

Yay, it’s Harry Potter Post Day!

Whoop — There it is!

I think I read one chapter ahead last week, but yeah – poor Mr. Weasley! And even more poor Mrs. Weasley and the kids, cause they were all a mess. And although I absolutely adore the Weasley twins, it was a BIT of a low blow for Fred to pull the whole “You’re not risking your neck” thing to Sirius. But it’s alright, I’ve already forgiven them.

Who am I kidding, attempting to paragraph this? I got about half an hour before I have to do work-y things, so let’s just jump into the bullet points!

  • Hey, look, Harry’s angst is back again! His little temper tantrum over Christmas break at Grimmauld Place was SUPER annoying. And Ginny shuts his whole pity-party down when she reminds him that she has experience with Voldy too. Good job, girl.
  • Poor Longbottoms :-( And poor Neville. I’m glad to see Neville growing so much though.
  • Hmmmmm, Kreacher is disappearing now and again. I wonder why…
  • Mass breakout from Azkaban! Voldy’s now got his posse back. And I have to admit although I hate her because I have to, I’m kind of excited to see more Bellatrix. Insane baddies are the funnest.

HP baddies

  • Hermione is a freaking bloody genius, arranging Harry’s interview and then practically planning that Umbridge would bad it and hence make it a must-read story.
  • Even though he’s SUPPOSED to be practicing Occlumency (which he doesn’t even try to practice, honestly), he dreams some more important Voldy stuff that he’s not supposed to. This info would probably be really helpful to the Order, but instead he doesn’t tell any of the adults because he wasn’t supposed to be dreaming up Voldy stuff anymore.

so fucking stupid

 

  • Dumbledore is on the run, thanks to stupid Marietta. The Ministry is stupid, Fudge is an idiot, Marietta TOTALLY deserves that jinx, Hermione is awesome to have thought of it and done it so well, and Dumbledore’s got style. Phineas Nigellus says so.
  • This leads to the end of the Harry-Cho ship! Hooray!
  • Harry does another super-dumb thing and decides to take a peek at Snape’s Pensieve. I think this book is one of the most frustrating because Harry, in his infinite teenage annoyingness, constantly does things that make no damn sense. This is one of them.
  • And of course he doesn’t like what he sees, cause he realizes the Marauders were kind of assholes. Wah wah wah…
  • He then risks his neck just trying to talk to Sirius, but he’s safe thanks to… the Weasley twins!

 

 

HP OOF - harry-potter-and-the-order-of-the-phoenix Photo

 

See how I brought that full-circle there?

Now on on to the dreaded last section… :-*(   SOB SOB SOB

~Sarah

 

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March 29, 2013 · 3:45 am

Harry Potter readalong! Hem hem.

Wooooo it’s Harry Potter post day! As I got barely 3 hours of sleep last night, this probably won’t be very coherent. Expect ALL THE BULLET POINTS!

  • Can you believe that Umbridge woman and what she made Harry do to his hand?

incredulous cat

  • Me neither. Well except obviously I do, because I’ve read these before. She be crazy.
  • Harry refuses to tell Dumbledore about the woman making him carve words into his own hand because “Dumbledore had not spoken to him once since last June.” Ummmm petty much??? Geez Harry, you know he IS your headmaster and the leader of the OoTP, cut the old man some slack. I mean I know the real reason Dumby’s being all aloof, but Harry doesn’t, he’s just being a brat.
  • Sirius gets all surly when Harry says not to risk his neck by coming to Hogsmeade. I know Sirius is being a tad childish here, but I feel bad for him. He’s stuck in that horrible house ALL THE TIME, and feels like he’s the only Order member not doing anything useful. Still don’t quite understand why avoiding the Ministry & Death Eaters is THAT hard, but it’s a crap situation he’s stuck in.
  • On page 333 Ron gets all freaked out when Hermione says Voldemort. I’ve been wondering for a while… since all these kids their age and younger never knew the terror that was Voldemort’s previous reign, should they really be that afraid of saying his name? I’ve been wondering this for the last 4 books, but apparently it’s only now really bothering me. By this age, you’d have grown out of being afraid of just a name. I’m pretty sure I grew out of the “Don’t say Bloody Mary” phase by the time I was their age.
  • The Room of Requirements is THE BOMB. Probably one of the coolest magical things in Potter-verse. I want one.
  • When they’re creeping to the Room of Requirements for the first time, Harry checks the Marauder’s Map and sees that Mrs. Norris is on the fourth floor. So do other pets show up on the map, like Crookshanks the cat or Trevor the frog? Or is Mrs. Norris really an Animagus or something? Was this ever explained?
  • SO MUCH CHO in this section. Snore. But I love this part when Hermione’s explaining Cho’s feelings to the boys:

emotional range of a teaspoon

Oh Hermione. You’re so cool.

  • Oh and Umbridge is all mean to Hagrid! What a malicious, conniving b…

she needs to get a life

 

And now I can’t believe where this section ended, because OMG Mr. Weasley! And so many big things coming! I felt like this past section was a lot of filler… just Umbridge being a psycho and Harry’s awkward flirting with Cho.

Onward!

~Sarah

 

 

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March 22, 2013 · 9:29 am

Harry Potter readalong! Harry and his teen-rage.

It’s Harry Potter Day! And I JUST finished reading the first section, so everything is super fresh in my mind.

This book is SO dark compared to the previous books, but first! Some Sirius love.

harry and sirius meet again

 

Now doesn’t that make everyone feel better?

This book tends to get on my nerves a bit, because Harry is such a freaking teenager and I want to slap him. I mean, good job J.K. for writing a moody teenage character so perfectly, but crap it makes Harry really irritating. He has more mood swings than I know what to do with.

Sooooo Harry gets attacked by dementors, the Dursleys talk about magic (!), Harry and the gang are all living at Sirius’s place and trying to listen to Order of the Phoenix stuff, a super unfair trial happens but Harry’s cleared of all charges, back to Hogwarts where the MOST EVIL PERSON EVER is the new D.A.D.A. teacher, people are being mean to Harry and now he just got detention with Umbridge for the rest of the week. BAM, whole first 250 pages in one paragraph.

Let’s bullet-point some stuff, mmkay?

  • Mrs. Dursley on page 26: “Did he use – his thing?” *snickers*
  • Evidence of Harry’s serious case of teen-rage on page 66. Okay I get that he’s frustrated, but he’s like this throughout SO much of the book. Hermione finally tells him to stop being such an ass to her and Ron, but still.
  • Ron mentions Kreacher’s mom, and that makes me wonder… how are house-elves procreating? It seems like wizards that have a house elf only have one and they’re basically slaves, so it seems unlikely that they ever get to meet one another to bump elf-uglies…
  • On the whole “should Harry be able to ask what’s going on in the Order thing” – I’m totally on Sirius’s side rather than Mrs. Weasley’s. 15 is not that young, and since Harry IS the one who saw Voldy come back and IS the one who Voldy is trying to kill, I think he’s entitled to be kept in the loop. Being kept in the dark is more of a danger.
  • Oh, there’s a locket on page 116…
  • That hearing/trial happens which is obviously just ridiculous. Knowing what’s coming, Dumbledore’s refusal to even look at Harry is super-upsetting.
  • Ron gets made a prefect instead of Harry! He really deserves his moment in the spotlight, so good for him.

 

luna lovegood gif

  • Luna! One of the funnest and most interesting characters is finally introduced. She’s a weird one, but I dig her.

TRUTH.

  • The most evil character ever AKA Umbridge is introduced as well. UGH.
  • Ron on pg. 231: “It means they’re not real fans, they’re just jumping on the bandwagon -” JUST like a sports fan.

Aaaand I think that was it for most of my random thoughts and post-it notes.

Yay for book 5! On to the second section! As Mrs. Weasley says, “Oh, I’m all of a dither!”

~Sarah

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March 15, 2013 · 6:16 am

Vanity Fair Readalong: The second half.

Remember, as this is part of a readalong, BEWARE THE SPOILERS! I’ll be posting a spoiler-free review of Vanity Fair sometime next week.

vanity fair readalong

Hooray, thanks to this readalong I can now say that I’ve read Vanity Fair! Thanks again to Trish & Melissa for hosting :-)

I think the second half dragged a little bit more than the first, don’t you? There were several chapters that seemed to go on forever with very little action, like when Lord Steyne was introduced or whenever they talked about old Mr. Osborne. Thackeray himself seemed to be getting bored with the story, as there was less witty/funny/snarky narrating.

Well, let’s move right on to the bullet points, shall we?

  • Amelia is just the worst. Wah wah wah, I’m so poor and can’t give my kid diamond shoes and a pony. I was rooting for her to slap her mom for being such a jerk, but instead she just handed over any money she ever had. And when she finds out that her father screwed them over and that’s why they’re so broke? She instantly forgives him, and then tells herself she’s being wicked whenever she gets sick of taking care of him. She’s such a martyr, and I hate that. Grow a spine!
  • Becky… did not turn out as awesome as I was hoping. The Rawdon Crawleys get along pretty well for a long time, living on nothing and screwing everybody over. She’s amassing quite a little stash for herself with all the flirting (and more… I mean come on, probably more) with Lord Steyne and any other man that comes along. Even Pitt! For shame. Once Rawdon threw her out, I thought maybe she’d go off to another country and attempt to marry a rich foreigner, but nope – she turns into a drunken gambler instead. Tsk tsk. Although it seems in the end she kind of got back on her feet by possibly murdering Jos and getting his money. I think that the reason I like Becky so much is because she’s not exactly a victim – she was poor and hated it, so she’s made it her mission to try to secure some wealth and position for herself, even if it means trampling all over people. I MUCH prefer that to Amelia’s whimpering martyrdom.
  • I also kind of liked how much she just ignored her kid… obviously it was weird and horrible how she tried to use him, but it was also nice to see a mother figure who wasn’t fawning all over her son constantly coughAmeliacough…
  • Also, whenever I think of Becky and Amelia I hear the song “Ladykiller” by Maroon 5 play in my head.
  • DOBBIN! He IS the hero of this book! He’s definitely one of my favorite classic heroes ever. I do NOT understand his love for Amelia, but he’s devoted, generous, adoring, honorable and basically an awesome person. And I CHEERED when he told Amelia off and said he deserved better than her, because she was basically taking him for granted and treating him like a lapdog. He does deserve better, but I’m glad he finally got the girl in the end.
  • “But the fact is that every day and always, this love-smitten and middle-aged gentleman was thinking about Mrs. Osborne, and his whole heart was bent upon doing her good.” ALL THE SWEETNESS.
  • Rawdon wasn’t so bad himself. A bit weak-willed and lazy, but he clearly loved Becky and Lil’ Rawdon a lot. And good for him for refusing to see Becky ever again. I’m all for refusing to forgive a cheater.
  • Overall, it seems like everyone got what they deserved in the end – with the exception of Amelia, who I think deserved to end up alone.
  • It bums me out a little bit that when you type “Vanity Fair” into Google, that magazine pops up. Although how appropriate, considering what a horrible and greedy place it was.
  • Overall I like that this is a big satirical book about how shallow and vapid society can be… if anything, it may be even more appropriate in today’s world.

In total, I think this was a good read! Lively and interesting for most of the book, and fun to to discuss. I’m interested in watching the 2004 movie adaptation soon :-)

I’m hoping my thoughts will be a little more coherent when I write my spoiler-free review… it’s early and I’m tired!

Thanks one more time to Trish & Melissa for hosting this readalong! It was a lot of fun and definitely gave me the push I needed :-)

~Sarah

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· 4:15 am

Harry Potter readalong! He’s ba-aaack…

Hey, it’s Harry Potter post day! And this isn’t going to be coherant at all…

So, Voldemort has made his return! DUN DUN DUNNNNNN! I don’t remember my exact feelings when I first read this book… I remember thinking the intricateness of the plot was kind of awesome, and an oh-shit kind of feeling at the end… but I don’t remember if I was ever afraid of Voldemort. You know how everyone in the HP world is all terrified of just saying his name, but the really brave ones actually say “Voldemort”? I’d be the cocky asshole calling him Voldy and poking fun at his missing nose.

I’d probably be the first one he killed…

For some reason I just want to pat Voldemort on the head. Kind of like Darth Vadar, he just doesn’t live up the super-scary expectations. Maybe it’s because of how bad they did him in the movies, or these hilarious memes, or the fact that come on… he’s the bad guy and these are kids books. Were any of us REALLY afraid that he would emerge triumphant? I have a hard time taking him too seriously. But I’m getting off track… he’s back! And he killed Cedric! And bad stuff is on the way!

On to the bullets!

  • I have such a hard time remembering that throughout this whole book, Moody isn’t really Moody! Young Crouch does an awesome job at blending in, I think. Well, not blending in… but in making sure that he comes off as a good guy. He really seems teacher-like, and he even fools all the teachers. He fools Dumbledore for the whole year! So you know, good job dude…
  • Why doesn’t Lil’ Crouch kidnap Harry at ANY time throughout this whole book? Like over by the forest when Harry was talking to Krum? I mean, did he HAVE to wait until Harry got to the Triwizard Cup? Is it just because Voldy likes to be a show-off? This plan could have gone SO wrong if Cedric decided “Yeah screw you, I’m gonna take the cup by myself.” That would have been an entire year of plotting wasted.

  • Page 616 is the first hint at a Fleur-Bill ship! <3
  • Why exactly did Wormtail have to cut off his WHOLE hand? Really, a finger wouldn’t have done it? And jesus how sharp was that dagger to slice through his wrist/arm in one swipe?
  • Voldemort is the MASTER of bad-guy monologuing. His vanity and urge to be all dramatic is one giant flaw.

  • I thought that a Portkey could only be used once? In chapter 6 after they use the boot to get the the World Cup grounds, Mr. Weasley picks the boot up and hands it to someone. So how exactly was Harry able to use the Triwizard Cup to get back to Hogwarts?
  • Poor Cedric… He really was a good guy, even though Harry kind of hated him for diggin on Cho.
  • OMG the scene with Dumbledore and Fudge arguing in the hospital wing! I forgot about that scene, and how bad-ass Dumbly is. And what a stupid, stupid man Fudge is. Also, I love seeing Dumbledore start to give out orders and the wizards kind of gearing themselves up for a fight. Yay being proactive!
  • I really liked Krum, and I’m sad that he doesn’t end up being a bigger part of the series after this book. He wasn’t NEARLY as big of an ass as they make him out to be in the movie. (I just watched the movie the other day, since I haven’t seen it in years. I forgot how much they screwed up… ugh.)
  • I forget – does Rita Skeeter ever make an appearance again? Or does Hermione just kind of forget about her in that jar? Which would be HILARIOUS, by the way.
  • And awwww Fred & George. Yay Harry for helping them out.

OKAY so them’s my thoughts! I feel like I was a lot more nitpicky than I usually am, but I had some issues as we can see. What do ya’ll think?

On to Order of the Phoenix! Crap I already feel like crying… this is gonna be rough.

~Sarah

 

 

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March 8, 2013 · 3:00 am

Harry Potter readalong! Catchin up…

Hi guys! Soooo yeah, I missed the post for the second section cause I hadn’t done my post before I gave my laptop away to be fixed… but from what I’ve read this morning in all your posts, ya’ll covered the important stuff! So this is going to be a tiny bit of my thoughts from that section and then I’m moving right on to the third section.

Also, since I’m doing these posts from work right now, they won’t be as GIF-heavy. Work blocks a LOT of gif sites.

I’ve been waiting FOR-EV-ER to use this.

I’m going to bullet-point the crap out of this post…

  • Harry gets picked as a 4th champion, Ron’s a jerk but I can kinda see why, Harry beats the dragon, yada yada yada…
  • Hermione starts SPEW, which we all have mixed feelings about I think. Cause on the one hand, house elves are TOTALLY mistreated and that ain’t cool, but they claim that they’re happy this way… but like someone else mentioned, that was a slave mentality at one point as well. I wish they could find a happy medium, like house elves do everything that they do because they like it that way, but they have the right to get paid if they want and can complain if their masters are beating them? Or you know, quit and find a different wizarding family?
  • DOBBY is back! And he’s all kinds of awesome and adorable. Although it bugs me that he doesn’t realizes socks are SUPPOSED to match. Really, living with wizards all these years and he never noticed that humans match their socks?
  • Hermione is all kinds of awesome. She taunts Malfoy by pretending she sees Professor Moody nearby, and she TOTALLY tells Ron off for being a jerk and not asking her to the ball before someone else did. Awww, the start of the Hermione&Ron ship!
  • Hagrid: “I’ve bin an idiot. I’m not botherin’ with her no more, I promise yeh that. Big bones… I’ll give her big bones.” *giggles*
  • Second task. Harry foolishly acts noble, but once again his being all noble gets him a ton of extra praise and stuff. It’s that darn heroic-persona thing again. I find it hard to believe Madame Maxime didn’t throw a fit like Karkaroff and give Harry low marks. Of course, her student didn’t even complete the task so maybe that’s why.
  • More Sirius love! Cause he totally is risking himself yet again by being nearby in case Harry needs him. And because: “If you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.” <3 Some of you may argue that he doesn’t really believe this because of Kreacher later, but whatevs, Kreacher was terrible. But more on that much later.
  • Mr. Crouch is found and he’s all crazy-pants. And I know whhhyyy… But you know, then he escapes again.
  • Oh yeah, and this book starts Harry’s crush of Cho, which is boring and lame.
  • Anybody else feel a little bad for Krum? Cause as much as I totally love Hermione & Ron for each other, I thought her and Krum were a cute match but after the ball she totally starts ignoring him and kind of being a bit of a jerk… If she doesn’t like him that’s cool, but it seems like she just leads him on and that ain’t nice.
  • Rita Skeeter is SOOOOO annoying! And evil! I love how determined Hermione is to get revenge on her.
  • Third task is coming up and stuff is getting more and more mysterious! I think I always appreciated this book a lot because there is a whole lot of mystery and complexity and stuff in the plot.  

 Okay you guys, that’s all my notes for this section. I’m really looking forward to finishing this one and moving onto book 5!

~Sarah

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