Last night, for example, when I was reading a chapter out of Narnia for my captive audience of three, as the White Witch was readying to take out her wrath on the poor family of squirrels and a fox - I so imagined her to yell as she aimed at her wand at them, Avada Kedavra - the Killing Curse from Harry Potter.
But I digress. I hate it. And I hate when others do it, too. (And pretty much every person I know who likes to read does it.)
So last year when the final installment of Harry P had come out, I had decided that I'd like to read the entire series again from first to last, without the year in between like I'd read the first 5 books. I am blessed (in this case) with a really poor memory, and I'd basically forgotten 90% of what I'd previously read, so I was really in for an adventure.
About the time I finished the 2nd book, we had been encouraging J to challenge himself a little more with his reading, to stop reading those novels he could finish in an hour, a la Junie B Jones and Ramona Quimbly. (There are a number of reasons I'm sure that he was choosing those, but you could probably figure it out yourself.) So, as I finished the 2nd book, J decided to jump on the bandwagon as well. We decided that after he finished each book, we'd do Family Movie Night and watch the corresponding movie (up to #5 of course, since #6 isn't due out until the fall). So far we've seen the first 4 for FMN, and I just bought #5 to watch together soon.
J has really eaten up the books. They're perfect for his reading level, slightly above him but not so much to be difficult - great story, yada yada yada. He's been sailing through them and reading more than an hour most every night.
Shortly after J started reading, C noticed what fun we were having, reading and talking about the books, and she decided to join in as well. She and her school chum finished re-reading #1 last week. Ro decided to jump on the bandwagon too and is currently about halfway through #1.
Grace, being as advanced as she is, has taught herself how to read at just under two years old. She's not very fast at it, and she prefers the books with pictures in it. Nevertheless she has read the first two pages of HP #1 herself.
Just kidding, of course. Ha. Ha.
So, last Friday, here's where we were at:
- I'd finished #6.
- Josh was about 2/3 through #5. He took it to school, and since he was leaving for his camping trip right afterward, was expected to finish it over the weekend. Therefore, in his bag, I lovingly and thoughtfully packed #6 for him.
And if you're interested in the other two readers who are lagging so far behind ;) -
- C had finished #1 and is waiting for her friend to start #2, and
- Ro had begun #1.
And now you are caught up and I am ready to get down to the matter for which I am writing this post.
Joshua, in all his boyness, was picked up from school on Friday and headed to the camping area, when he discovered he'd left #5 at school. Not only that, but we'd told him it was an electronics-free weekend and he had nothing to play with really but his imagination. (And actually that kid can go quite far with his imagination, but that's another story.) Well it didn't take him long to figure out that HP #6 was in his bag.
The second thing I hate, in terms of reading habits, whether for myself or for others, is reading things out of order. Makes me insane. Pet peeve #2.
Knowing that he hadn't finished #5, J began to flip through #6. And because the story is so darn fascinating, he began to read. At chapter 19. He read the second half of book #6.
That's just wrong.
And then, because on the phone with me later, because he probably heard the shrill panic in my voice when he confessed what he'd done, I said rather briskly, "Well you don't get any book credits unless you've read the whole book!"
So on the way home from the trip, he read chapters 1 through 18.
Are you seeing this? It is making my blood pressure rise just thinking about it. He read 1, 2, 3, 4, 5A, 6B, 6A, and now he will probably read 5B tonight before he goes on to #7.
Ugh. Drives. Me. Nuts.
All that said, I stayed up late last night and finished #7. Staying up late with a really good book is just one of those things that pampers me. I don't do it very often, and I try to read responsibly, because I'll most certainly be tired the next day and often have a headache to go with it... but every once in awhile, I find it incredibly satisfying to sit in bed while the house around me is sound asleep, and finish a really good book. Yummy.
So, that's it... I've completed it - the Harry Potter series. I don't know that it's the best stories I've ever read, but it certainly was very, very good. As the books progressed the storyline matured along with the characters, and I am deeply impressed with the complexity of the plot. It is really well-crafted, this series. You can see such a difference from the first book to the last.
Some of you don't even enjoy reading (although I don't really get that!), so if you've stayed with me this far on my ramblings - thanks. :)
Well, reality is calling me back from my fantasy worlds of Hogwarts and Narnia. Laundry calls. Oh, to have a real, working wand for all my tasks today...
Yes, I really said that, and I am really 30-something years old.
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