Still Here

 My time of actively writing about Harry Potter books and movies has come to a paused state. Not because I like the books or movies less, but because I don't really have anything more to add. I still enjoy listening to Stephen Fry reading the books and watch the movies once in a while. I always preferred the books to the movies. I do find it interesting that, even after the many times I've read the books, I still sometimes find little details that I had missed or perhaps just forgotten. The period of time - and the amount of time - I spent reading, discussing, rereading, watching movies and discussing was something I thoroughly enjoyed. I talked with my daughters, with friends, with strangers I met online who have become friends, and with complete strangers I met in stores. It was all fun; it was part of finding that we do have so much more in common than we ever realize. So, from my point of view, it's all been worth it. It has been a gift to all of us that far exceeds what any one author could do.

Pat

Just checking in. . .

 

It's November 2023. It's hard to imagine that I have been reading the Harry Potter books for over 20 years. . . and I am still rereading them. They are like an old friend, familiar, interesting, funny, still suspenseful. They are a place I go when the real world is frustrating or overwhelming or sometimes just too sad.

I have nothing else to add right now. I've been rereading the seven books this year. I usually fit one in after reading a novel about World War II. I like historical novels, but in the past I usually chose the ones set in the 19th century or in English history, It seems that it's past time for me to learn more about the history that my parents lived as teens and young adults, that time between World War I and the end of the 1940s when I was born. But it's sometimes a very scary and difficult history to read about so I turn to my old friends in Harry Potter, knowing there is comfort and safety in those stories.

Pat

FANTASTIC BEASTS: THE CRIMES OF GRINDELWALD

I don't go to midnight movies anymore. My movie buddies of those days can't go with me and it doesn't feel safe to go alone like it did when all the Harry Potter movies were new. I actually found myself checking the time on Thursday night, however, and wondering if I could still get a ticket. But common sense prevailed; did I really want to go to the mall at midnight and come out alone at 3 am? No. I did decide that I could go on Friday afternoon after I finished volunteering at the Food Bank. If not for that, I would have gone earlier in the day. The theater wasn't completely full, but it was nice to see Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald with an audience - sharing some laughter, some gasps, some clapping. That's part of the experience I've missed from the midnight movies (and midnight book launches).

This second movie reveals so much of the back story of Dumbledore, Newt and his brother, Theseus, Leta Lestrange, Nagini, Tina, Queenie, and Jacob and how their lives are intertwined and connected to Grindelwald. Some of the story we already knew from the Harry Potter books, but without the detail. Other parts of the story were a surprise and in some cases, a shock. I definitely wasn't prepared for the ending, and now I can't believe we have to wait for the third movie to see where this story will take us.

This second movie answers a few questions but raises many more, just as the second installment should do. To say more, before the story is common knowledge, might ruin it for others, so I'll leave it there. The cast, old and new, is perfect. I especially like Jude Law as Dumbledore. He manages to capture just how I imagine a younger Dumbledore would be. I was glad to see the nifflers again, as well as many new creatures, some were quite extraordinary, but well understood by Newt, of course.

I'm looking forward to reading the screen play and then seeing the movie again, this time with Laura. And then we can have a great discussion. Thank you, J. K. Rowling, for another wonderful story, one that touches all our emotions and imagination.

Pat