Expelliarmus!

I've been enjoying the Harry Potter series of book. My Wife has read all six books, from Sorcerer's Stone to Half-Blood Prince. I dutifully borrowed all the books for her from our local Brooklyn Public Library and also scoured the other branches to find the four Harry Potter movies. I was curious as to what was all the fuss and watched parts of some of the movies. Not having the background info and viewing the movies in pieces, plus the British accent, got me totally confused. Goblets of Fire was the only one that I saw the most of, but then the DVD was on hold for someone so I had to return it without finishing the movie. I've decided to read the books before going back to the movies. It helps NOT to have a photographic memory. Even though I saw the ending of some of the movies, while reading the books I was not sure how the endings would be arrived at. Or which ending goes with which book.

I've read books that are so slow and boring that I found it hard to finish. The Harry Potter series is just the opposite. I found myself engrossed in them, reading one chapter then another. It's got fantasy, parallels to the real world, comic relief, hope, on and on. No wonder the series was such a big bestseller.

Last week I finished Prisoner of Azkaban but didn't have the chance to pick up book #4. Then I started on Flags of Our Fathers and now have to make sure I finish that before I start on Goblet of Fire. I don't have much chance to go to the movie so I try to read the book version of the movie whenever possible.

One thing I noticed is that on the first book, there was a note at the end of the book stating that the author was a struggling single mother when she first started writing the book, or something to that effect. On succeeding books, the note only mentioned where she lives. I suppose she wasn't thrilled about revealing her unhappy past.