So, I have a copy of HP6 I'm reading right now...

No spoilers here, just gratuitious comments on Jo's writing.

In many ways, I prefer it to her earlier books. Less repetitive adjectives to drive me batty. But I still think she could use a lesson in the importance of serious editing. Her description is generally good, but it can drag on for a bit. For example, with the first paragraph, I read it, but I almost gave up there because it kept rearranging itself in my mind to the first paragraph from Paul Clifford.

You know the one, the one that starts: "It was a dark and stormy night; the rain fell in torrents--except at occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps that struggled against the darkness."

Yeah. Not an auspicious beginning.

It does get better, though, so I'm not complaining. Much. Really, though, I suspect all these books would be better if she hadn't gotten so popular. Her popularity is a good thing in that it allows writers to get away with slightly longer books than used to be the norm, but... not all writers can pull off these longer books. Certain parties need to learn how to rein in a story just a bit. Not just JKR. I could use that lesson, I just go on and on and on and tangent....

Anyway, back to reading. Good night all, good work, I'll most likely spoil you in the morning.

( For the curious... )

( SPOILER! )

( Ending spoiler )

*screams*

If you make a factual error, and somebody corrects you, it's not necessarily because they don't have a sense of humor, or because they don't like you. It could very easily be simply because you. are. wrong.

And there doesn't have to be any other reason than that! No, I'm not taking things too seriously. I don't like to be wrong. If I spell something wrong, I want to be told so that I don't keep making the same stupid mistake. If I say, erroneously, that educated people used to believe that the world was flat, then I expect to be corrected so I'll stop saying things that are wrong. (Columbus not only failed to prove that the world was round, he wasn't expected to. That had been proven back in ancient Greece.)

And there doesn't have to be any other reason than that people shouldn't say things that are wrong. The next person to come up and randomly ask me "why do you care?" when they or somebody else makes some huge-ass mistake is going to get smacked, I swear. I care because I. Don't. Like. Things. Being. Wrong. Period, end of story, I don't need another reason, and if you had any self-respect you'd endeavor not to make stupid mistakes.

This, of course, only applies to matters of fact, not matters of opinion. For example, gaol isn't a stupid spelling mistake for jail, it's an actual spelling in many places. Okay, my opinion is that it's a stupid spelling, but so are many things in the English orthography. I try not to pay them much heed.

One last post, before I sleep.

How do I stop being one of Ana's favorite people? She'll randomly come and call up the steps for me. I don't understand it. I wouldn't like me if I were two. I pull her hair, for Gods' sake, and she likes me! (Not hard, just a tug on a braid, but then I have to tug the other one(s) to make it even....) And I pinch her nose! (Well, okay, only after singing the "snipped off her nose" song, and now I'm trying to encourage her to pinch other people's noses at the end of that song - other people who aren't me, that is, but that's not the point.) And it's all very disconcerting, and it makes me nervous. Sure, she's one of my favorite people, but I don't have any expectations of her! But she clearly thinks I'm wonderful, and I'm not, and if she doesn't stop it soon it's just going to get worse as she gets older. I'm all scared.

A much-posted article on BSG...

Here.

( Read more... )

Final thought on HP6. Semi-final. Whatever..

I know a lot of people are going "I just don't care about the last book now". And some are going "OMG! BEST BOOK EVAH!"

*waits for both groups to converge*

I've been reading HP since the actual beginning, before the hype. Never liked the hype. It obscured several books which deserved more attention, set up a huge number of copycats, caused every friggin' fantasy book to be "If you like Harry Potter....", which sucks, because many of them are very different from HP.

And unlike books by some authors, I've never been dying to know what happens next with HP. Oh, I read it, but I'm not counting down the minutes. Hilari Bell, now... I want to read the last book in that trilogy so much.

*coughs*

As I was saying, I'm not that invested in the books. I think they're a nice bit of fun, and it's certainly fun to take them too seriously and analyse the shit out of them as you would with... well, for want of a better term, with real literature. One of these days I'll analyse Dick and Jane like that for fun. So I could hardly start crying that "I'm not that interested in them anymore", nor could I start declaring my undying love for them.

But I'll say this for the most recent book: It's the first one I've wanted to re-read so soon after getting it. I often enjoy books by reading them twice a day for weeks, until I get bored, then taking a break. I sometimes enjoy books by reading them only once, then not again. I usually (now that I'm not a kid anymore) enjoy them by reading them, waiting a while, then re-reading them. I read fast, it's not a problem for me to read a book several times.

Harry Potter has always been in the third category, except in cases where I was traveling and inexplicably only had Harry Potter with me. But now I want to re-read book 6. This is a good sign for JKR's writing. She still needs to find a better editor, one who will help her cut down her word count just a tiny bit (agreed totally on adverb abuse. This is why god invented descriptive verbs), but her writing is already vastly improved over even the last book. *nods*

So says me, anyway.

So, maybe I'll re-read it, after I finish this DWJ I never read (Merlin Conspiracy).