Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling

This second book in the series was much darker than I remembered. The battle in the chamber is seriously gross / gory. And the self-flagellating house elf is just as disturbing as I remembered. There were two particular things that struck me as not-at-all-funny like I was meant to find them. First, Hagrid's love of monsters and constant endangerment of students isn't adorable. It's just irresponsible. Though the spiders don't really work at all, and I'm even afraid of them to begin with. Second, Lockhart's actions - stealing memories of other people's heroic deeds - are seriously evil, and just wrong on a level we don't often see in characters played for laughs. It's just a total 180 for his character, who up until that moment his hilariously cringingly dopey. And while we're on the subject of awesomeness just for a minute, the whomping willow is the coolest invention of the series, easy. There's so much more to the book in general than I remember. For some reason I had it in my head that this was pretty much a plain rehash of the first book, but it completely wasn't. I wish she hadn't gone All Voldemort All The Time with the series, though. There's so much more to this universe than that. I love that she gives a rehash for new readers (summarize the wizarding world, summarizing quidditch, etc.). Clearly this was written before Jo took over the world. As expected, I'm much more impressed with Rowling's world-building than plotting. Hermione being attacked was terribly convenient, as she totally would have figured it out. Likewise Ron's bad wand was stupid, and taking Lockhart with them at the climax just plain didn't make any sense at all. I'm also not clear on why Dobby didn't want Harry to go back to school in the first place; whatever his reasoning, it was very roundabout and convenient to the silly plot. I feel badly for Ginny. What an awful trauma. She deserves more screen time. Also, I miss Percy. He's such a delightful tightass. In general, we need more Weasleys.

I'm a Stranger Here Myself by Bill Bryson

I have had four Bill Bryson travel books on my shelf for ages, and have never read any of them. Today I picked up a fifth at Barnes and Noble, and figured I'd better either start working through them or stop buying them. What a fun book! I had no idea he'd be so funny. There were several points when I laughed out loud, and even a few where I snorted uncontrollably, and still others where I burst out with giggles hours later when an image popped back into my mind. I love writers that make themselve out to be idiots and their families out to be absolute saints, and he does this in spades. Mrs. B. should get her own TV show. There are just a couple of things keeping this from total greatness. First is the fact that this is a collection of newspaper columns, which means every story is pretty much the same length as the last. This isn't necessarily the worst thing ever, but the individual pieces are so short and digestible that I would have liked something to break up the rhythm a bit. Second is the fact of the humor writer's punch at the end of every piece. It's an unwritten rule (or maybe written, for all know) that all humorous writing needs to end with a 1-2 sentence quip that ties everything together in a nice big jokey bow. It's the literary equivalent of a laugh track, and this grates on my nerves. The final thing is the fact that a lot of chapters have nothing to do with America or Americans. They're strictly humor pieces, and that's fine, but I wanted him to stick with the theme. Anyway, that's a lot of griping for a book I loved. It was a short, easy, entertaining, fun read, and I will be working my way through my other four Bryson books soon.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

I have been in actual, unexpected mourning since finishing HP7. It came out of nowhere. Since the series never really grabbed me like it has so many others, I had no idea I'd feel such intense sadness at the series close. What better way to deal with grief than a big wallowing re-read? This is unquestionably my favorite book in the series. It's so light and funny and whimsical, heavy on world-building and lean on plot, which means she was playing to her strengths. She's not trying to conquer the planet or achieve world peace - just to tell a funny little story about a boarding school for wizards. The contrast between the characters and the wizard world at the beginning vs. where they end up was striking. As each major character entered the arena, I teared up a little at how wee and innocent they were. Yes, even the grown-ups. Even the plot was well-done, better than later books. Quirrell was lame (as was the whole Voldemort-in-my-head-literally thing), but the challenges to reach him were aces and at least there wasn't 600 page of build-up before reaching Quirrell and going "whuh, that's all there is?" His stuff was as big as it needed to be, in other words. I was also struck by how many characters we meet at the outset and promptly forget, only to see them back again years and books in the future. I wonder how much of that is happenstance and how much she really fleshed out characters in her mind so early in the series. Snape is just delightful here. He never really did much for me the first time through the series, but I'm loving him now. I wish the rest of the books were as lean and tight as this one.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows about 2pm today, making it all the way to the end without being spoiled. Huzzah! I loved it. Generally, that's my reaction to most things, but it's true here too. As far as fannish opinion, I'm usually over in the corner where we pretty much like everything we see. For me, most of my critical thinking goes into the selection process. Once something makes the cut as far as "is this worth my time?" in the first place, I'm pretty much good to go. So my enjoyment of the book shouldn't be too much of a surprise to anyone, least of all me. With about 200 pages to go, I flipped to the end to check the page count and caught my eye on the "Nineteen Years Later" epilogue title page, which set my heart racing. I didn't know there was an epilogue, which I took to be the surest sign that the end was pretty fucking nigh as far as the author's involvement in the series. I probably should have figured that out much sooner, what with all the carnage. She really wasn't pulling many punches, was she? I like that she warmed us up with Hedwig right from the outset, though of course it was also convenient because he can't exactly go on the lam with a big ol' bird in a cage. Either way, she killed that bird pretty dang quick and never slowed down. I really felt the peril and the high stakes throughout the book, which was one of the things I loved. The near misses during their time on the run felt like true near misses, and the claustrophobia of nearly getting caught every time they took a single step forward kept my heart racing. I'm not much of a fanfic reader: can't actually think of the last fic I read, but it was probably sometime last summer. Even so, I was acutely aware of how fic-able the story was all the way through - how close to fanfic so many of the plot twists were, how much the character moments felt like fic, how many jumping off points there'd be, etc. I don't know if this series has always been that way, or if it's just my own preference for a closed canon before I jump in, but I found myself interested in checking out fanfic for the first time in a long time. I really expected most fan reactions to be violently negative in an "internet go boom" sort of way, but I've found that not to be the case at all, at least on my flist. Shows you how much I know. I thought the lack of Snape, the absence from Hogwarts, the absurd "Lupin and Sirius were straight, really!" retcons, the twee epilogue, and the overzealous bodycount would have everyone in a lather. For my money, despite how much I liked the book we got, I thought it would have been better as a post-series story rather than the final story in the school series. I am still really bothered by Harry, Ron, and Hermione dropping out of school. This is just not on, and comes closest to harshing my squee. I think it was the wrong message to send, and I think they all still had a lot of magic to master. I think a book billed as "Year 7" should take place at Hogwarts. And I just plain wanted more Hogwarts, dangit. I also think J.K. Rowling's strength as an author is in worldbuilding - not so much plot or storytelling (though she's gotten better at the former as the series has progressed), but creating the universe itself. The wizarding world is brilliant. And the center of that for me is Hogwarts. I still loved the story we got, but I would have loved to read Harry's last year at school too, and I feel a bit cheated on that front. I was unbothered by the twee epilogue, and in truth would have felt less settled in my heart without it. So much of this particular story is tied up in understanding and coming to terms with the previous generation(s) youthful indiscretions, bad decisions, and consequences. Closure on the past generation was achieved through the scene in the forest, and it felt right to then see the next generation at the cusp of their own journey. I liked seeing Harry my age, and at peace with himself and the world. The circle is complete, and the whole thing really warmed my heart. It was clumsily executed (ugh, those names...), but I thought the spirit of it was just right for the close of the series.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

With the imminent publication of HP7, I found it necessary to pull out HP6 and refresh my memory. We'd just seen the movie for HP4 in DVD and then HP5 in the theater, so why not keep it going in prep for the final book? Of course, I have already read this book. I even reviewed it and blindly gave it the same star today as two years ago. But I've never actually read the copy I own - I picked one up in India and left it behind there, while the one on my shelf arrived on release day several months before I came home. So I read most of the day and night prior to HP7's release, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I'd been more leisurely about it. Both times I've read this book it's been under time pressure, and both times I've grown impatient with the long stretches of prose where nothing much of anything happens. I think I was bothered more this time by Harry's obsession with the half-blood prince as well as everyone's challenges about it. None of it felt organic to the characters, but instead seemed like an artificially-imposed "divide the friends" inititive. I wasn't as bugged by Harry & Ginny this time, though. Maybe I've gotten used to the idea.

Even the Wicked by Lawrence Block

Mmmmm... Scudder is showing signs of mellowing, and I don't like it one bit. No domestic bliss! No paternal feelings toward TJ! Bah! The mysteries here are again related in implausible ways, and again the resolution is strange. This time, though, it's pretty unsatisfying. Inventive, yes. But that's about it. Time to take another break from Block, I think.

A Long Line of Dead Men by Lawrence Block

The story in this one is pretty strange, but predictably inventive. The setup is all ridiculously implausible, and takes longer than usual to get going, but once they get some momentum going it sparks along at a good pace. This is another Scudder book where ordinary punishment isn't really possible, leading to a horribly creative solution. I don't buy for a second that it would work, but I appreciate the effort. Each of the last few books has added to the colorful cast of supporting characters in the series, and I expect this one will be no different. Something tells me that Ray Gruliow will be joining the likes of Mick Ballou, Chance, Joe Durkin, and Danny Boy Bell on Scudder's string. I struggled initially with the acknowledgement from Elaine that she doesn't have a problem with Matt stepping out on her. It seemed like typical sexist male fantasy on the author's part, and I resented it. But the more I ponder their situation, the more it seems actually right for Elaine to feel this way. Their relationship is completely unconventional, and remembering to look at the world through a perspective different from my own is hard. Must keep thinking on this one.

The Devil Knows You're Dead by Lawrence Block

Another totally unconventional installment in the life of non-PI Matt Scudder. I guess at this point I should expect the unexpected, but I totally didn't see the resolution coming on this case. I haven't spent a ton of time searching my memory, but I can't readily call to mind a murder mystery that comes out like this one does. There's a lot less action and a lot more introspection in this one, and it's very much my speed. It's funny how I hate English mysteries for that very reason. Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus series and Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley mysteries are perfect examples of series where the action and mystery take a back seat to the grim daily lives of the detectives. But for some reason, it doesn't work in the two English series and very much works in the American one. Matt is having some trouble with honesty in his relationship. The stuff with Jan Keane is fantastic and I understand him keeping it to himself while working through the badness. I totally didn't see it coming, and it seemed very organic to the series for this to play out as it did. But I'm so disappointed in him for taking up with the widow Holtzmann. Srsly. He gets just what he wants out of Elaine, and then immediately starts stepping out. I don't know how he can relax, as I for one am on pins and needles waiting for the other shoe to drop on that one. But have I mentioned lately that I love how unheroic Scudder is? Contemporary noir at its best, people.