Do not meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger.

My original plan was to give myself one week to read each book, but now I'm thinking that I may be able to read all seven in just one week combined!

As soon as I picked up the book, I put it back down again. Every line that I read reminded me of some aspect of Tolkien. Even the narration seemed as though Bilbo had somehow stepped out of Middle-earth and into this world of Muggles...the sarcasm and biting judgement cloaked in simple, plain speech was full-on Disgruntled Hobbit. There's a bias in the storytelling that is so heavy-handed that I could barely focus on anything but that. But, after the first few pages, the plot started to carry me through and the pages practically turned themselves and, before I knew it, I was on page 151.

I rather felt that the Dursley's were hard done by. Petunia seemed to have lived in her sister's shadow for a long time and (pretty understandably) harbored resentment. And what happens as soon as she manages to carve out a life for herself, complete with a loving husband and child she adores? Her sibling is murdered, which must have been a very difficult thing for her to work through emotionally as she seems to feel that her sister (like some sort of hardcore drug addict) was flirting with death and danger for some time. And, on top of that, this prodigal sister's young son is left on her doorstep like some modern Moses. The writing, though, is very flat and relies on these very unimaginative character types; you get more depth out of Disney. But when I looked beyond the words and at the actual actions, that's when I got sucked in and just mentally filling the holes in as I went. The Dursleys are not people I'd want to be related to, without a doubt, but the type-casting applied to them borders on absurd.

Even if Petunia was resentful, hurt, or angry at her sister, to treat her nephew like the Orphan Annie is just...well, unbelievable. Having a child live in a small dusty, spider-ridden closet under the stairs from ages one to eleven? Am I really expected to buy this? Moving on from that, though, I go back and forth about whether or not Harry Potter is being given the Mary Sue treatment. Regardless of the answer to that, I just can't help but take a little bit of a shine to him. Despite his extraordinary circumstances (the neglectful abuse of being raised by gaurdians who show him nothing but disdain, the unhealthy living conditions of a cupboard under the stairs, etc) he really is a very ordinary little boy and quite relatable. He has a temper, he has decidedly unkind thoughts, and, in general, reacts in ways that are completely unremarkable. He's just a Typical Kid and I kind of like him. He's eleven, and acts it, but he's still the sort of boy that you'd want to hug and take care of. Or, if you're his elderly neighbor, feed stale chocolate cake to.

Dumbledore, though he is a watered down Gandalf, I can't help but like instantly. And there really is a lot of borrowing from Tolkien. First thing I noticed was how the Dursleys are basically mean versions of the Gamgees...instead of 3 Bagshot Road it is 4 Privet Drive. An ordinary, unremarkable house filled with a family that wants nothing more than to continue living their dull, ordinary lives uninterrupted by adventure.

I do love the concept of having a secret fame. It is very Sleeping Beauty, actually, and that was one of my favorite fairy tales growing up, so it's no real surprise that I like it here too. And I thought his reaction to all of it was very believable. The moment in The Leaky Cauldron when a fully grown man was excited and beaming just from being recognized by this slip of a boy was absolutely adorable. 'Did you hear that? Harry Potter remembers me!' So adorable and those were the moments that I really felt like I was there with this man in a purple top hat practically bouncing from the happiness of seeing his physical reminder that they now live in a time of peace. In his position, I'd be hugging the little boy-Jesus too.

I have read into the Hogwarts half of the book, but I'll make a separate post for all of that. And I'll post my little quiz results Tuesday as planned so you still have time to go back and comment that I'm Hermione (or, you know, any other female character, lol).

Aside from all of that, I have to note that the names are very intriguing and I'm going to go through the book once more and make lists and notes of all of the personal names used. There's clear themes used, but the Gryffindor names kind of confuses me. Yes, I'll definitely go back and make notes on that.

Sorry for the novel. Please let me know if I'm too long-winded. If so, then I'll try to be more concise next time.