Sundays playing tourist…

The day felt like peppermint tea and poetry written by a recluse poet as the sky purpled with hints of grey at the edges of frayed clouds.

The days of playing pretend were supposedly over twelve years ago but playing tourist in a city you’ve been living in for the past three years can be an invigorating adventure, rediscovering the old haunts and some new places you’d been postponing to visit for ever so long.

In some majestic buildings justice is served and we can only hope that the deliverers are as upright-morally- as those tall structures.

p.s Photographs of tree from down below, with the sun glinting through the branches, are some of favourites. Here’s one.

p.p.s It’s fun to explore and just wander. Do it on a Sunday.

Carousels

To new beginnings in familiar places…what goes around comes around.

7th June, 2016: We wheeled ourselves into a haphazard circle on a sunny afternoon in the midst of reddish dirt and wisps of dried grass. The breeze swept carefully tucked hair and long dresses up ever so slightly, teasing us all, playful. We turned like a merry-go-round in third gear, a carousel of chit chat about us. There’s just something about small talk, especially when it no longer feels so small…

8th June, 2016: Old faces in new places have made me feel somewhat dizzy, a retrospect looming. I’m beginning  to feel like the world is a little pocket, occasionally stuffed with the old acquaintance or childhood friend who once played pretend with me, scribbling with crayons just outside the box. Coincidences are funny and it’s quite a jest to welcome, even if it’s met with some old-fashioned and long learned apprehension.

9th June, 2016: An unconventional end befell my collection of books stored away in boxes 575 kilometers away, in the form of insects with an unfortunate appetite for moist pages…dampened by the careless faucet left leaking in the upstairs flat,water dripping its way down the cracked cement. Sometimes it’s better to forget rather than be maudlin and so I’ve taken to technology for my reading, an artifice in its screen and font adjustments, replacing the paperbacks and hardcovers. Although it warmed up to me, I think I like to romanticize the past and the people boxed away in it, love them as I do.

10th June, 2016: The sound of clanging forks and chit chat is the perfect backdrop for a bit of light reading, as a cup of tea sits upon the table. The breeze is dotted with drizzle as the finished paper cup threatens to totter over just shy of the large windows. Perfect weather can make for less of a dull time, ticking away in an otherwise unoccupied hour here and now. A recipe for renewal.

11th June, 2016: Thumbing pages of books and notepads has become second nature, a tell tale sign of my mind wandering. A friend asked me if it calmed me down but quite the contrary, I think it makes me feel all the more elated, alive with ideas and quaint possibilities.

Ron Weasley, the Mistreated Character

As a little girl, I identified with Hermione, dressing up as her for Halloween for two years. I’d beam when people would tell me I look a lot like her (not Emma Watson but Hermione the character) because of my bushy hair (which I used to detest before the comparison). I still do identify with Hermione but now also with Ron which is why they are two of my favourite characters.

I cannot fathom the palpable hatred directed at Ron nor do I understand the unquestioning admiration Hermione seems to receive. I suppose it’s the movies’ fault. Both characters are well fleshed out in the books but less so in the film adaptations.

For a book reader, it is easy to see that the films have dissected Ron’s character, surgically removed his good traits and transplanted them into Hermione’s character which sadly, destroyed both of them, yet Ron more than Hermione in the end. While Hermione Granger is the shining epitome of perfection stood atop a pedestal, Ron is made to look like someone who is fit for nothing better than to clean said pedestal, which is infuriating. Why fix something that isn’t broken? (Yes, that question is directed at Kloves more than anyone else.)

The fact of the matter is that Ron was never meant to be a sidekick, only good for a few one-liners and comic relief. He was much more than that in the books. Yes, Ron is funny, but in the books we laugh with Ron while in the movies we laugh at him. He’s not the slap stick comedian we’ve seen on screen (and I mean no offense to Rupert Grint, he does so well with what little he’s given), he’s witty, subtle and sarcastic, one of my main reasons for liking him so much.

Not only this, but he is very real. He’s poor and has an inferiority complex, but also kind, observant and quite intelligent, though appearing dumb in the movies. (It would surprise people to know that he’s better than Harry in academics.) In the first film when entrapped by Devil’s Snare he is an absolute wreck while in the book he is reasonably still and tells Hermione to conjure up flames while Harry struggles more and more. In the second book, it was Harry who asked Moaning Myrtle insensitively how a throwing a book can hurt her it’d just go right through her while Ron was given that line in the films. Why? Because Ron was backed into the sidekick corner and left there.

Movie-viewers missed out on a wonderful transformation which is the saddest of all. His growth over the series is demonstrative of the fact that heroes can make mistakes and learn from them instead of being always in the right. The same boy who started off indifferent to elf rights became the boy who suggested to save the house elves when everyone else forgot, and gave his own clothes and socks for Dobby to be buried in. That is growth.

Besides, one of my main reasons for enjoying Harry Potter so much was Harry and Ron’s friendship. Yes, we all seem to debate over who Hermione should have ended up with but I was always here for Harry and Ron which, unfortunately, wasn’t well portrayed in the films. There’s a reason why Ron is the one person in the world Harry would miss most. He was his very first friend, the closest thing Harry had to family, never thinking twice to offer his room and food and everything he had to Harry, which was pretty much all he had.

Ron was the one, who was in blinding pain and stood up on his broken leg to fiercely defend his best friend from a serial killer in PoA.

“No, Harry!” Hermione gasped in a petrified whisper; Ron, however, spoke to Black.

“If you want to kill Harry, you’ll have to kill us, too!” he said fiercely, though the effort of standing up had drained him of still more colour, and he swayed slightly as he spoke.

Something flickered in Black’s shadowed eyes.

“Lie down, “ he said quietly to Ron. “You will damage that leg even more.”

“Did you hear me?” Ron said weakly, though he was clinging painfully to Harry to stay upright. “You’ll have to kill all three of us!”

(Infuriatingly, this entire line was given to Hermione while Ron was a blubbering mess in the background, while in the books Hermione is the one who was terrified.)

While many criticise Ron for leaving Harry and Hermione in DH, I think what is often overlooked is the gravity of his departure. Ron is loyal (his Patronus is a Jack-Russell terrier, for god’s sake) and this isn’t shown much in the films which is why it didn’t have the same impact. He is the one who always defends Harry and Hermione from other people.

In CoS, he is ready to kill Malfoy for wanting the Heir of Slytherin to attack Hermione.

“I’m quite surprised the Mudbloods haven’t all packed their bags by now,” Malfoy went on. “Bet you five Galleons the next one dies. Pity it wasn’t Granger…”

The bell rang at that moment, which was lucky; at Malfoy’s last words, Ron had leapt off his stool, and in the scramble to collect bags and books, his attempts to reach Malfoy went unnoticed.

“Let me at him,” Ron growled, as Harry and Dean hung onto his arms. “ I don’t care, I don’t need my wand, I’m going to kill him with my bare hands-”

Not to mention when he shouts at Snape, their scariest professor, in Hermione’s defense and gets detention (scrubbing bed pans) for it.

“That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger,” said Snape coolly. “Five more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all.”

Hermione went very red, put down he rhand and stared at the floor with her eyes full of tears….Ron, who told Hermione she was a know-it-all at least twice a week, said loudly, “You asked us a question and she knows the answer! Why ask if you don’t want to be told?”

The class knew instantly he’d gone too far…

In the movies, after Snape snaps at Hermione, Ron just says “He’s got a point, you know.” which he would NEVER say. I think Ron would rather face a spider than agree with Snape.

These are just a few instances of how the movies have mucked up his character and slowly, as Ron fan, it kills you.

Book Ron is that friend who would defend you no matter what. To desert people whose side he’s unfailingly on shows just how the Horcrux impacted him. Ron wasn’t a spoiled brat or cowardly, he was dealing with his insecurities and as soon as he left, he said he wanted to come back. We often forget that we fight with our friends and some of them actually walk out on us, never to return but the ones that come back are true. And Ron is nothing if not a true friend. He’s the sort of person you want in your corner, always good to be around, even when not doing anything in particular.

Overall, I think the movies outstripped movie Ron of a lot of character points and this makes me feel bad for Rupert Grint who really likes the character he plays. He said it himself, “But, the truth is that Ron is my hero. He’s always there for his friends – sometimes belligerently, but there nevertheless. And no matter how scared he may be, he will put aside his fears to support and protect the people he loves. To me, that represents true courage.”

Too bad we never got to see him play the real Ron, it would have been fantastic.

(I have a lot more to say about this issue and I tend to rant a lot about book Ron vs. movie Ron but this pretty much sums it all up.)

Reading Challenge 2016

Hello! So last year was a big reading year, but this time I decided to scale it back and pledge to read 25 books. Also, if anyone on Goodreads is interested in joining the book club ‘Our Shared Shelf’ in support of the  UN’s HeforShe Campaign, please do! It’s moderated by Emma Watson where a single book highlighting feminism is selected each month and the last week is set for discussion, so I’m really excited to participate in it, however I can! Happy reading to everyone!

p.s Books marked with an asterisk are re-reads 🙂

January

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K Rowling*
• Maus I: A Survivor’s Tale: My Father Bleeds History by Art Spiegelman
• Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane

February

• The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
• The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson

March

• All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven

April

• Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaria
• The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides

May

• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events- The Bad Beginning*
• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events- The Reptile Room*
• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events- The Wide Window*
• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events- The Miserable Mill*

June

• Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn*
• My life had stood a loaded gun by Emily Dickinson
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling*

July

• Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

August

• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K Rowling, John Tiffany and Jack Thorne
• The Grownup by Gillian Flynn
• The Perks of Being Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky*

September

• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events- The Austere Academy*
• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events- The Ersatz Elevator*

October

• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

December

• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini *

25/25 books read

Art Journal- Tsundoku

So after pinning a number of things to my art journal board on Pinterest and getting a fair idea of the process, I decided I’d start off with a Japanese word I found and wanted to illustrate for a while now.

Tsundoku (n)- the act of leaving a book unread after buying it, typically piled up together with other such unread books

I often go on book buying sprees only to leave my purchases unread in the shelf and sometimes I buy some books just to own them. For example, I’d read the pdf of The Bell Jar a while ago but when I’d gone to a bookstore recently with my friend, I couldn’t resist the urge to buy the book and keep it with me in paperback format. I don’t plan on re-reading it any time soon but that doesn’t matter or factor into the reason why I bought it. I just wanted it in my bookshelf if only to give company to the many others.

Anyone else engage in tsundoku?

-VD

Getting Lost in Reading and Writing

We’ve all read at least one book that makes us marvel at how writing can be so influential. I’ve often wondered how we can be so emotionally invested in nothing but words printed on crisp paper and then came across an interesting explanation of why we get lost in a book. At Free University of Berlin, a study of brain reactions to certain passages in the Harry Potter books was conducted to see if certain types of excerpts facilitated the immersive experience more than others . Out of this study, the fiction feeling hypothesis was born.

According to the fiction feeling hypothesis, narratives with emotional contents invite readers more to be empathic with the protagonists and thus engage the affective empathy network of the brain, the anterior insula and mid-cingulate cortex, than do stories with neutral contents.

Emotionally charged passages in books makes us readers empathetic with the characters and this brain engagement leads to the feeling of getting lost in a book. So if the passage is fear-inducing, we feel dread. It’s all about which neural pathways are activated while reading. This paints an interesting image in my mind, just thinking of brain scans lighting up in certain regions when reading different passages of books like a colourful kaleidoscope. It’s fascinating.

But then what about getting lost in the writing part of it?

I’d read something last semester that took a look at this. Freud attempts to answer this question in his essay, ‘Creative Writing and Day-dreaming”. He sought to understand where creative writers draw from while writing and how they are able to invoke in readers emotions they never thought they could have. In his quest for an answer, he likens the creative writing process to day-dreaming and child’s play. A child takes elements from the real world and builds his or her own, rearranging until he or she’s pleased and does so with a great deal of seriousness and emotional expenditure, all the while able to distinguish it from reality. Similarly, as we grow older, this pleasure derived from child’s play is found in its more mature substitute: day dreaming which can be immersive in its own right.

According to Freud, the hero of the story is a written manifestation of our ego or basically that the writer is in fact the hero, making most works autobiographical. Although I’m sceptical that this can be applied to every author, The Bell Jar is certainly a good example of this, with Syvia Plath and her protagonist Esther mirroring one another. Her semi-autobiographical book could have been a form of confessional, therapeutic writing, narrating her own descent into depression through a fictional counterpart. Not only does Freud say that the writer identifies with the hero, but readers do as well. I suppose that’s why reading this book can be quite intense.

So literature can be therapeutic for both writers and readers. It’s a space where we can fulfill wishes, live through danger vicariously and live out our potential problems. It’s a fantastic channel to release pent-up tension without negative repercussions and that’s what makes it so appealing to everyone. Expressive writing is an effective therapy technique for this very reason.

Another point Freud goes on to make is that in the case of the modern writer, the hero/ego is often fragmented into many parts, split off into several characters. It’s as if writers can pocket parts of themselves, positive and negative traits, in a wide range of characters. I think we can see this in the case of Game of Thrones (I’ve always thought GoT is Freudian what with all the emphasis on sex and violence in the series). George R.R Martin himself said that he identifies with all his characters, even the nasty ones we can’t fathom loving or even liking.

“When I get inside their skin and look out through their eyes, I have to feel a certain – if not sympathy, certainly empathy for them. I have to try to perceive the world as they do, and that creates a certain amount of affection. That being said, my favourite character is definitely Tyrion. He’s the one who I most enjoy writing. But I identify with all of them.” – George R. R Martin

While Freud may be far-fetched in some of his theories, I think these points have a certain truth to them. The essay is also worth a read, if you’re a little curious of what the father of psychology thought about creative writing.

3 Great Android Apps

On more than one occasion I browse through the play store in the hopes of finding new apps that I would never have thought I could survive without. Here are some of the android apps I think are brilliant and not talked about as much they should.

Duet

Category: Games

Duet is one of those games that can make you really shut out everything else going on around you. It’s a challenging game about controlling co-dependent spheres and it’s engrossing because of the trance music playing in the background. It’s recommended to plug in your earphones to get the full experience and believe me, it’s worth it. Duet has various levels under five stages of grief in the Kübler-Ross model, and you gradually work through all the stages, surviving against all the odds and keeping calm through out. The graphics are clean and non-distracting, simple yet effective. Beware of the ads every three minutes though!

Telegram

Category: Messaging

Admittedly, this messaging app seemed redundant to me what with WhatsApp being so popular but once I tried out Telegram after months of nagging from my tech obsessed friend, I understood it’s appeal. The secret chat mode is great for people who have conversations they don’t want to scroll through and cringe about later (if you know what I mean). You can set a self destruct time limit on the messages and after that they disappear. An added bonus about Telegram is the security. The company has offered $200000 worth of Bitcoins as a reward to the first person who can crack its encryption. That’s  a good sign that your privacy is assured.

Manga Rock

Category: Books

 

I used to read manga on mangapanda.com on my laptop until I discovered Manga Rock. Since I installed the app, I’ve been able to read much more and it’s so convenient. You can choose the scrolling direction be it left to right or up- down. It has a wide variety of manga  available and you can save your favourites. There’s also the option of downloading some chapters although the number of download slots are severely limited so the app isn’t useful in offline mode. However, if you love reading manga and don’t have the money to buy them, this app is a real life saver!

April 2015 Reading Round Up

Junk by Melvin Burgess

After reading Melvin Burgess’ Kill All Enemies I was interested to read more of his books. Junk was the title that clearly stood out. Skimming through Goodreads reviews, it sounded like the perfect read since my fascination is held by books of a controversial nature what with the drugs and teenage pregnancy. Besides it’s content, the fact that it’s UK YA had me sold. Junk is about two teenage runaways named Gemma and Tar who start a love affair with heroine while living on their own and with a few friends named Rob and Lily. The story is told from multiple characters points of view, in keeping with Burgess’ style and what I love about his books in the first place. The struggle with addiction feels real and investing to read in this way. One thing I’ll always remember from this book is when Lily is breastfeeding and still continued to take heroine, injecting the veins between her breasts. The description of the damage done to her other veins is good enough for drug abuse PSA. Junk is raw and unapologetic, though I must say I was waiting for even more serious consequences to befall the main characters, it still is an interesting read.

Verdict: It took me two days to read the book and that says it all. Grab a copy!

InuYasha Volumes 10- 24

Sango is one of my favourite characters in the series and I’ve always thought she and InuYasha are alike in demeanor so when they fight each other in the 10th volume, I found it interesting. Once the misunderstanding between the two of them is cleared up, she journeys with Kagome, InuYasha, Miroku and Shippo, the last to join the gang. Her emotional torment stems from the loss of her family and Naraku controlling her brother Kohaku. Apart from Sango, I was excited about Koga’s introduction and his recurrence across these volumes. Koga and InuYasha’s enmity is an interesting dynamic, always quipping with one another and fighting over Kagome. I like how they’re allies who refuse to admit it (or are in denial about the fact). The most interesting developments in these volumes is how InuYasha transforms into a full-fledged demon and loses all sense of reason, becoming a killing machine incapable of controlling himself. This leads to the discovery of why his father entrusted him with his sword Tetsusaiga. I enjoyed the little filler story arcs in these volumes like that of the monkey demons and Shippo’s love interest.

Verdict: These volumes delve deeper into the characters pasts and stories, peppered with the usual amount of action that makes it interesting.

*Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K Rowling

This is my favourite book of the series!  Check out my re-read post about it.

Verdict: Do I need to actually say it? READ!

* Re-Read Challenge

Little Bookfessions

Source: Google Images

i. In my old house, I didn’t have room for a bookshelf because of all the built-in closet space. One time, a friend came over, saw it and said, “Wow, you must have a lot of clothes.” Another friend who knew me better corrected, “No, half of it’s purely for her books.” What’s in your closet speaks volumes; it’s like compartments of you in physical space. And books may as well be half of me.

ii. I love flipping pages of books. Admittedly, half the time I’m reading, I’ll stop, look at my progress and just flip to my hearts content. That feeling of paper brushing fingertips is incomparable. (And the habit is contagious, just ask some of my friends.)

iii. I’ll never succumb in the argument of paperbacks/hardcovers versus e-books. I know e-books are so much more portable and don’t take up any physical space but isn’t that the point? I want something to take up space in my life, whether it’s in a bookshelf or on a coffee table, I want it there. It’s better than being littered with charger wires.

iv. But in the battle of hardcover versus paperback, I always choose paperback.

v. This summer I’d gone back to my old house to find termites festering in my bookshelf, eating away at the pages and crumbling the spines of my books. My heart broke and I mean that. They weren’t just material possessions. Those books were pieces of me, memories, emotions and gifts from people in my life especially my dad and I felt shattered at the prospect that they could be taken away. Paper perishes. Just like people.

vi. My fondest memory of my dad was going to stores and getting so engrossed in the book sections. I’d show him which ones I liked and never even needed to ask for them. He’d buy it no matter what. He’d never say no to buying me a book. To me, that says everything about his character.

vii. In elementary school in Ottawa, I was that kid who’d get extremely excited about the Scholastic flyers and ordering books off it. I’d count down for the book fairs and don’t even get me started on how awesome the Bibliobus was.

viii. Libraries, to me, are more beautiful than monuments. They’re invaluable and that feeling of walking along the many, many aisles of bookshelves is almost like walking between worlds. They’re right there for you to discover. Plus, they’re so peaceful it’s like time has slowed down or even stopped, in the most wonderful way imaginable.

ix. I really liked the way my teacher in 3rd grade labelled all her books and did the same with mine. One nasty boy in my class ridiculed it.I was quite angry and went into Hermione Granger mode all over him. It’s funny to think about now. ( I was quite the Monica Gellar as a child…I still am now, actually.)

x. In my fourth semester of college I discovered that the most satisfying time to read a new book is during exams. I’d study faster (improperly sometimes) just to settle into bed and read. It really helped take my mind off the tedium of writing those ridiculously long papers.

xi. It doesn’t matter how long my TBR list is, I’ll keep adding to it. It doesn’t matter if I have a lot of unread books sitting at home. I’ll still buy a dozen more.

xii. I enjoy owning books more than borrowing them.

xiii. If my worst enemy gave me a book that I’d love, I’d melt like Olaf in Frozen. Because some books are worth melting for. And I’d have no room left for enmity.

xiv. In rough times, I turn to books. They’re a solace and oh so safe. It’s lovely to be wrapped up in between pages just as you would be in your bed sheets.

xv. The success of finding a new book that doesn’t disappoint is worth celebrating. Usually with another book.

xvi. Re-reading is re-living.

xvii. In the 5th grade, I was in a book club that would read newly published books in the library during recess. It was just as enjoyable as playing outside

xviii. My dad was the one who got me interested in reading and I’ll always have him to thank for the person I am today i.e a bibliophile.

xix. Since I was a child, I always read beyond my age. By the time I was ten, I’d begun reading adult novels. Now that I’m an adult, I so enjoy reading books aimed at younger readers. The grass is always greener on the other side, I suppose.

xx. I don’t mind dog-earing pages and I hate books that have been read and still look brand new. It’s eerie.

The Re-read Challenge: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

When I first read

I hadn’t been in on Harry Potter from the get go, only having jumped on the band wagon after the first three books were published so the Goblet of Fire was the first of the series that I had to wait for in agonising anticipation and boy was it worth it. I devoured the book in less than four days and was already itching for more.

What I remember

With the first three Harry Potter books  I was completely familiar with Hogwarts but the Goblet of Fire expanded the world of magic from just Hogwarts to an international world cup and to the introduction of other magical academies like Beauxbatons and Durmstrang through the Triwizard Tournament. The Quidditch World Cup was an exciting start to a game changing book in the series. Not only does the magical world seem more concrete but it also seems more dangerous because of the ominous emergence of Death Eaters and the return of Voldemort. That was why I found the fourth book so intriguing when I first read it!

Why I want To re read

As I’m re reading the entire Harry Potter series it’s inevitable but since the Goblet of Fire is one of my favourites I was eager to revisit it!

How I felt after re reading

The Triwizard Tournament is brilliant as far as I’m concerned. It’s such a a great way to break the tedium of the school year and read about so many new things and new characters like Mad Eye Moody.

Sirius is a great god-father and it’s nice to read about he and Harry keep in touch through out the year, finally a parent figure for Harry to confide in and look to for advice when he really needs it. Of course, what makes it even better is Dobby working at Hogwarts. His misunderstanding of how socks are not supposed to be matching is endearing and I love how Ron takes a liking to him as well, giving him his Christmas jumper.

I think Hermione’s efforts in securing wages and holidays for elves is underrated and needs more attention. She’s fighting for what she believes in and it’s admirable, though her determination is frequently met by road blocks. It’s a shame the movie didn’t bother to include this important side to Hermione’s character. She’d make a great lobbyist!

On the down side, I’ll always hate whenever any of these characters fight, particularly Harry and Ron. When Ron disbelieves that Harry put his name into the Goblet and gets jealous of all the attention Harry gets, it marks the worst fight they’ve had so far which leaves Hermione as a referee between the two of them.

Though they have a huge fight in the Goblet of Fire, I still think this is the book that highlights how important Harry’s friendship with Ron is to him. Though Hermione still talks to him during their spat, Harry himself says it’s not the same,  with much less laughter and much more library hours and books. Then when it comes to the second challenge, the most important person to Harry turns out unsurprisingly to be Ron.

Rita Skeeter’s trash about Hagrid being dangerous was what made me angry the most. Poor guy can’t catch a break even though he’s one the kindest character in the series.

While Skeeter is a right old hag who should mind her own business, as we all know, I confess myself disappointed (get it?) that Mrs. Weasley actually believe Hermione was two-timing Harry with Krum. I didn’t think she was that daft to believe such dribble considering she actually knows Hermione. It just highlighted that girls get the brunt of media attacks and people seem predisposed to falling for it.

The drama around the Yule Ball was Romione-centric more than anything else. Ron is a disaster when he sees Hermione with Krum which I feel was a a needed kick in his ego. Harry’s not any better since he’s just glum that Cho went with Cedric. Though I know where they’re coming from, it doesn’t justify how they treat Parvati and Padma at the ball. I’d be mad too if my date just sat around sulking while everyone’s having a good time.

On the lighter side, I have to say I was in splits at times while reading this book. I could not stop laughing when I read this sentence:

Snape stretched out his hands like a blind man and began to move up the stairs… (trying to find Harry wearing his Invisibility Cloak).

I guess I was having too much fun imagining Alan Rickman doing this on the stairs in the middle of the night 🙂

I also had to put the book down when reading about Dobby waking up Harry ten minutes before the second challenge and offering him the Gillyweed:

 Dobby cannot let Harry Potter lose his Wheezy!

How I love that Dobby calls Ron Harry Potter’s Wheezy. It’s just too good. And if you don’t laugh at that then I’m not sure I know what sort of sense of humour you’ve got. Just kidding.

I just love this book so much.

Would I re read again

Would Dobby help Harry no matter what?
The answer to both questions: Of course.