PC Reading List

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I am reposting this from my blog where I often muse about the whole genre of the fantastic

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I made some predictions on [this] blog about how I thought the  7th Harry Potter book should go to wrap things up, and so here I am to discuss how close or far from the mark my predictions hit.

The one that I felt I hit spot on was Snape.  I knew it had to go this way, but I have to give Rowling a whole lot of credit for keeping the suspense going as long as she could on this question.  It was, in my estimation, the best handled of the 3 things I'd made predictions on.  The whole ending to the Snape thread of the story was very, very well done.  I had not thought of the use of the Patronus or the Pensieve, but they were both perfect touches.  I liked the name of the 2nd son too.  Nice.

I was a little off the mark with the does-Harry-die question, but also sort of on the mark too.  I said he had to die (and he did), but also that I didn't think and author would quite dare to depart from the Hollywood ending these days (and she didn't).  For me, this was a bit disappointing.  I liked it all the way up to the 19 years later.  I mean, for all that I liked the name of the 2nd son, I'd rather not have seen the whole tidy, suburban family ending.  Though I suspect I know a couple of boys who are going to find great satisfaction in this ending when they are old enough to read the story themselves.  I think I will let that be the thing that makes the ending satisfying for me.  Otherwise, it was an anticlimax and, in that sense, disappointing.

Where Rowling never disappoints is that she makes you care about the characters.  She just has a knack for that, and is an incredible story teller.  You even have a bit of a soft spot for the Malfoys, at last, don't you?  I would still, though, liked to have seen my version of the ending. I thought that Draco might get to play a part in destroying the diadem, thus uniting the houses.  I still think incorporating him in the saving the day would've helped to make for a less polarized world, which I thought was part of the goal all along.  But this seemed to be overlooked in the writing altogether, and is probably the point that disappointed me most.  I would've liked that to be a part of it.

But, when all is said and done, I have enjoyed the series immensely.  Watching the unfolding of the story has been great fun.  I don't know when I have ever looked forward to a book's release with quite the same sort of innocent anticipation as I have with this one.  And, even though I've used the word "disappointed" above, I really wasn't.  It's been a fun read.

Well, I've decided to try doing that on one of my other reading blogs.  I don't know how long it'll last, or how it will go, but it is going to be fun to see.

I am such an avid reader that the whole reading experience forms a big part of my day each day.  Not only do I spend a lot of time reading, but I spend a lot of time thinking about what I have read, and discussing it with others.

I have 2 nephews spending the summer with me, aged 6 and 7.  They are both struggling to learn to read.  The schools think that they aren't quite where they need to be.  And, I'm finding that the while philosophy of learning to read has changed since I was a kid.  It is a very pressurizing ordeal.

So, when I came across  a write up about reading tutors from my sponsor, it caught my eye.  I would not normally be one to write about kids learning to read, as that is not my forte.  But it just caught my interest this time -- probably because this summer has shown me how frustrating a process it can be, for both the parent and the child.  This is especially true when the schools are breathing down your neck... and when they schools are getting more and more standardized each moment, it seems.

Score Learning centers are aimed at kids aged 4 to 14, aiding them in excelling in their academic progress.  For me, I would like to see my nephews take some joy in reading, like I do.  And, the way that they get absorbed in stories read to them (they are big fans of audio books), I can see the potential for them to love reading.  It makes the whole learning process all the more important, I think, when you imagine your little one falling in love with reading.

For kids like these guys who don't necessarily develop according to the plans laid out for them by the school system, Score Learning can really boost their confidence and joy in learning.

This is a sponsored post. Click this tab if you'd like to write sponsored posts on your blog too.

    

I like reading a book that gives me several things to think about at the same time.  John Lockley's After the Fire, a book I picked up while rummaging through the "cheap offers" bin at a book sale some years back, turned out to be that sort of book for me.

Crises of faith and thoughts about war, crime, and punishment were just some of the things that I enjoyed thinking about while reading the book.  Essentially it is a tale of survival.  What I like is how the book focuses on accumulated knowledge as a key to survival.  Several times, the characters mention that "we can't go back to the Dark Ages if we keep the knowledge alive."  I liked the tenacity that this showed.  Not giving up, I suppose, is a big value with me.

It was fun seeing how some of the characters didn't want to "fit in" with this sort of thinking, and preferred to live in the moment.  I liked how the book didn't give an easy answer to this problem, and how the issue was treated with a sense of complexity.

It was by no means a perfect novel, but it was a thought-provoking one.  And that was good enough for me.

The blog is kept by a group that makes funny videos.  You can find them at You Tube as well, if you'd like to have a look there.

I saw some funny video clips on the site, and it is one that I will point friends to as well.  So, this isn't just a review-swap exercise... I really did enjoy the site, and recommend you pop in to have a laugh at what they've got going on.

Enjoy!

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You can find their review of my site here