Harry Potter Re-Cap

**spoiler alert - if you have not seen HP7 or read the book you may want to hold off on this post**

It's semi-wordless Wednesday and one of my favorite bloggers, how i met your father is guest blogging today, be sure to check it out!




Anyway, on Sunday after the wedding I dragged my dear friend Lizzie to go see HP7 with me.  Overall I thought it was awesome.

It got going so quickly which I was just not expecting...although I guess I should've because it was part 2 of HP7.  I think one of my very favorite parts was when McGonagall began casting spells to secure the castle.  She was just one of my favorite characters in this movie, she stepped up and played the leader that she could always be.  That was also the one part in the movie where I teared up, I think just because it was so intense seeing them all casting spells to protect Hogwarts and Harry...

A few other scenes/characters that really stole the show in this movie were Neville Longbottom, he has gotten so handsome and is totally fearless, uhh dreamy - I thought they did a good job of portraying him from the book:

Molly Weasley also has an awesome scene where she protects her daughter against Bellatrix, it really brings out the mother instinct and she just destroys Bellatrix:

Then there was finally the kiss by Hermione and Ron, it was so precious - I just love the two of them together:

(couldn't find a picture of them actually kissing)

Now for a few things that I wasn't quite as keen on.  Having just re-read the 7th book (which I've never done before a movie before) I was a lot more aware of what was happening and how much it aligned with the book.  I'm not sure I liked this because I typically try to judge books and movies separately as their own entities and when you read a book so close to when you see the movie it is hard to do that.  

One thing I was disappointed in was the lack of acknowledgement of all of the deaths that happened.  They were so quick to pass over some key characters that died, especially Remus and Tonks:

These were two of my favorite characters and have a pretty big role throughout the books (especially Remus) that it kind of annoyed me that they just showed their dead bodies and that was it.  

Another thing I was a bit disappointed was with the fight between Harry and Voldemort.  While I understand that they needed to play it up and make it bigger than just in the Great Hall, I still think they should've ended it in the Great Hall with everyone around, just my opinion.

Lastly, even though it was in the book, the scene of them grown up was so cheesy.  I guess it's kind of fun to see what they end up like but it was just strange...but then again, how do you end an 8 movie series that has made the most money in the history of films?

All in all I did think it was great but so bittersweet at the end, I'm just not used to Harry Potter having a happy ending, it's always been such a cliff hanger.  It's weird, I've talked to so many of my friends about the ending of Harry Potter and everyone says the same thing, it's the end of an era.  Harry Potter first came out when I was 11 and from then on I have kind of grown up with it, it was the first book I read just for pleasure and what sparked my love of reading.  I think Harry Potter has been such an influence on the millenial generation and I am so interested to see what happens to it now that books and movies won't be coming out anymore.  Will future children read it as closely as so many of us did?  It does sound like J.K. Rowling does have more in store:

Although it will most certainly not be the same as Harry Potter, I'll be interested to see what comes about.  So that's my review of the final Harry Potter movie, what did you think?  Did you feel the same as I did?

...how I will miss it.

Harry Potter Anxiety

So I made it down to ATL and have been cruisin' around all day while my friends work/take tests.  I'm having a bit of anxiety though.  While I'm so super excited for the wedding this weekend Harry Potter comes out tonight and I do NOT know when I'm going to see it!!  Of course I am more than happy to give up seeing it for the wedding but it is still giving me anxiety!  Plus not a whole lot of my friends are HP fans sooo I just don't know what I am going to do with myself!

Anyway, have you seen the trailer?

I seriously think I have watched this trailer like 100 times, uhhhh.  And I re-read the 7th book a few weeks ago, which I have never done...I'm a nerd.  Anyway, I just love HP and I CANNOT wait to see the movie, whenever that may be.

Are you going to see the movie tonight?  This weekend?  I can't believe it's all over after this :( :(

Also been into finding some new hops and blogs today, linking up to Thankful for Friends Thursday!

"A Good Book has no Ending"

Good morning!  Last night as I was thinking about something to write for this mornings post I pulled out the three books I bought yesterday and thought, why don't I write about reading?  So I thought I would write about my favorite book and went over to my bookshelf to figure out what that book may be.  Unfortunately nothing stood out so much that I could give it the honor of favorite book and alas, this post turned into the joy of reading.

I love love to read, but that was not always the case.  As a middle schooler I was not a very big reader.  I didn't really like being told what to read by my teachers very much.  The first Harry Potter came out and I was still skeptical of the fad that it was.  Then one day in 7th grade I decided to see what everybody loved about Harry Potter and after a few chapters, I was hooked.

A decade later I still adore Harry Potter, but I also adore the art of reading.  I love the feeling when you can't put down a good book, when the world seems to melt away and you get lost in the adventures of the writer.  I love sitting by the beach, soaking up the sun, and reading the day away.  Or curling up by the fire, cozy under a warm blanket, reading and reading.

Another part of books that make me happy are the ability to share and discuss them.  Books can bring people together, help them see common bonds.  They help us grow and explore interests and ideas we may not have had before.  They give us the key into a life, a story, or a theory that we may have otherwise been unaware of.

Sooo that's my soapbox on my love of books and reading...now I just need to figure out what my favorite book is!  I guess I do have a multitude of favorite books.  I tend to be the type of person that likes to jump from different genre's, a fantasy, then a love story, historical fiction, then a funny, simple book...so maybe I can have lot's of favorites?  Either way...that will be another post.

What's your favorite book?  What book are you reading right now?  Currently I just picked up Zeitoun by Dave Eggers.

Happy March everyone, don't forget to say rabbit rabbit!