Blogging HP as you read

isn't the BLOGging world an amazing place? Fuse #8 posted a link to two friends who blogged about reading Harry Pottter -- as they read it!

www.avclub.com/content/feature/harry_potter_and_the

So, if you need more Harry Potter, just hike over there and enjoy. Warning -- block out a lot of time to do this, because they create loooooong posts every few hours as they read. It's kinda fun to see the conclusions and predictions they come to and compare them to your own reactions.

Discuss Harry Potter

I've finished reading the last Harry Potter book. Have you?
If you have, then an interesting discussion of the book is happening over at Cheryl Klein's Blog.
chavelaque.blogspot.com/

She was the continunity editor of the book and discusses the parts of the book she loves.
Right now there are two Harry Potter posts. Look for these titles:
Back to Harry
Some thoughts on Deathly Hallows

Mark her blog to go back to later if you haven't finished the book yet. Major spoilers that are true. Great stuff.

Harry Potter Day -- Hurrah!

I arrived at my library branch today to discover that I would have the honor of helping to unpack and count the HP books. They came complete with really neat lables from Tech Services claiming that the books came from Hogwarts to be delivered to the ____ library.

About 370 were ordered for our 11 branch system and every one of them was caught by a hold. Every person with a hold could come get their book(s) or recording(s) at 10 am on Saturday. More people put holds on the title during the day. (expecting to just walk in and get one off the shelves. HA!)

Several times the other librarian and I had to go help the circ people handle the checkout lines.

Fun, fun.
I put lightning bolts on kid's foreheads and they could cut out Slytheran snakes to take home. or the word find. or other stuff.

I have a fold-out Hogwarts that drew lots of attention.

Our Owls were perched on top of the Harry Potter bag I got from Scholastic at ALA -- as if they had just delivered the books.

as I said, fun.

What did YOU do on Harry Potter Day?
-wendieO

Waiting for Harry Potter

As we wait for Harry Potter 7, some of us are racing to read the whole set. I'm up to book 6. Where are you?

I've seen some predictions and, since almost nobody reads this BLOG, I'm going to predict one possible outcome for book 7.
In Book 6, Harry finds a potions recipe book that has an inscription that says: This is the property of the Half-Blood Prince. He comes to think that this refers to him, only to discover that the book had belonged to He-who-must-not-be-named. (I use this title mostly because I can't spell Volm.....)
Correction -- I've finished the book now and have discovered that the book actually belongs to Snape (Yes, Professor Snape.) His mother's maiden name was Prince!)

In Book 5, there's a prediction about He-Who- etc. and possibly Harry Potter, but it could mean someone else entirely. The prediction says that "neither can live while the other survives."

I predict that it won't be Harry Potter who is instrumental in defeating He-who- etc.
It's Neville !

Neville was born the same month/ year as Harry and his parents were also destroyed (mentally, they're not dead) by He-who-etc. By making He-who-etc. focus on Harry P., he ignores poor clumsy Neville, which will be his undoing.

Next weekend I hope to get book 7 and find out if I'm right.

-wendieO

Friday the 13th

Well, something straaaage did happen on Friday the 13th.

I posted an article on my blog about writing -- and it did not show on my BLOG. It only showed if you clicked on the Archive for July, but when I looked at my blog directly from my bookmarks -- the last entry was July 6. weird.

This is a test. Will putting this message up (on July 14 -- Bastille Day -- force the July 13 message to show? or will both of them hide in the archives? hmmmm?

-w

Ah, now both messages (this one and the last one, show up. weird.

To put it online -- or not

It's Friday the 13th and so far no disasters have happened. so far.

I found this bit of useful writing advice on the Children's business of Writing group:

From the Guide to Literary Agents:

"Perhaps your goal is to put samples of your writing/or illustrations online in the hopes that someone such as an agent or editor will come across the site and contact you. Unfortunately, the odds of this are very, very low.

If you really are looking to get your work noticed by agents without going through the traditional submission process, my best advice is to get short stories published in prominent journals, or get your nonfiction articles published in prominent magazines."


On the other hand, there has been much discussion lately about the fact that, when you submit material to agents or publishers, they often will do a search online to see if you have a website or a BLOG, just to get a better feel for you and your writing/ illustrating.

Harry Potter 4

Well, I just completed Harry Potter, Book 4.
It looks like I'm going to finish too soon -- waaaay before the last HP comes out mid-July.
(sob)

My 7- year old (going into 2nd grade) is wizzing through the Felicity -- American Girls' series. To our amazement.
Of course, now she want the doll, too.

She's been wanting to read Harry Potter since she was four -- but I wouldn't read them to her. Actually, I did read selected pages to her, skiping the ones I considered too dark for her to understand. I also won't let her watch the DVDs, even tho we own them all.
However, I bet she'll be diving into the Harry Potter books by this time next summer. And, if she stops having nightmares this school year (she tends to have nightmares), I'll even let her watch the movies.

How far are YOU with your re-reading of the HP series?

-wendieO

no fireworks

Interesting fourth of July.

The grandkid and I finally made it to the Towson Fourth of July parade this year. It's a nice 'local' parade with two homemade floats and lots of bands -- and politicians. Even the governor of the state was there.

In the afternoon we tried going to the party at the pool, but it was called off because of thunder. (no rain, just clouds and lots of thunder.)
So, we headed out to the usual fireworks place at 8:00pm to get a good place. And got pounded with rain. After a while, people came around to say it had been cancelled.

Finally got the kid to bed after "just one more chapter of Felicity, pleeeeeeease?"

It's after 11 pm and I'm putting off going to bed because various neighbors seem to have to fire off all of their firecrackers before midnight. It sounds like a war zone, sorta.

And how was your Fourth?
-w

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter movie comes out next week and the last book of the series, book 7, comes out on July 21st. The excitement is building. We have a count-down calendar near the Children's Information Desk and I try to remember to tear off a page a day. When I forget, Jan or one of the other staff members remembers to do it.

I'm hearing Harry Potter tales from staff and patrons.

Some of us are in a race, trying to re-read all of the books this month before Book 7 comes out. I"m on book 3 myself. Which book are YOU on?

A Girl Scout leader was telling me about the International Girl Scout Encampment her troop was going to attend. Since it's being held over Harry Potter weekend, a nearby bookstore is delivering thousands of books to the girls camped there -- and they intend to hold a read-a-thon the minute they get the books in their hands.

Tell me what's going on in your neck of the woods to celebrate Harry Potter day and I'll list them on this BLOG.
-w