Shane Life

I finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on Tuesday and I can’t stop thinking about it. I’m just about ready to read all 750+ pages again, just to re-absorb and re-experience it in all its glory.

One thing that’s caused me to do is to devour all the information that I managed to avoid prior to reading the book - all the reviews and spoilers and such that have been splashed all over the news and internets. Today, I found an absolutely wonderful overview of J.K. Rowling’s accomplishment written for Entertainment Weekly by the king of the horror novel, Stephen King. NOTE: If you have not yet read the book, you’ll want to avoid the article…there are MANY spoilers.

But one thing that King does better than anyone I’ve seen so far is really get to the heart of what an accomplishment this series has been for Rowling. It may not get the literary appreciation and it might not ever be taught in schools, but the sheer scope of the world of magic she created and the way that her characters and their story grew as the years at Hogwarts passed was nothing short of magnificent.

I applaud Rowling for creating this amazing body of work that is appreciated by children and adults alike (although from about Book 5 on, the subject matter could be considered more adult in nature). My hope is that she will continue to write and create because she is more than just the writer who brought the world Harry Potter; she is extremely talented and can communicate to a wide range of age groups with ease, something that should be valued in a world where children and adults very often have trouble finding common ground in communication.

And for those of you who, like myself, felt like they were “too old” or “too educated” or whatever to appreciate Harry Potter and the wizarding world… I implore you to reconsider. What you’ll find in the books is a series that can be read and re-read, passed along to others, and enjoyed for many years to come. Plus, you’ll have 7 rather large books to add to your personal library and everyone knows that having a lot of books is cool.

I finished the final chapter of the Harry Potter books last night and immediately felt remorse. It was like when Friends ended and I was sad that I wouldn’t be able to see Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe on Thursdays anymore…I will really miss Harry, Ron, Hermione, the Weasleys, Hagrid, Dumbledore, and all the Hogwarts gang.

I take off my hat to J.K. Rowling for such a wonderful accomplishment. Her books will be remembered for a very long time and Harry will go down as one of the most popular fictional literary characters in all of history.

While I recognize that we’re not talking about Salinger or Toni Morisson or F. Scott Fitzgerald here, Rowling will be known throughout history as the one who brought the world The Boy Who Lived.

As for what I thought of the book…it was terrific; more than I’d hoped for. And now I’m sad it’s done. It’s not the first time I’ve been sad to finish a book, and I certainly hope it is not the last. The rumor is that Rowling is working on a new series now. I’ll be certain not to wait several years before starting this series.

Until I pull out the series again, I’ll say this… I enjoyed every page.

…this is not a trip update. I just haven’t had nearly the time I want to commit to giving a thorough overview of the trip and I’m still fighting with myself to get our pictures up on Flickr. I promise that trip updates are coming soon.

But not today.

We had a great weekend and just wanted to talk quickly about it. We spent Friday night at Community America Ballpark watching the T-Bones (from a suite, no less) as a celebration of Big Mike’s 31st birthday. It was fun hanging with all our friends and playing the “pass the cup” game that makes T-Bones games a lot more interesting. (It’s nothing sinister, I assure you.)

Saturday, I got a lot accomplished. I mowed our lawn for the first time since we got back into the country, which led to a small bout of dehydration. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the summer? It is the most VILE of all seasons. Too HOT. After recovering, I tackled cleaning and scrubbing the kitchen while Alli went to the baby shower for my future niece, Ireland. In 7 short weeks, I’m going to be an uncle…how cool!

After Alli returned from the shower and I finally got IN the shower, we went to the movies for the first time since we saw Shrek the Third in a French theater just off the Champs-Elysées. We caught two movies that I’ve been dying to see - Live Free or Die Hard (AWESOME) and The Bourne Ultimatum (EVEN AWESOMER). We were shocked to see one of the biggest theaters at the Olathe 30 AMC completely packed for the 9:50 PM Bourne, but after seeing the weekend box office numbers (Bourne took in over $70 million), I guess it isn’t all that surprising. That movie ROCKED.

Then yesterday, we had an early Priesthood meeting and a great church service in which we got to sit with our buddy Reece, which is always fun. He and I had a good time playing motorcycle while I tried to pay attention to his dad’s sermon.

After church, we grabbed some Chipotle with Mom (an obvious Sunday lunch choice…and every other day for that matter), then headed home for a quick nap and then back out to Lee’s Summit to hang with Jake and Kelly. Watched Stomp the Yard (pretty good), some Iron Chef America and Entourage before heading home with the 7th Harry Potter book in hand (boy, do I love my future sister-in-law for hooking me up!). I read until about 2 A.M., getting through around 300 pages. I’m determined to finish in the next couple of days so I can finally start reading all about it on the interweb. Fortunately, I’ve been able to avoid spoilers up to this point. Needless to say, it was difficult waking up this morning.

Keep an eye out…I promise a trip update soon.

P.S. If there are any generous reader-types out there, I’m totally wanting this Harry Potter set that is going to come out in a month. I only have one of the 7 books and I want the whole set. If someone out there is interested in making this boy’s day…I’m just saying.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
by J.K. Rowling
Rating: 9 out of 10

I was afraid that this would happen. I’m now completely caught up with the Harry Potter series and I’m mad. I’m mad that I have to wait until next summer to find out what happens.

I was very close to giving this book yet another 10 out of 10 rating. It is so awesome on so many amazing levels that it is hard to explain without spoiling it. I couldn’t help but be amazed once again at JK Rowling and her incredible writing talent.

I feel so incredibly late to the game here, but at the same time, I’m so glad that I finally wised up and realized what I was missing by NOT reading the books. Special thanks go out to my friend Jason who lent me this book. I was able to come up with the first 5 thanks to my sister-in-law Ashley, but I was short the last one. I found out my buddy had read them all and owned them so I gladly took up his offer to borrow it.

I don’t know what to say about this book without giving anything away. Harry’s life experienced greater loss in Book 5 than anything he had had to face so far, but that PALES in comparison to what he has to deal with though the pages of Book 6. It is funny what you start expecting because you want things to all work out for the best, but you realize that this is closer to the real world than we want to think. Things don’t always work out like you imagine in your mind. After finishing this book, that’s what I took. Despite its fantastical nature, Harry Potter’s world is a great representation of ours. Good and evil take sides and unfortunately, as is often the case in real life, good doesn’t always triumph. Sure, you wish for it. I found myself wishing for things in this book that I didn’t imagine I could, but there I was, wishing all the same for things out of my own control to be different.

Unfortunately, much as in life, we cannot control everything. It doesn’t all happen according to our plan. But as long as we remained focused on the things that matter, we still find success, happiness, and even love.

I realize that this probably sounds corny coming from a 29-year-old guy who just read Book 6 in the Harry Potter series, but it’s true. It’s the reason that these books have resonated so well with kids as well as adults. Sure, they are entertaining and exciting. But they also do not sugar-coat the world in which we live. It’s a world that is both difficult and beautiful. And oftentimes it is the struggle that makes us realize just how beautiful the world is.

So I am halfway done with my book project. 13 books down. I’m on track to finish my 25, even if I don’t keep up this pace. For my next book (in addition to finally finishing The Power of a Praying Husband, I’m going to read Holy Blood, Holy Grail, the book that caused so much controversy for Dan Brown prior to the release of The Da Vinci Code movie. I am pumped to see what all the fuss was about. It’s a non-fiction book, so it will probably take me some time, but I want to try and get it done before I see the movie. We’ll see how successful I am with that.

In addition, to Harry Potter fans out there…can you think of anything else that would be good reading like that?

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by J.K. Rowling
Rating: 10 out of 10

Out of the five Harry Potter books I’ve read so far, this is the most complex to date. However, it is battling with The Goblet of Fire for the top spot of those that I have completed.

I have come to realize just how genius JK Rowling is as an author. Her vision of Harry’s world is so far reaching that we are beginning to realize that lesser-appreciated books, like The Chamber of Secrets and The Prisoner of Azkaban really served as foundations for later books yet to come out. I’m so impressed by the way that she continues to write these long novels and I have not yet found myself bored once…something is always happening that is moving the timeline of the story forward.

The Order of the Phoenix starts out as all the rest do, with Harry at his aunt and uncle’s on Privet Drive, miserable because of their mistreatment of him. The events that ensue bring many of the characters that have come and gone into Harry’s life over the past few books come together in glorious harmony as we finally are given the reason for Harry’s special gifts and his ultimate place in the wizarding world.

When we last saw him in The Goblet of Fire, he had suffered much, but had once again emerged triumphant over his enemies. When I began this book, I could only wonder where the story was going to go and it just continued to be revealed as I read on.

Rowling’s character development is just phenomenal. This book introduces a couple brand new characters, most particularly, a member of the Ministry of Magic named Dolores Umbridge who becomes a member of the teaching staff at Hogwarts. Her methods and personality do not sit well with anyone, but because she sits in a position of power, she is seemingly untouchable. I found her so loathsome that I wanted to punch the pages of the book. Seriously, she’s THAT irritating.
I was looking at the film listing on IMDb and found that she is going to be played by Imelda Staunton, recently nominated for her work in Vera Drake. I’m not sure it’s the best pick, but we will see. It is certainly not who I imagined playing the role while I was reading the book.

Other events of the book…Harry’s first date, Neville comes into his own (FINALLY!), and we finally start seeing some serious magic-ing going on.

It’s just flat-out a terrific book. I hope seriously that I’m not setting myself up for disappointment with the rest. I’m so enjoying these books, moreso than I even thought I would. Thanks to those of you who suggested me reading this book. (JULIE!) I’ve enjoyed them all so much. If you haven’t read these books, you should…doesn’t matter what age…you should just read them.

All I have left in the series to be totally caught up is the most recent…Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince. Jason has been kind enough to lend it to me…otherwise I would be finding it in the library or tracking down someone who has it.

I’m almost halfway to my goal of 25 books this year and it’s only April. It has been helpful that I’ve read great books up to this point…we’ll see what happens once I finish the last Harry Potter book…

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
by J.K. Rowling
Rating: 10 out of 10

Despite the unwieldy 734 pages, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is by far my favorite of the Harry Potter series up to this point.

Perhaps it has a lot to do with the fact that Harry is getting older and wiser and he is maturing. The problems that he has to deal with are also getting considerably more difficult. Harry’s first crush surfaces in this book as well (it is NOT Hermoine), he has to deal with more opposition from rising dark wizards and must compete in an extremely large event at Hogwarts that is NOT Quidditch.

I would like to list all of the things that I loved about this book, but I don’t want to give anything away (although I don’t know what I would be giving away…I think I’m one of the last people on earth to read this book). What impressed me the most that despite its length, J.K. Rowling manages to weave a story that is not even close to being dull. I continue to be impressed by her ability to create and describe creatures and spells that get more and more interesting.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire explores friendship, trust, and courage. It does so in a way that kids as well as adults can comprehend. That’s what makes these books so genius - the universal truths that find their way into the wizarding world, making Harry, Ron, Hermoine and the rest of the non-Muggle gang all the more relatable.

I talked to someone who recently watched the recent movie adaptation and they said that they felt lost. I can imagine why. There is a lot in this book (more than in the previous two) that makes reference to previous events in Harry’s life covered in the earlier books.

Rowling continues to amaze me. Her imagination and story-telling ability are incredible. I feel like a kid, much the same way I felt when I first saw The Chronicles of Narnia - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Special Two-Disc Collector’s Edition). I have become so enamored with Harry that I am abandoning all other reading until I’m done with both Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Forget the order of my book list.

Stay tuned. More updates to come.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
By J.K. Rowling
Rating: 9 out of 10

Book 3 in the Harry Potter series might be my favorite so far. I really enjoyed The Sorcerer’s Stone. The Chamber of Secrets was pretty good, but out of the three I have read, it was my least favorite.

One of the things that I liked the most about this book was that I thought very assuredly that I knew what was going on…thought that I knew who the bad guy was…but, similarly to the first book, I was off.

Book 3 finds Harry and his friends Ron and Hermoine (pronounce Her-mahn-ee) getting ready for year 3 at Hogwart’s. Many things have changed, but other things have stayed the same. Hermoine is still working hard at school; Ron and Harry are still at odds with their nemesis, Draco Malfoy of Slytherin house. Harry’s exploits on the Quidditch field continue to be exciting (seriously…I would totally watch Quidditch if it were a real sport).

The Prisoner of Azkaban is Sirius Black, an escaped prisoner with a personal interest in Mr. Harry Potter. I won’t go into the interest, but it is BIG. We are also introduced to a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, Professor Lupin, as well as the Divination teacher, Professor Trelawney. All of the rest of the regular characters return, including Professor Severus Snape, who seems to find newfound loathing for Harry and Ron.

There was a lot of really cool stuff in this book. I don’t know how Rowling continues to come up with new stuff at Hogwart’s, but there are new secrets, new tricks, and new spells that are all fascinating and have brought me further into the world of Harry Potter and his wizard and witch friends. I am going to try and take a break from the Harry Potter series for a while. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire is next in the series and it is a Historian-like length at well over 700 pages. I am determined to finish Ogilvy on Advertising, but I don’t know if it is possible. We shall see. After reading this much fiction, it’s tough to jump back into non-fiction, but I’ll give it a shot. I guess you’ll see by the next book that I review.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
By J.K. Rowling
Rating: 7 out of 10

So I got through this book pretty fast, wouldn’t you say? Before sitting down to watch Lost last night, I made Alli wait until I had finished the last chapter. This was more of a hybrid listening/reading that I did, basically listening when I couldn’t read.

The Chamber of Secrets was good, but not quite as good as The Sorceror’s (or Philosopher’s, depending on your country) Stone. Don’t get me wrong…I obviously enjoyed it very much, but I think that Rowling had a little bit of a sophomore slump going on during this one.

For all intents and purposes, the book is really similar. Another year at Hogwart’s for Harry and his friends, Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger, full of adventure and wizardry. I just didn’t feel like a whole lot happened in this book. The conflict seemed somewhat downplayed, but even that doesn’t bother me too much. (I’m more about the journey of a book rather than the destination.)

I can’t really put my Muggle finger on what made this book not as good as the first, but perhaps it just had something to do with how impressed I was by the first one and then being somewhat let down in anticipation of the second. I hope that trend does not continue as I read on through the series (which, now, I intend to read until I am done with all 6, regardless of my original intent on my book list).

And understand that I still liked the book…just not as much as the first.

So this weekend, Alli, Ashley and I went to Iowa. On Friday night, we drove up to Council Bluffs to Alli’s parents’ house and then on Saturday morning, I awoke at the crack of dawn to drive across I-80 and up I-35 to Ames, Iowa, home of the Iowa State Cyclones for a Volleyball tournament.

The tournament went really well. I listened to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on the way to and from Ames (and some during the day) and our team played well, losing in the finals to a bunch of Iowa State alumni.

Unfortunately, on the very last play of the very last game of our very last match, something awful happened…I sprained my ankle something FIERCE. I came down from a block just fine, but the ball was close to me and as I reached out to play it, I stepped akwardly, coming down on the side of my right foot. I felt about 25 ligaments in my ankle pop and then watched as the ball dropped and we lost. It actually still hurts me now thinking about it.

I iced it briefly and then made the 2-1/2 hour trek back to Council Bluffs, listening to Harry Potter the whole way. By the time I got home, my ankle was throbbing pretty bad. Got home around 10-ish and iced again. Tried to go to sleep that night, but it was tough because my ankle was in so much pain. I fell asleep, but woke up around 5 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep. So I got up and listened to the rest of Harry Potter and tried to walk around to get rid of some of the stiffness in my foot. It helped and continued to feel better as the day went on.

We were pretty lazy all day, watching Stealth and some random TV while we waited for the Super Bowl to start. After it was over, we drove home, got in around midnight and got to sleep. By the end of the weekend, I drove approximately 11 hours and over 730 miles. I’m exhausted, but it was a great weekend. Thanks for hosting us, Tom and Carol!