August 11, 2005

Expecto Patronum!

Have you ever noticed how the Loony Left has come to resemble more and more the dementors of Harry Potter's world -- the foul, loathsome creatures with the chilling aura which feed off all your happy thoughts, leaving you with nothing but your worst memories and feeling, as Ron Weasely once said, "like you'll never be cheerful again," until they finally steal your soul.

Yeah, I finally got around to reading all the Harry Potter books. I started a couple of weeks ago and I'm about a third of the way into The Order of the Phoenix right now. I have found them quite enjoyable. Certainly not great literature, but entertaining, engaging, and quite remarkable when you consider the attention span of the target audience.

I was considering reading them aloud to daughter #2, who has already seen the movies, but after finishing The Goblet of Fire, I'm rethinking that decision. Part of the charm of the series is the warts and all view of the protagonists and the total lack of sugar-coating when it comes to evil, but damn, J. K. Rowling sure took a harsh turn at the end of year four. I am greatly looking forward to the movie this November and hoping against experience that it is at least three hours long, otherwise they are just going to have to cut out too much material. Daughter #1 is already unhappy about how much has been cut out in the first three movies.

FWIW, my patronus takes the form of Milton Friedman.

Posted by Charles Austin at August 11, 2005 07:31 PM
Comments

After my two sons and wife finished #4 (Goblet of Fire), I decided perhaps I should read these books to see what all the fuss is about. Since my wife read them, I wasn't too worried about some of the criticisms I was reading about them, but I figured I should read the first one or two so I would better be able to put the books in context for the boys (it's a dad thing, I know). I read the first 3 books in 3 days and did the fourth over the following week. They are a fun read and I was hooked.

If one can have a literary patronus, then I guess mine would be G.K.Chesterton.

Posted by: Jon at 08:55 AM