Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, by J.K. Rowling, read by Jim Dale

I understand this would have been more appropriate towards the beginning of the summer, but readers, that is when I started this audio version! I had hoped to start and finish it before the movie version came out but circumstances beyond my control kept me from it (dad stole some of the cd’s and then I kept driving with people who refused to listen to its goodness). Sure, call me a nerd, but I love Harry Potter.

After defeating some Death-Eaters and proving Lord Voldemort’s return at the Ministry of Magic in The Order of the Pheonix, Harry, Ron and Hermione return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The all-around mood in the wizarding world is caution and terror as Death-Eater attacks are increasing and the Daily Prophet shows more and more disappearances on the front page. On top of everything else, after passing their Ordinary Wizarding Level tests, the terrific three must also take increasingly hard classes on their way to becoming aurors (with some budding romances along the way). Harry has an advantage however when he comes across an old potions textbook with glorious amounts of helpful hints in the margins. The previous owner, the Half-Blood Prince, also included some new spells as well. Hermione of course doesn’t trust the book, but Harry lives by it, especially when the helpful hints gain him points in Potions class and helps save Ron’s life. Things turn dark when Harry finds a spell found in the margins labeled “for enemies” and uses it on Malfoy in a duel. The book holds some questions as to who the true Half-Blood Prince is, but the major thread of questioning and discovery in this novel comes in the form of Harry’s private lessons with Dumbledore this year. Dumbledore has decided to inform Harry what he can of Lord Voldemort’s past through a collection of gathered memories from random family members, witnesses and house elves. Harry must try to piece together what he can about Voldemort’s past and some objects called Horcruxes to attempt at gaining an advantage in a destined battle to the death with He-who-must-not-be-named.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is a very important installment in the series. There is a lot of important background information on Lord Voldemort (a.k.a. Tom Marvolo Riddle) but also around events that led up to the death of Harry’s parents. This is very crucial and interesting information, but because of this, readers will find less action than previous books until the later chapters. Towards the end there are some amazingly important and breath-taking fights, duels, action sequences, etc, but even with all of the answer giving throughout the entire book, the end still leaves you questioning the future for Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Thankfully, the majority of this book’s final actions can be explained in the next audio book I plan on listening to (after I get it back from my dad) which has a good combination of information and action found in previous books. I like where the characters are in this book, even though some readers think there is too much teenage drama. May I remind readers that they are finally 16 and allowed to have crushes and drama? And what does any of it matter when you have the wonderful voices of Jim Dale filling your ears and taking you away to Hogwarts. I can’t wait for him to take me away in the final novel.

Harry Potter. Enough recommendation said. If you haven’t read it already, get on that loser!

“A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever.”
- Martin Tupper

Me Talk Pretty One Day

Me Talk Pretty One Day, by David Sedaris

A #1 national bestseller, I was drawn to this book by word of mouth, but was convinced to buy it thanks to the well put-together David Sedaris table found at Barnes & Noble. You know how busy I have been, so it took me a while to get to this book in my very large pile. I’ve had it since December and I feel very accomplished to have it completed.

David Sedaris is a man who grew up in South Carolina before moving around the United States to San Francisco, Chicago and New York before ending up in Paris, France. Me Talk Pretty One Day is his memoir of trying to grow up and find his place as an individual. Dreaming of hitting it big and becoming famous, Sedaris has it rough as a child already recognizing himself as a homosexual at the age of eleven. Sent to speech pathology for a lisp, and suspecting that others like him are also being sent to kick out more than just the lisp, Sedaris searches for a way to become comfortable with himself. It is hard when even his guitar instructor turned him away for singing showtunes, but he eventually made some type of progress, if you can call it that. Constantly moving from city to city, job to job, Sedaris has been a personal assistant for a woman obsessed with catching a lost cockatoo for a reward and has moved the boxes of enough variable people to get a better understanding of the confusing human race. Leading to a life in Paris with his boyfriend Hugh, Sedaris finds some sense of security.

I found this memoir to be enjoyable to read, but I was hoping that it would be more like a novel. Especially in Part One (Sedaris’s portion devoted to living in the United States), the author jumps around between both random topics and time periods. It seemed as if he was jumping to the places that would give him the appearance of a misunderstood artist sitting in a nest of human hair or a troubled young adult with a flair for drug use. I wasn’t hip to the “edge” Sedaris was trying to portray because it just left the tale jagged and rough. I was hoping for more of something like his first chapter in speech class but was left disappointed until Part Deux. Part Deux (you guessed it, Sedaris’s portion devoted to living in France) is a much more enjoyable, less edgy storyline that flows much better than the jumpy Part One. Finally returning to anything relating to his title (Me Talk Pretty One Day) since the first chapter, Sedaris talks about his adventures in France learning the language and trying to communicate and exist in a foreign country. He finds himself defending the United States at dinner parties, being the scapegoat for America-hating Europeans, and fascinated by American tourists who speak negatively about him in English without knowing he can understand everything they are saying. This is a much better section of the memoir, so please make sure you plow through Part One to get to it. I was disappointed, though, on the seemingly lack of a general ending. Unless you count the fact that some of his family who could afford the trip came to France to celebrate Christmas as an ending, it is hard to find when the last chapter is really devoted to Sedaris’s father’s quirk of buying and hiding fruit past its expiration date.

I found this book enjoyable and it was nice to have to pass the time. I have said that Part Deux was exponentially better than Part One for storyline and chronological factors, but let me continue to say that I would only read this for bare entertainment. I can only see reading this to pass the time. It did and I had fun, but I cannot see reading this for any higher purpose because it seems that by the last page of this novel, the author is still searching for any shred of purpose and therefore has nothing to offer the reader besides his version of daydreams he has while staying awake after switching to caffinated tea instead of drugs. It’s fun as long as you just stay on the surface, as the author seems to do. Success for its wit, comedy and point of view, I can understand the limited crowd it has drawn while still making the work a national bestseller.

“The worth of a book is to be measured by what you can carry away from it.”

-James Bryce

The Life of Cola di Rienzo

The Life of Cola di Rienzo, translated by John Wright
Class: History 110- Medieval, Renaissance, and Reformation Europe

A bronze statue of a hooded man stands reaching his hands towards the air. This real life statue of Cola di Rienzo is located near the Campidoglio in Rome where he was killed. A skilled politician, the rise to the top ended with a sudden fall.

The son of an innkeeper and washerwoman, Cola di Rienzo was learned in Latin and the classical texts. He was able to read inscriptions around his hometown of Rome that others could not. In Cola’s Rome, nobles were corrupt and took advantage of the people, unlike the classical Rome that Cola studied. When Rienzo’s brother was murdered, Rienzo decided it was his duty to bring back the former glory of Rome. Elected by the people, Cola di Rienzo took up the old title of Tribune to govern over Rome and its inhabitants. Strict on the actions of the nobles, Rienzo was fast to make enemies. Even the Pope who first gave him favor later turned against him. Exiled from Rome, Rienzo lived with the Holy Roman Emperor in Prague, pretending to be a distant relative instead of the son of an innkeeper. Rienzo was able to win back favor after seven years and was welcomed back by being given the title of knight. However, with most political stories, success is short. A new agricultural tax is unpopular and the nobles are quick to turn the people against Cola di Rienzo. One failed escape attempt later, the nobles at the Campidoglio stab Rienzo to death where his statue now stands.

A pivotal figure in political history, Cola di Rienzo brought back the tradition of rule by election from the people instead of the popular monarchy. A true tale of power through ascension instead of descending rule, Cola is not the only fascinating character. I’m going to go out on a limb and call the narrator one fascinating dude. A notary, like Cola di Rienzo at the beginning of the tale, this author is also very well learned, taking breaks from the story to insert his own opinion as well as offer extra information by referencing classical texts such as the Bible or Aristotle. Aside from the knowledge of these characters, there are also some pretty cool battles. Feuding Roman families (also fighting for control of the papacy) have been fighting for centuries and are now becoming increasingly violent against each other, the lower classes, and of course Rienzo. There are many battles and riots with many deaths worth hearing about. Interesting, though, is that the narration is pretty dry except for descriptions of Cola’s clothes in two scenes, one when he becomes Tribune and another when he becomes Knight. I guess the physical description is enough to show that this is no longer the son of low birth but instead someone who claims rule for himself and claims false relations to an emperor.

A classic tale of rising and falling out of political favor is an interesting topic seeing that it happens almost every time we turn on the news. Its interesting to see that this Renaissance man had a similar story centuries early. The only difference today is that the nobles don’t kidnap a disliked politician to the Capitol building and stab him to death. They know better. The reading experience was fine if totally necessary, but I will let you know that I fell asleep twice; so beware.

I chose this quote because it was reading that spurred the lives of both of these men into action:
“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”
- Frederick Douglass

Guys Write for Guys Read

Guys Write for Guys Read, presented by Jon Scieszka

Founder of the Guys Read program, Jon Scieszka (The Stinky Cheese Man) compiles a variable collection of works where “boys’ favorite authors write about being boys.” In an effort to encourage boys to read, this anthology has short stories, essays and even illustrations that are proven to keep a boy’s interest long enough to hopefully keep him reading for a lifetime.

Authors like Avi, Jack Gantos, Anthony Horowitz, James Howe, Brian Jacques, Stephen King and Gary Paulsen have all contributed to this 70+ piece collection. Rick Reilly’s “Funny You Should Ask” from The Life of Reilly might be my favorite. While sitting outside with his son, after a deep question, Reilly tries to explain to his son why they are on earth. “We’re here to nail a yield sign with an apple core from half a block away. We’re here to make our dog bite on the same lame fake throw for the gazillionth time. We’re here to win the stuffed bear or go broke trying.” After finishing his long list, readers learn that the son was actually asking why they were at the park when they were supposed to have picked up mommy a while ago. Esquire magazine shares some helpful “rules” to follow, while Jack Gantos teaches you what not to do through experience in “The Follower.” There are some great shared experiences, such as Anthony Horowitz’s “My French Teacher Tried to Kill Me” and Daniel Pinkwater’s “Lone (star) Ranger.” From peeing on the electric fence to collecting comic books to making the big sports play (or not), this book has something for at least every boy.

While some pieces are obviously better than most, what attracts me is the variety of the collection. Yes, there are the stereotypical essays on how to be a guy, but there are also the essays about how you don’t have to fit those macho standards to truly be a man. There is a number of Jon Scieszka pieces, but I guess you earn the right when it’s your anthology and your program. Some pieces were truly wonderful like the ones above, while others where just thrown in to catch attention. I’m sure some young boys have never read anything truly outrageous, so seeing at least two pieces that include multiple characters barfing would definitely liven up their reading list, even though I thought it was disgusting. There was a large majority of pieces devoted to sports, but there were also others about completely different topics that were refreshing. The variety tried to capture as many types of boy readers as possible, which, of course, is the entire goal of Guys Read. I could have done without some of the illustrations and the commentary written by the artists; isn’t this Guys WRITE for Guys READ? One extremely valuable piece of information included is at the end of each piece. If you find that you liked a piece of work, there at the bottom was the author’s short biography, a fun fact and a selected list of other books by the author the reader might like. It’s just the little spark that might lead boys to read something longer by choice.

A valiant effort, Guys Read has put together an impressive collection. If I were to recommend it, though, I would probably just refer you to some of the better pieces and kept a few others out of your knowledge. The good pieces are worth it while the lesser ones upset you when they just do not compare. But I can promise that no matter what your interest, there is something in here for you.

“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few are to be chewed and digested.” - Francis Bacon

For more information on the Guys Read program, visit www.guysread.com.

The Song of Roland

The Song of Roland
Class: History 110- Medieval, Renaissance, and Reformation Europe

I thought I would include some reading I have done in class. This will most likely be the new habit come fall when I will have countless novels due, so I might as well get you used to the idea now.

Charlemagne is fighting the Saracens being led by Marsile in Spain. Charlemagne’s beloved nephew Roland has constantly fought valiantly by his side, but when Roland’s stepfather Ganelon commits an act of treason, Roland’s life is in danger. Marsile has offered a false peace pact in order to by the Saracens some time as Charlemagne’s troops return to France. Knowing Marsile has already killed two of Charlemagne’s messengers, Roland suggests his stepfather for the job to oversee this peace treaty. Ganelon has no choice to accept, but begins a plot to enact revenge on his stepson. Both Ganelon and Marsile wish to see the brave warrior dead for their own reasons and create a plan to cut off Roland’s troops in a mountain pass. It is taken out and Roland shortly finds himself in a heated battle with his best friend Oliver and a Bishop Turpin. Even though Roland is dealing blows with his sword Durendal that cut people in half, the French forces are still greatly outnumbered and losing. Roland’s pride will not let him call for help on Oliver’s request until it is too late.

The Song of Roland is an originally oral text that eventually made its way down into an English transition. The first time I read this was in French class senior year of high school while also re-enacting it. (Guess who was Roland!) Let me tell you, reading it in English is much better. The narration can get pretty repetitive, but the characters are all fantastic. The most interesting character has a very short scene. Aude, Roland’s betrothed and Oliver’s sister, when hearing of Roland’s death, falls dead on the spot. The interesting part about this piece has to do with when it was written down around 1090. At the time there was still a debate going on about valor and justice, etc. For example, you get the debate between Roland and Oliver, whether it is wiser and braver to fight to the death or to act wisely and call for help. Also, at Ganelon’s trial for treason some interesting questions about justice arise concerning what counts as treason and what legal punishment might only be revenge on Charlemagne’s part to Ganelon.

It’s definitely not going to be on the most recommended pieces of literature, but it is definitely a part of the canon for oral epics. The Song of Roland became an inspiration for Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series. It can’t be all that bad. If you end up picking up a copy and struggling with it (even though I don’t think you will), just be glad you are reading it in English and not in French like I had to.

“A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.”
- Robertson Davies