"'I am not worried, Harry,' said Dumbledore... 'I am with you.'"

Well, that was devastating, amiright?

Even now, 8 years after the book came out, I still don't know how to process or deal with the fact that Dumbledore is dead. I just... I mean, I know exactly why JK did it (mainly because she spells it out in a faiiirly heavy-handed paragraph- "he could not let anybody else stand between him and Voldemort." etc etc.) and why she did it in the way she did (mainly, I'm going to assume, to make me believe once and for all that SNAPE IS EVIL. Because, believe it or not, I totally bought that. Until... You know.) but that doesn't mean I have to like it. What it actually means is that I have to WEEP, and then worry about Hagrid (Hagrid loves Dumbledore SO MUCH) and then feel even sadder because how are the good guys supposed to win without Dumbles? HOW CAN THEY?!

But, instead of wallowing in my misery, can we talk about some nifty narrative devices* that I liked a lot? FIRSTLY, I enjoy that Harry is all invisible and body-bound whilst Dumbledore and Malfoy are having their showdown, so that we get to see what's going on, but Harry doesn't have to be involved in any way. I realise this is important IN OTHER WAYS too, but purely narratively, I think it's great. AND, then I like how there is a massive amount of drama when Harry is chasing Snape and Malfoy, and it's very fast and confusing, but THEN you get all the other characters going through what else happened that same evening so you don't miss out on anything, and it's like they're piecing everything together while you are also trying to figure out what just happened. It's just... I like it, ok?

Now! The grand list of things I didn't even remember happened at all!

1. This little exchange that Hagrid overhears: "'Well- I jus' heard Snape sayin' Dumbledore took too much fer granted an' maybe he- Snape- didn' wan' ter do it anymore.'" I mean... You know what I'm saying here, right?! Right.
2. Voldemort totally cursed the DADA job! Everything makes sense now. 
3. Snape was the one who heard the prophecy and sent Voldemort after Harry's parents. NOW. This was the BIGGEST revelation for me, and also the one that causes me the most trouble, because how can Snape be SO mean to Harry all the time, when actually he is genuinely the cause of his parents' deaths? I mean... Seriously, Snape, think about what you're doing, yeah?
4. I absolutely forgot about poor Bill's beautiful face. And Fleur's actual, now proven, awesomeness. "'I am good looking for both of us, I theenk!'"

Seriously, for all these things, I was just like:

Absolutely no memory at all. It's a shame, really.

I am skipping the bullet points this week (I'm too sad. And also, lazy as hell) but before I finish, I just want to do a bit of a shout out to Neville and Luna. I feel like we of the readalong are very much in love with both Neville and Luna (as well we should be!) and so almost every week we go 'OMG NEVILLE DID THIS AND LOL LUNA I LOVE YOU!' and that kind of makes me forget that in the book? They're kind of like the least popular people ever. They're the only ones who still check their DA coins for more meetings because they don't really have anything else to do, and this just BREAKS MY HEART. But then, at the same time, this is a part of why we love them so much, because we appreciate the qualities in them that no one else does, right? And besides, real world popularity>popularity in a book, right?

That's all I have. Apart from, also, the blues. But I'll be ok. Now to find a copy of Beedle the Bard for next weeks post...

*I don't even think these are 'devices'. So, um, narrative things? And stuff?

Devouring Books: Down Under by Bill Bryson

"Do you know how sometimes on very fine days, the sun will shine with a particular intensity that makes the most mundane objects in the landscape glow with an unusual radiance, so that buildings and structures you normally pass without a glance become arresting, even beautiful? Well, they seem to have that light in Australia nearly all the time."

There are certain things I associate with Australia. Constant sunshine, tarantulas, Neighbours (its... a TV programme, not my actual neighbours. Although, having said that, the lady who lives next door is actually from Australia!), Heath Ledger, lifeguards, and long plane journeys. I think, in fact, I'd always considered the long plane journey the main factor for why I'd probably never actually see Australia, because, beautiful and hot and excellent as it might be, it's just too. Damn. Far. Away. 

I think Bill Bryson has changed that for me, and also made it onto the list of things I'm just going to have to associate with Australia. This is a weird thing for me to add him to, because I absolutely think of him as 'that man who lived in England and then moved back to the US, and also is very grumpy', but there you go. A whole new category for him. And, interestingly, in Down Under, he is almost never grumpy. I don't know what it is- maybe it was the near-constant sunshine, or the goddamn awesomeness of the Australian people (you're welcome, Kayleigh), but Bryson writes about Australia with the kind of positivity that he normally only reserves for writing about science.

Not that there isn't any science in Down Under. As you'd expect from any Bryson book, there's a mix of science, natural history, history-history, drinking, anecdoting, and just general juicy travelogue goodness that he really knows how to deliver on. And, whilst he doesn't give Australia a completely easy ride (he takes the piss out of it's political system, for one, and also spends a good chunk of time focusing on the poor treatment, even today, of the aborigine people) his love for the country and its people really shines through, and, well, I'm damned if I don't want to get on a plane right now and nip on over to Australia.

Because. As Bryson says, it's a country of all the extremes- the hottest, the driest, the least livablest, the deadliest (are any of these -ests convincing you yet?) but it has things that can't be found anywhere else on the planet, including the oldest living creatures and oh, hello, The Great Barrier Reef (which I'm now obsessed with, by the way.) And whilst I've never completely ruled out going to Australia (because that would be INSANE) now I can think of at least 20 things I want to see there, just off the top of my head, and more than that, I know some of the history behind these things, too. I also know that I have absolutely no interest in going to Canberra, but that's another matter entirely.

Just as an example of just how convincing Bryson is, here's an example for you (as if this whole review isn't an example!). I feel like I've been aware of Uluru (or, Ayers Rock for the culturally insenstive among us) for just about my whole life, but I've never once felt the urge to go and see it. I mean... it's literally just this huge rock in the Australian outback. Why would I want to see it? But. Bill Bryson makes it sound like literally the most incredible thing you could possibly see ever in the world, and, well, I'm convinced and now I'm desperate to see it. I don't know if this is just because I'm really easy to persuade (I could be!) or if it's because Bryson doesn't mince words when it comes to its epicness, but... Well, just read this:

"It's not that Uluru is bigger than you had supposed or more perfectly formed or in any way different from the impression you had created in your mind, but the very opposite. It is exactly what you expected it to be. You know this rock. You know it in a way that has nothing to do with calendars and the covers of souvenir books. Your knowledge of this rock is grounded in something much more elemental.

In some odd way that you don't understand and can't begin to articulate you feel an acquaintance with it- a familiarity on an unfamiliar level. Somewhere in the deep sediment of your being some long-dormant fragment of primordial memory, some little severed tail of DNA, has twitched or stirred. It is a motion much too faint to be understood or interpreted, but somehow you feel certain that this large, brooding, hypnotic presence has an importance to you at the species level- perhaps even at a sort of tadpole level- and that in some way your visit here is more than happenstance.

I'm not saying that any of this is so. I'm just saying that this is how you feel."

Basically... If I get to Uluru, and it isn't that amazing? I'm gonna be pissed, because actually getting there? Sounds like a BITCH.

 And really, Bryson talks about most of Australia with this much enthusiasm, if not quite so much reverence. Towards the end of the book, I was really just turning over pages for places I wanted to visit, because that's how excellent he makes everything sound. Essentially- I liked this book a lot, but not nearly as much as I now love Australia. Which, I guess, was kind of the point of the whole thing anyway. So, well played Bryson. Again.

READATHOOOOOOOOOOON!

So so so much later

I came back! Finally... Just to get my excuse in, I was round my nan's where there's no internet until about 4.30, and then when I came home the internet WASN'T WORKING, and then I got sidetracked by sewing and... now it's now. But I still came back, and dammit, I'm going to do the end of event thingummy. So there.

1) Which hour was most daunting for you?

Look, one day I'm really going to do this properly, but this time I got a full night's sleep, so all of the hours were fine. From past experience, though, about 5am (or hour... 17? I guess?) has been the time when I simply have to sleep.

2) Could you list a few high-interest books that could keep a reader engaged for next time?

Harry Potter is always good, and Eleanor and Park was AWESOME. I feel like all the books I read (all 3 of them!) were quite good readathon bookies.

3) Do you have any suggestions to improve the readathon next year?

Only ones for myself, like really try to do a full 24 hours and stuff. Otherwise... Nah, it's allll good.

4) What do you think worked really well in this years readathon?

Um, um, um, I feel like I was less pressurey on myself so reading felt more fun than forced. And um... I don't know, twitter was pretty awesome to be on.

5) How many books did you read?

Well, I finished 3. But realistically, I guess I read 1 and 2/3? Whatever, let's just say I read 3...

6) What were the names of the books you read?

You mean... what were the books called? Ok, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Down Under and Eleanor and Park. I also read a teeeeny bit of Wild, but I can't really count that.

7) Which book did you enjoy most?

Ok, so I'm going to say Eleanor and Park? Two of the books made me cry, which is always good/bad. 

8) Which book did you enjoy least?

Don't be silly, I was reading a HARRY POTTER, a BILL BRYSON and also ELEANOR AND PARK. They were all awesome, obviously.

9) N/A

10) How likely are you to take part in the readathon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?

I will basically always do this readathon, as long as I can. I'm pretty much always going to just be a regular participant, but I would definitely think about hosting a mini-challenge...

There! I'm done! It's alllll over for another 6 months. *Sighs* *Still feels happy*.

Hour...23?

Howdy guys! I haven't JUST woken up or anything (that would be silly, it's like 11am!) But I DID only wake up about an hour ago. I had a really nice sleep though, thanks for asking.

Let's see, this morning... Well, I had breakfast! And I have read, ooh, 7 pages of Wild? I'm really doing this morning-thing well. I do have clean hair now though, so there's that! Of course, I have to go out to lunch in FORTY FIVE MINUTES (am I even hungry? I am not. Who books a table at 12pm, I ask you?) so that leaves abouttt... half an hour to read, and 15 minutes to get dressed? 40 minutes to read and 5 minutes to get dressed? I'm sure these ratios are definitely right.

I will be back for the end of event survey, it'll just be later, as in after readathon later. SO have fun for the last hour and three quarters, my lovelieeeees!

Pages Read: 578

Books Finished: 3

Snacks: Well, just breakfast.

Naps: Sort of a 9 1/2 hour one? It was goooood (but I'm still tired. Probably all the brain work.)

Hour 12 3/4

Have finished Eleanor and Park. I have... Emotions I can't even tell you about, because I don't want to ruin anything. But, OMG.

So. I'm totally going to sleep now. Like, proper sleep that is proper. I can't keep up with you crazy kids anymore. BUT I suspect I will be back in the morning, trying to read Wild because it has to go back to the library next week, so. I will be back. Probably.

Pages Read: 571

Books Finished: 3

Snacks: NOPE. Far too late for that kind of thing!

Naps: Just... gimme a minute.

Oooh, wait a minute, there's a mid-event survey. Must do that!

1) How are you doing? Sleepy? Are your eyes tired?

My eyes actually really hurt, but I haven't exactly not read books that make me cry, so. I feel like I'd be less tired if I started at like 8am, but yeah. I'm tiiiired.

2) What have you finished reading?

Harry Potter 6, and Down Under, and Eleanor and Park. Jeez, haven't you been paying attention?

3) What is your favourite read so far?

I mean... Harry Potter is Harry Potter, you know? But Eleanor and Park was pretty special. (Ugh, my heart.)

4) What about your favourite snacks?

I had a lot more toblerone than anticipated because it was just so darn tasty!

5) Have you found any new blogs through the readathon? If so, give them some love!

Ok, no? BUT I have bookmarked some blogs that I want to go back to and explore a bit, which is almost the same thing? Ish? Whatevs, it's cool.

BEDTIME! See you in 8 or so hours!

Hour 11

Oh man. I barely even wanted to stop reading Eleanor and Park to update (but also I want it to last forever), but here I am! How is everyone doing?

Eleanor and Park. Well. This is a book. I have to say though, that everyone keeps saying that 'it's so CUTE!' which it IS, don't get me wrong, but also... it's kind of disturbing, no? In a kind of domestic abuse-ish sort of way? I'm not saying I don't absolutely LOVE it, but it surprises me that more people haven't said something about it! For me, it kind of makes everything that much sweeter... But anyway.

Pages Read: 474

Books Finished: 2 

Snacks: I had a Cadbury's Creme Egg! But that's about it. I WOULD have some more diet coke, but I think I'm going to go to bed (well... To sleep. I'm totally in bed already) once I've finished E+P, so that seems like a BAD idea!

Naps: Still haven't had any! Apparently this is basically just going to be a normal day with the sleeping and whatnot. 

Hour 8

I haven't done thaaat much reading in the... time since I last updated, but since it's preeeetty much on the hour right now, I thought I'd update anyway. 

Because GUYS. Eleanor and Park. I mean, I haven't read enough of it yet to properly love love it (I'm mostly like 'Guys. Just TALK TO EACH OTHER, PLEASE') But but but but this: 'He had green eyes. And skin the colour of sunshine through honey.' SKIN THE COLOUR OF SUNSHINE THROUGH HONEY. That's just so fucking beautiful I could cry. Keep being awesome, book.

Pages read: 304

Books finished: 2

Snacks: Just had dinner. It was awesome- breakfast for dinner FTW

Naps: Still none! I'm as shocked as you are. I have just found out we're going out to lunch at 12pm tomorrow though, so... sleep and no last hour of reading for me!

Hour 5 1/3

I have finished another book. Life is good. 

That was Down Under by Bill Bryson, and now I want to 1) go to Australia SO BADLY, and 2) massively see Uluru. Like... It's not even a thing I've ever thought about before ever, really, but Bryson makes it sound like a lifetime-must-see thing, so see it I must! A petit break is in order now, I believe, before I start, FINALLY, Eleanor and Park (eeeeee!)

Pages read: 246

Books finished: 2

Snacks: About 3 triangles of toblerone and some veggie gummy sweets? I definitely need some more diet coke though, or I'm going to fall asleep

Naps: Still none, but see above re: sleepiness.

Weather conditions: It's just started bloody raining! Considering it's been hot and beautiful all week, and I THOUGHT I might get to read outside, this makes me sad.

Also I am DOING A CHALLENGE. The hour 5 challenge is a self-portrait, and here is mine:

Can't you just FEEL my E+P excitement?! (my hairstyle is necessary because I get very bad readathon bed hair. It's like an ILLNESS.)

Hour 3 1/4

So I just finished Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and my heart is broken. I can't even... 

So I'm giving myself some internet time to recover, and then I'm going to read something super duper happy. Where no one dies. Bill Bryson might be the best person for the job, and also if chocolate helps against dementors, then it will help me in my situation too. Hopefully. *cries a bit* (GUYS, I've just realised that in the last readathon, I read The Casual Vacancy first and cried some there, too! WHY AM I SO STUPID?!)

Pages read: 147

Books finished: 1

Snacks: Actually, I had lunch. Hummus sandwich and some doritos. 

Naps: None as of yet. But I did nearly fall asleep just before starting. That was lame.

7-ish minutes to go!

The introductory meme is up, and I am ALL OVER THIS.

1. What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

Surrey, in the UK (not too far from London). Typically it's RAINING and it looks cold outside, so... I'm fine with the reading all day thing.

2. Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

Prooobably Eleanor and Park. But I'm also looking forward to FINISHING books. Because I totally haven't been, lately.

3. Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Toblerone. I just... have to not eat the whole thing. That would be bad.

4. Tell us a little something about yourself.

Uhhhhhm... I think I'm in love with both Neville Longbottom and Severus Snape? It's a little complicated...

5. If you participated in the last readathon, what's the last thing you'll do differently today?

Well, I'm reading books I'm in the middle of, which I haven't really done before, but ALSO I'm just going to go to bed when I'm tired. Cause I ended up sleeping for seven hours on the sofa last time, and WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT, when I could have just been in bed? Exactly.

Guys, guys, guys! It's like 2 and a half hours til the readathon! It's on days like this that I really hate living several time zones ahead of America, because I wake up at about 9, all excited to READ ALL DAY, but realistically I have to wait 4 hours to do so (I KNOW I could just start whenever. But where's the fun in that?) Having said that, if I had to start at 5am like California et al, it would probably kill me. So there are pluses and minuses everywhere.

Anyway! Normally I do a book pile post the day before the Readathon, but as I think we're all aware by now, Friday is Harry Potter Day, and who can be bothered to post more than once per day? Definitely not me. But, here is a glorious stack of books:

(The light is really bad for taking ipod pictures today. Just so you know.) From top to bottom, they are:

Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto

The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass by Stephen King

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

Down Under by Bill Bryson

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

The Fault in our Stars by John Green

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by JK Rowling

Wild by Cheryl Strayed

I am literally excited by EVERY ONE of these books. Realistically, I want to finish Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (but also I don't, because YOU KNOW), Down Under, and Wild, because it feels like I've been reading them FOREVER and that is not a fun feeling. Other than that, I also really want to get to Eleanor and Park because it seems like it's going to be AMAZING, and while I'd like to read a bit of Les Miserables, I don't know that I will... But we shall see.

Basically I just want to read them ALLLL. And I'll give it my best shot. In about 2 hours (this has taken a surprisingly long time to write...) As for snacks, I did a bit of snack shopping yesterday but didn't really fancy anything (alarming, I know!) Most importantly, I have a BIG bottle of diet coke, and there are Doritos in the house. There's also plenty of fruit, and there is hummus, and I have a fairly big toblerone and also some Cadburys Creme Eggs. So I think I'm going to be ok, food wise. Now just to wait...

Note: I'm going to be updating this post throughout the day, so new things will appear at the top of the post every so often. Don't pretend this isn't exciting!

"'Dumbledore's man through and through, aren't you Potter?'"

Ooooh, things are really heating up in the Half Blood Prince, huh? And by heating up, I obviously mean that nothing has REALLY happened, but so much has been set up, not just for the rest of this book, but for the last one too. This isn't something I've really noticed before, but this book is really ALL about the final book, isn't it? Piecing together Voldemort's story to lead up to the BIG VOLDY REVELATION, waiting for Malfoy to do... Something, and still trying to figure out if Snape is evil or not. It's all... totally intriguing and mysterious (I mean, less so now that I know what's going to happen, but still) and that's almost better than the BIG things happening all the time.

And. Is it just me, or does this book kind of strip everything down and kind of go back to the basics- awesome and hilarious things happening in lessons, Harry being suspicious of people he doesn't like (reaaally quick note in brackets about the shipping Harry and Draco thing- If Harry secretly loves Malfoy, then he also secretly loves Voldemort.

i.e. I believe that neither of these things are true.) and Snape being ridiculously suspicious again. I feel like all of this is like a reward for getting through the complexness of OotP, and a treat to keep in mind when bad things happen. Which, as we know, they do. Almost constantly. But at least we'll always remember Harry being cheeky in potions, and everyone conjuring birds and failing to apparate and things!  Ahhh, good times.

For me, I feel like the most interesting part of this section (possibly of this whole book) is the piecing together of Voldemort's history. It's interesting, not only because of the things it leads to, but just in itself- born out of a mixture of love and witchcraft, raised by people who were paid to care for him, but not ABOUT him, and given hugely powerful powers that mean he can overcome his beginnings and be something more. It would be SO easy to feel sorry for him (I definitely feel sorry for Merope, but that's another story) but I think that what JK does so cleverly, and actually really subtly, is contrasting Harry with Voldy.

Because just by alluding to the fact that they both have dead mothers, only one chose to die FOR her son, and the other chose to die IN SPITE OF her son, you start to think of the other similarities between them. Both were raised by people who didn't care much for them. Both were told they were wizards at a similar age. Both were (eventually) orphans. And there's so little difference to their origins, that it really comes down to the fact that Harry chooses to be good, and Voldy chose to be bad. But then, it's really not as simple as that, because what Voldy did necessarily affected what Harry chose to do (how could he choose the dark side when that killed his parents?), and actually, both of their personalities seemed to be set before they even found out about their magic-ness.

I... have kind of lost the thread of what I was saying here.

Ok, yes, ANYWAY- the point is that you COULD feel sorry for Voldy, but then you have to take into account that everything he did, he chose to do, when he so easily could have chosen the opposite path, like we've always seen Harry do. Murderous assholes do not deserve our (or Harry's!) sympathy. Or at least not very much of it, anyway.

I think it's time for me to stop rambling and just bullet point a few things. Then I'll leave you all alone with your thoughts.

• You know when Snape comments on Tonks's changed Patronus? If he KNOWS what I know, then he actually IS an asshole, especially considering what I ALSO know about him. That has actually quite upset me, Snape-wise!
• "'It's high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she's got, rather than the one she thinks she ought to have- particularly after what happened at the ministry.'"

I feel like this about Neville AND McGonagall right now.

• "'Yes' said Harry stiffly. 'Yes Sir.' 'There's no need to call me 'Sir', Professor'" Yes. I approve of this kind of smart-assedness. ALL THE TIME.
• I am EXHAUSTED by the Ron and Hermione tension. Someone please just get those two together already.
• "'My mother can't have been magic, or she wouldn't have died.'" This is both heartbreaking, and maybe the most important thing we can know about Voldy. Maybe.
• Is it wrong to be worried about Malfoy? Because he is acting the way a depressed person would be acting, withdrawing from his favourite activities and not talking to his friends, and... Yeah. If I didn't know what he was up to, I'd feel sadder for him. Stupid Malfoy.
• Harry asks Luna to Slughorn's party! I love this. LOVE. He genuinely could have taken anyone, but this boy is loyal to his friends. (LUNA!!)
• Percy is such a DOUCHE making his mother think he was coming home for Christmas when really he was using Harry to get ahead at work. Scrimgeour is also a douche for trying to make Harry do things for the Ministry when the Ministry has never done anything non-damaging for Harry. That was really a very douchey chapter (Fleur didn't even get a Christmas jumper!)
• I can't understand Harry AT ALL when he says he isn't bothered about apparating. UM... that's teleporting, Harry. That's going places in NO TIME and without any effort. But you 'prefer flying'? WHAT THE HELL?!

• The love potion bit is very amusing, and possibly even more so in the movie. DAMN, potions are hilarious, why did we never know this before? I blame Snape, frankly!

So. Stuff. I'm discovering more and more that I remember nothing important about this book, cause I don't know what the deal with the cursed necklace is, and I don't really know why Ron is like DYING at this precise moment in the book. But hey, I remember the end. Which is why I'm going to have... Troubles reading the rest of the book. Oh man.

Devouring Books: The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

"The one thing I understood for sure was that I didn't understand a thing."

Ohhhh, Murakami. Just when I start to think that maybe, just maybe, I've reached the peak of my Murakami-love, I go and read the book that I'm now thinking of as his Murakami-est- the book that's the perfect distillation of all his favourite themes and ideas and his style, at once mind boggling and insane, but also kind of familiar at the same time? Or... Maybe that's just me.

I think it's going to be pretty pointless to try to describe the plot, because it's always pretty pointless to describe a Murakami plot in any way, but... I'll give it a try? I guess? It starts off, as always, fairly mundanely, focusing on Toru Okada (the narrator for most of the book) a recently unemployed young man with a wife and a house and many meals to make (so many meals... Mmmm, you and your food, Murakami...) who is very very much a typical Murakami hero- passive, quiet, lonely, VERY accepting of the weird things that happen, should I even go on..?

Anyway. Strange things start to happen after his and his wife's cat disappears, he meets not one, but two sets of very odd characters, they say cryptic things and a lot of people (or, at least, a lot more people than really should) sit in wells. I feel like I'm being flippant here, and I really don't mean to be, because I was TRANSFIXED by this book. It was like picking it up hypnotised me and each time I emerged from it, minutes or hours later, I could barely remember where I was. This is the highest praise I know how to give a book, really, and Murakami pretty much always does it for me. 

This time, though, I wasn't just sucked into the book, the book kind of overspilled its boundaries and came with me everywhere I went. And I'm not talking about the physical book (THAT sucker is over 600 pages, so it didn't ACTUALLY come anywhere with me) but more the feel of the book, and the Murakaminess of feeling like, even though I was just walking along the same streets and everything, that maybe they had changed in some sinister and strange way, or maybe there was something or someone odd waiting just around the corner. 

This sounds like a really weird and paranoid way to think, but it wasn't like that- and if you really think about it, the world actually is ripe with potential things that could happen but never do, and sometimes things feel like they've changed even though they haven't because you have changed, and I really think it's basic truths like this that Murakami tries to get to, through his weird and twisted narrative paths. I mean... that's only true sometimes, and I won't even to pretend to know what he's doing the rest of the time, but I think that really is A Thing that he does, and that's why I sometimes feel like people are crazy when they're like 'Murakami is haaaard' because really, he's just going deeply into things that mostly we just ignore, or take for granted.

I'm not even going to pretend that I enjoyed every single second of The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, because there were some war history bits that, let's face it, I'm never going to be into, AND there were some downright unpleasant bits that I don't even want to think about ever again. If I'd wanted every single story to be neatly tied up, then I would have been sorely disappointed, but I don't expect that kind of normal crap from Murakami, and neither should you. I don't know what he means by most of it, but I have my own interpretations and my own thoughts, and maybe THAT is what it's all about in the end. 

Or maybe it's all literal, and Murakami's seen some weird shit. How should I know? All I know is that, this has probably just taken the crown as my favourite Murakami so far, and that is a HOTLY contested title, let me tell you. This is awesome, you should read it. Although... Probably not if you're a Murakami first timer. Ease your way into the madness, huh?

Monday... Mundries?

Oh guys. I was so not on the ball yesterday. I did consider rushing out a post at like 7pm last night, but then I thought nahhhhh, it can wait til tomorrow (this may or may not have had something to do with the FINAL TWO EPISODES of The Wire that I simply had to watch yesterday). So at least I'm doing it now!

Kurt is unimpressed by my efforts.

So! This past week! I either walked to or from work (or both!) every single day, plus I did walks on Saturday and Sunday and I feel very much like I should applaud myself for this a lot and that's why I'm telling you about it. I mean, it wasn't exactly a hardship considering that the weather was preeeetty nice and I've found a way shorter route than my old one which gets me there about 15 minutes quicker, but STILL. I'm pretty proud. 

I am less proud of the blogging I did last week since, you know, I did no blogging (apart from Harry Potter blogging, of course, but that's pretty much better than 99% of things in LIFE, so of course I did that). I feel like I might have overdone things the week before with the blogging every day and all, but MOSTLY I didn't have anything to write about that involved books, or TV, or movies. (Interestingly, I wrote in my diary a fair bit last week, so... Hmmm. Apparently I was more into real life things for once!)

In fact, if we're going to get real, I'm in a bit of a slump. It's mainly a reading slump, but ALSO I think it might be a bit of a post-birthday slump. It's like that thing where, a good portion of your attention has been focused on one thing for SO LONG, that after the thing actually happens you're a little bit disorientated and like 'oh. What should I be thinking about now, then?' And then THIS is combined with the fact that, not only am I reading about 6 books, but I have things I want to sew, and things I want to bake, and there are TOO MANY THINGS that I want to do, which means that I get kind of stalled and don't do ANY of the things. Which is just really stupid, I'll admit. 

Reading slump specifically, I'm dealing with the dual issues of 1) Having just finished The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle which I kind of couldn't stop reading and which really really blew me away, even by Murakami standards, and HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO READ ANOTHER BOOK AFTER THAT?, and 2) That old 'having too many books I want to read at once' issue. I mean... I'm hyper-aware now that the 'book excitement' fades after a little while and there are all those books I got for my birthday, plus I might have been charity shopping now that I allow myself to do so again, and just... THERE ARE TOO MANY. On Saturday (because I'm a wild party animal) I rearranged my books so that most of my unread ones are on my main bookshelf, so I can see them all the time and will (hopefully) be more inclined to pick one of them, but then I don't know if that's just made it worse because 'OMG I HAVEN'T READ ANY OF THESE BOOKS?!'

(Yes, I am a crazy person. And yes, I could have actually been reading instead of rearranging books. Such is life.)

Anyway. I'm sure I'll get over this soon, probably just by reading Eleanor and Park and going 'I LOVE YOU BOOKS!' and then I'll have another Wind-Up Bird issue on my hands. But anyway. It'll all be ok. And even if it isn't, I'll still be doing book things this week because tomorrow is World Book Night (!!) and I'm giving away copies of Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal, and by 'giving away' I mean that I'm basically going to leave them places, probably with a note on them, for people to find. I'm considering putting my email address on there so people can email me and tell me what they thought of them, but I'm not sure about that. Thoughts? 

And then, of course, DEWEY'S 24 HOUR READALONG is on Saturday! I mean, I'm not as excited about that as that sentence makes it seem like I am, BUT I am still kind of excited because reading is still pretty awesome, even if I haven't done any substantial reading for a while. Currently I'm so unprepared for it that it's ridiculous, but I'm sure I will have pulled myself together by Saturday so that I can reeeead for 24 hours (or, let's be real, about 12, and then have a sleep, and then maybe another hour or so. But still.) So yeah. It's all going to be fine, and I'm going to ENJOY IT, dammit! 

Have awesome weeks, you lovely people.

"'Let us not deprive Molly any longer of the chance to deplore how thin you are.'"

HOW much cheerier is Half Blood Prince than Order of the Phoenix already? VERY much cheerier. And the thing is, things are actually pretty dire in the wizarding world- the Weasleys (and, you know, everyone) is in mortal peril, Tonks is sad for some reason, it looks like Snape is probably evil, Voldy just can't get enough of that tasty tasty murdering AND Malfoy looks like he's going to be really dangerous now, rather than just annoying.

But still. In spite of all those things, and I think this is really a testament to how incredibly depressing the whole tone of OotP is, things are looking up in Harry's brain, which means that things are looking up for us when we're in there. He's decided that Sirius's death is something he needs to move on from and not just LOSE IT over, and that since he could be dead any day, he'd really better live now, and not just shout at everyone a lot. He's older, he's wiser, he's probably sadder, BUT he's a lot less angry. And I really appreciate that.

From here on out, people!

BULLET POINT TIME!

• If I ever become Prime Minister (which, you know, is clearly going to happen) and the Minister for Magic DOESN'T appear in my office on my first day? I'm going to be PISSED. And I'll probably quit.
• Scrimgeour seems like the epitome of a wartime leader, but... I'm kind of scared of him. He's a bit... Severe, isn't he?
• OMG SNAPE IS EVIL FOR REALS! 

That... was literally my thought process throughout this whole book and most of the next one. Seriously, guys, I never liked Snape! Until... I did.

• Wormtail being Snape's servant must actually be very satisfying for Snape, considering his incredible ability to hold a grudge. I want to say 'poor Wormtail!' but, you know, No.
• "He has fought his way out of a number of tight corners by a simple combination of sheer luck and more talented friends. He is mediocre to the last degree, though as obnoxious and self-satisfied as his father before him." WOAH BOY, does he have Harry's number?! At least with the first part? A bit?
• "'If I had sons, I would be glad to give them up to the service of the Dark Lord!'" Yes Bellatrix, dear. Of course you would. Hush now.
• I greatly enjoy Dumbles coming to pick Harry up (for the first time ever! Such excitement to have a Dumbledore sighting early on!) and everything about his interactions with the Dursleys. It must make him feel preeetty bad about leaving Harry with them though.
• EHRMERGERD, Voldemort can raise a Zombie Army. Well. That's terrifying.

Like this.

• Slughorn gets on my tits. I mean, my nerves. He's not coming anywhere near my tits and oh my god, the double entendres are endless. Just... Forget it.
• So, Molly and Arthur got married last time Voldemort was around? But... How long was he in power? Because Bill is AT LEAST 8 years older than Harry et al, so Voldy was terrorising for 9 years? Or... All the Weasleys except Ron and Ginny were had out of wedlock? SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN!
• Speaking of marriage... I don't care what anyone says, I think Bill and Fleur are great for each other because they're both just so damn beautiful. GOD, I fancy Bill...
• "'Dumbledore says people find it far easier to forgive others for being wrong than being right.'" Dumbledore is so wise...
• I am very into the nostalgia aspect of Hagrid accompanying Harry to Diagon Alley. I am less impressed with Ollivander making wands for the bad people and Florian Fortescue's disappearance.
• Weasley's Wizard Wheezes is clearly the best ever shop.
• Romilda Vane is a little turd, and Malfoy is an even bigger one. UGH, people.

And. I know I've read this before, but I genuinely don't know how Harry's going to get out of being stiff as a board (ooer) and invisible on the Hogwarts Express, but I assume it has something to do with Hermione. Because, you know.