Reading for Me

My journey through the world of Harry Potter continued with the 6th installment of the beloved series and things have definitely become much darker and more mature. In this novel, Harry excels in his Potions class thanks to a borrowed textbook that contains sideline notes from the Half-Blood Prince, a former Hogwarts’ student. During his 6th year, Harry also works personally with Professor Dumbledore to explore the collected memories of various people in order to learn more about Lord Voldemort’s past in their continuing search for the best way to defeat the evil villain.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince finds our beloved characters nearing their 17th birthdays. Therefore, they begin to deal with issues that are typical of these teens. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all deal with issues related to love interests; Ron especially is portrayed as a victim of his uncontrollable hormones. Battle scenes are much more vicious and graphic. Many favorite characters are severely injured, some forever marred by their encounters with evil.

Probably most worrisome for parents of children who might read the book is the presence of death throughout Half-Blood Prince. Harry and Tonks continue to deal with the recent death of Sirius Black. Their grief and depression is evident to the reader. Harry and Dumbledore discuss the gruesome murders of members of Tom Riddle’s family as well as continuing to explore Harry’s own feelings about the deaths of his own parents at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Most disturbing for the reader, however, is the tragic death of Dumbledore at the novel’s climax. While this murder is not particularly gruesome, its impact on Harry, Ron, and Hermione as well as the rest of the Hogwarts community is painful and may be difficult for young readers who are not properly equipped to deal with issues related to the loss of a trusted companion and, in many ways, the man who functioned as a parent to Harry.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was challenging to get started, but was ultimately just as rewarding as the other books in the series. I am anxious to read the final chapter in this saga to see how Rowling handles Harry’s continued pursuit of Voldemort in light of Dumbledore’s death. I’m certain I won’t be disappointed at all.

Continuing through the Women's Murder Club series has been another enjoyable read. After the unexpected turn of events in the last book, Patterson moves the bulk of the action out of San Francisco and focuses on Lindsey. Before leaving the city, our favorite Lieutenant finds herself involved in a fatal shooting with wealthy teenagers. Not only must she deal with the physical and emotional scars she suffers, Lindsey now finds herself being sued in a wrongful death lawsuit.

To escape the media circus, Lindsey gets out of town to enjoy her sister's peaceful home near the ocean. What should have been a relaxing getaway turns into a dangerous situation as Lindsey finds herself surrounded by murders that seem to be related to a cold case from the beginning of her career that continues to haunt her.

Peppered with intriguing and frightening characters, 4th of July not only keeps the reader engaged with exciting plot twists, but also continues to develop the relationship between Lindsey and Joe. I'm excited to get the next book in the series, but first I need to read the last of the paperbacks that was on my summer vacation bookshelf.

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While visiting the Geriatric Ward for the summer, I was thrilled to find that the local library had a complete set of Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club series on the shelf, so I decided it was time to dive back into the fun. (Truthfully, I planned to grab the final volumes of the Harry Potter series when I went to the library. To my disappointment, they were not a part of the collection. I’ve been assured that the books will be ordered….so I’m hoping to be able to read at least one of them before returning to Plainview in August.)

3rd Degree is much like the previous novels in the series. This time, a group of individuals with a grudge against the wealthiest members of society are creating chaos throughout San Francisco as the G-8 summit prepares to come to town. Things begin when a townhouse explodes in front of Lindsay Boxer’s eyes, killing most of the family inside. A young boy is rescued from the rubble and another member of the family is missing — the family’s infant child.

Horror grips the city as the terrorist group announces their plans to kill another person every 3 days until their demands are met. Things are so serious that the Department of Homeland Security joins the SFPD in their search. The murders are especially gruesome and fans of the series will be saddened by the death of one of Patterson’s heroines. (On a side note, I’m interested to read the next book in the series to see how the author is going to handle her death. Will the Murder Club only be made up of the three remaining women or will a new character be introduced as a replacement?)

3rd Degree was a page turner and a very quick read. It’s definitely something I would consider taking to the beach for a relaxing read while enjoying a little down time.

It’s official…..I’m addicted to the adventures of Harry Potter! I intentionally grabbed a rather large stack of novels on my last trip to the library to ensure that I stretched out my experience with these books a little longer.

I loved the humor found in this second installment of the series. From flying cars to the adventures in Hagrid’s hut while hiding under the invisibility cloak, Harry and Ron certainly had a lot of fun in this book. I also enjoyed meeting Almost Headless Nick and Moaning Myrtle. I was quite upset to discover who had actually opened the Chamber of Secrets and how she had been manipulated by Voldemort.

What I think I most appreciated about Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was the clarity of theme that Rowling wove throughout the book. I especially enjoyed the exchange between Dumbledore and Harry at the book’s conclusion as Harry was wrestling with the fear that he should have been in Slytherin hall. Reflect on the power of this statement for all of us as we face uncertainty:

‘Listen to me, Harry. You happen to have many qualities Salazar Slytherin prized in his hand-picked students. His own very rare gift, Parseltongue — resourcefulness — determination — a certain disregard for rules. . .Yet the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor. You know why that was. Think.’

‘It only put me in Gryffindor. . .because I asked not to go in Slytherin. . .’

‘Exactly. . .Which makes you very different from Tom Riddle. It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.’ (Chamber of Secrets, 333)

Our successes or failures are not determined by happenstance, fate, or magic. We have the right to choose….and those choices determine our character and the path of our life. That’s a lesson that I want to remember on a daily basis. (Who would have guessed that a simply story about a boy wizard could make such a profound statement to this 43-year-old man?) I’m already looking forward to The Prisoner of Azkaban, but have to do a little more reading on my other projects first.