Don't Worry, I'm Not Going to Spoil It.

FD went to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

I'd be happy to hear what everyone else thinks of it. I thought it SUCKED!!!

I knew that book would probably be the hardest to translate into film, and after seeing the movie my hunch was right. Book 5 is the one that is almost all psychological. It's about Harry's growth--physically, mentally, and emotionally. It's the transition book, the bridge for 6 and 7. I think the only way I would have liked that film is if it had more indie qualities to really replicate Harry's internal struggle. They crammed too much into 2 hours and 18 minutes, and a lot was left out. And "a lot" is an understatement. I was happy to see Helena Bonham Carter, though; she's one of my fav actresses...

Book 5 is my fav. I'm sad. 2 out of 5 Hello Kittys.

In other review news, I ADORED Brenda Miller's Season of the Body. These collection of essays was gorgeously written and engaging on many levels. It definitely helped me see the stylistic layering I can do with non-fiction, which I adored. And it struck a great balance between being accessible and challenging. 4 out of 5 Hello Kittys.

Speaking of challenging, I did not like Christine Hume's Musca Domestica. I don't know if I'm just not in the right frame of mind to read poetry right now when I'm focusing so much on non-fiction, but this book did not sit well with me at all. I thought it was challenging just to be academically intellectual, and I thought it was devoid of emotion entirely. With poetry, for me, I LOVE language/diction/abstraction challenges, but if there is no reward--emotionally or intellectually, I don't have time for it. To me, then, it just becomes a word game. I can play those in the newspaper. I believe the real challenge is being rigorous intellectually while giving the reader some emotional thread to keep them engaged on the basic human instinctual level. Maybe I'll read this book again, next year, and get it. Maybe I won't. This time around it wasn't for me. Great titles, though. 2 out of 5 Hello Kittys.

My lesson from this post: take the good with the bad.
Or: It's always good to find some good in the bad.