Horns

I've been thinking about what to write for Joe Hill's novel Horns for a while now.  I really enjoyed it.  It is a haunting, chilling tale.  Joe Hill creates characters you love, you empathize with, then they're gone.  Merrin, the girl who dies (part of the premise of the book) is a great girl.  Hill makes you love her.  While you are getting to know her, it's sad, because you know she's going to die and you know how.  It's awful, but in a way that serves the story. The novel is fantastic, though I found myself putting it down when I felt emotional.

I loved Ig Perish.  He was amazing, quirky and sweet. I was always rooting for him. I wanted Iggy to be happy. I wanted him to get justice (revenge). I wanted the truth to be known. Iggy was a fantastic, engaging main character and I was excited to be with him through his journey. I also enjoyed Ig's brother Terry.  He was an interesting character, thought to be the ideal son, but changes and becomes more. Many of the characters were more than what they first appear to be.  Of course, Ig's new ability is what allows us easy access to their inner most thoughts.

Horns has definitely made me a Joe Hill fan.  I picked up Heart-Shaped Box not that long ago and I'm eager to read it now.  I've also been hearing fantastic things about NOS4A2 and if it's anything like Horns, I'm excited to read that too.

Also, movie.  I'd like to see it.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1

This past weekend, I did what a million other people did. I went to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. WARNING: Gushing may ensue. I loved this movie. Days later, I’m still thinking about it. It was simply amazing. I completely understand why they’re making this book into two movies (unlike other books that should only be one movie). It wouldn’t do justice to the material that would have to be cut out. Could we really watch this movie without seeing all the intense and emotional scenes or the ones that make you laugh out loud? There is just so much happening in that final novel.

I don’t want to spoil anything for what I imagine are the few people who haven’t seen the movie yet. I’ll just say that I loved all the Harry Potter books and all the previous movies. I’m not the person who dresses up, but I am definitely a big fan. So, go see it if you haven’t. If you already have, are you going to see it again? I might.

*Side Note: I’ve been feeling under the weather / overwhelmed, so I haven’t been keeping up with my usual blogging habits. No Top Ten this week, or Short Story Monday and likely no Blog Hopping, Literary or Crazy, among other things I’ve been wanting to do/post the past couple weeks. I hope to be up to my normal standards soon, but I’m not sure when that will be. Plus, the holidays are fast approaching and real life will just have to take priority. Of course, I had to get my Harry Potter post up. In case you didn’t notice, I love Harry Potter.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

Bloody brilliant! It was so good! I can’t stop talking about it. I can’t stop thinking about it. What a fabulous end to a fantastic story. I almost cried at one point. Harry is such a magnificent character. They are all wonderful, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Lupin; such amazing people. You want them to be real. I can’t really say much more without giving too much of the story away. Just read it. It’s not like I expected at all. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows is a marvelous end to J. K. Rowling’s series. I want to read it all again!

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Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix

I enjoyed Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix. It wasn’t as amazing as I thought some of the previous movies were, but it was good. I think it might have to do with the director. It was a new guy. The story was good, the characters as charming as ever. There was just some kind of spark missing.

I think they did a good job of paring the movie down from the book. The Order Of The Phoenix is the longest (thus far) of the Harry Potter novels. The minor changes only served to better the story, but there were parts of the movie that dragged. During the battle scenes, there was a sense of danger, but during other sequences that should have been ominous, there was no impending feeling of evil. Fred & George were fabulous though. Those long glances from Ginny were definitely foretelling. I felt a little bad for Cho though. I guess I’ve gotten attached to these characters…