There has been something in the air this month. Or, to be more precise, there has been something on every subway poster, in every commercial break, and all over the entire internet, and it’s this: HARRY POTTER HAS ENDED. The last movie came out, and whoops, we here at AV haven’t seen it yet, but with this feeling of finality all around, we found ourselves with a nostalgic urge to go back to the beginning. Thus, we bring you The Great Harry Potter Reread of 2011.
Our plan is this: every Monday, we’ll put up a post for a five-chapter chunk. We’ll add our thoughts in the comments as we have them over the course of the week — and of course, we hope you all will, too.
Please keep in mind that our comments policy is still in effect. And let’s face it, this is Harry Potter. Emotions run very high. (Seriously, I have been known to shank people who hate on Ron. Orrrr at least I’ve been known to want to shank people who hate on Ron.) Every character is someone’s favorite, up to and including the giant squid; so, while critical analysis is always welcome (and oh boy do we have plenty to say about a certain Potions Master), character hate is not. The same goes for shipping. Discussing why you ship what you do is totally cool! Hating on other pairings is not.
Please also keep in mind, this is a reread for us. People who are new to the series are also welcome! You know, if they exist on the internet. But we may reference later books as we read through, so spoilers will abound.
Okay? Okay! Join us Monday as we begin the first book in this beloved series, The Adventures of Neville Longbottom, Total Badass When Ron Met Hermione Evil Has No Nose Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone.
People hate Ron? For reals?! I think that alone is why I am glad I didn’t start reading the books until #4 and then didn’t bother getting into the fandom side of it all.
Anyway, theoretically I’m already rereading the books . . . for like the last two months now. This thing called the “summer semester” has turned this into the lengthiest process ever. So, that said, if I can manage to read slightly faster than a chapter every two weeks or some such crazy I will be more than glad to throw in my $0.02. I will say that I am shocked how much I’ve forgotten about these books. I mean I remember the big plot points, but little things sprinkled about I keep finding myself being truly surprised over. I’m not even sure if I caught most of those things before. (And this is at least the third time I’m reading most of the books.)