Leaving May be Best

I pre-ordered LEAVE ME because it is by Gayle Forman! I've read everything else by her, so purchasing her newest book was a no-brainer for me. As I began reading LEAVE ME, though, I was a bit disappointed. Not in the story. I can relate to the story more than many others considering the fact that I was at death's door myself--but with a severe infection from diverticulitis, rather than a heart attack, that almost killed me and then took quite a while to recover. 

What concerned me was how often Maribeth used the f-word. It made me feel as if Gayle was throwing the word around a lot, through the voice of Maribeth, because LEAVE ME is her first adult novel and, well, she could. I was frustrated because I simply did not feel that Maribeth was the type of person (character) who would use it as often as she was.

As I read further, though, it became apparent that the use of the f-word was out of Maribeth's extreme frustration, discouragement, and simply her disappointment in her LIFE--how things had taken a complete 180 from what she'd dreamed--how she and her husband Jason spend more time apart than together--how she and Jason didn't "get" one another any more or support one another any more--how her friendship with Elizabeth had dissipated over the years--how life with twin 4-year-olds was not everything she had dreamed it would be--and on and on her frustrations went.

Such frustrations, discouragements, and disappointments I could relate to. I think every woman--and man--can relate to how LIFE takes us down a completely different path than what we expected. And then when our expectations become too overwhelming, we have no idea how to change directions--by then, we're so lost, even a roadmap--or a GPS nowadays--can help us get back on the right path.

So Maribeth does the ONLY thing possible to find her way home: she runs away. Ironically and miraculously, it actually works. And to make it even more of a "right-track" experience, along the way, Maribeth meets and makes some new, long-lasting wonderful friendships. Best of all, Maribeth loses her previous expectations and eventually finds herself again--her REAL self.

So in spite of the fact that I wondered if I would finish LEAVE ME because I simply didn't want to read the f-word one more time, as I turned the last page, my sobs of joy for Maribeth were blurring the page and I can truly say that Gayle Forman has another winner on her hands. I will definitely continue to pre-purchase any and every book Gayle writes!!!

"SOMETIMES (emphasis mine) leaving someone is the most loving thing you can do." (301)

The HP Series really is a work of Genius

As a Christian, I guess I'm supposed to blast the HARRY POTTER series and condemn it, and J. K. Rowling, to eternal hell and damnation. 

I must say, though, that I just don't feel that way.  Regardless of Rowling's beliefs, the HP series is a wonderful allegory (if one wants to see it as such) for the Christian.  What makes it even more awesome than anything else is the fact that the whole series has as major themes, love and friendship.  Of course, sacrificial love is a major part of that, but true friendship--even when friends have times when they don't get along or agree with each other--is a powerful message throughout the whole series.  I love that.  How can anyone say that's wrong? 

Ok.  So the whole series is about witches and warlocks.  But there are witches in THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA and there's a warlock  or two in THE LORD OF THE RINGS--both of which are praised within the Christian community as wonderful reads.  I won't go any further with this in this post, but I just felt the need to say it......As a Christian, I LOVE the w-h-o-l-e HARRY POTTER series.

Now, a few of the reasons why HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE is so well worth the read:

1.  Friendship.  At the end of Book 5, HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, Harry, Ron, Hermoine, Ginny, Neville, and Luna all go to the Ministry of Magic together in an attempt to save Sirirus who they all believed was in danger of being killed by Tom Riddle, aka Lord Voldemort, himself.  This solidarity for these 6 young people brings them together as friends as not even Harry could conceive.  He honestly had no idea so many people cared--about him--or that he could care about so many.  Harry has always had a bit of a "hero-complex," but when his friends stand WITH him to do battle--even if it meant their deaths, that's some powerful stuff.  It always makes me cry.  In this 6th book in series, we see their friendships continue to grow and become more powerful.  Of course, we still don't get enough of Neville to make me truly happy, but we all realize that the series could be the NEVILLE LONGBOTTOM series if Tom Riddle hadn't chosen Harry as his enemy rather than Neville!

BTW:  I refuse to call him Lord Voldemort.  It's the name that give him more power than he deserves.  I think of him as Tom Riddle, just an ordinary warlock who went rogue in a desire for too much power.  He doesn't deserve to be called the name he himself chose....

2.  Harry and Ginny finally get together.  Well, sort of.  It's about time!  Of course, it didn't need to be any sooner because that would take away from the anticipation of Harry one day realizing that he loves her as much as she's loved him from the very beginning. 

3.  Ron and Hermoine begin to realize their feelings for each other.  I truly wish Ron (Won-Won) didn't have to have the relationship with Lavender, but at the same time, it's part of what begins to open Ron's eyes to the fact that he's cared about Hermoine more than he thought--even from the first--and vice versa.  It's wonderful that we have to wait until Book 7 to see the two of them actually "consummate" their relationship, but it's definitely fun in Book 6 watching them begin to see the other with their "special eyes."  (I stole that from that 1-800 Contacts commercial!  LOL!)

4.  Snape is evil, yet throughout this school year, because Harry uses Snape's old Potions book, Snape actually helps Harry....which is what Snape has always tried to do!!!  The irony is that rather than seeing Snape for who and what he truly is, it makes Harry hate him even more.  It makes me love him even more!  I know it's a challenge for me to say this and you believe me, but even before I'd read the series through the first time or before I'd seen any of the movies, I just KNEW that there was more to Snape than meets the eye.  Sure, we see Snape at his worst--after all, he kills Dumbledore--but at the same time, we also begin to see how much he really does care about his students.  Sure, he's made a deal with Dumbledore that he'll have to kill Dumbledore when the time comes, but in large part, it's so Draco doesn't have to cross that threshold from just a mixed up kid to murderer/killer.  I LOVE Severus Snape!!!!

5.  It's just plain and simply a GREAT book.

What I don't like about Book 6 of the HP series:

1.  That we never find out the whole story of how Dumbledore hurt his hand, leading to his eventual death--whether Snape does the deed or not.  I know we learn enough that we get a really good idea of how he damaged it, but I want to hear the WHOLE story.  Plus, Dumbledore promised Harry that he'd tell Harry.  But he keeps talking about other stuff.  It's good to learn the background of Tom Riddle because it is true that it's easier to take down an enemy when we know his (or her) strengths and weaknesses--plus, we learn about the Horcruxes--but I wanted to hear exactly how Dumbledore cursed his hand.

2.  We don't see Neville enough!  I guess that if Neville was in this book more, the book would have been THAT much longer....I, for one, would not have minded. 

3.  There isn't a #3....and know that the previous 2 aren't really dislikes; they're more like frustrations!!!!!

*Read on the Nook.*

I, for one, love Book 5 of HP

I was reading a few of the other comments about Book 5 of the HARRY POTTER series, ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, and they aren't very positive.  I don't get it.  I LOVE this one!  This is the book where we learn that Neville could have been the one in Harry's place if Voldemort had CHOSEN Neville instead of Harry--which means that Harry and Neville share a birthday!  It also means that it's a given that we'll see much more of Neville and that Neville will prove to be much more than the bumbling idiot he was in years past.  We see Neville improve as part of the D.A. We see him stand his ground and go with Harry to the Department of Mysteries.  And he fights!  It's not his fault that his nose was broken and it affected his speech so he couldn't cast any more spells.  He did the best he could, staying close to Harry as much as possible. 

I LOVE that we get to see Neville move into more of a heroic spot!!!  And, as I've said before, I LOVE Ginny, and we get a LOT more of Ginny in this book!  I wish they could have been part of Harry's inner circle rather than on the periphery.  They are all definitely friends, and Luna, too, but I just think Harry, Ron, and Hermoine should include Neville, Ginny, and Luna in their daily activities more....

This is also the book where Harry becomes more of a leader and begins to realize that he does have leadership qualities.  He needs some refining, but the more he leads the D.A., the more he gains confidence in his ability to lead. 

But the ABSOLUTE BEST part of this book is how everyone stands together.  Harry thinks he has to do everything by himself, yet he also realizes his need for his friends as he's stuck at the Dursley's for weeks on end without any REAL word from his friends.  None of his friends will let him do anything on his own.  When he says he wants to speak to Sirius, look at how quickly all of his friends rushed to help him without a second thought to it--they didn't ask him why or what was going on; they just jumped right in and helped him. 

The bonds of friendships are forged even deeper and solidifed to be stronger in ORDER OF THE PHOENIX.  Of course, I cry at most of the sad parts throughout the series, but the one thing that made me cry the hardest each time I've read the series is in the last book when Harry, Ron, and Hermonie visit Xenophilius Lovegood and go to Luna's room---where Luna has painted the images of herself, Harry, Ron, Hermoine, Ginny, and Neville on her ceiling with FRIENDS painted across their images.  That's SOOOO beautiful......

This is truly a turning point book in the series.  THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX is necessary in order to get to the plot and subplots of the last two books. 

*Did you notice that I don't even bring up Umbridge?  I don't like talking about her because sadly, I think if I were to do a see-who-you-are-most-like-in-the-HARRY POTTER-series quiz, it would show that I'm most like her.  I don't want to think that could be true.  So I'm not bringing her up in this post at all!!!  ;)

*Read on the Nook*