Upon reading Harry Potter 1-4 for the fourth time, I've come to the conclusion that I rather resemble Hermione. Well, not in everything, obviously - my parents aren't dentists, and I never got my Hogwarts letter, but there are plenty of similarities:
- we both have bushy brown hair and rather big front teeth
- we both spend (spent) a lot of our time at school in the library, and are (were) examplary students
- we both care greatly for the rights of animals and other non-human creatures
- we both have a dislike for rule-breaking and confrontations, while under the right circumstances we can be quite brave, and we favour adventurous friends
Another dissimilarity: I have never been quite such a know-it-all. Well, I wasn't in school, anyway. I may have become quite verbal at courses since then, but as far as I can tell, people find me rather charming. Not a know-it-all. Even when I do. Know it all. Ha! :P
I just dropped off some books at the library. They weren't library books, but books that had been sitting on my bookshelves in misery, because they weren't being read, and if they were honest with themselves, they knew there was little chance that they were going to be read. Luckily, my local library is having a book sale, and they were happy to take my books and put them on the sale table.
I did it: finished The Hobbit in time! In time to not have to bring it to Norway - I have enough luggage as it is (I might have to pay for a ticket just for luggage soon).
I checked the edition I got, well, sort of. It's illustrated by Alan Lee. Only, in the bookstore, I saw there's The Hobbit and a Lord of the Rings (all three books in one) with a gold line, and the three LotR books separately without the gold line. Is it or is it not a different edition? I don't mind it being different, as long as I know that there is no edition of the three books with the gold. I do not want to get them in one, they're heavy enough as separate books, thank you very much.
Having finished H2G2 - boy did I not see that ending coming - I've started on The Hobbit. My copy, btw, is a lovely hardback with coloured and b&w illustrations, and oh yes I might learn to read (and write?) runes along the way. It's just a little on the large side for fitting into my standard migration bag, so I'm hawling my tote bag along these days as well. Not that I particularly mind the tote bag, reminds me of the happy hours I spent at Bloomingdales in NYC last autumn, just the weight. Oh, sissy, I know.
Anyhoot, reading it, I am captured by the magic with the first page. I am very much looking forward to this adventure! And just a tiny bit sorry to break the bank in getting the rest of Tolkien's work. Lovely lovely lovely.
1. Poetry or prose?
Prose, although I couldn't live without poetry.
2. Funky modern art or the older, "classic" variety?
Classic, I guess.
3. Sculptures or paintings?
Paintings. Sculptures. Both?
4. Theatre: exuberant musical or serious drama?
Serious drama, definitely. If I want to see a musical, I'll wait for the special dvd edition.
5. Ballet or modern dance?
Ballet. Both classic and the more modern, although I guess I prefer the classics, really.
6. Movies: major studio or indie?
They're both responsible for productions not to be sneezed at, and productions to run away from, trying not to trip in your own vomit.
7. Authors: Shakespeare or Dr. Seuss?
Shakespeare.
8. TV: PBS or A&E?
What? I mean: pardon?
9. Music: Beethoven or Beatles?
Both! Definitely.
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: You are a contributing member of your favorite art museum, and visit on a regular basis. They announce a new, temporary special exhibit by an artist surrounded by controversy...this person's work and/or political views offend you. Do you stop supporting the museum, or just stay away during the time the exhibit is there?
Just the exhibit.
I think I've finally come to the part of H2G2 I didn't read before, or I'm getting close, since while all had me hanging on to the edge of my seat, what went before at least had a familiar feel to it, kinda like deja vu, with the consolidation that I did see it before. The latest chapters lack that deja vu notion, so I'm assuming it's new material, as in new to me.
Strangely enough, I owe Mr. B. some thanks. Thanks to him, I have more time to read my book in the morning - since I categorically don't read the bits in the papers dealing with his business in Asia, and the papers categorically hardly contain any news other than that.
Funny quote on bbcworld: "... stuck between Iraq and a hard place." (okay, she may have said 'a rock' instead of the I-word, but can you blame me for hearing that differently?)
This may not strictly count as a book, but it's great reading material! The catalogue of the Dolls House Emporium. Instead of ravaging H2G2, or getting all depressed about the news, I've been ogling windows and other miniatures this morning. Oh, yes, I want to win the lottery!