Pottermore

If you're a Harry Potter fan, I'm sure you've heard so much about Pottermore this past week, and have probably already seen the announcement and submitted your email. If you're not a Harry Potter fan, feel free to stop reading.

I live in California, so the announcement was at 4:00 AM for me.  I set my alarm for 3:50 and went on the computer.  As I watched the last few seconds tick down off the clock, I was so excited.  I don't think I've been that excited about anything since I was about to open my brand new copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows back in 2007.

After watching the video, I was a bit confused.  I was actually thinking, "That's it?"  It was so...vague and cryptic.  But I figured that Jo wouldn't start all this hype for something that turned out to be simply sub-par.  I knew there had to be something more to this "online reading experience" than she was letting on in that video.

When I got home from summer school today, I went on Tumblr, and saw all this new information about Pottermore that I hadn't seen last night/this morning, and now I'm getting a better idea of what Pottermore is all about.  The only things I'm a little worried about are Ollivander's and the Sorting Ceremony.

There are some Potter fans, like me, who already know what wand they have (holly and dragon heartstring, 12 inches). I don't know why I picked that, but I guess I just liked that combination.  I also took a quiz after I had chosen my wand and I got the exact same result.  And my friend Bianca asked me what my wand is, and when I told her, she said she somehow already knew that.  I know "the wand chooses the wizard" and all that, and I know that the wand Jo thinks I should have would probably be more accurate than the wand I think I want, but I'm quite fond of my current wand.  I didn't mean for that to rhyme.

If anyone at least likes the Harry Potter books, you're bound to know what Hogwarts house you're in.  Some are a bit unsure and declare themselves a "Slytherdor" or a "Ravenpuff", but I, like many others, have settled on one house: Hufflepuff.  Every single person in the entire Potter community probably has a slightly different idea of how the sorting works, what traits each house might prefer, etc.  There are so many different online sorting quizzes, which is why one might be placed in different houses when taking different quizzes.  I've gotten Gryffindor and Ravenclaw a few times, but the majority of the quizzes I've taken have said Hufflepuff.  But what if Jo's idea of who belongs in Hufflepuff (or the house of your choice) is completely different from what we think?  I've been a Hufflepuff for years, and I'm extremely proud of and loyal to my house.  I don't know what I'd do if I was somehow sorted into a different house.

Maybe I'm just being paranoid.  Maybe I'm still just over-thinking things, as usual.  I am really excited for Pottermore, and I will definitely be trying to get beta access on July 31, but I can't help but worry.  Ah, well, we'll find out soon enough.  I'm sure that, no matter what happens, this will be an amazing experience and a fantastic way to keep the magic of Harry Potter alive.

Books read: 13
Disneyland trips: 7
Current song: Forever and Always by Parachute

Something Old, Something New?

Today I saw the film, Something Borrowed, with my sister.  Now, I don't want this to turn into a blog to review movies (which it probably won't because I don't nearly go to the movies often enough), but there are a few things I'd like to say about this one.  I haven't read the book, and honestly I don't plan on it after seeing the movie-- it was good, but not great-- unless someone would like to convince me otherwise.  If you haven't seen the movie and plan on it, or want to read the book, and don't want spoilers, stop reading.  If you've already seen/read it or don't care about spoilers, read on, my friend.

First things first, I love John Krasinski.  As an avid fan of the television show, The Office, one of the main reasons I wanted to see this movie was because he's in it, and he did not disappoint.  I loved his character, Ethan, and he provided great comic relief.  I have one main complaint about this movie, though.  I thought Rachel and Ethan should have ended up together.  My sister didn't agree with me on this.  She said that the entire point of the movie was so Rachel and Dex would end up together, and I get that, but just because that was the point of it, doesn't mean it was the right decision.  I have a few reasons as to why I thought this:

1. Ethan was the only character that didn't irritate me.  Darcy was just this...annoying party girl who got whatever she wanted-- the type of girl that I don't particularly like.  Rachel and Dex were just stupid.  I know that Rachel's supposed to be the protagonist, but she could have at least told Darcy what was going on.  That might have made me feel a bit more sympathetic towards her.  Dex was being a douche for cheating on his fiance, I don't care if he's liked her since law school.  Ethan seemed to be the only one with his head screwed on straight.  He was the only one who thought it was the right thing to do to tell Darcy, or to make Dex decide.  And the fact that he was a writer and his character was played by John Krasinski were just extra things that made me like him more.
2. Ethan was the only one who seemed to really care about Rachel.  He told her to stop being a pushover and to stop letting Darcy get whatever she wanted and to make Dex decide.  He wanted her to do something for herself for once.  He wanted her to be happy.  I'm sure Dex cared about her too, but he did a pretty lousy job of showing it.  Rachel and Darcy were best friends, but Darcy didn't always act like it.  She seemed to not care about what Rachel said half the time, and it was like she just hung out with her due to an obligation.
3. My final reason is because Ethan is Rachel's best friend.  The person one ends up marrying should be a best friend: someone to trust completely and who cares about you and helps you.  Also, I always seem to be one to fall for her best friend, and it sucks, so whenever I see movies or read books, I'm always rooting for the best friend.

If you want to see this movie, I wouldn't discourage it.  It was good.  Just not amazing, and let's face it, there aren't too many amazing romantic comedies nowadays.  If you're not a fan of romantic comedies, or movies in general, I promise this will be my last post about a movie, perhaps until Deathly Hallows part 2 comes out (which, by the way, I saw the trailer for on the big screen for the first time and squealed!).

Books read: 12

Disneyland trips: 6

Current song: none

Summer Reading

Now that I'm out of school for summer, I will have much more time to read.  Just yesterday I finally finished The Throne of Fire by Rick Riordan, and I'm still working on American Gods by Neil Gaiman, but I'm almost done. I can probably finish tonight.  I've also got, literally, piles of books on the floor of my bedroom just waiting to be read, and I'd like to read at least some of them before making another trip to the One Dollar Bookstore (aka heaven).  So, in no particular order, here is my list of books I would like to read this summer.  Books in italics are ones I'd like to reread.

• Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare (summer assignment for AP Lit)
• King Lear by William Shakespeare (summer assignment)
• A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare (summer assignment)
• Othello by William Shakespeare (summer assignment)
• The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien
• Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank
• An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
• Paper Towns by John Green
• The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
• The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman
• The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman
• Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
• Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
• And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

I realize I probably won't be able to read all of these, because my summer is surprisingly quite busy.  However, if you have any recommendations of books to read, that would be highly appreciated, because I'm always up to add things to the list! Also, if there's anything on this list you wouldn't recommend I read for some reason, please let me know.

Happy summer!

Books read: 10

Disneyland trips: 6

Current song: White Dress - Parachute