The Remarkable Farkle McBride

I didn't know John Lithgow was an author of picture books. This is a story of a musical prodigy who, after seeing and discarding different instruments, finally finds his true calling as a conductor. I loved it. The story is cute, the illustrations are excellent, funny and singular, and--well, I love stories about kids who love music. Great book.

#91, "The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth"

"The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth"
by Ellie Hattie

Beautifully illustrated! The artwork is truly amazing and wonderful. The story is about a boy and a magical mammoth searching for the baby mammoth in a museum that has come alive. The story is fun, and there are lots of flaps with both story elements, as well as--slightly confusingly--trivia about the animals, art, and people that the characters find in the museum. I didn't care for the non-story parts, like the trivia, as it seemed that the book didn't really know whether to be educational or a magical mystery. One or the other would have made for a better, simpler and cleaner book. Fun reading it, though. And, again, the artwork is fantastic.

#66, "The Art of Eric Carle"

"The Art of Eric Carle"

Eric Carle

Eric Carle is a wonderful illustrator, one of the most creative and original artists in the realm of children's literature of any era. This book is part-biography, part-autobiography, part-survey of his life, style, and influence. It is comprised mostly of essays about the artist and his work by his editors, publishers, and others who have journeyed with him, though Carle himself writes a rather lengthy life-story as well as a rambling transcription of a talk he gave about creativity and inspiration.

The essays are good, not great. The best parts of the book are Carle's autobiography, which is witty, informative, and traces parts of his life that, maybe, some less brave might not include (such as his experience as a child in pro-Nazi Germany prior to the 2nd World War) through to his entry into the career of a children's book author and illustrator. I also was very interested to get an inside view of how he creates his illustrations. I enjoyed the story of the origins of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" the first time; it was shared several more times after that, making me wish that some other stories had been told. There are needless repetitions throughout, though I suppose that might be a function of the compiled essay format--each author just thought to include the same thing, perhaps. Fortunately, they are all well-written. Even better, Carle's vibrant and engaging artwork is showcased throughout--the real standout of the book. The final quarter is entirely selections of his 50+ year career as a professional illustrator, and brilliantly demonstrates his one-of-a-kind style. Overall, a fine read for fans of Eric Carle's work.

#whatIreadin2017

2017 Book #21, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"

"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"

J. K. Rowling

I think this is the strangest book of the whole series. It started great, had a very long bit when they were on the run that broke the pace, and then took a swan dive into a nonstop, mindblowing and satisfying final act. It utterly accomplishes its goal of completing the cycle and finally, finally giving up the secrets that had been hidden since Philosopher's/Sorcerer's Stone. Rowling is at her very best here, with wonderful dialogue, both lovable and hateful characters, excellent descriptions, and an almost unparalleled sense of how to propel story forward.

Maybe it's because I'm writing so close to the finish, but I'm not sure what to write to wrap this one up. I'm still processing a lot of this one. Deathly Hallows had a lot going on throughout its duration. My favorite thing about it was the complete lack of Quidditch. Besides that, I think my favorite thing about it is that everything is wrapped up, there are no more loose ends, the conclusion is final--and yet I still have questions. Not about the mechanics of the universe, any more--I still think there are practical holes in the whole business, but I'm able now to let it go--but about the little details. I am itching to read through them all again and try to pick up on details that I missed, or that seemed to mean one thing and now mean another, now that I know how it all works out.

Snape's memories threw nearly everything I thought I knew about the whole series into a tailspin. I can't really analyze this right now, but what a revelation, an eyepopping realization.

The finale, the showdown, was extremely effective, I thought. It could have been too tangled, too forced--but all the different parts that fell together made sense, somehow, and Voldemort's downfall was inevitable. Harry has come a long way, and I think a key to understanding his journey is how his response to each of them changes. In the previous books, he met tragedy with anger, increasing hatred. In this one, he is able to meet them with maturity, with the increased boldness of selfless sacrifice, and also, I think, by allowing them to pierce him as he could not have two or three years ago.

I do have to mention that Rowling's naming of characters is very often terrible. Which is a worse name, Albus Severus or Scorpius Malfoy? It's hard to say.

Thanks to everyone for following along as I went on this journey. I think I can now say I'm one of you--a first-year, maybe, but a member nonetheless. I just read that the Epilogue takes places this very year: 2017. Maybe it was fate that I finally finished the series just a few months before Harry and Ginny's kids start their own adventure.

#harrypotter #whatIreadin2017

2017 Book #19, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"

J. K. Rowling

The pace of the series is near breakneck at this point. Perhaps it was the extreme difference in length between this book and the previous one (Order of the Phoenix is a staggering 88,000 words longer) but I can feel the compression of the story as the arc takes an exponential jump up in seriousness and urgency. Of all the books, this one left me with the greatest sense of a cliffhanger. There, once again, is little wrap-up; there are even less satisfying answers this time around than at the hollow ending of OP. In all the previous books, we've at least had a time to debrief with Dumbledore, to understand things that were confusing, and to catch our breaths mentally as Harry and company returned to the summer holiday. We knew that we were moderately safe until the next time. Now, however, there is no time to talk things over. They have to find and destroy Voldemort, once and for all. This lack of ending gives even greater weight to the rest of the terrible things that occurred throughout the book.

Rowling as an author and a storyteller has really grown in an astonishing way from the often mundane and stilted scenes of the first few books. There was never a time when I wanted to stop, only when I HAD to stop to, you know, sleep and work. Fiction like this is rare for me, and I am really savoring the feeling of anticipation, wonder, and questioning as we continue in the series.

While nearly every chapter had memorable material, the two stand out scenes for me were Harry and Dumbledore's search in Voldemort's cave, and the infamous scene at the top of the tower. While I knew how the book ended, I had no idea that the Malfoy-Dumbledore-Snape confrontation played out the way that it did, and I was still shocked at the brutality and finality of Snape's final curse. How did Snape fool Dumbledore all these years, or, indeed, was Dumbledore fooled, or me the reader? I reckon all questions will be answered in the final Book, which is waiting to be begun as I write.

My guess is that we haven't seen the last of Ginny, and I expect there to be some kind of denouement between Ron and Hermione. Can't wait to finish the series and then go get the books and read them again. #hpandtheHBP #whatIreadin2017

#12, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"

"Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"

J. K. Rowling

I must say that the majority of this book constitutes my least favorite material in this series so far. The initial two thirds are very slow, long, and riddled with questionable internal logic. We found the entire concept of the Tri Wizard Cup to be silly. Is there no entity in the wizard world that has a concept of fairness? Anyway, at the chapter of the revelations in the Pensieve, everything changed. The pace picked up, the tension finally grew, and the concluding four chapters were among the best, most shocking, and exciting yet. Our jaws were hanging open many times in disbelief. The stakes are now higher than ever; nothing can be the same after this book.

Fred and George are still my favorite characters. I feel like seeds are being planted for something between Ron and Hermione although that's just a guess. Again, I was hoping for some sort of emotional growth in Harry, but it hasn't quite happened yet. While he does have incredible engrained loyalty, dedication, and bravery--as befits a Griffindor--he still seems stunted; cannot even allow himself to weep following the heart-rending circumstances at the graveyard. There's a long way to go yet.

Rowling's endings are very good. Getting there takes a long time. This is the last part of the series that I have any knowledge of at all. Well, except one thing...but I don't know when that thing happens or what the circumstances are that surround it. I am waiting eagerly to see what madness awaits in year 5! #whatIreadin2017

2017 Book #10: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

"Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"

J.K. Rowling

I liked this book. It is much better than Chamber of Secrets, in story as well as in writing. The story began and wrapped quite nicely, and I enjoyed the final quarter of the book the best. The primary trio of heroes, Harry, Ron, and the implausibly named Hermione are mostly likable. Lupin, on other hand, is the best character in the series so far, and I very much hope and expect that he will make more appearances in the coming books. The circumstances surrounding the Time Turner are very convenient but I'll leave that point alone. I absolutely loved the truth behind Harry's petronus!

This was also the first book where Harry appeared to have any strong emotion other than anger. I think that feels right, in a way-- with his past, and indeed his present, he ought to have a great deal of anger in his heart. We will see if this is a considered effect by the author, and, if so, how Harry deals with it for good or bad, and how his emotional responses widen as he matures.

Goblet of Fire next! #whatIreadin2017

2017 Book #7, "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"
J.K. Rowling

Despite my occasional confusion, thinking that some of the characters' actions are pointless (polyjuice potion), and believing that Hogwarts is a horrifically mismanaged, dangerous and backward institution, I am enjoying the series more and more. I am happy to know that threads I didn't even know were loose from SS were tied up, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the whole drama plays out. Fred and George are still my favorite characters, I think. #whatIreadin2017