Ticka ticka ticka

[altivo]

OK, got the October newsletter for my spinning guild done and posted.

Sat around during the gallery reception yesterday spinning Mongolian cashmere on a drop spindle. Not something I ever thought likely I'd be doing, but thanks to the study group, I can do that now. Did some more during lunch today, but it will take a long time to spin up the whole four ounces I have...

Nearing the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and I admit I'm feeling vaguely dissatisfied. For one thing, I'm starting to know the answers before the characters have figured them out. For another, I'm getting impatient with the amount of padding she seems to have done in order to make the book longer without advancing the story or any character developments. At least I'm finding as many laughs in it as there are sad and serious points.

Must get some sleep...

Comments

[kint.livejournal.com]

I think the middle was the worst for the padding "Ok, so they're not getting anywhere...we GET it, OK?"

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Say who's the artist for that icon, it seems very familiar :)

[kint.livejournal.com]

Go Fujimoto

http://www.japanimationbears.com

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes, that could have been trimmed or else made more interesting than it was. But what I really dislike are blow by blow accounts of battles, in anyone's writing. So what? Yes, it's ugly and people are trying to kill each other, which is damned stupid. So why spend 50 or 100 pages describing every sword cut or curse cast?

[hrrunka]

Yeah, I felt the last four HP books could each have lost a couple of hundred pages of padding and ended up better books for the loss. Deathly Hallows does have one long tedious chunk about a quarter of the way in which went on and on without adding anything of substance...

[altivo.livejournal.com]

On the other hand, it does help me think a lot less of both Dumbledore and Harry. The former for being obtuse and manipulative, the latter for being dense as a boulder.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

Yes. I even appreciated it more for that.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Hermione is overcautious and conservative, but also brilliant. She should have been a Ravenclaw, really. Harry is typical Griffindor, all about justice and values but a bit thick in the skull. Ron, frankly, should have been Hufflepuff in my opinion. I suppose he was put in Griffindor because his family loyalty was strong, but seriously...

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

Yep. Silly when the author ignores her own psychological profiling convention. Even sillier when characters seem to view Gryffindor as 'the best' (which happens particularly in this book).

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

Oooeer that's a classy bit of thread and no mistake O.O

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Photos of the show are now online. Choose the "Showtime 2007" link on that page.

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

And it wasn't even smoothly done padding it was pretty dang obvious.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Yes. I can't imagine what she was thinking. There's much she could have told that would have been more interesting.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

For example, the thiny-veiled rise-of-Nazism analogy. That could have gone further, and been instructional too. Then again, I don't know if she may have been trying to avoid too much dark and scary.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, I didn't think of NAZIsm so much as just fascism in general. Of course here in the US we've been watching the parallel rise of Homeland Security and an incredibly obtuse and devious administration. I'm sincerely hoping that people have had enough of it now and are ready to chuck these bums out on their arses, but there's a growing risk that they have become so entrenched it will take decades to root them out.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

I did mean to say fascism there. And yep, that's why I think it could have been Instructuve for Today's Youth - rather like the Ministry of Magic is a none-too-subtle poke at parts of British bureaucracy.

[dlorn.livejournal.com]

Yea, I like the little twist though, all that padding to 'attempt to' lead you one way, then a well guessed in advance twist near the end, then more padding, then a bit more padding.. then finally the end.

I think the book could have been shorter, it would have made it more action packed.

The padding reminding me of what ann Mc"Affry does. Good stuff mind.. but just way to padded with details and not enough progression.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I don't mind details if they are interesting and non-repetitive. McCaffrey did pretty well with that until she started getting so old she couldn't remember what she'd already told us. But in this case, that long cycle of repeats on "hear something outside the tent, get frightened, pack up and move next day, set up camp, repeat ad infinitum" is just silly.

The number of deus ex machina rescues and escapes exceeds my credibility threshhold. Pity, really, because back in books 2 and 3 she was doing quite well.

[goldenstallion.livejournal.com]

Dear Rider.

I quit my job today. I just want to die. I need the relaxation of death.

Imp.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Uh... I'll take this one to e-mail.