Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (#5) by J.K. Rowling

★★★

*** Warning: This review contains spoilers! ***

Ugh. This book really could have been a lot better. The writing was just as good as in previous books, but the story development was unsatisfying. I guess I was supposed to believe that Harry was just a typical teenager who didn't always think clearly or act rationally, but it was just so frustrating reading about his exploits while Hermione or Ron provided the voice of reason that he didn't heed.

I didn't understand why Harry wouldn't tell Professor McGonagall about the corporal punishment that Umbridge was inflicting on him in detention. And why didn't Harry speak up earlier about what happened in the graveyard? He could have saved himself a lot of angst. Probably lots of people didn't believe him because he never spoke in detail about it, which could reasonably be interpreted as suspiciously defensive behavior. When Hermione led Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest, I understand that something had to be done about Umbridge, but I can't help but feel that the centaurs and Grawp were all very ill-used! I can't believe that Harry, Hermione, AND Ron all forgot that Snape was in the Order, and why did J.K. Rowling introduce the two-way mirror in this book in this way!? UGH! That was worst part - if Harry had opened the mirror earlier, he would have had a simple and easy way to communicate with Sirius, and the whole Department of Mysteries fiasco could have been avoided, not to mention Sirius's death. If J.K. Rowling wanted to kill off Sirius, couldn't she have come up with a way to do it without making it all Harry's fault? Or was there some reason that she wanted readers to blame Harry?! Anyway, it also seemed to be a real shame that all those prophecies in the Department of Mysteries got destroyed. And lastly, I can understand why Dumbledore didn't want to tell Harry about the prophecy, but how hard would it have been for him to EXPLAIN why Harry needed Occlumency lessons?! Sigh.

On the bright side, this book did do a good job developing Ginny's character. Finally we see evidence that she was smart, funny, a good Quidditch player, and a powerful witch.

Conviction (2010)

★★★★

An amazing true story. If only we all could be so lucky as to have someone like Betty Ann in our lives - someone who is always on our side, who believes in us and fights for us, against all odds. Uneven Boston accents are a bit distracting, but the pace is good, and so is the acting. I really like the clever title, too.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (#4) by J.K. Rowling

★★★★

*** Warning: This review contains spoilers! ***

In high school, my creative writing teacher once told the class, "Never give up an opportunity to describe a scene." J.K. Rowling must have gotten the same advice at some point because, seriously, 734 pages for a children's book!?!

Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I thoroughly and completely enjoyed immersing myself in the wizarding world! I think the first time I read this book, all the teenage drama really annoyed me. For some reason, though - maybe because the movie did such a great job bringing that drama to life - I didn't mind it all this time around. I dare say I even liked it.

More than any other Harry Potter book so far, The Goblet of Fire had a whole lot going on. Aside from all the usual suspects and school-related activities, J.K. Rowling also gave us the Quidditch World Cup, the Triwizard Tournament, S.P.E.W., Rita Skeeter, Ludo Bagman, and Barty Crouch! I'm pretty sure that the first time I read the book, I couldn't even keep Bagman and Crouch straight. This time, I had a better understanding of the big picture, plus I kept track of all my questions, and happily everything was answered in the end. And what an ending it was! For a few pages there, I actually had tears in my eyes.

I like, too, that in this book, Harry received some words of wisdom, some good life lessons, from the adults around him. After the episode in the graveyard, Dumbledore tells Professor McGonagall that Harry should hear what Barty Crouch, Jr. has to say because, "Understanding is the first step to acceptance, and only with acceptance can there be recovery." And in the face of Voldemort's return, Hagrid tells Ron, Hermione, and Harry, "No good sittin' worryin' abou' it. What's comin' will come, an' we'll meet it when it does."

One thing keeps bugging me, though... There seemed to be one glaring flaw in the basic premise of the whole book. Barty-Crouch-Jr.-disguised-as-Mad-Eye-Moody bewitching the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey and then going to extreme lengths to ensure that Harry Potter would compete, not die, and even win the Triwizard Cup seemed excessively complex. Why didn't the fake Moody just turn, say, a book in his office into a Portkey. Then, when the timing was right, he could simply invite Harry into his office for a chat, and in the course of the visit, say to Harry, "Can you pass me that book please?" Easy peasy! And Cedric Diggory wouldn't have had to die!

Also, once again, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when a defining scene in the movie wasn't in the book. In particular, I wish the book had Neville giving Harry the gillyweed, and I thought the way in which the movie had Karkaroff outing Barty Crouch, Jr. was more dramatic than the way it unfolded in the book.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (#3) by J.K. Rowling

★★★★½

Another rating upgrade upon re-reading - from 4 to 4 1/2 stars!

This was my favorite in the series the first time around, and I enjoyed it just as much the second time. The truth about Sirius Black, and his relationship with Harry's father and Professor Lupin, is just fantastic. I love the idea of Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs - it's just too bad about Wormtail.

I know it's not fair to expect J.K. Rowling to have thought up the absolute best way to present every detail, but I have to admit that occasionally, when I got to a scene that was particularly memorable in the movie, I was disappointed that the book's version wasn't as good.

Eclipse (2010)

★★½

I haven't read the books, so I'm not really vested in the story, but I was disappointed by this latest installment. It just dragged. Really slow and melodramatic, everyone speaking in dramatic whispers all the time, Bella always frowning. A lot of bad acting and overacting by the vampires.

Inkheart (2008)

★★★

A rare case in which the movie was actually better than the book!

I liked the book, but I wouldn't say I'm a huge fan, so all the deviations in the movie really didn't bother me. The movie was true to the spirit of the book, and all the condensing made for a well-paced movie.

I was pleasantly surprised that the character of Dustfinger was much more appealing than he was in the book. The Black Jackets were a bit over-the-top - even considering that I expected them to be over-the-top - but their campiness made the movie more suitable for kids anyway. Capricorn reminded me of the Sheriff in the BBC series Robin Hood.

I actually much preferred the movie's ending over the book's ending. The book is the first of a trilogy, and even though I haven't read the second or third books yet, the finality of the movie's ending makes it seem like there are no plans to make movie versions of books two and three.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (#2) by J.K. Rowling

★★★½

This is my second time reading this book, and I'm upgrading it from 3 stars to 3 1/2 stars.

I remember the first time around, I felt like unanswered questions just kept accumulating. Yes, they all got answered by the end, but it was still a bit much to keep track of, especially for a children's book. Since I already knew a lot of the background information this time, I could more easily enjoy the story without being distracted by confusion and curiosity.

This book, unfortunately, has the first "Harry Potter moment", in which Harry does something completely stupid and irrational instead of sensibly going to Professor McGonagall and telling her what he knows. But I guess if he had, there wouldn't have been quite as interesting or exciting an adventure to read about, right?

Muddy Moose Restaurant and Pub - North Conway, NH

★★★★

We picked this place completely by random and had no idea it was so popular! It's definitely a find, and a place I would recommend if you happen to be in the North Conway area.

We arrived on a Tuesday just when it opened for lunch at 11:30 AM. We didn't know how lucky we were to be shown a table right away until we left and saw the long line of waiting customers. Apparently, it's the type of place that sells its own souvenirs, and their decor had a fun lodge theme, with a moose head and bear skin on the wall, and light fixtures made of antlers.

The menu is very broad, with a couple specialty items, and they seem to do everything well. Our Maine Mussels appetizer was delicious, and everyone was happy with their entrees. My dad got Trapper Dale’s Venison Pasta, made with blueberry venison sausage; my mom got Shrimp Scampi, which had a generous portion of large shrimp; Ken got Wild Bill’s Buffalo Enchilada, made with buffalo meat; and I got the River Run Fish Melt, probably the most boring plate, but I just felt like having a fish sandwich today.

Our waitress was nice, too. She saw that the kids were fussy, and she brought over more bread before we had to ask. Sebastien was being difficult because he wanted macaroni and cheese, which wasn't on the menu, and the waitress suggested a pasta with alfredo sauce as a substitute. As it turned out, Sebastien wanted grilled cheese as soon as he saw Isabelle's plate, and the waitress changed the order for us.