Books

July 20, 2007

I have become quite distracted by a book called Pure Magic by Judika Illes. It is the first book about magic that I have felt comfortable with. I’ve always been fascinated by folk magic, I think I got that fascination from my grandparents who, as far as I can recall, practiced their own folk magic… my grandma in her kitchen and my grandpa in his garden. The approach to magic and the spells that are outlined in this book are the closest to what I recall of my grandparents and the things they tried to share with me. Things that were forbidden in my house, so I never really got very good at understanding them. It’s really exciting for me to have discovered this book. I plan to make good use of the information it contains.

The other major distraction in my life is the new Harry Potter book. Or at least it will be, once I get my hands on it. I’m expecting my book tomorrow in the UPS truck from Amazon. I really don’t be expecting to do much but read all weekend.

Not that that’s a bad way to spend the weekend.

~

Harry Potter Update: I finished Deathly Hallows Sunday night around 8:30. In case you’re wondering, I did not ’speed-read’ any of it. I simply did little else but read it, seriously neglecting husband, cat and household duties. I’ll be spending today catching up on tasks that I normally accomplish on the weekends. But it was worth it!

It was a good finish to a great story. Parts of it were awesome. While I wouldn’t call J.K. Rowling a great author, I can certainly can say she is a great storyteller. She is very adept at plot twists and creating strong, complex characters.

The main themes of love, loyalty, sacrifice and courage that have run through the series are prominent here, along with forgiveness. I do think the book could have benefited with a bit of editing in the some of the slower sections. But overall it was a pleasure to read and I’m very happy with it.

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