Pottery thoughts

[magid]

I keep getting spam advertising "Discreet, Overnight Pharmacy". Somehow that makes me imagine somewhere rather like 12 Grimauld Place, only visitable by those in need in the dark of night, also arranged so no customer ever sees another.

After rereading HP5, I started to wonder: what if he hadn't forgotten about the mirror Sirius had given him for Xmas? He wouldn't've had to rely on Floo powder, with the whole escapade trying to get a clear shot at her office, and he wouldn't've been mislead by Kreacher, either. I know he'd told himself he wouldn't use it, but when I reread it, it seemed odd that he'd not remember it at all.

I wonder if I should move plants on the porch out of terra cotta and into plastic, to avoid excessive drying.

I still haven't tried that 'paint-your-own' place on Mass. Ave. Sometime...

Comments

[chanaleh.livejournal.com]

I know he'd told himself he wouldn't use it, but when I reread it, it seemed odd that he'd not remember it at all.

Well, yeah. When I got to that part at the end -- where he rediscovers the mirror and gets all excited for a few minutes -- I was expecting a huge round of self-flagellation: "HOW could I have been so STUPID! If ONLY I had used this clever magical device introduced several chapters ago, the way Sirius told me to, it could have prevented the entire plot-hinging deception and resulting climactic battle scene! ARRGH!" But no, nothing of the sort. Maybe he's not supposed to be mature enough yet to grasp the full extent of the dramatic irony. But I was a little disappointed.

Then again, I have a hard time believing that Sirius's death is as much a done deal as it seems, either. It's a bit pat. I think there's more coming.

Overall, I worry that JKR has become such a hot property that her books are no longer getting the editorial rigor they deserve before publication. "Yeah, yeah, JK, we're sure it's great, let's get it to the typesetter!"

[magid.livejournal.com]

I feel a bit foolish for having missed that whole almost sub-plot. He didn't go into angst over it, he didn't take the time for reflection (er, as it were), but stayed wholly in the moment. In fact, the mirror hasn't served any purpose (yet) that would make it worth including, and is a big negative for the plot. I wonder if there's some way she's intending it to come into play later, like once Sirius has gotten to wherever he went, or fought his way out from behind the veil, or something.

I agree that Sirius' death was a bit too pat.

I think her writing or the copy editing has gotten a bit better since the first book, but yeah, for plot lines and stuff, it's less clear.

Which is not to say I'm not looking forward to VI and VII, but it's not that edge-of-the-seat excitement like wanting to get a new Guy Gavriel Kay, for instance...