It's here!!!

Neglect.

My book blog has been neglected. If it were a child, DHS would've been called. If were the laundry, it would have mildewed. If it were milk, it would have turned into a solid.
That being said, I don't want it to be neglected. Having a baby pretty much turned my world upside down, and books and reading have taken a backseat, unfortunately.

School is pretty much where I get my reading done. I have finished three YA (young adult) books at school since October. I am working on our current book club read, A Discovery of Witches, and ever present somewhere on my nightstand is a Nora Roberts book.

As mentioned in previous posts, Gil McNeil's third installment of her knitting series comes out on the 27th! Woo hoo!

I'll try to be a better blog parent!

Just Because I had a baby...

Doesn't mean I can't still read...sometimes.
I'll admit it. Once Cayden arrived, and really before, I thought my reading would have to take a backseat, or completely disappear. While reading will never be more important than my child, it hasn't disappeared! Thank Goodness!

Here is what I do:
When I feed, I read.
When he sleeps on me, I read.

I have been able to knock out almost 80 pages in two days. No, it's not some romance novel that takes me away. And surprise! It's not Harry Potter. It is actually a book on becoming a better teacher. I'm a nerd. I love professional books. Almost as much as HP...almost.

Could this day get any better...

With my Nook in hand, I scan the lastest novels, the best beach reads, and explore titles that might fit into my goal of reading junk for the next few weeks. As I do every now and then, I check up on my British knitting author, Gil McNeil. And to what to my wandering eyes appear...

SHE HAS A NEW BOOK! Oh. My. I have been waiting for a year. And now on 12/27 Knit One, Pearl One is coming out. I really can't contain my excitement. Between this and Harry Potter, I might go into labor.

The lastest and next to the greatest news...

Okay, so it would be a little strange to be more excited about a book, than the upcoming birth of our baby. BUT with that being said, if you fall any where on the "I Love Harry Potter" spectrum, then you should check out www.pottermore.com and click on the owls. Something big is brewing, and I have to say that I am MORE than pumped! I am thinking that there is a new book in the mix and I couldn't be more excited. For now, I will leave my anticipation in check and not go on a ramble about the upcoming book possibilities.

RE: I want to read Crap. So far, so good. I finished one book of fluff and now I am on to the next. I finished The Reading Group. It falls into two categories for me: based in England, and it's about books. One thing I really enjoyed was that each month the book club actually discussed the book they were reading. It actually gave me some good ideas for books I may want to read in the future. Plus - it backs up the fact that Yes, we (book clubs) actually DO read books, and we DO discuss them. Book Club is not code for Man Bashing Club. Or Wine Drinking Only Club. Or Gossip Club. Don't get me wrong, all of those things are involved in some way, but at the center of it all are the books.

I want to read Crap

Not books about crap, but just that fun summer reading fluff. Maybe it is the weather? Maybe it is the pregnancy hormones, but there is something going on in my system that makes me put down the Harry Potter (gasp!) and pick up a Nora Roberts.
I actually walked by the book section today at Walmart, saw a Nora Roberts, which I may or may not have read, and I was hooked, or drawn. I felt a need in my gut to read THAT book. Thankfully the sane part of my body took over, and said...You have a Nook. Just download it when you get home...and so I will.

Another need to read: Non-fiction. What the HECK? Our book club has had a very unlucky past when it comes to non-fiction books. Sin in the Second City: Yuck. There may have been others, but I probably didn't read them. Let's face it, I am an imaginary...I love characters that I can relate to, stories that I can lose myself in...and non-fiction doesn't cut it! So I found myself looking at a new non-fiction book, and becoming intrigued. The Autobiography of an Execution. Sounds morbid, right? But for some reason, I REALLY want to read this.

So move over Harry Potter. We're making way for Nora Roberts and non-fiction. I might be insane.

Harry Potter: As Timeless as Disney?

Obviously, I LOVE Harry Potter. If asked I probably couldn't really pinpoint the exact reason. The imagination of JK? The need for good to overcome evil? The fact that 7 books have lured me in, and I would SERIOUSLY consider naming my child Hermione?
It's really all of the above.
Naturally I would want to go to the Harry Potter theme park. Who doesn't want to walk through Hogsmeade or have some butter beer?

Anyway, my friend and I had a conversation. She felt that the Harry Potter franchise wouldn't last that long, and that it seemed a little ridiculous to build an entire theme park around this book series. Keep in mind this friend also is the one who got me started on the books. Needless to say, I am a little more obsessed than she is.

So I started thinking... Is she right? In ten years will Harry Potter and the gang still be as popular as they are now? Is it just the movies that have bewitched the mass audience? Can it be compared to Disney? Obviously Disney has years of movies and characters to keep it going. It wasn't just a one trick pony. Our parents and our grandparents grew up watching "The Wonderful World of Disney" on Sunday nights. So it is natural that Disney will forever be in the hearts of everyone.

BUT - I think Harry can live up to the challenge. My generation were the first to be introduced to the series. We can then instill our love onto our children. Kids that are in their teens now, have grown up with the books and the movies. ABC Family has Harry Potter weekends several times a year. If you ask me, I think Harry Potter is well on his way to becoming a timeless tradition. Besides isn't "magic" the key to Disney's success? And we know that Hogwarts and Potter are full of "magic" both in Hogwarts and in the ability to inspire young readers.

Let's face it...If DollyWood can last this long, surely Harry Potter can endure.