Spoliers: Anyone finding re-reading the new book hard?

[Lizzy Bennet]

I ask this question because I've found, knowing all I know, that so many parts of the book (like when they run to the Department of Mysteries) are now harder to read. I mean, I know what's going to happen. I find reading the events leading up to Sirius's death is much harder...I understand his death now, I know it's coming, and I know how Harry feels about it and how alone he feels. Now, perhaps the Umbridge parts will be easier as I know, in the end, they get even with her and get her chased out. Personally, I wish the centaurs or Grawp had killed her--terrible to say, but she really does inspire great dislike from the reader!

Is any of what I'm saying making sense? It feels like a different book, and so difficult in spots, particularly anything I read about Sirius or the Department of Mysteries, than the book I first read! I can't really explain it, I can only hope someone else knows how I feels and/or understands! Reading to find answers so much before, there was fine detail I missed, and now that I can read for detail, knowing the answer, the foreshadowing is so sad and much more impacting this time around.

Just wait until I go back and re-read my favorite book--book #3 of the series (Prisoner of Azkaban)--given who dies in book 5, that'll be *really* hard!


~ Lizzy Bee (a combination of my old ["Bumblebee_Graduate"] and new name, as well as a reference to the Animagus Dumbledore )

[Person#11]

I usually wait a while, but the book is still different. Sirius's death will definately be different because there was no dramatic irony, orginally I had no idea when the character would die, although I did think it would either be Sirius or Hagrid, once the Grawp chapter was over I was sure it would be Sirius I didn't realize that he would just die right then.

[Lizzy Bennet]

I haven't started re-reading in full yet--just certain sections, but I certainly agree, Person #11, it is different...you do have the dramatic irony you did not have before. I find I focused on a lot more details and things when I re-read the Department of Mysteries showdown last night, and yes, it was quite sad.

[Malachim]

I've only reread a few sections and I don't find it hard per se....
Course I am now reading for detail to better help understand and guess the direction in which the series will go.

I think it will be harder when I go back for a complete pleasure reread. I'm not ready for that though yet and when I do I think it will be a series reread. I always find that the best way to get the flow of the story. In fact I always reread my most favorite series to glean new info. Often you find little things you missed in an eariler book that weighs heavily in another another book but meant nothing in and of itself.

For now I'll just pick it apart like a chicken wing

[Lizzy Bennet]

Good idea, Mal! I could re-read certain sections in book 5 for details, then go back and re-read the whole series. I don't think I'm ready or can handle, yet, re-reading the 5th book--it's a long one! Besides, as you said, by re-reading the whole series, I'll get a better perspective. I guess the only reason I was tempted to re-read book 5 now is because I felt I missed so much the first time, but perhaps just spot reading some spots will quell that feeling, then I can re-read the series.

I wonder how many times one would have to re-read the series to make up for the time until book 6 comes out?

[Person#11]

I've re-read the fourth book in whole once, and the first book in whole twice.

If both of the books came out by the end of 2006 maybe I could wait that long, but I think we will probably be wait at least 18+ months for the next book, and that is if it happens to only be at long as book three, which might happen because Rowling had said they would get shorter after book 4. But book five is over 100 pages long even though it is in slightly smaller print (American edition).

[Malachim]

Well Lizzy, judging by how successful it was for JKR to wait as long as she did for book 5's release, I'll bet it's going to be about as long again for book 6. In that case I hope you have other series you like!

If not let me know and maybe I can turn you on to a couple

[IRideAFirebolt]

I was re-reading the "fight" scene today and i just dont think we have heard the last of Sirius. Somehow he will be back.

[Lizzy Bennet]

Seeing as my 'business' is books, I *should* be ok with finding other things to read , but I never turn down an offer to tell me about other books! However, I don't think that is necessarily appropriate on this thread...let me see if I can dig up the thread we have going about books we like besides Harry Potter!

Well, I couldn't find one (though, maybe I didn't look hard enough!), so I started my own which you can find by clicking on the link below:

http://www.broomsticksandowls.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=25417#25417

Enjoy posting there . . . I look forward to seeing what you (and anyone else interested in sharing good books, other than Harry Potter, to read!) feel is a 'must-read'!


~ Lizzy

[Nothlit]

I have to agree about rereading, at least this soon after my initial reading. I can't make myself do it yet...not really sure why. Maybe I'm just oversaturated with Harry? I did re-read the entire series over the week leading up to book 5's release, so I can definitely vouch for that being a good idea. You do notice a lot of things in the earlier books that make a lot more sense now that you've read the later books. And again, there is that dramatic irony. *sniff* I'll probably give it at least a week or two before I even attempt to re-read large portions of OotP. I fear that if I tried to right now, I would end up disliking the book.

[Lizzy Bennet]

I have to agree about rereading, at least this soon after my initial reading. I can't make myself do it yet...not really sure why. Maybe I'm just oversaturated with Harry?

I feel a bit like that myself right now, Nothlit! hehehe

Regarding the death in book 5 and other such things, it's interesting...when I was reading, I was reading so intensely and there was so much detail and (towards the end) so much going on, I don't think it all quite sunk in. As I've mentioned earlier, as I read about Harry's reaction to the death, and then finished the book, and then posted, and then finally understood what happened with the veil, and then had time to think it all over, it gets harder and harder to accept. I can't pick up that book and read about Sirius that I don't feel like "what a waste". All the things I just read and took in before now have all these foreshadowing elements or, at the very least, remind me of what is to come.

Book 5, though exciting and well worth the read, was pointed out to me by my mother (who's had to take a break--she feels so exhausted--from reading [she isn't finished reading the first time yet]) as a book that is rather depressing. Not depressing in the sense that she expected it to be happiness in light, but rather she was saying, "Anything that can go wrong does" and she can't help but feel nervous for Harry as well as bad for him. She was talking about how at least he had Sirius--that Sirius was "family" and loved him and that since book 3, finally, Harry had someone he could consider his family, like a surrogate Dad--and I can't tell you how much hearing that (knowing she has no idea who is going to die) broke my heart.

[werebane]

i think its to easrly to re-read it yet. thats why im going to read all the books, try and pick up any clues i may have missed in my other 7-8 times reading those books

[June]

I find it hard to re-read too, knowing what's going to happen. I'm dreading it a bit, since I'm just starting to re-read now, after re-reading the first 4 books (about the 20th time.. =P ) again. It's actually pretty interesting to re-read the first 4 books after the 5th book though.. I seem to pick out a lot of hints etc in those books that I never did before, and get so excited when I found out that characters that were introduced in more detail in Book 5 had appeared in the other books before. ^_~

But yes, I'm going to find myself asking why.. oh why didn't harry notice this or that, or why didn't Dumbledore tell him or cursing Kreacher along the way etc etc... ...

[HuffleDuck]

I kinda regretted that i had skipped like a whole bunch of chapters to see who dies... And I kinda rush thru the book and missed out so many details..I had reread sudden chapters and found out that there are a lots of clues.. and so many questions had arose in me.... I like many of you kinda havea hard time rereading sudden parts.( death and Umbridge's grrrrrrr..***)But it's really fun though for some comemments and parts in there are so damn funny.. Have anybody noticed that Ginny is so cool in this book? She's no longer shy and clumsy ect.... I loved Ginny in this book...I think she and Neville, their personalities had improved greatly in the cool way 8). The best part in the book is when they chased Umbridge... I laughed when Peeve borrowed McGon's walking stick ..

[werebane]

its just hard to re-read the chapters w/ no real point to them ie: dudley demented