The Bookish Life: Favorite Author

Harry Potter has been my life for so many years. To be accurate its been my secret second life. I have destroyed a basilisk, I have had detention with Ron Weasley, used Hermoine’s wand and have suffered Dolores Umbridges. I wish my famous second life was real. The truth is I waited an entire summer for That Letter. If you are a fan you know what I am talking about. Yes, the very same, application to enter Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite meeting, He-Who-Cannot-Be-Named several times, I still haven’t got that letter. If you ever read this Headmistress: I need time to show my magical abilities to you, if you agree can 15 year olds join Hogwarts too? I don’t think I can give the OWLS straight away so I’d like to start from scratch and line up with the first years. Thanking you, your biggest fan, Sanskriti Bist

McGonagall won’t ever read this so my mind tells me but the heart says to give her time and to practice on my hidden magical skills. Accio would be so useful if only I could transform my pen into a wand.

My Recent Self-Discovery: (or as Kung Foo Panda says it “Inner Peace”)

I realized HP inner peace- it took me 3
weeks, though it took Master Shifu
years!

Before writing this post I thought to write about all the Harry Potter Books, I am glad that I changed my mind. Harry Potter does not need to reviewed upon such is its power. It took me three weeks to realize its potential (during the period you might have noted my absence). I was thinking. Thinking over and over again. Truthfully I also reviewed up till book three and even asked Vidhi Sharma her opinion about each book. I was serious, determined but a small part of me remained dubious. Therefore, I thought to write about most of my history and what Harry Potter means to me.

Timeline:

Our generation is called the Harry Potter Generation. We grew up with it. Ever since I was little I read about it in magazines, I remember my brother reading a really fat book I use to look at with terrifying eyes (100 pages was world record at that time), I also remember my first grade friend telling me some Danielle Radcliff gossip and watching the first movie in French because my brother was very excited about it he didn’t care about the language.

I read the book with the very same cover
8 years ago.

Since I am me, I have to be opposite to what everyone thinks. You may as well throw tomatoes and eggs at me now for saying this (you would be sane too) but I hated Harry Potter. Hate is not a word sufficient to illustrate my emotions at that time. I despised it as much as I despise Twilight now. (Though I know I will hate twilight forever unlike Harry Potter) But the least you can do is empathize with me; I was only Seven years old. Can you imagine that, a seven year old Sanskriti Bist reading Harry Potter because her brother was so eager to make her read it? Truthfully, you can’t because you weren’t there and you didn’t know my brother at that time. As stupid as any seven years old can be I left Harry Potter at its second last chapter and vowed to never read it again. In my mind, I shelved it has rubbish and never to be read pile and I-will-Personally-Kill-You-If-You-read-Harry-Potter-Ever-Again. I was much more mature at that time. I remember saying, how can you believe in such things, there aren’t such things as witches moreover a school filled with them! You see I was sensible but I loathed things that didn’t resemble my world because I lacked imagination.

But then eventually my seven year old mind ceased to an exit and a new character was born. This character was nine years old, bright, full of imagination and a die heart Harry Potter fan. Yes that was me. Could that dull seven year old Saskriti see that her 12 year old self would be kicked out of a store for reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the day it was released for secretly reading behind a bookshelf because she didn’t have enough pocket money to buy it? Could she ever imagine that her future 14 year self would go to see the seventh movie with the book (and if allowed with Harry Potter apparel)? No she couldn’t. She was a lousy bookworm who believed in facts. She didn’t know that that precise knowledge had some day came from what we call imagination.

The shop in Geneva, Switzerland that kicked me out. It is unfair because my brother read the entire Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince from the same place and they didn't even kick him.

Now Finally, Harry Potter…

Besides learning about how to produce a Patronous, Harry Potter has taught more then I could have learnt otherwise. First of all JK Rowling has given me magical characters and a beautiful world but most of all she has given me the magic of words. She’s shown me that I can express myself through my words magically. Did you know how many times she was rejected by major Publishers? 12. “Perseverance is the key.” These are the words that come into my mind every time I sit down and read any Harry Potter. You need to try hard to get what you want to achieve.

Pure-bloods, half bloods, mud bloods. All these are being discriminated along with bests such as Centaurs, Goblins and House- Elves. Looking at this issue carefully, Rowling uses these mythical creatures as her way of showing what is happening in today’s world. There is a constant racial, political and sexual difference among our people. She just shows, that it’s not what you are but it’s because what you do, that makes you so different and special.

There is a constant message of love and how important family is our lives. How much we try to deny it comes to us in the end when we need it the most.

How much I crave for a wand!

The power of the mind is also a valuable teaching I have received from Harry Potter. I know everyday I crave for a wand. With a flick I wouldn’t even have to wake up. I could get all my things while just lying around. But doing that would take a mind, I would have to memorize the spell, see how it is pronounced and whether to wave the wand of jerk the wand. Its would take a brain to do that and most importantly my choice in the action. Without mind power we have no opinions and we wouldn’t even defend the things crave for.

Harry Potter has changed lives of millions of children and teenagers all over the world. While researching I found a website called http://www.dearmrPotter.org/ it shows the account of children and how Harry became friends of the friendless, how two sisters became close and how it became a thing worth living for.

War on: Harry Potter and Twilight

I don’t get why there is even a war between them in the first place. Isn’t it obvious that JK Rowling is the better author and has a better story with a good plot. I am officially sick of dissing about twilight. Its about time you twilighters actually read Harry Potter, we’ll see where you stand then. The words below are placed wonderfully by Stephen King:

"Harry Potter teaches you how to face your fears, how to grow, how to become independent, how to accept who you are. Twilight teaches you how important it is to have a boyfriend."

In the end, I like to say thank you to JK Rowling who has changed my way of thinking. Shown me a life that says Imagine... Because it’s worth it in the end. To the boy who lived, you’re just not a book your much more then that. I’ve always believed in you and will for the rest of my life.

Last week, I got Graceling by Kristin Cashore from Flipkart-I had ordered it. As a matter of fact, it was supposed to come in 11^th April but I got it sixteen days earlier! I was so excited that I took pictures of it to capture the moment forever:

I got my book from Flipkart, packed up neatly and safely at around 6:00 PM.

I opened it up: The book is so slippery and SHINY! It smells so good :D

Its twinkling in the light! My Graceling..sigh!!

Finally the cover: "Spellbinding"!

Graceling:

Katsa’s been able to kill a man with a her bare hands ever since she was eight years old. It’s not that she likes killing, she hasn’t planned it either, she was born with it or you can call it Graced. Gracelings, in the land of the Seven Kingdoms are identified by their unmatching eyes, as soon as they settle the King takes them into his service so he can use whatever unusual talent they contain. Katsa, the niece of King Randa of Middluns has the grace of killing. King Randa, having control over her forces her to serve as his assassin making her hate herself for what she is and what she does. To hide her ruthless demeanor she has started up a movement to save people, which is when she acquaints with Prince Po, a Graceling from another land called Lienid who is graced in fighting. He has come to Katsa's city, in Middluns to find his Grandfather and he is sure Katsa has something to do with it.

My Opinion:

I don’t have any favorite author but one that borders around it is: Kristin Cashore. Her debut novel itself started from Graceling and I have to admit most first time novelists tend to screw up with their fresh ideas. The case with Ms.Cashore was quite the contrary she builds a imaginary world of the Seven Kingdoms containing all types of kings and maintains the imperfect harmony withstanding between them. Her words seem to flow so naturally, when we cant even imagine them being used in our daily lives.

Kristin Cashore one of the best
debut authors in YA Literature

Her characters are so flawed making as many as tiny mistakes like we human beings do, unlike some characters in other novels whose settings tend to have flaws but not the characters themselves. Katsa an unusual girl warrior is one of my favorite characters. In her journey of self discovery Katsa doesn’t even know who she is until the end, you can see her blossom into someone independent and capable of making her own decisions and truly, not someone else’s puppet.

Other characters such as Po, the Prince of Leinid, has a mysterious aroma surrounding him, he withholds a terrible secret that might spread through the Kingdoms like fire and betraying the loyal trust of all his beloveds, his father-the king, his seven brothers and even Katsa of Middluns. Princess Bitterblue the cousin of Prince Po and also the daughter of the King of Monsea, Leck, intrigues the reader very much (it will intrigue you more if you know the third book is based on her). Her role develops quite rapidly, a frightened child to being responsibly equipped to dealing with situations she would have never dreamed of earlier.

All in all, it’s a must read for every Young Adult Fantasy Lovers! If you liked Graceling, I would really recommend you to pick up “Fire” a prequel to Graceling by Kristin Cashore which is set thirty-five years before the story of Katsa and also “Bitterblue” which will be released near September 2011, set in a time six years ahead of Graceling.