Failing Rereading Chamber of Secrets

STRAP IN LADIES, GENTLEMEN AND HOWEVER YOU IDENTIFY YOURSELVES! 

This blog post is gonna get messy (not sure if in a good way or a bad way, but we shall see!). Allow me to explain. As you all probably know, I am in a huge reading slump. Probably one of the worst I have been in since I started book blogging over ten years ago. This is due to anxiety and other outside forces that I won't get into at the moment, but you would know that, while I am audiobooking and slowly reading, it's become a struggle. 

Now, normally, when in a reading slump, I usually reread a book I love and know inside out. Normally, I reread Sabriel by Garth Nix. But seeing as I reread a few years back and I know it inside out (it's one of my fave fantasy reads), I wanted to reread something else. I was thinking of rereading either The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman or Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling. I decided in the end to reread Chamber of Secrets as I relistened to a few podcasts that's rereading Harry Potter, chapter by chapter, and thought this would be a good idea as, while I know the story well, Chamber isn't my fave book in the series. 

So, I started to reread it. And I stopped as I started chapter eleven: the Duelling Club. 

I have reasons. Reading slump, the fact I disagree with JK Rowling, the fact the world is burning (UK and US politics - I mean, what the ACTUAL F**K?!). But the biggest reason is, while I know this story really well (how many times have I reread this since it was first published in 1999?), rereading this made me be more cynical. Not only that, I looked at certain things and went "If this character did [insert idea here] or just told [insert character name here], then NONE OF THIS WOULD HAPPENS! WHY ARE YOU ALL SO STUPID?!"

*cough*

Sorry. But rereading this made me a little angry and my adult, reading slump brain spotted things that my 12/13 brain didn't.

Harry Potter #re3 2015 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secret

Why hello again! Welcome back to me trying to read all seven Harry Potter books within one year. Today, in the second month of this year, I have read (and am typing up) Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

My reactions now I have reread this book? I forgot how much I dislike this book within this series. And I mean, really dislike it.

I just forgot how much I cringe when reading Chamber. The first few chapters I just powered through because, while I love Dobby, I just find it hard to read. And then we have Lockhart - the slime known as Lockhart. Every time he appeared, I just wanted to shudder. I forgot/blocked his Valentine's Day plans and when I remembered, I recoiled from the book, going "NONONONO!"

Change the blog post before I said to rant and rave! 

What I found really interesting was that this is (according to the Ring Theory - a theory where each book reflects another [Philosopher's Stone reflects Deathly Hallows, Chamber of Secrets reflects Half Blood Prince, Prisoner of Azkaban reflects Order of the Phoenix, leaving Goblet of Fire standing alone) how the clues hinted at the information we discover in Half Blood Prince. For example, in an early chapter, the mention of an opal necklace and a vanishing cabinet was mentioned (and the vanishing cabinet was mention again in a latter chapter by Flinch several chapters later [chapter 10 or 11]) , both of these are hugely important to Half Blood Prince. 

There is two other points of huge interest. On page 253 of the edition I read, there's a line that says "Harry couldn't explain, even to himself, why he didn't just throw Riddle's diary away." and then on page 357, Dumbledore says to Harry "Unless I am mistaken, he [Voldermort] transferred some of his powers to you the night he gave you that scar." HOROCRUX ALERT!!! DUMBLEDORE KNEW HERE! I guessed he suspected in Philosopher's Stone when Harry asked him at the final chapter, but we know from this little line that Dumbledore knew for certain here. 

Before I go away and figure out when I am going to read my fave Harry Potter book, Prisoner of Azkaban, can I ask you guys a quick question. Can someone explain why Hermione, a huge book lover, tore a page out of a book then wrote the word Pipes on it? She tore a page out of the book, defacing the book, and then wrote on the page, defacing the page. Why didn't she take the book out of the library and bookmark the page with a piece of parchment with the word pipes? Was Hermione just rushing, or was she acting justly, even though (in my honest opinion), this is the book where Hermione acts the most out of character for lack of reason?

Ok, blog post over. I will leave you now. 2 books down, 5 to go and the next book is my fave in the series!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!!! 

PS - sorry there's no cover of which Harry Potter cover I read. For some reason, Blogger didn't want to show it. Sorry everyone!!! 

#re3 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

MY FIRST #RE3 OF THE YEAR! And, with all my possible planning, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets wasn't my first #re3 read of the year. I was actually thinking of rereading either Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi or Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi.

But here we are so let's get cracking, shall we? 

WHY DID YOU REREAD HARRY POTTER AND THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS?As I have previously stated, this wasn't my first choice for a reread. I wanted to reread either Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi or Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi. But stuff happened (which I might tell you about in a future post but not yet. Let me enjoy this newness! [It's not a bad thing, by the way so NO WORRYING!]) and I wanted something comforting. And, for a reason I don't really understand, Chamber of Secrets was the book that called to me. 

WHAT WAS YOUR HONEST OPINION OF THIS BOOK WHEN YOU FIRST READ IT?

When I first read this (I was either 12 or 13 at the time), I really enjoyed this book, but I felt that it was very dark compared to Philosopher's Stone (oh, the irony!). And for a very long time, I disliked this book with quite a bit of passion till a few years ago when, on impulse, I decided to reread this and I actually enjoyed the book and I felt like I "got" it... 

WHAT IS YOUR HONEST OPINION NOW THAT YOU HAVE REREAD THIS BOOK?
Ok, this isn't going to be my fave Harry Potter book. I've accepted this fact a few years ago, but rereading Chamber of Secrets this time round, I suddenly remembered why I had a strong dislike for this book - Gilderoy Lockhart. I forgot how much I LOATHE the man. I mean, HOW CAN NO ONE SEE THAT HE'S A FRAUD?! HOW CAN NO ONE SEE IT?! 

IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE YOU WANT TO US?
Two things, real quick. 

The first is chapter five - The Whomping Willow - when, on page 54 of the UK edition, the Weasley family had "...almost reached the motorway when Ginny shrieked that she'd left her diary." This is Tom Riddle's diary. If she didn't realise that she had forgotten it till she was at Hogwarts, then maybe all the craziness wouldn't have happened! As she wouldn't have it on her and all... 

And second is Hermione. My homegirl. I adore Hermione. But is it just me or is it out of all the books, this is the book she acts the most out of character? She breaks goodness knows how many rules to make Polyjuice Potion (Harry and Ron never suggested this, she did) and then, before she was Petrified, she went to the library and then she tore a page out of a very old library book and wrote the words pipes on it. HERMIONE, THE BOOK LOVER AND THE ONE WHO ADORED THE LIBRARY, DEFACED A BOOK! And no one goes "What the heck?" Why didn't she take the book out of the library and bookmarked the page? Surely Dumbledore or McGonagall would have looked - we know Harry and Ron are quite unobservant - but I can't imagine Dumbledore not looking at why Hermione was carrying a book beyond her educational years... 

BECAUSE OF THIS BOOK, WILL YOU REREAD ANY BOOKS WITHIN THIS SERIES?

I have always said that I want to reread Goblet of Fire and I have every intention to. It is a beast of a book and I think that I am going to reread this book, I want time to read and enjoy the book. There was times while reading Chamber of Secrets (and this is completely my fault) that I was skimming it and not reading it. But yes, Goblet of Fire is the one I would most like to reread before the year is out!