[.ca] Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (ISBN 030728364X)

From amazon.com:
A Few Words from J.K. Rowling "I am an extraordinarily lucky person, doing what I love best in the world. I'm sure that I will always be a writer. It was wonderful enough just to be published. The greatest reward is the enthusiasm of the readers." --J.K. Rowling. Find out more about Harry's creator in our exclusive interview with J.K. Rowling. Why We Love Harry Favorite Moments from the Series There are plenty of reasons to love Rowling's wildly popular series--no doubt you have several dozen of your own. Our list features favorite moments, characters, and artifacts from all five books. Keep in mind that this list is by no means exhaustive (what we love about Harry could fill five books!) and does not include any of the spectacular revelatory moments that would spoil the books for those (few) who have not read them. Enjoy. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Harry's first trip to the zoo with the Dursleys, when a boa constrictor winks at him. When the Dursleys' house is suddenly besieged by letters for Harry from Hogwarts. Readers learn how much the Dursleys have been keeping from Harry. Rowling does a wonderful job in displaying the lengths to which Uncle Vernon will go to deny that magic exists. Harry's first visit to Diagon Alley with Hagrid. Full of curiosities and rich with magic and marvel, Harry's first trip includes a trip to Gringotts and Ollivanders, where Harry gets his wand (holly and phoenix feather) and discovers yet another connection to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. This moment is the reader's first full introduction to Rowling's world of witchcraft and wizards. Harry's experience with the Sorting Hat. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets The de-gnoming of the Weasleys' garden. Harry discovers that even wizards have chores--gnomes must be grabbed (ignoring angry protests "Gerroff me! Gerroff me!"), swung about (to make them too dizzy to come back), and tossed out of the garden--this delightful scene highlights Rowling's clever and witty genius. Harry's first experience with a Howler, sent to Ron by his mother. The Dueling Club battle between Harry and Malfoy. Gilderoy Lockhart starts the Dueling Club to help students practice spells on each other, but he is not prepared for the intensity of the animosity between Harry and Draco. Since they are still young, their minibattle is innocent enough, including tickling and dancing charms. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Ron's attempt to use a telephone to call Harry at the Dursleys'. Harry's first encounter with a Dementor on the train (and just about any other encounter with Dementors). Harry's brush with the Dementors is terrifying and prepares Potter fans for a darker, scarier book. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's behavior in Professor Trelawney's Divination class. Some of the best moments in Rowling's books occur when she reminds us that the wizards-in-training at Hogwarts are, after all, just children. Clearly, even at a school of witchcraft and wizardry, classes can be boring and seem pointless to children. The Boggart lesson in Professor Lupin's classroom. Harry, Ron, and Hermione's knock-down confrontation with Snape. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Hermione's disgust at the reception for the veela (Bulgarian National Team Mascots) at the Quidditch World Cup. Rowling's fourth book addresses issues about growing up--the dynamic between the boys and girls at Hogwarts starts to change. Nowhere is this more plain than the hilarious scene in which magical cheerleaders nearly convince Harry and Ron to jump from the stands to impress them. Viktor Krum's crush on Hermione--and Ron's objection to it. Malfoy's "Potter Stinks" badge. Hermione's creation of S.P.E.W., the intolerant bigotry of the Death Eaters, and the danger of the Triwizard Tournament. Add in the changing dynamics between girls and boys at Hogwarts, and suddenly Rowling's fourth book has a weight and seriousness not as present in early books in the series. Candy and tickle spells are left behind as the students tackle darker, more serious issues and take on larger responsibilities, including the knowledge of illegal curses. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Harry's outburst to his friends at No. 12 Grimmauld Place. A combination of frustration over being kept in the dark and fear that he will be expelled fuels much of Harry's anger, and it all comes out at once, directly aimed at Ron and Hermione. Rowling perfectly portrays Harry's frustration at being too old to shirk responsibility, but too young to be accepted as part of the fight that he knows is coming. Harry's detention with Professor Umbridge. Rowling shows her darker side, leading readers to believe that Hogwarts is no longer a safe haven for young wizards. Dolores represents a bureaucratic tyrant capable of real evil, and Harry is forced to endure their private battle of wills alone. Harry and Cho's painfully awkward interactions. Rowling clearly remembers what it was like to be a teenager. Harry's Occlumency lessons with Snape. Dumbledore's confession to Harry. Begin at the Beginning Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone Hardcover Paperback Adult Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Hardcover Paperback Adult Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Hardcover Paperback Adult Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Hardcover Paperback Adult Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Hardcover Paperback Adult Did You Know? The Little White Horse was J.K. Rowling's favorite book as a child. Jane Austen is Rowling's favorite author. Roddy Doyle is Rowling's favorite living writer.

Grippin':
JK Rowling's 6th book has sat on my desk for over two years. I bought it the day it came out in 2005 and tried reading the first chapter, but it never caught my attention. Now, July 2007, Harry Potter craze again, I attempted a second time. Again, the first chapter was unappealing, but I forced myself to get past it. As the plot thickens, I could no longer hold the book down. However, I definately found it to be a let down that Rowling exposed so much in chapter 2 about Snape and Bellatrix. It did set the tone for the book, but it also made it terribly predictable. Good thing for her wonderful narrative to keep me interested and the continual trips into the penseive. The unfortunate ending was a little too predictable for me, otherwise well written as usual! I had hoped the 6th book would close several doors, but it only opened the plot up for new ideas and hopefully a spectacular end to the series.

The best Potter Ever:
JK Rowling at her absolute best. Hard to put down. It started with a bang and kept on going. None stop action and all questions were answered in the end. A neatly tied up package. Hopefully JK Rowling will continue to write whether it's Potter related or not.

A title, a title...:
It's so funny, to read reviews by so many different people from so many different backgrounds. Some are satisfied, and some dissatisfied, but it all comes down to the fact that the sixth Harry Potter book moved them enough to write about it, critically or otherwise. As they should! The sixth book, like the five previous, grew as the characters grew. The language, the syntax, and the story - all of these factors - age. That's why it's darker, and bound to become darker still in the next book; to have a children's book that stays childish while the characters grow up would greatly diminish the appeal, and completely destroy even the possibility of the accolades that JK Rowling has received. It takes an enormous amount of skill and talent to achieve what she has throughout the series, not only in the sixth installment. What she has achieved in the sixth book is a shock, and a bridge. I could not believe the passage several pages from the end, when the inevitable involving Snape happened! I had to read and re-read it before I could continued. We are shown different sides of characters, more depth in some of them, weaknesses and strengths and surprising actions in others. The entire book, although its climaxes are extreme in and of themselves, serves as a set-up for the last. I suppose that one could argue that every word since the first page of 'The Philosopher's Stone' has been doing that, and one would be correct. But there is so much more information revealed in this sixth novel, some mysteries uncovered and some made so much deeper, along with the harshness and darkness that are ever more apparent, that the reader comes away with an even more profoundly counfused feeling than ever before: a feeling of uncertainty, of incredulity, and of simple uncomfortableness (is that a word?) when faced with such a book. It didn't finish like a kid's book is SUPPOSED to finish. For it to leave us with such feelings is the mark of a master wordsmith, someone who is not afraid to balk at the ordinary. Someone who knows her characters and her story like her own children. And someone who, it can be inferred from one of the story's main themes, values friendship above all.

Starting to really get into these:
This is not normally what I'd read, choosing instead some bestseller such as LIFE OF PI or the like, but Book 6 is one heck of a read. I'd put off the series as long as possible, but finally, after having seen the movie version decided to take the plunge. I MUST recommend Harry Potter's THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN which was my first foray into this strange new land. For those seeking traditional fiction reads, might I recommend CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME or the book MIDDLESEX? All are, of course, great, but I'm going to be busy for a while with the HP series.

Pretty good:
Like most everyone I've been reading Harry Potter for a long long time. As the last in the series this is prety good although predictable at times. My favorites remain the early books. Good ending over all.