Let me start by saying I love the Harry Potter series. I think J.K. Rowling is immensely talented. I wonder a lot about how she was able to create this world that doesn't exist but seems so real. You get lost in her books.
I was skeptical at first. I remember when my college roommate CR, who was an education major, came into our room with the first book. She had to read it as a class assignment. I was never into the whole sci-fi/witches thing, I never read Narnia growing up. I thought for sure this was going to be some stupid kid's book. Still I read the first one and was pleasantly surprised.
Since then I have read every Harry Potter book when it came out. My goal is to always finish reading them before spoilers hit the web. So this week when I went to the library they had a new table of books called "Recent Bestsellers". The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling was one of them.
Lets start by saying this book is an easy read. I finished it in about two hours. The book starts with an introductory by Rowling's who explains that Hermoine Granger (Harry's friend) translated the book and that Albus Dumbledore (the deceased headmaster of Hogwarts) included his notes before he died. The stories all read like traditional fairy tales think Sleep Beauty but the good guys have magic too. Since I've read all of the Harry Potter books it's really neat to hear the stories that are referenced in the other books. I found myself trying to dissect what each story meant and how they related back into the Harry Potter series.
I could be bias since I like her other books but these stories were really good. Like your classic fairy tales they morals - being kind to your neighbors, don't try to out-smart death, etc. I thought Dumbledore's notes were a neat edition since they gave more insight about the various stories.
So my suggestion is if you haven't read the Harry Potter series - you don't know what you're missing. They are seriously some of the best books written in recent years. And if you like the series check out this book. Happy reading! :)
I've never even heard of this book! Have I been living under a rock? Or Azkaban as the case may be? I love Harry Potter, and while I'm not a that person waiting in line at midnight to get the book the second it's released (no offense if you did that, haha), I do admit you can barely put the books down. Too often when the new book came out, I'd be reading and looking up to find it's 2 am and I have work the next day! Anyways, I'll have to check out this Beedle character!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know about it either until I saw it at the library. lol. But I agree w/you about just reading them at not realizing what time it was. This is super quick like maybe a 100 pages and big font with a few drawings.
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