by Stone Marshall | Dec 25, 2014 | Awesome Book News |
After many years since she finished publishing the “Harry Potter” series, renowned author J. K. Rowling admits there was one minor character she regretted killing off before he even got to play a bigger role.
As her way of still connecting with the many “Harry Potter” fans all over the world, Rowling set up a publishing website named Pottermore. And for this Christmas season, she hosted a special event, wherein she will be uploading 12 Potter-related surprises on the site between the dates Dec. 12-23, 2014.
One of the Potter news Rowling revealed on the site was her initial plan of using “Prisoner of Azkaban” minor character Florean Fortescue as a crucial informative character in “Deathly Hallows.” The author regretted killing him off, saying that Fortescue was kidnapped and killed by the Death Eaters for no mentioned reason, thus giving him a rather tragic ending.
For not-so-avid readers of the “Prisoner of Azkaban,” Fortescue owns an ice cream parlor located in Diagon Alley. After running away from his relatives’ home, Harry Potter stayed in the Leaky Cauldron. He often visited Fortescue, who would give him free ice cream and help him out with his History of Magic assignment.
“I originally planned Florean to be the conduit for clues that I needed to give Harry during his quest for the Hallows… The problem was that when I came to write the key parts of Deathly Hallows, I decided that Phineas Nigellus Black was a much more satisfactory means of conveying clues. Florean’s information on the diadem also felt redundant, as I could give the reader everything he or she needed by interviewing the Grey Lady,” stated Rowling, as published on Us Weekly.
To read the rest of the surprises in store for Pottermore’s Christmas special event from Dec. 12-23, 2014, interested fans must subscribe on Pottermore.com, where the surprises are placed as gifts at 1:00 p.m. GMT (8:00 a.m. EST). To open them, they simply have to solve a corresponding riddle.
Were you surprised of J. K. Rowling’s regrets of killing off Florean Fortescue? Or were you thinking of another character she’d save? Post your comments below.
Read Original Article Here:
by Stone Marshall | Dec 25, 2014 | Awesome Book News |
Born and raised in Morocco, and currently teaching Creative Writing at the University of California Riverside, Laila Lalami is the author of The Moor’s Account, a work of historical fiction based on an early Spanish expedition to North America.
Why did you write your new book?
It was a book I wanted to read, but it hadn’t been written yet. Some years ago, I came across Cabeza de Vaca’s Chronicle of the Narváez Expedition, the first narrative of Spanish exploration of North America. The Narváez expedition was intended to claim Florida for the Spanish Crown, but it failed quickly and spectacularly. For the next eight years, the survivors trekked across the continent, reinventing themselves several times in order to survive. I was fascinated by their story of adventure and transformation, but I was hungry for things that Cabeza de Vaca’s narrative didn’t give me. I wanted to know what the survivors’ personal relationship with one another was like, how they interacted with indigenous people, what role the Moroccan slave Mustafa al-Zamori/Estebanico had played, and whether the survivors’ worldviews were changed by their experiences. I wrote The Moor’s Account because I wanted to explore those questions.
Whose sentences are your favourite, and why?
For precision and economy, V.S. Naipaul’s sentences. For depth and beauty, Toni Morrison’s.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
My friend Pankaj recommended daily one-hour naps. I’m certain it would be amazing for my physical well-being and mental health, but sadly I have never followed that advice. I seem to be rather the kind of person that people go to for advice. And I’ve often found that it’s unheeded as well!
Which historical period do you wish you’d lived through, and why?
I have no wish to live in another era, mostly because, as a woman, it would involve giving up too many rights. I wouldn’t mind living in the future, though maybe it’s optimistic to think that our species is going to have any future at all.
Would you rather be successful during your lifetime and then forgotten, or legendary after death?
The nice thing about being successful during your lifetime is that you would get to enjoy it with your family. And as for being forgotten, you would never know about it if it happens after death! But being remembered after one’s death, being read for many generations, that’s nice too. Since I’m fairly pessimistic about what the future holds, I suppose I’d have to choose success in my lifetime.
What agreed-upon classic do you despise?
D.H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers.
Which fictional character do you wish you’d created?
Scheherazade.
Which fictional character do you wish you were?
Hermione Granger.
What question do you wish people would ask about your work (that they don’t ask)?
As a matter of fact, I wish people would not ask me any questions about my work. In the process of reading a novel, each reader creates in his or her mind a unique interpretation of it. Why ruin that by adding the author’s commentary?
Read Original Article Here:
by Stone Marshall | Dec 24, 2014 | Awesome Book News |
Tom Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the “Harry Potter” films, has joined the ranks of Hollywood Hills West homeowners with the purchase of a contemporary house for $1.275 million.
The single-story home has an open floor plan, living room and master bedroom fireplaces, a den with built-ins, two bedrooms, two bathrooms and 1,732 square feet of living space. Walls of glass open to a covered patio, outdoor living room and a poolside deck.
The backyard of the 6,163-square-foot lot contains a swimming pool and a guesthouse/studio with a kitchen and bathroom.
Felton, 27, is in the crime series “Murder in the First” and will star in the World War II movie “Against the Sun,” due out in January. Besides the “Harry Potter” films and video games, he was in the 2011 movie “Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”
The property previously sold in 2010 for $760,000.
Joann Dresner of Keller Williams was the listing agent. Eli Karon of Tele Properties represented Felton.
Read Original Article Here:
by Stone Marshall | Dec 24, 2014 | Awesome Book News |
If you’d like to see the differences between Disney and Universal’s treatment of the most popular film franchises in their theme parks, illustrated in one photo, here you go:
Can you imagine a Universal Studios T-shirt depicting Voldemort on the Caro-Seuss-el? Or Minions in wizard robes? It’s impossible to imagine J.K. Rowling allowing such trivialization of the Wizarding World and its inhabitants.
But George Lucas long has shown a great acceptance of irreverence toward his Star Wars characters. After all, you can’t greenlight the Star Wars Holiday Special if you’re taking your characters too seriously. Let’s not forget other examples of Lucas and his team poking fun, or at least allowing others to poke fun, at the Star Wars universe: the Stand Up to Cancer spoof, Death Star PR, Spaceballs, and possibly the most irreverent officially-blessed Star Wars take-off ever, Disney’s Hyperspace Hoopla. There’s some great stuff about Lucas’ tolerance, and even enthusiasm, for spoofs in the new book How Star Wars Conquered the Universe, and author Chris Taylor talked in an interview with The New Yorker about how a desire to be more serious in the prequels weighed down the “effervescent giddiness” of the original films.
In contrast, perhaps the closest that J.K. Rowling, with her drier British wit, has come to satirizing her creation was a guest appearance on “The Simpsons” that made fun of her fans more than her works. Sure, there’s abundant humor in the Harry Potter world, but even when a gag takes you out of that world (hello, “spell-o-tape,” a joke that about 1 in 100 Americans gets), it’s never reduces the Wizarding World to tropes like putting Darth Vader in a Space Mountain rocket.
The irony, of course, is that traditionally it’s been Universal that’s been known for abundant irreverence and sarcasm in its theme park attractions while Disney has properties with much more earnest respect. If there were any doubt that we’re living in a moment when franchises dominate the theme park industry, let’s consider these examples of Star Wars and Harry Potter — franchises so powerful that they made Disney irreverent and Universal take something seriously.
Read Original Article Here:
by Stone Marshall | Dec 22, 2014 | Awesome Book News, parent-news |
Three-week shopping season that began Thanksgiving week, the newest installment in the Wimpy Kid series has sold more than 535,000 print copies at outlets that report to Nielsen BookScan.
Other strong print sellers for the season include the original Elf of the Shelf, which has sold about 210,000 copies, and 41, which has sold about 189,000 copies since Thanksgiving week.
Read Original Article Here:
by Stone Marshall | Dec 18, 2014 | Awesome Book News, parent-news |
Students at Deer Park’s John F. Kennedy Intermediate School recently revved up their passion for reading during a three-day book fair sponsored by the JFK Parent Faculty Club.
The fair, also held during one evening to coincide with parent-teacher conferences, raised funds for assemblies and other school expenses.
Best sellers this season include the sports autobiography “I Am #12: LeBron James” and the latest books in the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” and “Minecraft” series.
“The book fair benefits kids,” said PFC volunteer Tom Catanzano. “It also provides a great chance for parents to purchase educational holiday gifts for their children.”
Read Original Article Here:
