Early summer reading

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been reading the literary equivalent of popcorn movies and loving every sentence of it. Books three and four of Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City series (Further Tales of the City and Babycakes) were fluffy, entertaining treats and perfect for lazy summer weekends. The series overall is really fun. It’s outrageous and unbelievable, but the characters are all endearing; I wish 28 Barbary Lane were a real place so I could build a time machine, fly back to the 70s, and live there for a while.

Further Tales... and Babycakes book ended Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which I reread in anticipation of the final Harry Potter book (only 25 days to go!). I doubt anyone is left who doesn’t know what happens in book six, but just in case: spoilers are ahead.

For the record, I think Snape is good and that Harry and Voldemort will both die in book seven. I know it’s totally predictable and therefore unlikely to happen, but I’m standing by it as the most satisfying ending. I’m somewhat taken with the idea that Neville will play a crucial role in Voldemort’s demise and would love to see that happen, too. And, as a product of rereading book six, I have a new theory that the prophecy is actually longer than what Dumbledore shows Harry. I think it may also have shown that Draco and/or Snape plays some kind of important part in Voldemort’s downfall, too. If Dumbledore knew that Snape and/or Draco had to be alive and well to finish Voldemort off, he’d be willing to sacrifice himself, thus begging Snape to kill him. If Snape broke his unbreakable vow, he’d die and not be there to off Voldemort. And, if Draco (either on his own or with Snape’s help) failed to carry out Voldemort’s orders, we know Voldemort would have killed him. There is something uplifting about the idea of either of them being involved in killing Voldemort; it includes a team effort, rehabilitation, don’t judge people by their families, everyone has good in them, feel-good aspect that seems right for the finale of a series that really is meant for kids.