Henrique Morato Morato من عند Saint-Jean-de-la-Léqueraye, فرنسا
It was, he thought, the difference between being dragged into the arena to face a battle to the death and walking into the arena with your head held high. Some people, perhaps, would say that there was little to choose between the two ways, but Dumbledore knew - and so do I, thought Harry, with a rush of fierce pride, and so did my parents - that there was all the difference in the world. I think this is actually my least favourite book of the series, something I didn't fully realise until I read them all again in a row and found myself making excuses to put this one down and read it another time. I don't like seeing so much of Dumbledore -- it takes away his mysticism and omnipotence. I also cringe slightly at the way he talks -- 'Let us step into the night and pursue that flighty temptress, adventure' - really? The scene with Dumbledore drinking the potion in the basin makes me want to look away. And Dumbledore tearing up every time Harry tells him I'M YOUR MAN THROUGH AND THROUGH is just awkward. As is every single mention of the "monster" in Harry's chest. (Come on, JKR, you couldn't have thought of a better metaphor?) And I can't stand the constant bickering between Ron and Hermione, which I know has been ongoing since Prisoner Of Azkaban, but it reaches new levels in this book. The whole Ron/Lavender situation is utterly daft, and that scene where Hermione goes mental and attacks Ron with conjured birds is just... whut. I wince every time I read it. I also feel like this book is really thin on the ground when it comes to plot. I did like the pensieve flashbacks, but apart from romance angst and learning the story behind the Horcruxes, barely anything else happens. Oh, except that Harry is sassy as fuck to Snape. Oh, and I know Hermione is super smart etc, but in this book it seems like she is the only decent spellcaster in the Trio, which makes me wonder how on earth Harry and Ron get so accomplished by Deathly Hallows. Maybe it's just because we never see them master the spell, only their failed first attempt, and it's to make the point that only Hermione always gets things right first time and everyone else needs to practise... but it leaves this impression that Harry and Ron are, actually, incompetent. (This is something that comes through very strongly when you read the books in quick succession. Don't get me wrong, I love the bromance between Harry and Ron, but 99% of the time it's Hermione doing the legwork and solving the problem at hand, to the point where you wonder why the books aren't actually about her...) [Re-read Feb 2015]
this is one of my favorite books of all time!
As a scam artist, satirist, and social critic, Johnathan Swift was the Sacha Baron Cohen of his day (& then some). Although time and the Victorian age in particular have attempted to edit & expurgate Swift's wildly imaginative, rude, scathing, and scatological tale into nothing more than a children's story, in it's original version it remains one of the most insightful looks at social mores, human nature and behavior in the English language.
Good, makes you love the underdogs aha and computer hacking tattooed chicks.
All anyone is really looking for in life is a Jamie Fraser and don't judge a book by the words "Time Travel".