Note #1: If you have not yet bought Harry Potter for Nerds: Essays for Fans, Academics, and Lit Geeks, please wait a little while! Travis and I discovered this week that over half my essay never made it into the book. We're still not sure how it happened, and I do wish the publisher had gotten me a review copy before now, but so it goes. The book will be re-released with the full text soon.
If you've already bought it, stay tuned. We're looking into ways to remedy the situation for you.
Note #2: Internet Explorer versions 8 and 9 currently aren't speaking to Blogger's embedded comment form. I have tried to change my comment form, but without success. If you have IE and have been trying to comment, I apologize. Hopefully Blogger will have this fixed soon.
In the meantime, this is just one more reason why I recommend Chrome or Firefox or Safari... anything but IE. :)
And that's enough notes! Mercy... it's only Tuesday. I think I need coffee. Now, onto the fun stuff:
Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time
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| Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish! Do come join the fun... |
The only problem with this topic, for me, is that I'm a re-reader. I usually make my first trip through a book at top speed, and if there's much suspense, the first read can even be painful. As far as I can recall, I've never preferred a first reading to the second. Sometimes not to the twelfth.
I can only think of one book that I wish I could read again for the first time, not knowing what would happen in the end:
1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (J.K. Rowling). The first time I read this, I knew what Narcissa wanted of Snape. I knew what Draco was plotting, and what Snape would do in the end. It killed most of the impact of the story.
That's what I get, though, for reading spoiler sections in reviews when I haven't planned on reading the book. Shame on me for both those things.
What about you? Do you have a list of books that you wish you could enjoy for the first time again?
Thanks, Jenna, for letting us know about the snafu with the book release. I had purchased it immediately, and not only did your essay seem brief, but the list of contributors' information (which had been promised in the preface) was not in the back of the volume. I'm glad that there will be a re-release!
ReplyDeleteAs for a list of books that I wish I could enjoy for the first time again, it would be identical to my re-read list: Jane Eyre, Harry Potter, The Fountainhead, ....
No problem, Carrie-Ann! I'm really sorry we didn't catch it earlier, especially since the essay cuts off in a place that makes it sound more cheesy than academic, and leaves off most of my favorite parts (I loved writing about Harry, Dobby, Dumbledore and Snape!) I'm glad you mentioned the missing contributors' information list, and have passed that note on to Travis. Hopefully the publisher can get this resolved in a timely manner.
ReplyDeleteGenerally I agree with you on re-reads, it's always such a richer reading, but I would love to do over The Stranger and Jude the Obscure, both were read in my high-school angsty-phase and when I reread I discovered how over-blown my despairing response was.
ReplyDelete~Masha
I guess I'm not really attached to That First-Time Feeling either-- I'm a re-reader. And I tend to treasure my early misjudgments of books more than regret them -- even Lolita, which I don't exactly recommend reading at 12 in an edition that assures you it's an "erotic classic." :(
ReplyDeleteI did have a great time anticipating new books in the Harry Potter series before it ended, but I don't wish I could go back to not knowing what happened to Harry and Friends-- more like I wouldn't mind finding a new series with similar qualities.