maegan mariee: January 2019

TOWANDA!

I don't think there is another book quite like Fried Green Tomatoes. It's both hard and easy to explain, both funny and breathtakingly morose. It's uplifting, depressing, horrible, wonderful, and absolutely one of the best books ever written.

In my opinion.

You know, a heart can be broken, but it keeps on beating, just the same.

A little history on my relationship with this book; I never knew this was a book. 🤷 I found the movie first, probably when I was seven? I'm not sure, but my mom owned the movie, which was made in '91. So what age I was is a little irrelevant. What's funny, is that watching this I thought it was a true story. I thought the people, events, this town, was real. Maybe that says something about how well it was directed and written. It introduced me to subjects that I was ignorant too. Racism? Spouse abuse? Homelessness? Same sex couples? Murder? Depression? Anxiety? Societal norms/expectations? All of this were things I didn't think existed and most definitely didn't understand.

Eventually I learned it was just a story, made up by someone, and went on with my life. It was only this year that I decided I would pick up a copy of the book for myself and read it for the first time. Followed by a personal screening of the movie, borrowed from my mothers collection. (Thanks, mom!)

Mrs. Threadgoode lives at a nursing home that Evelyn's malicious mother-in-law also resides. During one of these visits, Evelyn happens to stop by Mrs. Threadgoode's room and an amazing friendship is made. Mrs. Threadgoode tells Evelyn, not quite the story of her life, but of a time when racism, home values, and simple living was running rampant. But also of the incredible life of her sister-in-law, Idgie Threadgoode.

Not just about Idgie, of course. There's kind and sweet Ruth and a whole slew of incredible characters. To Evelyn, a housewife with increasing anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem, these people are larger than life. She takes the stories of these people and applies them to her own life, suddenly becoming someone with spunk and a take-no-shit kind of attitude.

Face it girls. I'm older and have more insurance.

Unf. Honestly, this is just one of those books that you need to read. You get all the emotions, all the hope that you should get out of a book. It belongs on every book shelf.

If you do happen to read and then watch the movie, please refer to this link on IMDB, where they debate if Idgie and Mrs. Threadgoode are one in the same. Because when I was younger, and going into this book blind, this was the exact thing I was confused about.

♥

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"When in doubt, go to the library."

Does anyone remember the very last Harry Potter movie premiere, when J.K. Rowling said;

Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.

I mean, yes, you teared up when she said it, when you heard it, but I never really thought going back to Hogwarts would bring so much back to me. This is going to be a seven (duh) part series on my blog where I re-read Harry Potter, annotate my old books, and relive everything that made me fall in love with this series when I was seven years old.

This is something I've tried in the past and only got up to GoF (Goblet of Fire for those of you that might not have read the series yet), so I'm hoping that this project here will keep me accountable.

In the first installment, which you can read here, I mentioned my favorite characters. I'm going to give them score cards and see how they measure up to my current self throughout the series. This should be interesting (probably to no one but myself) considering Draco has been the ultimate favorite since the series ended.

Draco Malfoy - 90%
Hermione Granger - 100%
Sirius Black - 100%
Fred Weasley - 100%
Oliver Wood - 100%
Hagrid - 100%
Dumbledore - 100%
Snape - 90%

As it stands, Draco and Snape got 10% taken off because they were rather nasty in Sorcerer's Stone and if I remember correctly, they don't get that much nicer. So this should be fun. Sirius hasn't been introduced yet, so he'll stay the same until the next book. I'll have new scores at the bottom of this post, to reflect how they changed after finishing Chamber of Secrets. And here we go!

Chapter 3, pg 32 // "It's not much," said Ron. "It's wonderful," said Harry happily, thinking of Privet Drive. - Harry on the Burrow.

Chapter 3, pg 39 // "Did you really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Did it go alright? I - I mean," he faltered as sparks flew from Mrs. Weasley's eyes, "that - that was very wrong, boys - very wrong indeed..." - LOL

Chapter 3, pg 41 // But Harry, grinning widely, said, "This is the best house I've ever been in." Ron's ears went pink. - So cute. Everything Ron has and is nervous about is everything that Harry has ever wanted.

Chapter 4, pg 47 // He had never mentioned his Gringotts bank account to the Dursleys; he didn't think their horror of anything connected to magic would stretch to a large pile of gold. - Very true. Very sad.

Chapter 4, pg 47 // "Really?" said Mr. Weasley eagerly. "Were there escapators? How exactly -" - LOL, I love Arthur.

Chapter 4, pg 56 // Mr. Weasley took Harry's glasses, gave them a tap of his wand, and returned them, good as new.

Chapter 4, pg 57 // "But you're Muggles!" said Mr. Weasley, delightedly. "we must have a drink! What's that you got there? Oh, you're changing Muggle money. Molly, look!" He pointed excitedly at the ten-pound notes in Mr. Granger's hand. - LOL ffs Arthur.

Chapter 4, pg 62 // There was a thud of metal as Ginny's cauldron went flying; Mr. Weasley had thrown himself at Mr. Malfoy, knocking him backward into a bookshelf. - YES!

Chapter 5, pg 76 // "Can you believe our luck?" said Ron miserably, bending down to pick up Scabbers. "Of all the trees we could've hit, we had to get the one that hits back."

Chapter 6, pg 89 // Professor Spout's arms were full of bandages, and with another twinge of guilt, Harry spotted the Whomping Willow in the distance, several of its branches now in slings.

Chapter 6, pg 95 // "Why," demanded Ron, seizing her schedule, "have you outlined all Lockhart's lessons in little hearts?" Hermione snatched the schedule back, blushing furiously. - LOL.

Chapter 7, pg 115 // "It's about the most insulting thing he could think of," gasped Ron, coming back up. "Mudblood's a really foul name for someone who is Muggle-born - you know, non-magic parents. There are some wizards - like Malfoy's family - who think they're better than everyone else because they're what people call pure-blood." - Ron Weasley - Ron is so much wiser in the books than the movies. WTH? Honestly, how would Hermione know this on her own unless someone else had called her it before? Which is unlikely since she was clueless.

Chapter 9, pg 160 // "Oh, come on, no teacher's going to fall for that," said Ron. "They'd have to be really thick..." - LOL Lockhart.

Chapter 11, pg 184 // "You know what, Harry? If he doesn't stop trying to save your life he's going to kill you." - Ron Weasley

Chapter 12, pg 207 // "...Fascinating creatures, phoenixes. They can carry immensely heavy loads, their tears have healing powers, and they make highly faithful pets." - Albus Dumbledore

Chapter 12, pg 212 // They had sent Harry a toothpick and a note telling him to find out whether he'd be able to stay at Hogwarts for the summer vacation, too. - The Dursley's Christmas gift to Harry. How nasty they are!

Chapter 12, pg 224 // "Azkaban - the wizard prison, Goyle," said Malfoy, looking at him in disbelief. "Honestly, if you were any slower, you'd be going backward." - LOL

Chapter 13, pg 236 // Lockhart clapped his hands and through the doors to the entrance hall marched a dozen surly-looking dwarfs. Not just any dwarfs, however. Lockhart had them all wearing golden wings and carrying harps.

Chapter 14, pg 255 // "Because that's what Hermione does," said Ron, shrugging. "When in doubt, go to the library."

Chapter 14, pg 264 // "...You will also find that help will always be given at Hogwarts to those who ask for it." - Albus Dumbledore

Chapter 16, pg 297 // "Books can be misleading," Lockhart said delicately. "You wrote them!" Harry shouted.

Chapter 17, pg 307 // He was strangely blurred around the edges, as though Harry were looking at him through a misted window.

Chapter 17, pg 314 // "You're not," he said, his quiet voice full of hatred. "Not what?" snapped Riddle. "Not the greatest sorcerer in the world," said Harry, breathing fast. "Sorry to disappoint you and all that, but the greatest wizard in the world is Albus Dumbledore. Everyone says so. Even when you were strong, you didn't dare try and take over at Hogwarts. Dumbledore saw through you when you were at school and he still frightens you now, wherever you're hiding these days -" - Harry Potter - for real. he's done everything but attack Hogwarts with Dumbledore around.

Chapter 18, pg 332 // "You can speak Parseltongue, Harry," said Dumbledore calmly, "because Lord Voldemort - who is the last remaining ancestor of Salazar Slytherin - can speak Parseltongue. Unless I'm much mistaken, he transferred some of his own powers to you the night he gave you that scar. Not something he intended to do, I'm sure..." - Albus Dumbledore<

Chapter 18, pg 333 // "It only put me in Gryffindor," said Harry in a defeated voice, "because I asked not to go in Slytherin..." "Exactly," said Dumbledore, beaming once more. "...It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

So now we have the end and the updated character scores!

Draco Malfoy - 80%

Hermione Granger - 100%

Sirius Black - 100%

Fred Weasley - 100%

Oliver Wood - 100%

Hagrid - 100%

Dumbledore - 100%

Snape - 90%

Arthur Weasley - 100%

Draco went down 10% for the Mudblood comment. What an arse, really. Everyone else stayed the same, though I added Arthur Weasley as one of my new favs. I honestly forgot how funny he really is. Rewatching the film, he's just as charming, though we see less from him. Now, onto my third and favorite, Prisoner of Azkaban! Hopefully, it's still my favorite.

♥

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maegan mariee

Hello loves.

I hate winter.

TOWANDA!

"When in doubt, go to the library."

Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.

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