Hmmm. What's your favorite *now*?

[cubfanbudwoman]

No: HPFGUIDX 182965

SSSusan asked: 
> So I thought I'd break that silence to ask a very mundane sort of 
> question of all y'all.
> 
> That question is:  Now that we're almost a year out from the 
> release of DH and the completion of the series, which of the books 
> has become your favorite?

SSSusan:
I thought I'd get my own ball rolling and post my answers separately 
from my questions. :)

Let's see.  My favorite?  Well, believe it or not, I am quite fond of 
Deathly Hallows.  I know that's not a popular answer, but it's 
essentially true for me. 


SSSusan asked:
> Tangential questions relating to that one might be:  Has your 
> favorite changed over time, or since the series has ended?  Can you 
> explain WHY this book is your favorite?

SSSusan:
For the longest time, PoA was my answer to that question.  This 
seemed to be a LOT of people's answer, in fact.  Perhaps it still is 
the overwhelming favorite?  

In a way, it's surprising that POA is one of my favs -- heck, Voldy 
didn't even have a part in it and TT gives me fits!  But it was so 
CLEVER, and it moved along so very well.  It was just exciting for me 
and I loved Sirius.

OotP and HBP are also strong candidates for my favorite.  I know that 
many fans (adult fans, especially) didn't care all that much for OotP 
and had mixed reactions to HBP and had **highly** mixed and sometimes 
volatile reactions to DH.  But I liked the Harry we got in OotP, as 
he felt authentic to me, and even though I hated Sirius' death, the 
whole ending was very exciting, with the mystery rooms so inventive 
and intriguing.

Also, HBP featured Snape so prominently that it would be hard not to 
find it a favorite.  

And DH, as the closure to it all, with so many things playing out as 
I wanted them to... and with the writing in a couple of chapters so 
*very* effective for me (the scene after Dobby's death, the gruesome 
Bathilda's Secret, the Forest Again chapter), I find that, in spite 
of some letdowns, it really ranks right up there.


SSSusan asked:
> Then, if you're game, how 'bout these:
> *Which is/has become your least favorite book of the series?  
> Again, can you express why?

SSSusan:
Probably CoS, which has been my consistent response to this question, 
although that one carries more meaning after the last couple came 
out.  Still, the giant snake in the walls/plumbing didn't do as much 
for me as many of the other books.


SSSusan asked:
> *Is there a character you find yourself especially fond of now that 
> it's all over?  Pourquoi?

SSSusan:
Interestingly, I think Minerva McGonagall.  She's always been a 
favorite, and I just find myself thinking about her, missing her wit, 
appreciating her overall fairness, pondering her strength & her style.


SSSusan asked:
> *Which character would you just love to follow from here on out if 
> you could?  Por que?

SSSusan:
Oh... besides the trio + Ginny, which are sort of a given for many of 
us, I think I'd be interested in seeing Neville moving forward.  He 
made such great strides and gained so much confidence, I'd like to 
see how that played out in the next years.  I'd also like to see what 
kind of person Percy ended up being after those rough times with his 
family & his career ambitions, and then the loss of his brother.


SSSusan asked:
> *Are there chapters or scenes (or whole books) that you skip when 
> you (if you) re-read?  Warum?
> *Are there chapters or scenes (or whole books) that you find 
> yourself turning to again and again?  Perche?

SSSusan:
I sometimes am tempted to skip CoS in toto.  I've also been tempted 
to skip the Bathilda's Secret chapter because it's so gross. :)  
Mostly I don't skip, though.

As to chapters I've been inclined to revisit, there are two in HBP 
(Spinner's End and The Lightning Struck Tower), but they're mostly in 
DH -- really, everything from The Lost Diadem on, esp. The Prince's 
Tale & The Forest Again.  

As to why, I guess because I find it very satisfying to have gotten 
what I wanted there re: Harry's belief that he needed to sacrifice 
himself + his willingness to do so actually being "enough."  And I 
find the story very moving.  Also, to have so much of Snape's story 
revealed in one fell swoop is fascinating.


SSSusan asked:
> *Are you surprised at any of your responses?  IOW, is there 
> anything about how you feel about the series now that you never 
> expected you'd feel?

SSSusan:
It was hard to know how I would feel, never having participated in 
this kind of a read-it-as-it-unfolds-and-wait-for-its-conclusion 
process before, *nor* having been involved in any kind of online 
fandom as active & interesting as the HP fandom.  

I think I was surprised, though, how hard it was for me to move on to 
other books.  Also disappointed how little there was to say 
afterwards.  There WERE things to say -- but it didn't take so long 
to do it... and there was no more wacky and sometimes hilarious 
postulating going on... and there was difficulty at times for those 
who strongly disliked and those who strongly liked the series, being 
together.  That part didn't totally surprise me, but it was hard to 
have anticipated how all of that would feel.

FWIW,
Siriusly Snapey Susan