Pottering About With Potions

Day 10: My tastes in reading matter are somewhat eclectic, although I shy away from the bulk of modern fare. I am not a fan of sex and violence, nor of gore and savagery, and right there, I've eliminated 90% of today's general fiction. Charles Dickens is more my speed, and books intended for younger readers.

When the Harry Potter books first came out, a friend who is a children's librarian encouraged me to read them. I was not impressed at first. I found Rowling's style rather unrefined and her humour a bit maudlin. It took reading through "Chamber of Secrets" and then rereading "Sorceror's Stone" before I truly became a fan. However, even on my first read-through, I was convinced of one thing: in the end, Severus Snape would prove himself to be one of the "good guys." There was not a single doubt in my mind, and I began studying each book for the clues which would lead to the eventual "reveal." I found quite a few.

In the end, of course, my suspicions were proved to be correct. I got to say "I told you so" to several people, including my librarian friend. After all, I am a writer. It was the kind of storyline twist I'd have used if I wrote novels, although I'd probably have let a bit more slip than those few teasers Rowling allowed to leak out of the bag.