The most memorable HP revelations, part 1

I dedicated my two previous posts to new HP stuff to look forward to. So I’ve decided that it’s only fitting to dedicate my next I-don’t-know-how-many posts to looking back. HP has a very long history and obviously much to look back on and remember. I want to start with going back to each book, remembering their most shocking, interesting and fascinating revelations. Today I’ll be looking at books 1-3. 

Philosopher's Stone

In the first book everything was new, unusual and unexpected. So, basically, everything there was a huge giant revelation. 

“Harry – yer a wizard.” ‘Nuff said. 

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a revelation in and of itself. Quidditch. Classes. Oh, yes, let’s not forget about a giant and deadly three-headed dog whose name turned out to be Fluffy, who belonged to Hagrid and who fell asleep when you played him a bit of music.

But I think that the biggest revelation for me was the fact that Quirrell and not Snape turned out to be the bad guy (possessed by Voldemort no less!) and that Snape was actually trying to save Harry all along. 

“Severus?” Quirrell laughed and it wasn’t his usual quivering treble, either, but cold and sharp. “Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn’t he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?”

Who indeed! I was completely thrown off the trail there. 

Chamber of Secrets 

In the second book there were a lot more revelations. The most shocking for me was the truth behind Ginny’s diary: 

“They had almost reached the motorway when Ginny shrieked that she’d left her diary.” 

Now, tell me, who would have thought that this unobtrusive sentence, thrown among other sentences of similar nature, would have such a profound effect on the whole plot? I still can’t wrap my mind around the way J.K. Rowling plants her clues throughout the story. I mean, really! 

Another shocking revelation was that Harry could talk to snakes! I just love that scene during the Duelling Club when he can’t for the life of him understand why everyone is staring at him like that. Poor boy. Similarly shocking was the fact that model student Tom Riddle turned out to be Lord Voldemort. That Moaning Myrtle was more than just a sulky ghost that haunted the girls’ bathroom but actually Basilisk’s original victim. And that Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts because he was wrongly but deliberately accused by the boy who was to become the most feared wizard of all times. Hagrid and Voldemort went to school at the same time! Just think about that!

But I must confess that my favourite revelation was actually the story behind the names of the four Hogwarts Houses and that they belonged to Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff. I don’t know but it just gives me so much feels. What can I say, Hogwarts: A History would be my favourite bedside table read :D 

Prisoner of Azkaban 

In the third book things began to get a lot more complicated. I think it was while reading the third book that I started realizing just how tightly everything was linked and interconnected. Now, where to begin… 

Messrs Mooney, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs - the creators of the Marauder's Map - are actually Remus Lupin (Harry's DADA Professor!), Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black and James Potter. It so happened that they all became animagi in their fifth year, having broken not only about a thousand school rules but wizarding laws too. Sirius and James were best friends. Sirius is Harry’s godfather. Sirius betrayed his parents to Voldemort. Sirius is innocent. Sirius is a giant bearlike dog. Ron’s rat Scabbers is not a rat at all but Pettigrew. Pettigrew is a Death Eater who actually betrayed Harry’s parents to Voldemort. Lupin is a werewolf. James saved Snape from being savaged by the said werewolf after Sirius pranked him into going after it. Whomping Willow! Crookshanks! Firebolt! Hermione’s Time-Turner. Harry’s Patronus! Professor Trelawney can actually produce prophecies once in a while! Whew, this book is a rollercoaster of revelations! 

Have I missed anything? I’m sure I must have… 

So what are your most memorable revelations? Revelations that shook you to the core?

P.S. I just love these new ebook covers from Pottermore. Especially the third one. Do you? 

Harry Potter stuff I'm looking forward to

I think many will agree that being a Harry Potter fan has always been extremely exciting and tremendously frustrating at the same time. Despite the fact that the last HP book came out as long ago as 2007 now is no different. In fact, those of us who remain faithful fans have much to look forward to again – it’s like we’ve been given a special reward for our life-long allegiance. Here is the list of things I’m personally looking forward to the most: 

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, 31 July 2016 

It might not be exactly what I had in mind whenever I was thinking about the continuation of Harry’s story but I’m not going to turn my nose against it. I can’t wait to read it. I try not to get my expectations too high or to imagine what we’re going to find there, because that’s a sure way to a major disappointment, but sometimes I just can’t help it. I’m not sure how I feel about the fact that it was written by someone other than J.K. Rowling, but they say that it is based on her original story, so I guess the playwright was following her own vision while creating the play. It does sound like a legitimized fanfiction though. The playwright, Jack Thorne, admits himself to be a total Potterhead, so that must count in his favour. But can you at all imagine having J.K. Rowling’s actual stamp of approval on your own fanfiction? How cool that must be! And terrifying! Gosh, I have so much to say on the subject, I think I’ll just have to write a separate post dedicated to it))) 

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Illustrated Edition, 
4 October 2016 

I am a proud owner of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Illustrated Edition. I have to say that I’ve spent more money on that book than I’ve ever spent on any other but it is truly worth it. It is an amazing edition and every now and then I enjoy just holding it in my hands, slowly turning its pages, reading passages that I practically know by heart, while drinking in its lovely and oftentimes quirky illustrations. I will not miss the second one for the world. I can’t wait to discover Jim Kay’s unique vision, because I’m sure there’ll be plenty of surprises waiting. Just look at these beautiful pages and tell me that you won’t be rushing off to buy it if/when you have the chance or the money. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film), 18 November 2016 

I can’t believe we’re getting another magical adventure in our favourite magical world. I already love Newt, Tina, Queenie and Jacob and I can’t wait to discover the story written by J.K. Rowling herself. It’s got to be great, right? To tell you the truth, I kind of worry about its success at the box-office and its popularity among fans and non-fans alike, but I think we can trust Jo to create an amazing, riveting, head-spinning story, filled with a necessary amount of fun, humour, mystery, danger, plot twists and magic. Also, it would be very interesting to read the actual script that will be out on 19 November 2016. It will be a great study of J.K. Rowling’s method. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (book), 14 March 2017 

I’ve always had a particular fondness for this textbook. I mean it’s all about magical animals and it’s a Hogwarts textbook! I own an original book – a thin red one with Jo's illustrations – and it’s high time I had a new one. I know that there have been other editions but I could never make up my mind about buying them, except one other (Russian language edition) that I bought for my family. I’m really hoping to read some new information in the new book, but so far I’ve only heard that it’s going to contain new illustrations by Jonny Duddle and a new foreword from J.K. Rowling. No word as to whether it’ll actually contain new stuff but I could swear I’ve read somewhere some time ago that it would. 

Whew! 

So what are you looking forward to the most?

Just a random scene from a random book I'm not even working on)))

Eugenia knocked on the wooden door of the library storage and timidly invited herself in when there came no reply. The room smelled strongly of standard perfume of paper and dust. Eugenia, who considered herself something of an expert on books and places that contained them, expected a more imposing and orderly room for book-storing at HCA. This room was long, narrow and cramped. Eugenia was standing on a small semi-circular rug that was the only place empty of books. The desk that stood next to the door was barely visible and that only because of its shapely wooden legs. The room was zigzagging among the bookcases that looked like they were about to burst.

Eugenia had a sudden vivid image of a portly middle-aged man with a belly so big his waistcoat popped open and his velvet buttons sprinkled onto the floor once he'd had one too many bites of his sandwich. Here and there stood books in towering piles, wobbling ever so slightly. Some books just spilled onto the floor from the multitude of passageways the room seemed to have like extra pockets for all kinds of knick-knacks on one of her mom's favourite coats. Eugenia was afraid to move in case her movements caused something of a domino effect; there was no way she could walk along the passage without finding herself buried under the whole book population. 

“Hello,” she said, raising her voice and hoping that someone would hear her. “My name is Eugenia Leonard. I was sent here by Miss Harridan to receive my punish – ” 

Eugenia screamed. 

A plump young woman with pink cheeks and merry face emerged from under the desk with a booming “Hello, dear! I've been expecting you!”. 

“Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there,” replied Eugenia, slightly confused. How she could have failed to see her in such cluttered space that barely admitted room for her own average self was a mystery. Miss Leaf, the librarian, was not exactly a Thumbelina. However, as she heaved herself upwards and Eugenia leaned slightly forward to satisfy her curiosity, she saw that Miss Leaf had actually appeared – or that part of her that had – from inside a trapdoor that was right next to the desk on the other side. 

“Oh, dear,” giggled the jolly librarian, “I'm afraid I got stuck. Genie, dear, can you give me a hand?” 

“Sure,” stammered Eugenia. She squeezed herself around the desk and gave both hands for Miss Leaf to grab onto. Miss Leaf held on tight and for one heart-stopping moment Eugenia was certain that they would both fall through the floor. However, the very next second Miss Leaf sprang upwards with a burst of laughter that turned her cheeks into two bright-red apples. 

Eugenia was pushed backwards and as she got her bearings she understood why Miss Leaf got stuck in the first place: she had stuffed her pockets with at least half a dozen thick books each! 

“Thank you, dear,” gasped Miss Leaf, taking out the books from her pockets and putting them on the desk buried under a mountain of volumes. They immediately slipped onto the floor. “Now... your assignment!” she declared, taking no notice, as she spread her plump arms as though trying to embrace the book-storage. 

Eugenia had a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. Will she have to put the whole place in order? Oh, Miss Harridan was a sadist. She knew how much Eugenia loved books. Everyone did. But sorting out the whole storage of dust-filled volumes would give her a horrible allergy and would put her off books for a very long time. 

“Ah, yes... you've noticed the bedlam that reigns in here,” commented Miss Leaf, nodding and smiling broadly. “Everyone brings here books they no longer need and just leave them here. It is one of my duties to sort through them and find those that are worth keeping. The rest goes down through that trapdoor until such time when I find use for them. I don't actually get rid of books, you know, because the moment I do, I realize that it is exactly what I need. Anyway,” Miss Leaf giggled, “for the duration of your punishment, you will be helping me look for real gems. Now don't be intimidated,” she added, correctly interpreting Eugenia's look of utter misery, “you don't have to sort out the whole place. No, no, no. You just grab a pile – any pile that beckons to you – look through it and find something special, something that whispers to you.” 

“But how will I know what is special?” asked Eugenia. 

“Trust your instinct, dear. That's the best thing.” 

“So... how exactly does that work? I trust my instinct and you trust me? Just like that?” 

Miss Leaf nodded, beaming at her. Eugenia continued to look doubtful; she wasn't sure that she could trust her instinct with something so important. But Miss Leaf didn't seem to worry about that. 

“Well, go on, Genie-dear, take your pick,” she hurried her into action.

Eugenia looked around. No pile beckoned or whispered to her, so she grabbed the top of the nearest one as quickly as though she was committing a theft and ducked her head in embarrassment under Miss Leaf's expectant gaze. Eugenia was slightly annoyed. Did she expect her to have a system or something? 

“Very good, very good, now follow me,” said Miss Leaf and much to Eugenia's astonishment went along the narrow passage at a jolly trot, making the books bounce off her wide sides without causing even a minor avalanche. 

Eugenia stared. How did she do that? She'd expected Miss Leaf to squeeze her bulk through with great effort but not to walk, swaying her hips, as though she was on the dance-floor. The moment that thought occurred to her she heard faint sounds of jazz coming from somewhere. Miss Leaf turned into another row and gently scolded Eugenia for dawdling. 

“Sorry!” gasped Eugenia as she sprang after her. 

How great was her shock and humiliation when the towers of books that she'd just passed – without so much as touching – fell crashing down onto the floor in her wake.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child – join me for SPOILER FREE pre-reading discussion

A new play based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. Here they are: The Golden Trio! Behold the three “J”s behind the new Harry Potter story! 

So… let’s talk about that. Let’s talk about the eighth story that many of us have been craving for. For a while there J.K. Rowling was quite adamant that she had no intention of going back to writing another Harry Potter book. But it couldn’t have been plainer that she wasn’t done with the magical world and that she wanted to explore the story further – particularly the part which was connected with Harry’s second son, Albus Severus Potter. Then she was approached with the idea of doing a play and apparently she liked it so much that she green-lighted it and here we are at last. The lucky ones will get to see the actual play. The slightly less lucky ones will get to read the printed version of the play. I belong to the latter group but I won’t give up hoping to see it with my own eyes one day! 

So… what is it about? 

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places. 

So… what do we know from this and what do we want to know? 

Harry Potter is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and a father of three school-age children. I wonder if we are going to see him in full Auror mode. I’d love to! I so want to see Harry as an Auror.

Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs. What part of his past does it actually refer to? Voldemort? Dursleys? His parents? Umbridge? Snape? Dumbledore? The list can go on and on… 

Harry’s youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. That’s understandable enough. His name alone is a triple legacy to carry around. In a way he is as much a marked man as his father. But the question is in what way does he struggle with it? 

Past and present fuse ominously... Well, that obviously spells trouble for our heroes. 

Both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places – well, that sounds even more alarming, doesn’t it? Whose darkness and what unexpected places exactly are we talking about here? Will Harry and Albus Severus, perhaps, have a horrible clash?

And, most importantly, who is the Cursed Child? 

Do you have any guesses? Spoiler-free, of course! I’d really love you to join me for a discussion – before and after! Are you excited? How much? What are your expectations? Leave your replies in the comments! 

P.S. I’m sure that everyone has already seen the photos of the cast and I’m not going to post them here for they will take up a lot of space. But I just want to say that I’m very happy with it and I can just imagine them looking the part. However, here are some tantalizing pictures from the show… In the first one, for example, the magic is brewing...

I can almost hear magic crackling in the air...

So... why is Rose standing all alone in the centre? It is Rose, right? Why is everyone staring at her? What is going on? By the way, love the new banners!

Harry, Ron and Draco together as an unlikely trio - not something you get to see every day! Once again, what is going on here? I just love Harry's cloak!

My thirteenth writing-related blog post is dedicated to various miscellaneous writing-related things

For the first time since the start of the year I failed to make a blog post on Tuesday. I had a busy day and came home late and tired and could do nothing but have a late supper and then curl on my bed and watch TV, while the weather in all its unstable variability, as winter and spring battle for dominance, has been playing havoc with my head and my blood pressure so that I had to lie down and keep my head propped by a number of pillows so that the Earth didn’t move so fast. However, I’m going to write this blog post even if it’s going to be very short. I just need a little more time. Here are just a few writing-related things that I’ve been thinking about. 

A few weeks ago I was working on my Regency WIP, writing a scene that had been living in my mind for years – ever since I first got the idea for the novel. It was one of those scenes I’d been really looking forward to writing, because it was the scene where my main heroine and hero finally met. I greatly enjoyed writing it, building up on what I’d dreamed it would be like as well as on my previous draft. But it was only when I was reading the scene out loud to my critique partner that I realized just how great it made me feel – in a very real, very physical way, you know. I felt pure joy and it filled me up to the brim. I was laughing with them and reveling in their silly, flirty, frivolous and fun interaction. I honestly don’t remember ever feeling like that while writing before. 

On the other hand, having the first chapter of my fairy-tale critiqued by a bunch of strangers who had also taken part in the competition I wrote about before made me feel really low so much so that the next week after that was not productive at all. It’s not that I still believe in my genius or something like that. It’s just that creating this world and writing this chapter was lots of fun for me and I imagined that the others would find it so too. However, their reaction was rather startling for me, because they found it strange, negative and depressing and the majority said that they would not buy this book for their children. It was just the first chapter but they expected to find all the answers there and I felt like they wanted it to be a perfect world just because it was a fairy-tale for children. I’m used to critique and I believe I take it fairly well but I think that in this case they didn’t even bother to try and understand it at all. 

Another thing that has been nagging me was the downside of being a famous author like J.K. Rowling. I’m slightly obsessed with the idea of becoming a famous author myself but when I see how everything that she says and does is studied under the microscope and dissected and turned inside out and how often she is abused for no apparent reason online I get the feeling that it’s not really worth it. There’s been a recent post which suggested that she should stop using Twitter to express her opinions and views, answer her fans’ questions and talk about her characters, because the person who wrote that piece wanted her to leave the world of Harry Potter behind for good, because, apparently, that’s what she herself had done and so now she wants it to stay put in a cupboard of her childhood or something, complaining that J.K. Rowling is talking too much and that she should keep her mouth shut, because she spoils everything by speaking her mind, sharing  causes that she supports, expressing her concerns, sympathizing or encouraging some lucky fan who managed to catch her eye in the avalanche of tweets that she no doubt gets. But no, she should just shut up. Let that sink in while I’m taking a deep breath… 

I mean, seriously? SERIOUSLY?!! Everyone can use and abuse Twitter but not Jo? What’s up with that? Does she belong to a different species or something? It’s like anyone can tell her what they want and don’t want her to do and write just because she’s J.K. Rowling and they believe she owes them something. It galls me when someone starts telling that they know better what she should write about and whether she should continue with the world of Harry Potter or let other people contribute instead, because it’s not only her world any more. That last piece comes from another idiotically delusional online article, posted some time ago, whose author believes in fans’ entitlement to do whatever they want with the characters and the fictional world they belong to once it’s out there – well, that’s bollocks in my book, that’s what! I think J.K. Rowling can play with her world as long as she wants to, bringing joy to those of us who can truly appreciate it, because I know that I’m hardly the only one who wants more - but, you know, authored by the woman herself.

12: Про мрії та пошуки: мрію про власне видавництво, шукаю однодумців (серед авторів, художників та читачів)

Колись я гадала, що надрукувати книжку та стати відомим на весь світ письменником дуже просто. Звісно, то було до того як я стала дорослою, написала свою першу книжку та зрозуміла, що це зовсім не так, бо світ літератури зовсім не чекає на мене із розпростертими обіймами, і що я далеко не єдина, хто мріє побачити свої книжки на полицях книгарень – а ще краще, в серцях мільйонів читачів. Так, я люблю помріяти. Кажуть, це не шкідливо. Тож, чому б ні? Та все ж деяким авторам це таки вдається, чи не так? Звісно, я маю на увазі, не мріяти, не причиняючи собі шкоди, а стати відомими та улюбленими на весь світ. От тільки, як виявилося, написати книгу то не є проблема для людини з літературним хистом, фантазією та палким бажанням це зробити. Надрукувати її – ото зовсім інша справа. Наразі, мені здається, що це просто неможливо, якщо ви не знаменитість та не маєте знайомих серед видавців. 

З того часу як я вирішила, що неодмінно напишу книжку українською (бо до цього я писала переважно англійською), я почала слідкувала за різними видавництвами та за новинами в книжковому світі України. Нажаль, видавництва, які найбільш за все мене приваблюють (тим як вони працюють із авторами та високою якістю своїх книжок), занадто зайняті різними проектами, перекладами популярних творів іноземних авторів, та книжками вже відомих авторів у нас в країні. Так одне видавництво наразі не розглядає рукописи. З другим навіть зв’язатися не можливо. А третє просто ігнорує всі мої спроби достукатися до них із своїм запитанням. Тож на минулих вихідних я вирішила пошукати інші видавництва та, може навіть, знайти те саме видавництво, яке б згодом надрукувало мою казку. Нажаль, видавництв в Україні не так вже й багато, а таких, які готові співпрацювати з авторами «без імені» зовсім мало. До того ж, треба враховувати напрямок видавництва, чи працюють вони з книжками та авторами на гідному рівні, чи займаються промоцією авторів та книжок, і чи роблять ілюстрації та ще й які. 

Бо, мені здається, що моя казка то є справжнісінький рай для художника-ілюстратора. От я і мрію про яскраву книжку з великою купою ілюстрацій. Тільки видавництво про яке я так давно мріяла вже не приймає рукописів на розгляд через переповнений видавничий портфель та найближчим часом приймати до розгляду не буде... Тож я склала список із чотирьох (лише чотирьох!) видавництв, які можуть зацікавитися моїм проектом, а можуть і не зацікавитися. То справа така. Пощастить – не пощастить. А ще прочитавши інформацію про різні видавництва, я дійшла висновку, що багато видавництв в нашій країні то є суто сімейна справа чи то справа між друзяками та знайомими; деякі були сформовані заради того, щоб надрукувати одну єдину книжку; майже всі орієнтуються на перевидання класики та творів видатних іноземних авторів; дуже мало хто з видавництв займається промоцією, та ще менша кількість дає шанс новим, вітчизняним авторам. Звісно, це все мої власні висновки, і якщо вони хибні, то я буду тільки рада. 

А, поки що, дивлячись на цю невтішну та безперспективну картину, виникла ідея-мрія заснування власного видавництва. Звісно, я мріяла про це і раніше, але в той час я ще повністю не усвідомлювала наскільки важливим це буде для мене в майбутньому. Насправді, це те, про що я не наважувалася думати серйозно, бо розуміла як це складно та може навіть нездійсненно, але настав той момент, коли я зрозуміла, що я маю це зробити, чи хоча б спробувати. Та я розумію, що не зможу зробити це наодинці. Мені потрібні однодумці та мрійники, потрібна команда завзятих, ідейних, творчих та, разом із тим, практичних людей, кожен з яких буде займатися своєю конкретною справою. Я ще тільки починаю думати про концепцію видавництва, але гадаю, що це буде видавництво, яке буде працювати не тільки на читачів, а і на авторів. Це буде видавництво, яке буде друкувати якісні книжки та просувати своїх авторів, формувати тісний зв’язок з книгарнями, читачами, бібліотеками, проводити різноманітні літературні заходи та читання, співпрацювати з іноземними видавництвами, а також розвивати свою присутність он-лайн. Звісно, на все це потрібні кошти та вільний час, яких в мене наразі нема. Та все це попереду. Бо є мрія. А одже це вже початок!

My eleventh writing-related blog post is all about books and what makes them timeless and universal

Pre-discussion questions to consider: What makes books timeless and universal in your opinion? What books come to mind when you think about that? Can it be achieved through captivating writing, spot-on characterization and vivid world-building alone? Or is there something more at play? 

Today I’d like to talk about books. Do you ever marvel at how many books there are in the world? Do you ever feel sad or frustrated at the fact that you will never be able to read all of them? That you won’t get to know about many of them? I often think about books, especially those that leave an everlasting mark in the world beyond that of literature and have a most profound effect on people and their lives. There are a lot of great books. There are a lot of great books that you read only once and never come back to again. There are a lot of great books that get forgotten with time and never taken up again. There are a lot of great books that never reach the readers at all and no one knows just how great they are or what they have missed. There are books that are not at all great but that become famous or, rather, infamous. There are books that set trends and inspire short-lived fads and obsessions. But then there are books that are timeless, that capture our hearts, that impact our lives, that compel us to come back to them again and again. They have countless editions, websites dedicated to them, fanfics, fanart, movies, series, millions of fans all over the world, they appeal to people of different ages and they pass from generation to generation… I’d like to talk about such books and try and figure out what makes them timeless, universal and classic and whether it is something that can be acquired and applied to my own books. 

I know there are quite a few books that fall into this category (though, admittedly, a tiny percentage if we take all fiction books out there) but I would like to look at and analyze the two series that I’m completely and totally obsessed with: Harry Potter and Anne of Green Gables. If you’ve read them you know that they are very different and yet with similar, unfading, universal appeal and legions of fans all over the world. So what is it about them that converts people and makes them fans for life? I personally believe that if you’ve read either and felt no desire whatsoever to want to devour them all over again straight away or to find yourself inside them that you just didn’t get them, because you can’t have read them and felt nothing. These books are imbued with powerful magic the like of which is extremely rare and if you haven’t felt it than you’re probably a muggle – the worst sort of muggle there is. I’m kind of happy now that no one reads my blog, because I’m sure I would get a lot of flak for saying that. But that’s the truth! You are! 

Anyway, the first thing that comes to mind when I think about why I love them so much and why they are so popular with people in general is their beautiful, quirky and unforgettable settings. Hogwarts. Hogsmead. Diagon Alley. Avonlea. Green Gables. People love those places! They even recreated them in real life! So if you have enough money, you can even go and find yourself inside your favourite book! Not many authors can boast to have inspired something like that and it's really something incredible, something beyond my wildest dreams, something a lot of authors aspire to, I'm sure. There are many books that I really liked but that never found a home in my heart, because they failed to capture me with their world-building, by making it too dangerous and quite impossible to live in. I think there should be a balance between the bad and the good, the beautiful and the ugly, the light and the dark, the normal and the bizarre. The aforementioned books keep the balance perfectly and make you want to be a part of their world. 

Also both series explore universal themes that will never become out-of-date or out-of-fashion: the search for home, for love, for friends, for kindred spirits; the wish to belong, to be understood, to be accepted; the pain of being an outsider, a nobody, being different; the choices that we make, the abilities that define us, the mistakes that ruin our lives and have unpredictable consequences; the death of loved ones and the wish to bring them back, etc.. They are full of words of profound, poignant, eternal wisdom that we keep on the most important shelves of our memories and quote whenever the occasion is right, when we come face to face with fellow fans or when we just want to appear really clever and witty. 

Then there are the characters. Not just the main ones. The secondary ones. Even the tertiary ones. They all represent a certain type - a stereotype, if you will - that we can either relate to or say that we know exactly someone like that; they all have a particular feature or features that stand out or set them apart or make them instantly recognizable and memorable – but with all that it doesn’t make them one-dimensional or flat due to the mastery and genius of their creators. They have many layers to them, layers that we discover with time. I think it’s important for a character to have a feature or a trait that grabs our attention and helps us define and identify them before exploring them further. They are real. They are real to us. We feel like we know them. We feel like they would understand us like no one else. We want to be their friends, partners, adversaries. They make us experience real emotions. They become part of our life. 

Some other things that make a book special for me are, of course, the story, the voice, the humour, the language and the way the author has with words. I suppose a lot of great books have these components and many others that I haven’t mentioned and yet they fail to leave a lasting mark. I honestly believe that there’s got to be something else: something that cannot be explained by logic or analysis, something that is pure magic - a final drop that turns an ordinary concoction into a magical potion. No matter how gifted you are, how honed your craft is, how many books you’ve written or how many formulas you’ve tried – there’s one ingredient at least that is beyond your control. It’s like being lucky. You can’t generate it. You can’t explain it. 

But I can’t help wondering, you know, if any of my past, present or future books and characters have what it takes to capture hearts, to inspire fandoms and followings, and remain with their readers for the rest of their lives and beyond? 

Favourite books - what makes them timeless and universal? bit.ly/1RjW0S1 via @faridamestek (Click to tweet) 

Harry Potter and Anne of Green Gables – what makes these books timeless and universal? bit.ly/1RjW0S1 via @faridamestek (Click to tweet)