Story Revivals

I am not going to talk about the new Harry Potter book, for two reasons.

Reason #1: I never really read the Harry Potter books growing up.

Reason #2: When I tried to read the Harry Potter books, I discovered that I didn't actually like it very much. (Which, for my generation, is an apparent crime agianst books. And yet, here we are.)

All the excitement and build-up to the actual release (which, at the time of writing this, was just last night at midnight) has got me thinking, though, about all the recent revivals of classic, beloved franchises that we've seen in recent years. We got a new Star Wars movie back in December, a new Ghostbusters movie just this past month. Finding Dory came out after thirteen years of Ellen Degeneres begging for a sequel. Everyone--everyone--is playing Pokemon GO. The third season of the Sailor Moon remake just wrapped up a couple months ago.

And now, an eigth Harry Potter book, after nine years of publication silence.

Regardless of what it is, I love--love--franchise revivals. I know there are lots of cynics out there who grumble and moan, about how nothing these days is original, how the sequel ruins everything, how a remake is unnecessary and just proves that Hollywood will do anything for a money grab.

To all those Negative Nellies, I have only four words--shut the hell up.

The excitement on the internet this week is palpable. All the fans that grew up with Harry Potter, that have treasured the series in childhood, are bouncing off the walls at the prospect of an eighth book finally coming out. I am not a part of this fandom, but even as an outsider I can see how important this is. Everyone my age gets hit with a wave of nostalgia, as they get to live through this experience that they've only known from a child's perspective.

Not only that, but now the new generation of fans, who were introduced to the series long after it's original publication run finished, get to live through the excitement for the first time. They get to discover what a Harry Potter midnight release is like, they get to live in the excitement of a new book for the first time.

It's an incredible feeling, and no one has the right to deny anyone that excitement. Stories like Harry Potter are able to survive for so long because they matter to people. They make a difference to us, the readers, and can continue to have an influence on us for the rest of our lives.

Stories matter. And the reality of seeing our old favourites renewed in any form doesn't just revitalize our love for a story, or make it relevant in mainstream media again--it revitalizes a community and brings it together.

I don't know. I just thing revivals are pretty damn great.


Until later,

- Justyne

How do book ratings even work?

I've been doing (almost) weekly reviews on this blog for around a year now, and I've come to the realization that my rating system is extremely inefficient. Basically, I rate a book on a scale of 1-5 stars, in two different ways. Either:

1) Based off of how strong my emotions are reacting to the story,

OR

2) How well written it is IN SPITE OF how strong my emotions are reacting to the story.

Let me explain. We're going to compare three different examples: November 9 by Colleen Hoover (which I reviewed on Wednesday), Pinch Me by Adena Halpern, and Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling. Let's start with the most recent.

I just read November 9. At the time of writing this, I just finished it last night (instead of doing homework lol whoops). If you haven't read my review, I'll summarize it for you: I LOVED IT A CRAPTON. It started out fluffy and cutesy and turned into a soap opera halfway through and I ain't even mad because I loved every second of it! So, obviously, I immediately went on to Goodreads and rated it five stars, because I was on an emotional high that I never wanted to come down from.

Now, despite how much I loved this book, I recognize that it's not perfect. It's got some issues. (And I identify those issues in my review, if you wanted to know what they are.) But I made the conscious decision to forego all that in favour of a five star rating, because that's what I do when I adore a book--I give it an immediate five star rating.

Now, I'm going to hit you with an extremely unpopular opinion that's going to get me kicked off the internet--I don't like Harry Potter. I'm sorry! I tried! I forced myself to read the first book a couple years ago, and I had little to no emotional attachment and/or reaction to the story. Even watching the movies, I'm indifferent. I just don't give a crap about wizards, I guess.

Anyway, my initial reaction (or lack thereof) made me want to give the book a pretty low rating. Like, a two. Or maybe even a one. (Which is unheard of--a one-star book is one that I don't finish, which means that I don't rate it because I feel bad reviewing an unfinished book.) But still, on Goodreads, I gave it a solid three. I question this, given my passionate indifference to it.

But here's the thing--it's actually really well written.

Even though I couldn't bring myself to care about the characters, even if I felt that the plot advanced too slowly in parts and I have 0 intention of ever picking up the second book, I can still acknowledge the fact that it has some great bits. The description is really well written, and the world is one full of imagination and wonder. Even though I, personally, dislike the book, I can see how so many people fall in love with it.

And then there's Pinch Me, an adult fiction book that I read shortly after Harry Potter, and gave it the same rating. HOWEVER. I enjoyed this book a hell of a lot more. I liked the premise better, I liked the writing style better, I liked the characters better. I rated it lower on my scale due to smaller things, like absurdity of some of the plot points, or the overall goofiness of it that just can't be taken too seriously.

Still, though, the more I think about it, the more I'd like to bump it up to four stars.

Actually, I think I'll do that now.

That basically proves my point right there: I have no consistency. Zero! I make it up as I go! I have no system, no protocol to figuring out what I should rate a book. It's just "Eh...sure, we'll go with this." I almost feel like five stars isn't enough--because how can I rate two books that I enjoyed differently the same number of stars? More importantly--do my ratings really mean anything if I just go back and change them later? (Which I do. A lot.)

(If you'd like further discussion on rating books, I recommend this video by Ariel Bissett on YouTube.)

How do you normally go about rating books? Or do you just simplify your life and not even bother?

Until later,

- Justyne