Harry Potter

I love the Harry Potter books, but stopped in the middle of the fourth book in January, 2003 because of student teaching (trust me, I didn't want to, but those were crazy busy times). I started reading them again about 3 weeks ago at the earging of my student worker, Nicole-a huge HP fan. I'm in the middle of book 5 and have to say that it's really hard to stop. I love how J.K. Rowling has kept such a tight plot. I love Star Wars, but I think HP really excels in that there aren't any (obvious, anyway) loop hole. Rowling also did a magnificent job creating an entire society. Part of what makes the books so interesting is watching the society evolve and change as outside and inside factors come about.
Right now, I am on the chapter, Dumbledore's Army. Up to this point, frightening changes have been taking place in the Ministry of magic, the magical world's governing body. From what I can tell, the setting is a capitalistic society, almost more nearly like the US rather than Great Britain's in the way the government is set up. They have a Minister of Magic, who at this point in reading, I believe is elected and there is no sitting monarch as far as I am aware. (okay, moving on... this is starting to sound like a term paper... just be glad I didn't put it in APA format.)
I do find it interesting that there is a group in the story, who would like nothing more than to purify the magical bloodlines (hmmm... pretty sure this has been tried before). And, at this point the governing body is using the media to mask what is truly going on (once again, pretty sure this has been done too).
Anyway, to conclude my book report (ack! for real, I am having the worst time blogging. I can't do simple, light-hearted thoughts... I'm doing my best to keep myself from citing sources...) I am anxious to see how this is all going to pan out. I wonder how much this will follow history.