Quidditch Through the Ages

See? I told you it wouldn't be long before I had the second Harry Potter spin-off read. I actually liked this book a lot more than Fantastic Beasts. It is, as you could probably expect, a brief history and rulebook of the fictional sport of quidditch. Parts of this book felt very clever. For instance, quidditch has apparently not caught on as well in the United States as it has around the rest of the world because American wizards prefer a similar but more explosive sport known as "quodpot." (Clearly, a jab at American football by the Rowling, who as a Brit is most assuredly a soccer fan.) However, two American teams of note are pointed out, and one of them happens to be from Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Let's all go see a game sometime, shall we? Another moment I enjoyed was when the book explained that quidditch hasn't done well in the Middle or Far East either because wizards there fly around on carpets instead of broomsticks. That really tickled my funny bone, perhaps because it just seemed like such a racial stereotype, albeit a fictitious one. There were a few other things here and there - anecdotes about famous players and matches, for instance - that made me glad I took the better part of an hour to give this a read. It all just speaks volumes about Rowling's imagination and creative prowess as a writer; she hasn't just come up with a sport for wizards; she's come up with a complete history of said sport. Anyway, although I'm glad I read these two Harry Potter spin-offs (I needed something light and simple after The Metamorphosis), I really should get back to work on the epic tale Hawaii; I'm only halfway done with it, and these last 500 pages aren't going to read themselves.