Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix

I read the first Harry Potter after seeing the movie with some fanatical friends the day it was released (2001), and put aside any thoughts of reading the rest of the series. Now that the mania has calmed down (or I have successfully been ignoring it), I've read books 2-5 in the past year.

With all the reviews and attention these books get, there is little left to say that is of an original opinion. While book 5, like all the others, is a flawlessly crafted, entertaining story, I must say I was a little disappointed in the ending. Not that the outcome itself wasn't acceptable, but the overall feeling of satisfaction as a result of the outcome was missing. I have yet to determine if this is because of the story itself, or because you know nothing bad can happen to any of the main characters until the final installment.

Only book six holds clues...

In progress:
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince -J.K. Rowling
Catch 22 -Joseph Heller
Emma -Jane Austen
Four Past Midnight -Stephen King

Ketchup (and Mustard)

Recent Reads (** indicate books I particularly recommend):

2004
A Prayer for Owen Meany -John Irving
Desolation Angels -Jack Kerouac
Angela's Ashes -Frank McCourt
The Eyes of the Dragon -Stephen King
The Life of Pi -Yann Martel
A Painted House -John Grisham
**The World According to Garp -John Irving
The Bell Jar -Sylvia Plath
Pride and Prejudice -Jane Austen
The English Assassin -Daniel Silva
The Lovely Bones -Alice Sebold
The Shipping News -Annie Proulx
The DaVinci Code -Dan Brown
Lady Chatterly's Lover -D.H. Lawrence
Angels & Demons -Dan Brown
Brick Lane -Monica Ali
Sole Survivor -Dean Koontz
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah -Richard Bach
The Jungle -Upton Sinclair
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets -J.K. Rowling
The Mythical Man-Month -Frederick P. Brooks, Jr
Crossing the Chasm -Geoffrey A. Moore
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban -J.K. Rowling
He's Just Not That Into You -Greg Behrendt & Liz Tuccillo

2005
**The Five People You Meet In Heaven -Mitch Albom
**Memoirs of a Geisha -Arthur Golden
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire -J.K. Rowling
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time -Mark Haddon
Holidays on Ice -David Sedaris
Unless -Carol Shields
The Red Tent -Anita Diamant
Catcher in the Rye -J.D. Salinger
The Fountainhead -Ayn Rand
**The Nanny Diaries -Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus
Ella Minnow Pea -Mark Dunn
Rescuing Patty Hearst -Virginia Holman
The Kitchen Boy -Robert Alexander
Fat Land -Greg Critser

In Progress
Four Past Midnight -Stephen King
Emma -Jane Austen
Catch 22 -Joseph Heller
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -J.K. Rowling