Average Jane Reads Harry Potter

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I finally finished "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" on Sunday and passed it along to my sister. All I can say is that it’s going to make a very scary movie. I can hardly wait for the last book!

After I sniffled through the last part of the book, I decided I needed to re-read "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" and "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix." As I read through "Half-Blood Prince," it was obvious that I’d forgotten a lot of details from the previous two books. That’s not too surprising considering that I’m sure I gulped them down as soon as they arrived and then put them on the shelf until now.

I find it odd that the articles about each new Harry Potter book or movie always center on kids’ reactions and usually mention adults’ love of the stories as an afterthought.

On the weekend of July 16th when the latest book came out, one of my friends sent her one-year-old and her husband to her parents’ house for the weekend so she could read in peace. Another agreed to a quick get-together early in the day, but only because his partner was home to receive the book when it was delivered. My dad picked up a copy for my stepmother at a grocery store at 3:00 a.m. on the 16th and by the time I talked to her on Sunday, she was already starting her second reading. Even my husband, who never reads anything but technical manuals and the occasional magazine, will make time to listen to Harry Potter books on tape (these days, as podcasts).

All I can think is: what will we all do after the last book and movie come out?

Comments

5 responses to “Average Jane Reads Harry Potter”

July 26, 2005

Stacie

She hasn’t said that she would stop writing, just not anything further about Harry.
Have you checked out the kid’s section of a book store lately? Dozens of new authors are writing really good fanatasy books. Eoin Coulfer has a great series about Artemis Fowl. It’s meant for 11-14 year olds, but to truly appreciate it, you need to have a good foundation in fantasy. Highly recommend it.

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July 26, 2005

Jane

Stacie: I’ll never leave behind the so-called “children’s” book section. I like the Artemis Fowl books and I’m overjoyed to see that Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” series is being made into a movie. I never really warmed to the Lemony Snicket books because I prefer genuine gothic adventures to the faux ones (if you haven’t read “The Hidden Hand” by E.D.E.N. Southworth, get your hands on a copy – it’s worth it!).

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July 26, 2005

cagey

I got chills the entire time I read this new Harry Potter. While it is hard to top the initial excitement and magic of reading the first one, this latest did a pretty darn good job. It is almost creepy to have high expectations and have them EXCEEDED for once. JKR did such a better job with the story arc this time around.

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July 27, 2005

Toby

Picked up my copy yesterday to read on the plane to BlogHer!

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July 29, 2005

Stacie

I hadn’t heard about the movie for His Dark Materials. I’m about half way through the Subtle Knife for the second or third time. It’s one of my favorites too. I doubt I see the movie though; they’re usually a disaapointment.
I’ve read the bulk of the Lemony Snickett books, thinking that there must be something more. When I stopped to think about it, every book had thirteen chapters. At book nine, I figured I’d just wait til book 13 came out and ended the series. I had forgotten about them until the movie came out (which I didn’t see). Undecided on checking out book 13 now. But I’ll look into Hidden Hand. Thanks for the recommendation.

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