The reader who reads books way after they are cool… How do I always do that?
This is not the first time I’ve read a book after everyone else in the free world, but it is my first blog. The Harry Potter series, one of my all time favorites, I didn’t start the series until after the 7th book The Deathly Hallows débuted summer of 2007, I had not seen any of the first 5 movies that had been out since 2001 or read any of the books. How did I not start this series at the tender age of 15 when The Sorcerer’s Stone first came out? Why not? I was after all raised in the generation that should have started reading them in 1997, and I have always been an avid reader… how can I be that un-cool? Well some of it probably had to do with my mother. I grew up in an ultra-southern-conservative household, where there were demons in all works of art that were not labeled Christian. Actually when I read the series at age 25 I thought my mom was going to throw me over her knee and spank me. The devil is in those books to my mother and to this day nothing can change her mind. But that doesn’t excuse why I never read any of the books that my friends from college talk about reading when they were younger, books like Nancy Drew, or the boxcar children, or even books by Judy Bloom, etc. Again, I was always a reader and I have not once picked up any of these books. When I was in the 6th grade I remember a girl in another class reading The Diary of Anne Frank, when did I read this piece of history? Oh, I think I read it in high school, years after others around me. Another example is Pride and Prejudice. Most students are required to read this literary classic in high school, when did I read it? 2007- seven years after high school!
Well back to Harry (yes we are on a first name basis). I instantly was in love with these books. My best friend had read the first two books, and was in love with all the movies. Almost everyone in my eclectic church had read them (or hated the thought of reading them-Dylan & Micah). I borrowed the first two from my fellow Potter-ite, Josh. And I read both in that first week. I had Josh bring me 3 and 4 the next Sunday, again in a week I had devoured those and needed 5… well someone else had his copy of 5, so what does an obsessed woman do? I went straight to Books a Million and bought The Order of the Phoenix and started reading it immediately. I finished it quickly Josh brought me 6 & 7. I read book 7, The Deathly Hallows, in one day. I was so worried about someone ruining the end of the series for me that I didn’t go to sleep on that wonderful Sunday night until 3am, knowing that work started promptly at 7:45am. I just couldn’t help it, I was addicted. I cried at the end and re-read the last 5 chapters the next day. I couldn’t believe it was over. I was soon obsessed; I bought the first 4 movies online and waited anxiously for their arrival-the longest week of my life thus far. I watched them in order multiple times. It wasn’t that the movies were that great (which they are), but I just needed to be part of that fantasy world even if I couldn’t read the books over and over, because let’s face it, those 3 weeks of reading Harry Potter, I did nothing else.
What I loved about Harry Potter… Please if you have not read the series and plan to you want to stop now. Spoilers ahead! I loved J.K. Rowling’s writing so much. The first reason I love this series is because I love Harry Potter. He is just a wonderful person that you could picture as being one of your friends. He was genuine, a true friend, and he was passionate about life. Another reason I loved the books was because J.K. Rowling would present information, make me believe it and then change everything that I knew. Who knew that when you started book one and saw that cute little redheaded girl with her mama at platform 9 ¾, dropping off 4 of her older brothers, that she would be the future mother of Harry’s children? Who knew that the annoying character, Dobby the house elf, first premiering in The Chamber of Secrets would one day not only save the day, but die for his friend Harry Potter, and I would cry for hours thinking of all Harry had been through with Dobby. Who knew that in Prisoner of Azkaban, the same crazy that we thought wanted to kill Harry would be the only family he ever had, and would love Harry for who he was and would inspire him at the end to continue down the right path of self sacrifice? And Snape… wow, what do I say about Snape. I hated him from the very beginning. Do you want to know what was my favorite chapter of the entire series is??? “The Prince’s Tale” where right after Nagini strikes to kill Snape, he gives Harry a memory and there Harry finds that Severus Snape has loved him because of Lily Potter the whole time. Wow, did I feel stupid… I mean here I am, loving Sirius and hating Snape and they love him for the exact same reason. Sirius loved Harry because of his love for his best friend James and Snape loved Harry because of the love he had for his childhood friend Lily. Rowling just blew my mind with the plot turns and the amazing way she can capture her audience. Whether you are 11 starting off in the magical world or 25 reading a child’s book, a person can’t help but love every minute of this fantasy. I had not read any book before this that compared to this literary genius. Simon (my wonderful husband) has since bought me the series and I have re-read them. I am trying to only read them once a year. My next venture will probably be around May of 2009 before The Half Blood Prince comes out in theaters in July. This will be my first Potter film to see on the big screen and I cannot wait! Although reading Harry Potter came late in my life and some time after the books’ first appearance, reading them was totally worth it. One good thing about how I’ve come across most books (you know way after they are cool to read), is the fact that I did not have to stay up late and wait outside of Books a Million to buy the next book that’s been published, I was able to read them all in 3 weeks. It took some of you losers 10 years to read them all. Just kidding, I’m actually very jealous!
This is not the first time I’ve read a book after everyone else in the free world, but it is my first blog. The Harry Potter series, one of my all time favorites, I didn’t start the series until after the 7th book The Deathly Hallows débuted summer of 2007, I had not seen any of the first 5 movies that had been out since 2001 or read any of the books. How did I not start this series at the tender age of 15 when The Sorcerer’s Stone first came out? Why not? I was after all raised in the generation that should have started reading them in 1997, and I have always been an avid reader… how can I be that un-cool? Well some of it probably had to do with my mother. I grew up in an ultra-southern-conservative household, where there were demons in all works of art that were not labeled Christian. Actually when I read the series at age 25 I thought my mom was going to throw me over her knee and spank me. The devil is in those books to my mother and to this day nothing can change her mind. But that doesn’t excuse why I never read any of the books that my friends from college talk about reading when they were younger, books like Nancy Drew, or the boxcar children, or even books by Judy Bloom, etc. Again, I was always a reader and I have not once picked up any of these books. When I was in the 6th grade I remember a girl in another class reading The Diary of Anne Frank, when did I read this piece of history? Oh, I think I read it in high school, years after others around me. Another example is Pride and Prejudice. Most students are required to read this literary classic in high school, when did I read it? 2007- seven years after high school!
Well back to Harry (yes we are on a first name basis). I instantly was in love with these books. My best friend had read the first two books, and was in love with all the movies. Almost everyone in my eclectic church had read them (or hated the thought of reading them-Dylan & Micah). I borrowed the first two from my fellow Potter-ite, Josh. And I read both in that first week. I had Josh bring me 3 and 4 the next Sunday, again in a week I had devoured those and needed 5… well someone else had his copy of 5, so what does an obsessed woman do? I went straight to Books a Million and bought The Order of the Phoenix and started reading it immediately. I finished it quickly Josh brought me 6 & 7. I read book 7, The Deathly Hallows, in one day. I was so worried about someone ruining the end of the series for me that I didn’t go to sleep on that wonderful Sunday night until 3am, knowing that work started promptly at 7:45am. I just couldn’t help it, I was addicted. I cried at the end and re-read the last 5 chapters the next day. I couldn’t believe it was over. I was soon obsessed; I bought the first 4 movies online and waited anxiously for their arrival-the longest week of my life thus far. I watched them in order multiple times. It wasn’t that the movies were that great (which they are), but I just needed to be part of that fantasy world even if I couldn’t read the books over and over, because let’s face it, those 3 weeks of reading Harry Potter, I did nothing else.
What I loved about Harry Potter… Please if you have not read the series and plan to you want to stop now. Spoilers ahead! I loved J.K. Rowling’s writing so much. The first reason I love this series is because I love Harry Potter. He is just a wonderful person that you could picture as being one of your friends. He was genuine, a true friend, and he was passionate about life. Another reason I loved the books was because J.K. Rowling would present information, make me believe it and then change everything that I knew. Who knew that when you started book one and saw that cute little redheaded girl with her mama at platform 9 ¾, dropping off 4 of her older brothers, that she would be the future mother of Harry’s children? Who knew that the annoying character, Dobby the house elf, first premiering in The Chamber of Secrets would one day not only save the day, but die for his friend Harry Potter, and I would cry for hours thinking of all Harry had been through with Dobby. Who knew that in Prisoner of Azkaban, the same crazy that we thought wanted to kill Harry would be the only family he ever had, and would love Harry for who he was and would inspire him at the end to continue down the right path of self sacrifice? And Snape… wow, what do I say about Snape. I hated him from the very beginning. Do you want to know what was my favorite chapter of the entire series is??? “The Prince’s Tale” where right after Nagini strikes to kill Snape, he gives Harry a memory and there Harry finds that Severus Snape has loved him because of Lily Potter the whole time. Wow, did I feel stupid… I mean here I am, loving Sirius and hating Snape and they love him for the exact same reason. Sirius loved Harry because of his love for his best friend James and Snape loved Harry because of the love he had for his childhood friend Lily. Rowling just blew my mind with the plot turns and the amazing way she can capture her audience. Whether you are 11 starting off in the magical world or 25 reading a child’s book, a person can’t help but love every minute of this fantasy. I had not read any book before this that compared to this literary genius. Simon (my wonderful husband) has since bought me the series and I have re-read them. I am trying to only read them once a year. My next venture will probably be around May of 2009 before The Half Blood Prince comes out in theaters in July. This will be my first Potter film to see on the big screen and I cannot wait! Although reading Harry Potter came late in my life and some time after the books’ first appearance, reading them was totally worth it. One good thing about how I’ve come across most books (you know way after they are cool to read), is the fact that I did not have to stay up late and wait outside of Books a Million to buy the next book that’s been published, I was able to read them all in 3 weeks. It took some of you losers 10 years to read them all. Just kidding, I’m actually very jealous!
3 comments:
Great Blog Charity!
I am glad I was the first to read it and look foward to many more. Seeing as you have ready about 1,000 books in the past week, we are sure to read your thoughts for a long long time.
simon
HEY! I'm excited about your blog site! That's awesome!
You know what Charity. I feel the "non-reading pain". We both have the exact same scenario about why we weren't readers. My mom STILL thinks college is the work of the devil. It opens our poor little minds to the liberal worldly hethens!
But you know, I am now an English Major that loves every piece of literature that is put in front of me. I feel so cheated! I want to make sure my students have opportunities to read. Unlike US. If you think about it, it wasn't just our parents that stifled our imaginations. It was our lack of enthusiastic teachers in the area of living in worlds other than the the one we actually breathe in.
I am TOTALLY looking forward to reading EVERYTHING you have to say about books you are reading! I hope to be able to share my input on them as well! :)
I totally identify with you! I didn't read Harry until the 7th book was published although I had watched the movies so I knew what was going on. I read them in such a frenzy (all 7 in 10 days) that now I've forgotten some of the finer details. It's also nice to see another adult reading the same things I am, i.e., books I should have read as a child or in high school. I was raised in a similar household and now cannot convince my mother that Harry's not the wicked wizard of the west. I agree with everything you said about the books and Rowling. These are as rich and detailed as Tolkien in my opinion. I love them!
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