Based on the buzz about the Harry Potters books, I knew they had to be good. They were mega-bestsellers, but I felt that I was probably too old to enjoy them even though several friends told me that I’d probably enjoy them.
I remember sitting in the driver’s seat of an Army hummer in 2003, waiting in line for fuel inside the perimeter of some dusty Iraqi outpost. The guy in the passenger seat next to me was a regular Army infantry veteran. While we waited for fuel, he passed the time by reading one of the Harry Potter novels. The book, with its cartoonish cover, looked out of place next to his flak jacket and M16.
I kind of chuckled at the fact that this guy had pulled out a Harry Potter book, and he reminded me that I shouldn’t be so quick to judge a book by its cover. “You might want to check these out,” he said. “They’re pretty good.”
Long story short, I finally read “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” a few days ago, and guess what? My army buddy was right.
It took me a while to get into the book at first, and I wondered if maybe I was a little too old to appreciate the book. I figured I was probably outside of the book’s target audience, that is, junior high school age.
However, about 200 pages in, a switch flipped somewhere inside my head, and I was hooked. I began to understand why so many people enjoy these books and why they’ve made author J.K. Rowling one of the world’s wealthiest writers.
For those of you unfamiliar with “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” it’s about a young wizard named Harry Potter. He’s raised by his aunt and uncle, but is eventually invited to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There, he finds himself and his new friends pitted against the evil wizard that hilled Potter’s parents when he was a baby.
I’m not going to lie. I thought this book was really good, and it left me wanting to read the next book in the series – immediately. In all, there are seven novels in Rowling’s Harry Potter series. Here’s a complete list of them all, in order of publication.
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (1997)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (1998)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (1999)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2000)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2003)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2005)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007)
In the end, what do you think about the Harry Potter series of books? Which have you read? Which is your favorite? Why? Let us know in the comments section below.
I too put off reading these books, as I felt that I was too old. My parents' eventually bought them about the year 2003 or so, maybe when my sister-in-law was pregnant with my nieces, anticipating giving them to the grandchildren. I picked up the books, and read them up to that point in about 1 week. I am a voracious reader anyhow, but something about these books ended up making me unable to put them down until I finished each in about a day and a half.
ReplyDeleteI think I liked the "Percy Jackson and the Olympians" series even more.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff, Scott. Have you ever read any of the Chronicles of Narnia books? I've never dove into those either - yet, that is.
ReplyDeleteI have... moreso the first one, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. I remember reading it as a child, and again, when my nieces were born, my mother bought a collection of those books (all of them in one hardcover) to give to them eventually.
ReplyDeleteI need to read those some day. For whatever reason, I've just never taken the time to read them. I've been told that if someone enjoys Tolkein, they'll enjoy C.S. Lewis.
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