Harry Potter

[mrspunkysmom]

So I'm wondering how many people here read Harry Potter? For my first poll, I thought I'd ask if you read the series.

Please, feel free to comment on the books.

I love them. I've also done some researching, but mainly I read the Unofficial Guide and save myself the trouble.

[Karen]

YEs, I currently have books 5 and 6 that I need to return to my niece. The first four I read online.

[Hellow]

No, i have never read one of them, in reality, i think the books are kind of stupid.
I like the movies.

[BC_MoM]

Can't wait for the Harry Potter book release PARTAYYYY. :D

So yes, I read them.

[shais_mom]

I
LOVE
the books!
I'm not much for mystical stuff like that so I put it off and put it off
until right after the 6th book came out. I resisted up until then.
I read the first one in 2 days.
I can't wait until it comes out - but I'm not buying it right away. My sister is buying the hardbacks - and she'll buy it and I'll get it from her -
I have the paperbacks so I'll wait a year or 2 before I get the 7th one when it comes out on paperback.

[shais_mom]

YEs, I currently have books 5 and 6 that I need to return to my niece. The first four I read online.
all of them?
how'd you do that?
**clueless**

[cali]

I like the movies, but while I love to read, I only read very particular types of books, and harry potter dont even come lose to what I like to read lol

[Blue_Frog]

I've read most of them, but not the last one. I should prolly pick it up before the new one comes out.

Also, did you know that the British release ones were slightly different than the American (schloastic) ones? Like, for instance in book one when they're discussing Harry's clothes right at the beginning, the British one refers to a 'Jumper', but the American one refers to 'Sweater' -- i guess its' since the British terms for some things aren't the same as the American ones :)

[Alysser]

I LOVE harry potter! Best books and movies! :D The 5th movie turned me back into the HP nerd I used to be.

[Zippy]

I love the harry potter books and plan to reread them all. :D

[shais_mom]

I love the harry potter books and plan to reread them all. :D
I've re-read the first 2 - but now I'm reading a different book - then I'll start up again-
so many books so little time!

[Kalei]

I read Harry Potter!! I love the books and the movies. I have only read 2 or 3 of the books so far though. It's one of the best stories of all time:D

[Hellow]

Mailny the kinds of movies and books i like to read are star trek, but pet books and movies come first!

[k9krazee]

Sure do!!! :D

I'm actually in the process of re-reading them all (for like the 5th time) -- hopefully before the last one comes out!

I enjoy the books MUCH MUCH more than the movies.

[Oggyflute]

I've read all of them, they are a nice easy read.

[Karen]

all of them?
how'd you do that?
**clueless**

I am blessed with the right genes, so that I read very quickly, and well. My brain just processes words quite adeptly. I can literally read a book a day, if I have the time. I have no problem reading for hours at a stretch, and when a book is really good, I'll read when I should be doing other things (like sleeping) and WHILE I'm doing things (like exercising). It's completely genetic, nothing I can take credit for - all my sibling are that way, and most of the next generation is as well.

For the record, Ma was a writer and and English teacher. Dad is an engineer, but brought a thick stack of books home from the library every week to read while he was at work.

I may not be able to walk a balance beam without falling off, or win a tanning contest - but I CAN read.

[shais_mom]

I may not be able to walk a balance beam without falling off, or win a tanning contest - but I CAN read.
and you can't eat a lot of things either! :p
well I meant what kind of site do you go to for that? can you save your spot etc?
I love to read also - I just don't read as much as I used to or like to - darn WORK!

[AdoreMyDogs]

I LOOOOVE the Harry Potter books! The movies are so-so compared to the books, but the books are just so fun! I've re-read the first 3, and I've read and I own them all.

[Karen]

and you can't eat a lot of things either! :p
well I meant what kind of site do you go to for that? can you save your spot etc?
I love to read also - I just don't read as much as I used to or like to - darn WORK!

It was several years ago - a friend who knew I love to read emailed me the text he found online of all four books. Unfortunately, they were mislabeled, when I read them I figured out that the ones labelled 3 and 4 had been switched, so it took a bit of catching up. They were just plan text files that I got emailed, I am sure they are out there on the web somewhere ... though not legally, of course. And as I had the files on my machine at the time, I could just type in "Stopped here" into the text, and delete it when I picked up again!

[crow_noir]

Yes I've read all of them so far. For the longest time i had NO interest in them. By the third book though i decided to see what all the "dam*" hype was about. To be honest i HATED the first book and thought it was horrible. Everyone thought it was sooooooo funny, but i was bored out of my mind! ...but darn it all I'm a plot vvh0r3 and got suckered in. 2 was better. 3 and 4 are my faves! and five... well it's OK. 6 *sigh* still better than one... in it's own way. I *might* like one better though. not sure.

NOT my fav series or even close, but i wouldn't call it a waste of time. I do think there are MUCH better series out there though. (like the Speaking to Dragons series. forget what it's called, but that's the title of one of the books in it.)

[crow_noir]

I wonder if somehow i ended up borrowing a British version then because there were a LOT of British terms like that which had me puzzled as to what they meant. ...I was like "Jeeze! If this is the American version how different is the British version?!"

I don't remember reading sweater, but i do remember puzzling over Jumper.

And remember... I was borrowing book one from the library when it was EASY to get a hold of a copy of book three there.


I...
Also, did you know that the British release ones were slightly different than the American (schloastic) ones? Like, for instance in book one when they're discussing Harry's clothes right at the beginning, the British one refers to a 'Jumper', but the American one refers to 'Sweater' -- i guess its' since the British terms for some things aren't the same as the American ones

[crow_noir]

If you have a library card you might want to check with your local library. Mine has this partnership with a nationwide program that has ebooks and all sorts of other nifty documents (like the SAT study guide.) The ebooks has mostly just common titles, so I'm sure Harry Potter would be on there.

It's completely free for anyone in my county with a library card. You just have to go to the library to set up your account for the ebooks first.

There's a small fee for those with out a library card.


and you can't eat a lot of things either! :p
well I meant what kind of site do you go to for that? can you save your spot etc?
I love to read also - I just don't read as much as I used to or like to - darn WORK!

[kallisto4529]

YES LOVE THEM!!!!!! I have read all the books so far and I have pre-ordered the last one....I am so bummed that it is really the last one, I can not possibly imagine how she will end it. Very excited about July 11th, my nephew and I have not missed seeing one yet in the theater.

[KittyGurl]

I love the books and the movies! I read books 1 to 3 and started some of book 4. I can't wait till the last book comes out! :D

[mrspunkysmom]

I think book three was already out and Potter ws the tlak fo the town when my mom mentioned them to me. I bought the first book and was hooked.

The first book is short and light. I suspect that JKR had the whole world in her head but was unwilling or unable to sell a large or long book as a first book. She went with what she could sell in the first few books.

I was disappointed in book 6, but I realize that 6 was the launch point for 7. I suspect she was tying up some loose ends in preparation to zapping us with the finale. If 6 was longer or more detailed she may have given away too much and 7th would be as big a surprise.

I am in my umpteenth re-reading of the series prior to reading the last book. Oddly enough, I haven't pre-ordered the book yet. I'm not sure where I'll be on the 21st of July.

Anne

[Christmas_Hamster]

I ahve read them all and I am going to re-read the 6th one again. I love these books. *bows down to books*

The movies do no justice to the books. You miss so much detail about the plot. They have taken out so much important information out of the movies that it is rediculous

[Flatcoatluver]

I've read two pages of the first book and havn't read anymore. That was about 5 years ago. :D

I have seen the first two movies, and I thought they were boring.

[SemaviLady]

I tend to be a heavy reader of nonFic so HP wasn't part of my usual fare. But I know many HP fans (adults) and when the DVD movies came out, I saw Prisoner and Goblet (I'm deaf so I need the captions/DVD). I loved the movies!

I have a lot of reading I'm behind on.. :rolleyes: but I want to read all the HP books if I can ever find time.
http://www.sectumsempra.net/potterpuffs/theme/working.gif

[IRescue452]

No. The movies interest me, but I haven't picked up the book hype yet. I've read quite a bit of Harry Potter fan fic. I hear the director for the first two movies made them incredibly close to the book, but for the movies after that they changed a lot of info from the book. I think it would just annoy me to read it and see something different, as it does with lots of movies. Anyway, I prefer stuff that doesn't have a craze. I own both books and movies that are really good but never became popular. They are my forgotten treasures.

[SemaviLady]

Movies do certainly pale in comparison with the story telling depth of books.

I have never read the Tolkien books (not my childhood genre) yet I am absolutely a fan of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings series.

[Suki Wingy]

You mean how many times have you read the books! At least 3 times each. 20 more days to get my slytherin uniform together for the midnight release of DH!!!!!
I remember in 1997-8 in 3rd grade my teacher read the first book and I couldn't wait for my birthday to get my own copy to read along.
I have the US hard copy of S/P S and the US hard copy and the UK hard copy of CoS, the US paperback of PoH, the US paperback and the UK hard copy of GoF, the US paperback of OoP, and the US hard copy of HBP.

[critters]

[QUOTE=crow_noir]I wonder if somehow i ended up borrowing a British version then because there were a LOT of British terms like that which had me puzzled as to what they meant. ...I was like "Jeeze! If this is the American version how different is the British version?!"

I don't remember reading sweater, but i do remember puzzling over Jumper.
[QUOTE]
You probably got one of the early releases, because I puzzled over the same thing for a LONG time. I think the first reprintings aren't usually thoroughly edited for such things, if at all.

I have a few copies: all in PB, HB, and CD, and SS in Braille. :D Oh, and all the movies, too.

[crow_noir]

I seen a copy once at B&N! I thought that was so cool... but the poor thing was so tattered. Should have had a reduced price sticker on it. It looked like it had been in a library for YEARS rather than being a new release.


I have a few copies: all in PB, HB, and CD, and SS in Braille. :D Oh, and all the movies, too.

[SemaviLady]

I seen a copy once at B&N! I thought that was so cool... but the poor thing was so tattered. Seems to have been much loved! :)

I want to read them so badly now. More hours in the day would help!

[ramanth]

I've read them all and have seen all the movies. The movies definitely pale in comparison to the depth of the books.

I'll be catching a matinee of Order of the Phoenix next Wednesday and will be at a book release party in Toronto. :D

[Cincy'sMom]

I have not read any of the books, yet. Ironically, I love to read, Ralph raraely reads, but he has read all 6 and has a pre-ordered copy of the 7th (if my mom put the order in?)

I have said all along I would wait for them all so I could read them back to back without waiting. To be honest thathas been my dealy, cause I didn't have much interest in reading them. Now that the 7th is coming out I guess I have to sit down and read them.

[Barbara]

They are fun and while I do not have to be the first to read volume seven I certainly will read it.
But Karen, being a semi-professional reader and having worked in publishing you should respect copyright and not read some word files that are scanned in and pirated on the web ;)

[Kirsten]

I read the books twice, and I can't wait for #7! :D

KIrsten

[Miss Z]

Yep, I've read all of them so far and I'll be reading the seventh for sure. I don't think that J.K Rowling is a particularly talented author as far as her writing style is concerned, but her idea was certainly one that appealed to millions, and may she continue to reap the rewards!

[shais_mom]

Its going to be so sad when the books are all done.
I'm not looking forward to that at all!

[Kirsten]

Its going to be so sad when the books are all done.
I'm not looking forward to that at all!

I know what you mean. For me, it was like that with the Lord of the Rings-movies. A part of me couldn't wait to finally see part 3, but I was also devastated when it was over. And I know it will also give me a sad feeling to read the last chapter of HP 7. At least there are still some more Harry Potter movies to look forward to...

Kirsten

[mrspunkysmom]

Yep, I've read all of them so far and I'll be reading the seventh for sure. I don't think that J.K Rowling is a particularly talented author as far as her writing style is concerned, but her idea was certainly one that appealed to millions, and may she continue to reap the rewards!

I think she is a great children's author. Despite her wordly and mythical allusions, the books were written for children. Not too deep, even though I do have reference books on HP. The stories are enjoyable without the reference books, too.

It is so nice to read a book where I don't have to amp up the brain cells just to read the book.

[BitsyNaceyDog]

I haven't gotten on the Harry Potter bandwagon yet. Justin is starting to though. Justin loves Lord Of The Rings and His Dark Materials, I'm sure he'll love Harry Potter too. He's currently reading the first book.

[finn's mom]

I want to see all the films before I get any of the books. Once the films are all out, and the books are all out, I will purchase the entire set of books. :) I love the films, and just saw the most recent one at an IMAX theater here in Dallas. It was phenomenal, I swear they just get better!

[RedHedd]

but mainly I read the Unofficial Guide and save myself the trouble. I've never considered reading a book to be trouble.

I've read all the HP books and have pre-ordered the latest. I can't wait to read it.

[Killearn Kitties]

I've never read Harry Potter, but for all of you who were confused by British terminology, why didn't you post your questions and let us help you? :D

[mrspunkysmom]

Ah, taken out of context. Don't you just love that?


So I'm wondering how many people here read Harry Potter? For my first poll, I thought I'd ask if you read the series.

Please, feel free to comment on the books.

I love them. I've also done some researching, but mainly I read the Unofficial Guide and save myself the trouble.



I've never considered reading a book to be trouble.

Neither have I. But when you've read books (for my job) by authors that write only to impress themselves, it is nice to read something easy and straightforward. Of course, JKR's writing is not straightforward, which takes us back to the quoted post. JKR uses literary and historical references in her nomenclature to directly impart or hint at information about a character, event, object, or place. Either you know it or you have to research it. So I use the Unofficial Guides as a starting place. Saves a lot of time.

You can get the gist of the story from the unofficial guide but that's it. It would not be any fun reading the guide and not read the books.

[critters]

Of course, JKR's writing is not straightforward, which takes us back to the quoted post. JKR uses literary and historical references in her nomenclature to directly impart or hint at information about a character, event, object, or place. Either you know it or you have to research it. So I use the Unofficial Guides as a starting place. Saves a lot of time.
.

Ah, yes, very good point, which is, I think, why so many adults are drawn to HP. Kids can read them as a simple adventure story, but the complexity is there so that they stand up to rereading (a bazillion times or so. :D ) The Guide books and internet groups have brought even more stuff to my attention, stuff I wouldn't have noticed/figured out on my own.

[mrspunkysmom]

I've never read Harry Potter, but for all of you who were confused by British terminology, why didn't you post your questions and let us help you? :D

Okay.

Bin = Trashcan
Jumper = sweater?

pasty?

take the mickey out on?

I believe there is a difference in how candies are named? lemon drop and such?

I like it when she uses the British vocabulary (or vernacular). It's a good lesson for American students.

[Killearn Kitties]

Okay.

Bin = Trashcan
Yes.


Jumper = sweater?
Yes.


pasty?
A little hard to say without context, but if used of a person it would mean pale / wan / hadn't seen the sun in a while. Quite common in Britain. ;)


take the mickey out on?
To take the mickey out of someone is to make fun of them.


I believe there is a difference in how candies are named? lemon drop and such?
I think what you would call candies, we would call sweets.


I like it when she uses the British vocabulary (or vernacular). It's a good lesson for American students.
I agree. I always enjoy that aspect of reading things from other countries. It is very informative.

[mrspunkysmom]

Pasty as in pumpkin pasty. I thought the publisher had misspelled pastry. But it's really pasty or pastie?

What is the origin of "Take the mickey"?

I read somewhere that US lemon drops are not the same as British Lemon drops. I jsut do not remember the difference now.

I know there are other words that confuse me. I'll look.

[Felicia's Mom]

I have never read any of the books or seen any of the movies. I don't plan on doing either one.

[shais_mom]

I took me myself and I to the movie tonite
and
LOVED IT!!
LOVED IT!!

[mrspunkysmom]

so did the three of you make notes for comparisons or keep a running commentary going?

Perhaps i'll go instead of waiting for the DVD.

[Uabassoon]

I wanted to see the movie on opening night but I had to work at 4:00 a.m. the following morning so that didn't happen! However Alexa, two of my workfriends and I traveled nearly 2 hours to see the movie at the IMAX in Phoenix this past friday! This Friday we are going to the book release party at my favorite local bookstore, we will all be dressed up in costume of course :D

[Killearn Kitties]

Pasty as in pumpkin pasty. I thought the publisher had misspelled pastry. But it's really pasty or pastie?
Pasty, in a food context, is some kind of filling wrapped in pastry. The original Cornish pasty was meat and vegetables wrapped in pastry with a thick crust at one side where the two ends of the pastry had been joined. Supposedly they were a lunch for miners because they still held a little heat by lunchtime (I've always doubted that part, unless they ate their lunch soon after leaving home, but it is supposed to be true). They would hold the pasties by the crust, eat the rest, but discard the crust which they had been holding.

The picture on this link is terrible, but you get the idea. Pasties (http://www.cornwall-calling.co.uk/food/pastie.htm)

Nowadays you get all kind of fillings, but I have to say that I have never seen pumpkin! I assume that must have been for the purposes of the plot.

Take the Mickey (http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/344000.html) This link explains a couple of derivations. Certainly the one they think is the most likely, I have seen before elsewhere.

Look! Lemon drops (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemon_drops) I found a Wikipedia link which has a brief description of both types. Ours are not lemon shaped though, more lozenge shaped.

[Killearn Kitties]

This Friday we are going to the book release party at my favorite local bookstore, we will all be dressed up in costume of course :D
Will there be pictures? :p

[ChrisH]

Harry Potter's big con is the prose
Nicholas Lezard

A nine-year-old might feel quite pleased with the writing in the Harry Potter books. It's pretty embarrassing coming from an adult.

It is time to make a stand against Harry Potter. A futile stand, no death or glory involved: just popping my head over the trenches so it can be mowed off by the vast, unstoppable juggernaut of popular acclaim before I have begun to open my mouth.

Firstly: if you're going to buy her book, don't buy it for half price at a supermarket. As an example of a world gone mad, you couldn't do much better than this: a writer whose sales have actually fulfilled a publisher's wildest dreams is indirectly responsible for large-scale misery among independent bookstores. This is not JK Rowling's fault. It's a consequence of the deregulation of the book market.

Tesco, say, sells the new Potter for about the same price as two tins of beans, in the hope that the mug(gle)s who do so will be convinced that everything in the shop must be marvellous value. Meanwhile, Mrs Betty Cardigan who runs the Lovely Bookshop Round the Corner has to grit her teeth and lose money every time she sells a copy if she is to compete, without being able to sell toilet paper or sushi to make up the difference. If you must buy the book, go to Mrs Cardigan's and, even if it is at a discount, insist on paying full price.

But whether you should buy the book at all is another matter. For I have come, with some regret, to this conclusion: their style is toxic. And this is Rowling's fault. I know that I am anticipating what the style of the latest book will be in advance of actually seeing it, but really, I don't think I'm going out on a limb here. Of course, if she has turned into a first-class writer with her forthcoming Potter book, I will happily, no, joyously, eat my words.

But until then, we have to swallow hers. And for all that she is gifted enough in devising popular scenarios, the words on the page are flat. I think it was Verlaine who said that he could never write a novel because he would have to write, at some point, something like "the count walked into the drawing-room" - not a scruple that can have bothered JK Rowling, who is happy enough writing the most pedestrian descriptive prose.

Here, from page 324 of The Order of the Phoenix, to give you a typical example, are six consecutive descriptions of the way people speak. "...said Snape maliciously," "... said Harry furiously", " ... he said glumly", "... said Hermione severely", "... said Ron indignantly", " ... said Hermione loftily". Do I need to explain why that is such second-rate writing?

If I do, then that means you're one of the many adults who don't have a problem with the retreat into infantilism that your willing immersion in the Potter books represents. It doesn't make you a bad or silly person. But if you have the patience to read it without noticing how plodding it is, then you are self-evidently someone on whom the possibilities of the English language are largely lost.

This is the kind of prose that reasonably intelligent nine-year-olds consider pretty hot stuff, if they're producing it themselves; for a highly-educated woman like Rowling to knock out the same kind of material is, shall we say, somewhat disappointing.

Children exposed to this kind of writing aren't learning anything new about words, or being stretched in any way; as Harold Bloom said, they're not going to be inspired to go off and read the Alice books, or any other enduring classic.

People go hoopla because they're delighted that Rowling has got children reading books - big, fat books without pictures at that. Can't argue with that: and maybe they will learn something about sheer reading stamina in the process. But it's all too easy.

The popular writer whose style is most similar is, it suddenly occurs to me, Jeffrey Archer (all those dead adverbs). All that paper, all those trees felled, all those words ... surely Rowling could have chosen some better ones, or put them together in a more exciting way?

She has, in her grasp, the power to galvanise minds instead of reeling out cliché after cliché. Will The Deathly Hallows do this? I hope so. But I fear not.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/07/harry_potters_big_con_is_the_p.html

[Killearn Kitties]

That's a bit of a snotty review there from The Guardian. :D

I just can't believe this. I got home tonight and found a note behind the door from the Killearn Co-op. They are opening at midnight on Friday for the launch of the new and final Harry Potter novel. Staff will be wearing costumes, customers can join in the fun. There will be a Harry Potter tunnel which kids can enter (at midnight??), with great effects inside. After exiting the tunnel, there will be samples of witches brew and wizards treats!

Bear in mind that Killearn is a teeny place, and I can't help but feel that the staff will outnumber the customers!

[mrspunkysmom]

I agree. What's wrong with a simply written book? There is an academic snobbery that suggests that any book not written as if the author swallowed a dictionary isn't worth the mention.

The books were written as children's book and in a certain style. I'm reading "Who killed Albus Dumbledore" tonight, a collection of online writings at the various chat groups by some of JKR's biggest fans. John Granger, an english teacher, edits the book for clarity. His own article is well written and is intended for academic discussion, yet is readable. He likes her style. The books success are not so much about her style or writing skill, but about her ability to weave a tale with clues wihtout giving away the ending.

I suspect that student reading has increased thanks to JKR. Walk into a childrens book section and just look.

When I was in college, my piano instuctor was a snob. In her view, the only true instruments were voice, piano, organ, and the strings. All other instruments serve to compliment the aforementioned tools. Yikes, I changed majors.

As for buying from the book store. Some families can't afford it if it isn't cheap.

I can't wait until tomorrow night.

[Miss Z]

Harry Potter's big con is the prose
Nicholas Lezard

A nine-year-old might feel quite pleased with the writing in the Harry Potter books. It's pretty embarrassing coming from an adult.

It is time to make a stand against Harry Potter. A futile stand, no death or glory involved: just popping my head over the trenches so it can be mowed off by the vast, unstoppable juggernaut of popular acclaim before I have begun to open my mouth.

Firstly: if you're going to buy her book, don't buy it for half price at a supermarket. As an example of a world gone mad, you couldn't do much better than this: a writer whose sales have actually fulfilled a publisher's wildest dreams is indirectly responsible for large-scale misery among independent bookstores. This is not JK Rowling's fault. It's a consequence of the deregulation of the book market.

Tesco, say, sells the new Potter for about the same price as two tins of beans, in the hope that the mug(gle)s who do so will be convinced that everything in the shop must be marvellous value. Meanwhile, Mrs Betty Cardigan who runs the Lovely Bookshop Round the Corner has to grit her teeth and lose money every time she sells a copy if she is to compete, without being able to sell toilet paper or sushi to make up the difference. If you must buy the book, go to Mrs Cardigan's and, even if it is at a discount, insist on paying full price.

But whether you should buy the book at all is another matter. For I have come, with some regret, to this conclusion: their style is toxic. And this is Rowling's fault. I know that I am anticipating what the style of the latest book will be in advance of actually seeing it, but really, I don't think I'm going out on a limb here. Of course, if she has turned into a first-class writer with her forthcoming Potter book, I will happily, no, joyously, eat my words.

But until then, we have to swallow hers. And for all that she is gifted enough in devising popular scenarios, the words on the page are flat. I think it was Verlaine who said that he could never write a novel because he would have to write, at some point, something like "the count walked into the drawing-room" - not a scruple that can have bothered JK Rowling, who is happy enough writing the most pedestrian descriptive prose.

Here, from page 324 of The Order of the Phoenix, to give you a typical example, are six consecutive descriptions of the way people speak. "...said Snape maliciously," "... said Harry furiously", " ... he said glumly", "... said Hermione severely", "... said Ron indignantly", " ... said Hermione loftily". Do I need to explain why that is such second-rate writing?

If I do, then that means you're one of the many adults who don't have a problem with the retreat into infantilism that your willing immersion in the Potter books represents. It doesn't make you a bad or silly person. But if you have the patience to read it without noticing how plodding it is, then you are self-evidently someone on whom the possibilities of the English language are largely lost.

This is the kind of prose that reasonably intelligent nine-year-olds consider pretty hot stuff, if they're producing it themselves; for a highly-educated woman like Rowling to knock out the same kind of material is, shall we say, somewhat disappointing.

Children exposed to this kind of writing aren't learning anything new about words, or being stretched in any way; as Harold Bloom said, they're not going to be inspired to go off and read the Alice books, or any other enduring classic.

People go hoopla because they're delighted that Rowling has got children reading books - big, fat books without pictures at that. Can't argue with that: and maybe they will learn something about sheer reading stamina in the process. But it's all too easy.

The popular writer whose style is most similar is, it suddenly occurs to me, Jeffrey Archer (all those dead adverbs). All that paper, all those trees felled, all those words ... surely Rowling could have chosen some better ones, or put them together in a more exciting way?

She has, in her grasp, the power to galvanise minds instead of reeling out cliché after cliché. Will The Deathly Hallows do this? I hope so. But I fear not.

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/books/2007/07/harry_potters_big_con_is_the_p.html

I do have to say I agree in a way. I love JKR's idea, but her literary techniques are nothing compared to that of the classic authors such as C.S Lewis, and even modern ones such as Philip Pullman. His 'Dark Materials' triology is so much more gripping and deep than all the HP books put together, and yet he still wrote them for a young audience. I will still read 'The Deathly Hallows' and will enjoy the plot, but NOT the way it is written.

Maybe I should become a book critic rather than a vet. :p

[shais_mom]

But seeings that the woman got her start writing ideas down in a coffee shop on napkins (so I've heard) I think she should be right down tickled!

[Babyboonie]

I do have to say I agree in a way. I love JKR's idea, but her literary techniques are nothing compared to that of the classic authors such as C.S Lewis, and even modern ones such as Philip Pullman. His 'Dark Materials' triology is so much more gripping and deep than all the HP books put together, and yet he still wrote them for a young audience. I will still read 'The Deathly Hallows' and will enjoy the plot, but NOT the way it is written.

Maybe I should become a book critic rather than a vet. :p

I too agree in some ways. I have read all the books and have seen all the films..and have enjoyed them. However, the style of writing is simple and yes the words are somewhat flat on the page.....but for an easy, not have to think too much read, they are great entertainment.

For those that haven't read the books but have seen the films and weren't impressed...you really should try the books. Due to thickness of the more recent books a lot of the detail was missed out in the films - which especially bugged me in the newly released film (Order of the Phoenix). I felt too many little, but quite important, parts were missed out grrrrr.

[Vette]

I havent read any of of the books,, an dont plan on doing so.
just not my kinda thing. i prefer horror books ;)

[Pembroke_Corgi]

I do have to say I agree in a way. I love JKR's idea, but her literary techniques are nothing compared to that of the classic authors such as C.S Lewis, and even modern ones such as Philip Pullman. His 'Dark Materials' triology is so much more gripping and deep than all the HP books put together, and yet he still wrote them for a young audience. I will still read 'The Deathly Hallows' and will enjoy the plot, but NOT the way it is written.

Maybe I should become a book critic rather than a vet. :p

I agree, Philip Pullman's "Dark Materials" is vastly superior to the HP series (and I really enjoyed the HP series!). I have to disagree that Lewis is more gripping than Rowling though. I never read the Chronicles of Narnia as a child (I could never get into them), and when I had to read them for a Children's Lit class in college I found them to be rather dull (just my opinion!) and I think Lewis actually underestimated the abilities of children, as most of the work seems to be a bit dumbed-down. However, I was able to read Harry Potter as an adult and I was still very interested (though the first few books are a bit simple).

[Karen]

If you find Harry Potter a bit too, well, "good" a character, try Artemis Fowl! (by Eoin Cowfer) Quicker and more wicked!

[Suki Wingy]

I have to agree on Rowling's writing style, but the universe she vreated is amazing. That's why I also read a whole lot of fanfiction. :) (http://fanfiction.mugglenet.com)

[dab_20]

I've read all the books, the first 6 twice. The last one is hands down my fav. They're all brilliant!

[lady_zana]

If you find Harry Potter a bit too, well, "good" a character, try Artemis Fowl! (by Eoin Cowfer) Quicker and more wicked!

I LOVE Artemis Fowl! - especially the first ones! I like Harry Potter as well but I have a *thing* for the bad boys! :p Whenever anyone tells me they enjoy HP, I tell them to read Artemis Fowl - it's Harry Potter if Malfoy was the star! :D

[Cincy'sMom]

I resisted reading the Happy Potter books until recently. At first I said I was waiting until all 7 were out, then when they were, I had other books I wanted to read first, etc. etc. So the end of August I started the first one, and last night I finished Book 7. I enjoyed them. I read them as story, not a critic and really like them.

I have to admit, having seen the first 5 movies before reading the books, I didn't realize how much they left out. Maybe I should have waited until the last 2 movies are out, cause now I am afraid I will be disappointed with some detail that has been cut.

[DrKym]

But seeings that the woman got her start writing ideas down in a coffee shop on napkins (so I've heard) I think she should be right down tickled!

According to all I have found she did begin with that.as a bedtime story no less....havent read the whole thread, but I think she deserves everything!

[lute]

I've never read any of the books or really gotten into any of the movies.

[Trisst]

I agree, Philip Pullman's "Dark Materials" is vastly superior to the HP series (and I really enjoyed the HP series!). I have to disagree that Lewis is more gripping than Rowling though. I never read the Chronicles of Narnia as a child (I could never get into them), and when I had to read them for a Children's Lit class in college I found them to be rather dull (just my opinion!) and I think Lewis actually underestimated the abilities of children, as most of the work seems to be a bit dumbed-down. However, I was able to read Harry Potter as an adult and I was still very interested (though the first few books are a bit simple).
I love both! HP and The dark Materials! I have and have read all the hp books and ive just finished the first of the dark materials series. And i agree. Lyras world beats Harry potters by far.