Harry Potter discussion
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what is it about harry potter that got us addicted?
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My oldest son told me to sit down and watch the first 2 movies -- I was adamantly NOT going to read the books because it was what everyone else was doing. So I watched the movies, and fell in love with Harry and Ron and Hermione and Dumbledore and Draco and Snape, among others. So I read the first three books which are nice and short and an easy read.
Then when I started reading book 4 -- it got FABULOUS and I couldn't stop. Since then, I have read them all several times, ADORE all of the movies.
J.K. Rowling is a genius with her attention to detail and careful characterization of all of the players. Her writing is timeless, spans all age-groups, and imaginative!!
SIGH!!
I can relate a lot to Harry. I have a scar on my forhead to and it burns a lot. (don't think it has anything to do with a dark lord though :)) I fell in love with the books and the charactors.
I started reading the books out of curiosity. I don't know how many people have heard of Focus on the Family, but they seem to have quite a bit of power over the citizens of Colorado Springs, and they made a huge stink about the first 4 books when they came out, calling them satanic and anti-Christian and such. A lot of people started listening to Focus and were preventing their children from reading these books.Well, my church pastor countered that by doing a whole positive sermon on the books and encouraging the children and adults of our church to read the books because it gave the children a positive role model who had to choose the path to follow and fighting evil -- Harry Potter. So, after the pastor's sermon and the fact that I'm not a fan of Focus, I decided that I wanted to read the books and see what all the hub bub was about. I fell inlove with Harry and his friends.
I love how Harry fights for what he believes in and defends his friends. I think the characters are awesome and are easy to relate to. No matter how old you are, I think the angst of the teen years and puberty are things we all can relate to. If I had kids, I would want them to read these books too, they would learn about friendship, loyalty, standing by what you believe in, doing the right thing (even if it might seem like the right thing isn't the right thing at the time), bravery, facing adversity, belief in oneself, empowerment and love. I guess that's why I love JK and all of her characters.
I think I also kind of related to Hermione the first year at Hogwarts. I was always the new kid at school and never really fit in with any of the cliques, so the way I made my mark was by my brains. There were classes I excelled at and I usually messed up the curve (I apologize to any of my classmates who might be reading this), but my books, my studies and my life as a military brat set me apart (I thought) and being good at history and English and foreign language, were what got me through cause my teachers were the ones who took notice and complimented me and encouraged me. I also spent a few lunch periods in the girls lavatory in tears because of something that was said.
I think everyone can find something they can relate to in these books, and that's what is so amazing about them.
isn't it ironic that people do exactly the opposite of what is being preached to them? tara, your post sort of brought me back to hp5 when umbridged banned the quibbler where harry gave an interview to rita skeeters and that got the whole school reading the magazines!i also saw the movie first than the books but i love the books better. i have 4 kids and none of them would read the books (all books, nothing in particular) so when they see the movie they just ask me this and that and i add scenes in the books that are not in the movie to get them interested enough to read the book, alas, to no avail....
I think what made so many people addicted to Harry Potter, is the magic and the adventure. Also the need to be a part of the trio's journey after the first book.
Yeah, high school was not a good time, but I do have to say that in comparison to Harry & Friends' years at HOgwarts, the high schools I went to were walks in the park.I also agree with Ashley about being part of the trio's journey. I definitely think once you meet the Trio and go through that first experience with them (getting the Sorcerer's Stone), then you have to know what the future holds for them. It's a great ride and I think I just had to continue forward, otherwise curiosity would have driven me bonkers.
yeah and all the chareacters that keeps on adding and changing every year (like their DADA teachers) plus jk's unrelentless imaginations of challenges for harry. how she ever comes up with all those, i have no idea!
yeah i think thats why all of us are addicted to HP. its because of (1) how good the author is and (2) how good the story is. the more we read the more we get hooked on it because its like every single page there's not only adventure but there's comedy and drama, which makes the characters alive. you'll nvr know whats gonna happen next. thats why we have to thank the author too for being so good at writing it. Lol.
i was influenced by my sister, peng. she was so addicted to it, she said the story was overwhelming. i was only watching the movie, she said i will appreciate the story more if i read. i wasn't really a bookish person. but then when i watched the goble of fire, my sister told me, there are more interesting part written on the book. so i purchase my own goblet of fire book. then, alas! i was addicted. so i was so itch to read the 5th book so my sister peng lend me hers. i read it, and its my favorite so far. i purchase again the 6th, but its not that exciting as the 5th. i became very addicted to HP up until now. and then i started reading other books as well. i bought the 7th and it was SO OVERWHELMING. now i know what my sister meant...^__^ i love you, peng!
For me I love Harry. You can't help becoming attached to him and cheering him on. The characters in the books and their magical world was great to read about. I am just sorry it is over. When does something like this happen?? People young and old, different countries and cultures discussing a book. It was such a phenomenon. It is awesome that a book had people waiting in line at midnight---families reading together. Just incredible.
I think we all love them because it's an escape into such a wonderful magical mystical world. It has that wonder we all like to capture and it's for all ages. I would love to be in that world! Books like these don't come often but when they do it's the most wonderful experience.
Because it's a powerful story about true friendship, good vs evil and magic... and due to the way the story unfolded with time and the characters geveloped and grew.... and remained true to their principles and beliefs no matter what... - it's captivating. Having said that, I got hooked after the third page of the first book ;) I just knew right then and there that I'd be a big fan.
i watched most of the movies before i even started reading the books. i think half blood prince had just come out and i was preganant and my mom got them all for me to read just so i would have something to do... now i just wish there were more of them.
I'd only seen number one before I started reading the books. I wouldn't watch any of the other ones until I had finished the books, which I don't regret.
me, too! i first saw the movie and i thought it was fun so i read the second book (can't wait till the movie finish) then the third book and i was loving it. but when the second movie came out i noticed a lot of the things in the book was missing. that was the only time i bought the first book and read it. i'm actually finishing it now (for the umptnth time!) and i still love it! i love jk's humor (and sarcasm). but don't you guys ever wonder how quirrel got past the transfigured chessmen? did he stupefied all of them? i wondered what happened to fluffy....
These books were what got me started reading, not like "oh I never read anything else before them" more of "These got me addicted to reading", they were my bread and butter.They were just enjoyable. Go back and reread the series and then think about how much the characters have grown.
Surprising, eh?
What is it about Harry Potter that got us addicted?EVERYTHING!
Agreed! I also like how Harry isn't perfect and that he makes mistakes like the rest of us.
Because it's fantasy, but I can still relate to the situations. Not to mention Dumbledore is ballin'.
Savannah wrote: "Agreed! I also like how Harry isn't perfect and that he makes mistakes like the rest of us."Yeah, I mean, he's not flawless.
Because people want to believe what they like to believe.
I didn't like SS the first time I read it. Well, it was just hard to get into. I didn't pick it up again until after the Prisoner of Azkaban movie came out, and I was intrigued by the Mauraders, and the scene where Harry uses his stag Patronus to save Sirius was just really cool to me. The movie didn't explain the Mauraders all that well, and I wanted to know more about them and why the patronus was a stag.After that I flew through book 1 and everything else in all the books just added to the excitement!
Read J.K Rowling's bio below excerpted from HOW TO WRITE A BESTSELLER to find out why everyone loves HARRY POTTER.Rowling, J.K.
Joanne Kathleen Rowling was born July 31, 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire, England. She has a daughter from a failed marriage, lost her job, and was on the dole. But this single mother took the world by storm with her Harry Potter series—the story of a boy and his wizard kids in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The author, who started writing at 6, has Jane Austen as her favorite writer. She is the first dollar-billionaire writer and is richer than the Queen of England. Rowling has won international acclaim from her works, which have now been made into hit movies. Why did the books become run away best-sellers?
First, she has a friendly subject—occult / paranormal—a topic that has captivated readers since The Lord of the Rings (J.R.R. Tolkien), The Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum), Alice in Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), and The Narnia Chronicles (C.S. Lewis).
Second, the books have wonderful plots and effective characters—loved and hated.
Third, her “humanization” of the witches and wizards who depart to school in a secret place at London’s King’s Cross Station (a real place), added plausibility to her story—something that other mystery writers haven’t tried.
Last, the use of surprise (what happens in the next series?) also helped to turn the books to mega hits.
Because of the love for Harry Potter, the following phrases are becoming common place: Muggle (a non magical person), Quidditch (a wizard ball game played on brooms), Seeker (the best Quidditch player), Nimbus Two Thousand / Firebolt (names of activity brooms), The Sorting Hat (a school house cap), Parselmouth (a wizard who talks with snakes), Every Flavor Beans (an all-inclusive).
She lives with her daughter and second husband in Edinburgh, Scotland
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Write on any of these topics and become rich and famous like JK Rowling.Mystery books are hot
The latest sensations are mystery books. Suddenly, everyone wants to know about ET’s, witches, wizards, and so on. Many authors have been identified in this genre, and are smiling away to the bank. See how the Harry Potter series is selling; yet the public is asking for more.
The Man Booker Prize judges have even popularized this genre, also called magical realism, by awarding the coveted prize to any that wrote on it: Salman Rushdie (Midnight’s Children), Ben Okri (The Famished Road), Adorunthi Roy (The God of Small Things). So if you dream up The Second Coming of Julius Caesar with his dead warriors from Hades, all armed to launch a final war on the world’s super power, the book will sell out, before publication.
Controversial books are radioactive
If a work sparks debate, interest in the book will skyrocket. Why? Readers want to know what makes the work controversial. So it becomes a case of one man’s sugar and another man’s diabetes.
Controversial works are easy to write. Sometimes, only a sentence or two is enough to generate the debate that is needed to sell a book. Ask Salman Rushdie, author of Satanic Verses. But note that a controversial work need not be scandalous or defamatory. You also have to be careful not to offend, like writing The Gospel According to Satan.
Readers are looking for Doomsday Books
Yes, apocalyptic literature makes best-sellers any day. And disciples of Nostradamus are on hand to whet their appetite. Doomsday writers lined their pockets with cash, writing about the end of the world, at the dawn of the millennium. Yet, the world did not end. But that does not mean that interest in the final hour has waned, for once in a while people get jittery about the onslaught of a wandering, earth-bound comet.
So, if you have a fondness for figures and come out with the date for the final destiny of the world, and even provide escape for those who want to survive, you will be a celebrity overnight. After all, George Orwell did it with 1984, and the world waited in apprehension. That year has now been consigned to the dustbin of history.
Spiritual Books are echo Bibles
Many are now seeking spiritual help outside the Bible, and this is creating a new market for faith writers. Among them is Iyanla Vanzant who wrote Yesterday I Cried. These brands of writers are offering spiritual help to victims of child abuse, rape, broken marriages and the like. Since the list of such victims is growing, it is understandable why this genre has become a favorite for writers.
Science Fiction is the way to go
Long before the space shuttles, Spirit and Opportunity, went to Mars and words started filtering out about the first human exodus to the red planet, writers have dreamt better dreams about space, written books on it, and cashed fat checks. Wouldn’t you like to be one of them?
You probably know a couple of SF titles. But don’t be worried by the preponderance of such horrible titles. Why don’t you do a crazier one titled The War of the Sun and the Moon Eaters. For the story line, say that there is a fight-to-finish battle in outer space between these rival aliens—a war that was started over whether or not to eat our sun and moon as dessert. Did you cringe?
Thrillers are books for all seasons
The increase in crime and espionage in this world gave rise to thrillers, writers who write them, secret agents who study the books and readers who would die for such works.
It is no wonder that Dan Brown is writing best-sellers. Who would think that the Holy Grail—the last cup that Jesus drank from—and the ark of covenant could be hidden in an obscure church in the outskirts of Edinburgh, Scotland!
Incidentally, it is not difficult to imagine such plots. Think of a spy on his way through the guarded gates of heaven in an attempt to steal two precious documents from God: a list of people in the Book of Life and the date for the world’s destruction. You may title it The Last Spy. And wait for thunders, fires, meteorites, and hailstones from heaven. Don’t panic, thriller writer. Not yet Armageddon!
Fantasy titles are everyone’s delight
Who does not want to escape the Pandora’s box of this world—its wars, terrorism, hunger, disease, and death—at least on the pages of a book. Writers knew better and became household names writing fantasies. So, take your readers to a dream world—never mind that there had been many Happy Valleys and Fortunate Isles before you—and show them another Utopia. They know that it is nowhere—it has never existed—but readers cherish living in wonderland. Like Prester John’s. And you will be rewarded in book sales for making them believe they were Flying Dutchmen. Or women for that matter.
Parallel-world stories are shockingly explosive
Tell an irrational story that reverses historical facts and become a millionaire. Philip K. Dick did it with The Man in the High Castle, where he wrote that the Allies were the losers of the Second World War. Imagine Adolph Hitler winning the war and ruling the world! And Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America made it to the best-sellers’ list with fascism in America, of all places on mother earth!
If you can take the hits, why not write Blood Thirsty Jews about Israel slaughtering 12 million Germans during the Holocaust. (Someone wrote a denial of the Holocaust and got instant publicity.) Or write of Saddam Hussein overthrowing George Bush and colonizing America and title it Saddam the Messiah. Surely not a topic for lily-livered writers!
The choice is now yours.
So, what would you like to write about? A general interest, success or mystery book? Or do you prefer science fiction, thriller, or fantasy, or is your favorite controversial, doomsday or spiritual subjects? Or a combination of two or more of the above?
After you have made that decision, the next thing to do is to put your thought on paper. Yes, I am talking about the development of your best-seller. Now, where do you source the materials for your story?
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Technically, the Holy Grail, in The DaVinci Code, is under the pyramid at the Louvre...Anyways, I love Harry Potter because I had just switched schools in second grade and knew absolutely nobody and I was a shy child. And my mom read me half of the first book when I was learning to read so I wanted to know how the story ended. Then I got hooked and read the second and third books in second grade!
Well, the books are obviously well written, good characters etc...but I love the fact that to us (or maybe just sad me) the Harry Potter world is real! We know all the history, the creatures, the magic, we mutter to ourselves in latin when people annoy up or we cant reach the remote...she made her world real.Haha I dont know how many times me and my sis have shouted 'Accio TV remote!'.
Hmm please dont judge me :)
I totally agree with Lorna. J. K. Rowling really made the stories real! I can't even TELL you how many times that I have had realisitic dreams about going to Hogwarts. I mean, you already have all the details right there in those pages! <3
To me, I really liked the Harry Potter books when I read them but that was all. The stories were great but so where a lot of the other books I had read and was currently reading. There was no absolute devotion until.....I finished the last book. Once I was done, I couldn't stop thinking about it so I got online and started to read blogs other people's reviews. I joined in the discussion and quickly learned small details that I didn't pick up the first time...details that after reading the last book became huge (like how Snape begged Harry to look into his eyes at the very end or why Dumbledore smiled in HPGoF after he saw the cut on Harry's arm). I found myself reading all the books over again and suddenly, they became something new and I was completely hooked.Earlier this year, I was diagnosed with cancer. In the week after the diagnoses and as I was going through treatments, I turned towards the Harry Potter books once again. This time, as I read the books, I found myself transported away from the real world and into one in which I knew everything ultimately was going to be okay. I also started to realize the genius of Dumbledore's words (and J.K. Rowlings writing). Harry overcame death because he wasn't afraid of it. He faced it straight on and it was with the love of his family and friends that protected him during his final battle. They were the ones that gave him the strength he needed to not just to survive but to win and live happily ever after.
but i love his bravery in facing the unknown. he was fighting dudley in his own way (he has to stay out of trouble from his uncle & aunt as well if dudley tells on him) and he wasn't putting up with draco bullying anyone else.