THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)
Fun Stuff => ENJOY => Topic started by: dr. nervioso on 17 Jun 2012, 20:09
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So I am about to embark on reading this acclaimed series. I know there have been threads about the series before, but I thought it would be interesting to see what people here think. I have always felt like I am the only one who was not captivated by the series.
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I really enjoyed the books. The movies are a fun supplement, but all of the magic is in the books. Even if the story doesn't interest you, maybe the details of Rowling's world will.
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I really liked the books at the time they came out, but I haven't read any of them since then. I should check them out again.
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I don't think the books are wonderful, but they're captivating and I loved growing up with them. I still re-read them sometimes, although I will re-read any kind of rubbish so that's not a great accolade.
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I was just about to get rid of my HP books, then I realised that from probably Goblet of Fire onwards, I have first editions.
I'd say they're worth a read, in my mind only the last three films really recaptured the essence of the books.
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I wonder if First Editions will actually be worth anything some day. I don't know how many copies were published in the first run, but apart from the first maybe one or two books, I would guess it was a heck of a lot. The reason First Editions of Moby Dick are valuable is because there were relatively few of them to begin with. That being said, I have first editions of all the HP books (including one FE of the English release, so a genuine First, really) and I'm hanging onto all of them in part for precisely that fact, just in case I'm way off the mark.
Related to the books themselves, when the first book came out, I was roughly the same age as the characters. I read each new book right when it was released, and while the age gap grew a bit over the course of the series, I felt like the series and its young characters grew/matured as I did. I think that made me enjoy the books more. I re-read a couple of them a year or two ago and DID still like them quite a bit still, to be honest. But I'm not sure how much of that is due to a nostalgic connection I feel for the series. For someone whose never never read the series but is generally interested and liked the movies, I say go for it. The books can be purchased cheaply used or on Amazon, the longest of them won't take you more than a week to read, and you'll be in on one of the biggest, most successful cultural phenomenons of all time.
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It's unlikely that any of the last four books will be worth much in the long run, as so many were published. I tried to sell a copy of GOF to Half-Price Books, and I think they told me they weren't even buying them because there were so many.
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I read them as they came out, saw the movies as they came out, sometimes re-reading the books to prep for the movie. I found them captivating, and grieved as I have for several series knowing there'd be no more books. My wife as a retired English teacher wasn't as into them as I, but she appreciated what the books did for young readers. I won't part with them. I figure I've got at least one more re-read.
While I enjoyed the movies immensely, including Hogwarts as a vital character, I was disappointed in the final battle. In the book, you got the sense of a true pile-on by the good guys, less so in the film. In Return of the King, the final pile-on as I recall was done well in the film.
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http://www.abebooks.com/book-search/author/rowling/kw/harry-potter-philosophers-stone/first-edition/sortby/1/
I loved and love the series. It's brilliant and so worth the read.
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Those prices are absurd! Does anyone actually buy them at that rate?? Most of the First eds. I have are the American versions - so surely worth less - but I DO have Prisoner of Azkaban in the British version. Maybe it's worth more than I thought...
EDIT: NEVERMIND. Just looked. $7.99.
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I pre-ordered the last 3 or 4 books. They were delivered on "opening day."
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I didn't read the series until early this year, and I was very surprised on how much I really enjoyed the series. I really enjoyed Rowling's writing style, not overly descriptive, but gives you enough detail so you know what is going on. Obviously there were things that had to be cut from the books for the movies, but I felt the movies still were true to the series.
Happy reading!
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Those prices are absurd! Does anyone actually buy them at that rate?? Most of the First eds. I have are the American versions - so surely worth less - but I DO have Prisoner of Azkaban in the British version. Maybe it's worth more than I thought...
EDIT: NEVERMIND. Just looked. $7.99.
The First Edition of the British version was a very limited run - only 500 were printed, and as such, it's worth flipping great wodges of cash. http://www.catchthesnitch.com/books/first_editions/ (http://www.catchthesnitch.com/books/first_editions/)
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I loved the books. Loved, loved, loved them. They are escapism, pure and simple. They're also a lovely story of friendship and loyalty and bravery. And magic. But mostly friendship.
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Absolutely fantastic. They are an amazing combination of a wonderful story and captivating writing.
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I read them a little differently - out loud, doing the voices for my girls, a chapter a night - they were around harry's age when we started the first book, and we kept it up through the whole series. So yes, escapism, fun, and for me, some great characterizations. Hagrid, Snape, the Dursleys - had all those voices nailed before there was even a hint of a movie. Reading it was easily as much fun as A Christmas Carol.
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Looking forward to when my kid can and WILL read them.
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I'm looking forward to reading them to my future child/children. My future kids, if anything like me or Michael, will love them and I honestly love reading books to kids. Lovelovelove.
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I read them a little differently - out loud, doing the voices for my girls, a chapter a night - they were around harry's age when we started the first book, and we kept it up through the whole series. So yes, escapism, fun, and for me, some great characterizations. Hagrid, Snape, the Dursleys - had all those voices nailed before there was even a hint of a movie. Reading it was easily as much fun as A Christmas Carol.
This post may be the most beautiful thing I've ever read on here.