What do you think of the HP books?

Each individual book is great, but the entire story is phenominal! The way the books grow, how the plots become dependant on the other books, and how the depth increases is unlike any series I had read. For example, I read book 2, and didn’t realize how important it was till book 6. No one did. Silly things that happen in book 1 become of vital importance in book 7.
Take your time, and enjoy these books.
These stories will last forever.

I really like them. The tone of the series changes pretty dramatically as it goes on, though.

Rowling owes a lot of her ideas to previous fantasy books, but I think she’s particularly creative when it comes to the wizard world mirroring our world in various ways—both in the “technology” and in the political structure. I also think she writes very strong and believable characters, rare in fantasy. The plots are sometimes kind of goofy and Scooby-Doo-ish, but at least they make sense; she doesn’t make shit up as she goes along, unlike cough Lost and Battlestar Galactica. And the last book is one of the best “adventure” books I’ve read; it’s genuinely thrilling.

They’re okay. I can see why people like them, but it’s not really my cup of Pumpkin Juice.

Yes, I’ve read them all.

Personally, I think it’s one of the rare occasions where the movie is perfectly sufficient. They’re well acted, and well directed, and you really don’t miss anything vital to the plot.

@Seek_Kolinahr, I thought the first two movies were really boring and kind of soulless; the fourth movie was basically incomprehensible if you’ve never read the book. The others were okay (I liked the fifth one a lot), but I liked the books much better than the movies.

And it’s not even like I’m a “books are always better” type. I thought the Lord of the Rings movies were much better than the books.

I really enjoyed the HP books and have reread them several times. I enjoy the story and feel that Rowling does a great job in her writing. I could sit and read straight through all 7 if I had the free time to do it.

As far as people waiting in line to get the books, for some of us, we got so into the story that we just couldn’t wait to know what happened next. I do that with a lot of the books I read though. Most of them don’t get midnight releases though, so I just go to the store and buy it the day it’s released.

@Qingu

Well, the first two books were boring and soulless, and the fourth book doesn’t even really fit the rest of the series. I mean, this formal school all of a sudden decides to take a year off for a massive frat party?

Yeah, the fourth book was kind of dumb, I don’t know why everyone likes it so much. I did like the shocking ending though.

I wouldn’t characterize the first book as boring or soulless, but I agree with you about the second. Definitely worst book in the series.

@filmfann , Well it actually sounds interesting, but should I buy the books or just lend from the library?
And yeah I will take my time

@Qingu , yeah I don’t understand this lost show and battlestar galactica too,...

@Seaofclouds .. lol, but which is better? lending from the local library or buying, because I think I’ve never read a book 2 times…

@Thesexier

As a lifelong bibliophile, I recommend checking it out from the library first.

Sure, sometimes you’re in a bookstore and a book just speaks to you and you have to have it, but when you’re not getting that feeling right off the bat it’s best to give it a free trial.

Also, it’s a good idea to become friends with the manager of your local bookstore. The guy near me recommends books to me all the time, and if I buy it, read it, and don’t like it, he lets me return them. ^_^

@Seek_Kolinahr , wow lucky you! But yeah mostly I always go to the library for books :)

@Thesexier I would check it out from the library first. Whenever I start a new series, I try to borrow it from someone else that already has it or go to the library first to be sure that I like it before spending money on it.

@Seaofclouds , yeah I will do that:)

I think it’s terrific that these books have spurred a renewed interest in reading for the young people of this generation.

I also like the fact that she didn’t back off from using challenging words and names. She didn’t dumb anything down.

It’s great that it could get kids so excited about reading that they’re willing to wait in long lines. I realize that some of that was aided by marketing and hype. But the fact remains that if the stories and characters had not been compelling, no amount of promotion could have made up for it.

I read them and enjoyed them more than The Chronicles of Narnia and The Wizard of Oz series.

As for people waiting in line, they’ve discovered something that they really, really like and cannot wait to get their hands on it. And they probably wile away their time in line chatting with other people who hold the same interest, which might not be something they share with their loved ones.

@Pied_Pfeffer , Ok:..:D

I think J.K. Rowling is a mediocre writer but a fantastic story-weaver.

I’m kind of an odd fan of the series, I think. I picked it up after the fourth book came out because my nephew asked me to read them with him because he’s not a very good reader but he really wanted to get through them. I became almost instantly hooked on the adult characters. I’ve never really given a crap about most of the students, Harry, Ron and Hermione included. (I like Neville. And Luna.)

So while I’m a big fan—I was at midnight releases for the last three books, midnight showings for the 3rd-5th movies and saw the 1st, 2nd and 6th movies on opening day but not at midnight—I pay more attention to hints of back story, and now that the books are over, I still think more about what came before than what could come after.

Also, I love the people who dress up for events, but I’m not one of them.

I’ve been reading Fairy Tales, Fantasy and Science Fiction all my life, and I loved the entire series. I read around 50 books a year, and I nearly always re-read the Potter books.

@YARNLADY , wow!
@MacBean , that sounds amazing, I mean you wouldn’t want to stand in line for hours for something you don’t even love that much. But yeah…I understand:)

When I read the first one (and I was most definitely an adult when I started reading the series), I excused the writing style, because it was obviously written for younger readers, say ~10–11. As each book progressed, the writing matured. Pretty nifty, that. I think at your age, you might find the first two books a bit childish-seeming, but stick with it. By the end of the series, it reads pretty much like an adult novel without so much sex.

@aprilsimnel , but I loooooove novels with something to do with sex:/:/:/

I found the HP books by J.K. Rowling to be entertaining and interesting.

The HP books that came with my laptop were dull and lacked sufficient detail.

I love the HP series. The character development is some of the best I have ever read, and I love the themes of courage and adherence to values. I think the series is well written with just a couple of scenes that were too dragged out for my taste, and I have no memory of people standing in line for long periods.

Of course personal taste is an individual matter.

My biggest problem with the HP books:

SPOILERS

In book 7, Harry casts the cruciatus curse! And McGonagal is like “oh, that was sort of unnecessary, but very galant of you!” WTF? That kind of behavior shouldn’t get a free pass from any of those characters.

So people, it’s been a week now or so, and I have been reading Harry Potter -1. I have come into understanding it more:D Where the Hogwart guy comes into the Hotel and letter’s stuff.
Thanks everyone!

And happy HP reading:D

I enjoyed them.