The Harry Potter Book Thread

[WebWarlock.]

Really I am surprised that a. there is no thread for this already and b. I am the one starting it!

Ok. I admit I am a late comer to the Harry Potter books. I read the first four on vacation last year on my Palm Pilot (not advisable btw). I loved them so much I asked for them for Christmas. Yes, I am awaiting the next book as well.

Well I just got the DVD of the "Sorcerer's Stone" and I think it is great. I did see it in the theaters as well. I'll be picking up the new one soon.

My favorite thing about Harry Potter? The fact that 1,000s of kids will wait in line at a bookstore for it to open at midnight so they can buy a 400+ page book to read that same night.

Ms. Rowling should be given some sort of medal or a Damehood for doing that.

Plus it is a really fun story. :wink

Ok. Discuss, I'll come back in a bit.

Warlock

[urnofosiris]

Well I kept hearing great things about the books, from adults. Every one I know that has read the books praised them into high heaven, so naturally I was a bit wary, heh. I started reading part one about one and half years ago and I finished part four about two months later I think. This is fast for me. A few months after that I reread all 4 and took a bit longer so I could really absorb all the details.



Ah yes, and that means I too love the books. Part one took some getting into for me, but after that it kept getting better and better. I really don't see these books as children's books. What makes them so great is that they can appeal to everybody. J.K. Rowling has created something very special. Her style, the details, the characters, the humour, the plot, all superb. I saw an hour long interview with her last year and I was pretty impressed by her. The story behind the writing of the books was fascinating as well. Anyway, must work now, bleh, I'll say something about the movies later.

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Coffee, Food, Kisses and Gay Love........Get it while you are hot

[Kalita]

I've read all 4 books, just love 'em. I've yet to see either movie, though; I'm sure I'd enjoy them, but I just haven't had the inclination.



I'd love to see Prisoner of Azkaban on-screen, though, because that's also my favourite book. Maybe 'cuz I'm such a Hermione fan, and she gets to do a lot at the end of that one.



I'm also Very Much looking forward to book 5, the ending of book 4 has set things up very interstingly.



And they keep getting longer, I hear. At this rate, book 7 will have to be published in 2 volumes, I'll bet.

"What do people mean when they say the computer went down on them?"

- Marilyn Pittman

[urnofosiris]

Oh I like Hermione as well. She is smart, brave and principled and a bit snotty in a fun sort of way. Sometimes Harry and Ron, but mostly Harry annoy me. I have seen both movies and I think the scenery is great, but I am not really pleased with some of the casting. Still, the movies have done a great job of bringing alive the creatures and images from the books, except Dobby, he is not at all like I pictured him. Didn't like the voice they used either. Hum, well there are some pros and cons to the movies. I prefer the books in many ways, but the movies stay reasonably close to the books and look good. I hope they will be able to stay close to the books as they have gotten longer. It is easier to film 200 pages in two hours than 500. I fear a lot may be lost. We'll see.

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Coffee, Food, Kisses and Gay Love........Get it while you are hot

[tarawillow66]

Harry Potter books movies whaterver are the best things ever!!! i'm a wee bit insane when it comes to this subject! sorry but i mean COME ON harry potter kicks ass! and the 5th book is coming out next month i can't wait!

ok i'm better now. i am sane, for the time being. ok. *screams* Harry Potter Rocks!

love ya

megan

[Puff]

I adore the Harry Potter books, I've had the fifth book on order from Amazon since I was able to and I am looking forward to reading it. I like the movies although not as much as the books, the Chamber of secrets was a good movie though and far funnier than the first. I look forward to the third one although I wonder who they will choose to play Dumbeldore now? I do hope they keep the same cast for as ong as possible, I am getting used to their faces.



My guilty pleasure at the moment is listening to the books on CD read by Stephen Fry. I am on the fourth book now CD 9 of 20 or so. He does the voices really well and the kids love listening to it in the car.

---

Cheese. It's milk that you chew.

[ragadorn]

*Ahem*



The Philosopher's Stone, not The Sorcerer's stone...



Silly americans

[Kalita]

I noticed a comment about the casting for the third film. I know some possible-spoiler details, I'll post them below in hidden text (highlight to read):



Dumbledore will be played by Michael Gambon. He's not as well-known as Sir Richard Harris was, but there is a strong physical resemblance and he is said to definitely have the presence for the role. He's also an accomplished actor - his IMDB bio is here.



Sirius Black is to be played by Gary Oldman. He's well known for bad-guy roles, but also has some strong experience playing more sensitive types (a good match for Sirius). Check him out here.



Other roles:



Pierre Pettigrew - Timothy Spall (here).

Aunt Marge - Pam Ferris (here).

Madame Rosmerta - Julie Christie (!) (here).



Or, just check out the whole list here.

"What do people mean when they say the computer went down on them?"

- Marilyn Pittman

[urnofosiris]

Well part 5 has arrived in the Netherlands. There was a small blurb in the news about it. They transported the books from the UK to the Netherlands in "secret" trucks, you know misleading signs on the side etc.. They even had trucks transporting fake books (if that is true). With news like that expectations are being carefully cultivated. I hope the book will live up to the hype. So far they have kept getting better and better, I really hope it stays that way. I saw an interview with JK Rowling a year or so ago and she is a wonderful woman and the story behind the books as fascinating as the books themselves. I am a sucker for success stories like that.

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Coffee, Food, Kisses and Gay Love........Get it while you are hot

[Scout]

I’m a Harry-Potter-loving muggle as well. The books are amazing, and while I think the movies have done a fine job of staying true to the stories, I have to admit that they aren’t quite as good as the books. But then again, I guess few movies are – just the limitations of the art form.



I’ve also been impressed with Ms. Rowling during her interviews. I saw one awhile back where she showed all the piles of notes she makes to flesh out all the creatures and characters. As large as the books are, just looking at her many pages of notes made you realize that the books could easily be twice as long, as she puts so much research and attention into crafting the stories.



It will be interesting to see how the movies deal with the ever-lengthening books. I don’t see how they are going to fit Book 4 into one movie. It should be quite a challenge.



And I’m very excited about the new book, too. For some reason I’m anxious to see if Harry gets to eventually stay with the Weasleys and become sort of an adopted son. The Weasleys are a perfect fit, and I hate the Dursleys so! Can’t wait!

[urnofosiris]

He'll probably leave the Dursleys for good at one point, but I expect him to still be in their home at the start of this book. I am almost quite sure I read something that suggests that Dumbledore put some protective spell on that place, so Harry would be safe from Voldemort while he was staying there.

I agree completely with what you say about the movies. I'll continue to watch them as the visual effects are stunning and they actually help me imagine the looks of certain places and people when I read the books.

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Coffee, Food, Kisses and Gay Love........Get it while you are hot

Edited by: DrG at: 6/16/03 10:14 pm

[Triscuit7]

Hey US Kittens



Just a heads up for "HP and the Order of the Phoenix" - while I'm sure you're already doing this - check with your local bookstores for non-closings and early openings. At Barnes & Noble stores there are a lot of midnight parties being held Friday June20/21 or drop in your mall B. Dalton at 8am on Sat June 21. I'm certain that Borders Group and other stores are doing similar things.



Also Barnes & Noble/B. Dalton are handing out nifty decoder pieces to use on the internet and win prizes.... You may have to ask for them, but don't be shy.



Ciao, Melissa (who is looking forward to 8am Sat 6/21 with fascinated dread)

******************



I brought marshmallows!

[WebWarlock]

Ok,

Finally back to this.



Books,

I just saw a 60 minutes interview with J.K. Rowling and she is great. I for one could not be happier for her success.

I really got a kick out of the first 4 books and I could not put them down. I am not on any waiting list for OotP, but I suspect I'll be able to get a copy in a few months!



Like I said before, I love the fact that kids are waiting in line at midnight so they can buy a 800+ page book and then go home to read it.



And this is a book that is popular accross the gender lines and age lines. I have been trying to get my wife to read them, but you know how it is with kids. I can't wait till my sons are old enough so I can read them to them!



Another great thing about these books is it prompting kids to read other like books. I was reading that sales of Chronicles of Narnia and Lord of the Rings (before the movies came out) were also up in conjunction with HP.



Movies,

I liked the first one and thought they did a brilliant job with the casting really. Though I think the girl they have playing Hermione might be too cute. After all wasn't she suposed to be rather plain? But I do love her attitude. Of course Robbie Coltrane as Hagrid and Alan Rickman as Snape were wonderful choices. It was really sad to Richard Harris go though.



I have the second one on DVD now (happy birthday to me!) but I have not had the time to watch it.



Warlock

-----

Web Warlock

The Other Side,
home of Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks

"There has to be an invisible sun. It gives its heat to everyone.

There has to be an invisible sun. That gives us hope when the whole day's done." - The Police Invisible Sun

[kukalaka]

I love the books so much!



I just reread the first four and can't wait to get the fifth. A friend of mine ordered it at Amazon and I believe they guarantee you will get them right on Saturday. I sure hope so as there's no way he's getting more than one week to finish it



After we had first read them we gave the first one to another friend of ours who didn't even want it and told him: "Just give it try. You are going to love it." The next day at university he seemed to be very tired and when I asked him about it he just glared at me and said: "You and your damned Harry Potter! I've been reading until 3 a.m.!"



And I think I could really make my mother hate me if I were to tell her anything about the plot before she'll get to read it (in German) in November.

---

To look life in the face, always to look life in the face, and to know it for what it is, to love it for what it is.

[hellmouthhottie20]

just heard on the news that a truck containing loads of the new harry potter books has been stolen, the thives are gonna make a packet.



I went through the whole of the harry potter books thinking that hermoines name was pronouned hermion!!!!!



Also, i love the bit in scary moive when buddy give the girl back her book and its harry pothead and the pilosiphers stoned, lol



Caz

However long the night....dawn will break

[Bagheera]

Just to add: Friday Midnite GMT = 9am Eastern Standard Time Saturday - Very civilised! I might see if I can find a bookstore without a queue on Saturday morning to collect a copy. Could be tight though as I'm off to a Winter Solstice party in the afternoon. Here's hoping.



And oh, yes - "Philosopher's Stone" had its first showing on Pay-TV in Australia on the weekend. Very good indeed.

"They fed me behind bars from an iron pan till one night I felt that I was Bagheera--the Panther-- and no man's plaything, and I broke the silly lock with one blow of my paw and came away." Rudyard Kipling

[Lt Sticks]

I got all the books last year in one go, had a huge HP marathon, then watched the films...and ended up ordering Book 5 as soon as Amazon started taking pre-orders



Lucky me that Phoenix is out on Saturday...which happens to be my bday...wahoo!



~Sticks

A fire in my heart, reborn from the ashes...just call me Phoenix



I'm Under Your Spell, nothing I can do, you just took my soul with you...

[urnofosiris]

I think I shall contain my curiosity and wait with buying and reading it for a few more weeks. I have an 11 hour plane flight coming up and I can't think of a better way to spend my time and distract myself.

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Coffee, Food, Kisses and Gay Love........Get it while you are hot

[tommo]

The shipment of books intended for Asda was stolen in Liverpool, and the empty truck turned up in an area of Salford. Heh. I love it. I can imagine all these dodgy Mancs running round with new Harry Potter books shoved up their jackets. "Come on! 'Arry Pottoh for a tennoh!"



Jeremy Paxman is interviewing J.K. Rowling, to be shown on Thursday night at 7.30. I think it's BBC2; but you'd have to check to be sure. Might be fun to watch; she's notoriously tight-lipped about pretty much everything, from what I can gather.



I too, am going to wait to read this book. I'm tempted to buy it right away, but I just have too much to do right now. I'm saving it as a treat for the end of the summer.

Tara: Nobody messes with my cheese. ~ Bargaincheese Part 2

[darkmagicwillow]

I love what HP has done for kids reading, and JK's books have definitely replaced the Chronicles of Narnia as my favorite childrens' fantasy novels, especially since I can't read C.S. Lewis as an adult without hurting from being hit repeatedly over the head with heavy Christian allegory. Actually, the part of The Last Battle where the original children die but it's supposed to be okay bothered me even as a kid.



JK has done solid work in putting fantasy into the modern world, maintaining the magical atmosphere of children's fantasy by creating Hogwarts as a wonderfully detailed enclave of the older, fantastic world of that genre. I also like how she's not afraid to do something darker and different from her early successes by allowing Voldemoort a victory in her last book.

--

"Omnia mutantur, nihil interit." -- "Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost."

[tommo]

Although I'm sure a lot of her fans will be up in arms considering she kills off a major character in the new book.

Tara: Nobody messes with my cheese. ~ Bargaincheese Part 2

[voxanglsm]

Well, she killed off a major character in the last book, too. I guess that means no one is off limits. Well, except Harry. I mean, she can't kill him off before the seventh book. Unless she brought him back. But we all know how well that works out.



Anyway, I will admit that I've read all the books and seen the movies. I scoffed at my sister for liking them and was determined never to read them because they sounded so stupid, but I got bored over a school holiday and my sister had all the books, so....well, I had to eat my words. So now here I am, having pre-ordered the fifth book months ago and spent way too much money on a book. Oh well.

"Welcome to Kristin" -Kristin School

[karenk]

A uni friend kept bugging me to read the first 4 books so when a dept store had a 20% off all their products, I splurged and bought all 4 at one go. And then proceeded to leave them on my bookshelf for months without even touching it.



Then one day during the semester break I finally got so bored (ie no new fan fic) that I finally picked up the first book and started reading. I don't think I stopped till I had finished all 4 books



I can't wait for Saturday... though I don't think I'll be in the queue for my pre-ordered copy at 7.01am But I do know what I'll be doing this weekend -

[sparrow]

My girl, her niece and myself will be heading off to Borders this Friday to get this over 900 page book. She had to make a reservation just to get a spot to pick up a ticket, a 7:00pm, to then line up at midnight to finally buy the book. I can't tell you how great it is see all these kids reading these books. I have a funny feeling that with this huge book the kids are going to need wheel barrels to carry them around.

And yet, I just can't seem to care
Everything here is hard and bright and violent. Everything I feel, everything I touch, this is hell."

[WebWarlock]

Just in time for a lot libraries' summer reading programs too.



I am looking forward to hearing about the lines of kids at bookstores as well.



Just keep in mind that some of us wont be reading it this week end, so keep the "spoilers" to yourself!

Or at least mark them.



Warlock

-----

Web Warlock

The Other Side,
home of Liber Mysterium: The Netbook of Witches and Warlocks

"There has to be an invisible sun. It gives its heat to everyone.

There has to be an invisible sun. That gives us hope when the whole day's done." - The Police Invisible Sun

[urnofosiris]

Well, I refused to get up early, wait in line or pre-order the book. I was naively under the impression that they would have received enough copies to not sell them all out on day one. I was wrong. Sold out. Grrr, I would not mind so much if I could be sure I will get my hands on a copy before I have to get on that plane.



I saw the interview with J.K. Rowling on the Beeb. I did not like that interviewer guy for some reason, I found his questions about her wealth rather rude, he kept going on about it. I like her no nonsense replies. She is very straightforward and honest.



As for the who will die in part 5, she said it really upset her writing that, hum, bad flashback there, but she never lied to us saying she would not kill off such and such, so no false promises, no deception. If it did upset her so then it must be a major character. I read somewhere that people are betting on this and a lot say it will be Colin Creevy. Well with all due respect to mr Creevy, I would not consider him as having a major impact either living or not. Given the author's own reaction I'd go with either Hagrid or Dumbledore. From now on I will have to be careful to avoid the news and sites because I don't want to be spoiled.



The interviewer also asked what she thought about the merchandise and to make a long answer short she does not mind it. The guy commented on some of the silly things out there and she replied something like (paraphrasing), 'well you should have seen some of the things I prevented from getting out there.' Apparently someone had come up with the idea for a Moaning Myrtle toilet seat, that apparently moans when you sit on it.



I really want this book more than I thought, hopefully they will still have some copies in Amsterdam when I go then on Wednesday, but I doubt it.

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Coffee, Food, Kisses and Gay Love........Get it while you are hot

[Laika 27]

I saw that interview also and I'm not a big fan of J.Paxman..v.smug, I don't think he was the right man for the job, I mean he virtually had J.K. Rowling apologising for being probably the worlds most successful author , that was just so demeaning. She did well to hold her own....but then he made her state that she would never feel embarrased about her books !....like she had to justify her work to him....I would have slapped the bloke ! She may be richer than the Queen but as far as I'm concerned she has earned evey penny.

[urnofosiris]

Indeed, she has earned every penny unlike some people who are born with it. Anyway, she outclassed that slippery guy in every way. I was amused at her comments about this woman that had written a letter to her pleading with her to not start showing any hormonal tendencies (my words) with Harry. She wanted Harry to continue to be free, carefree and happy and safe or some shit like that. J.K. Rowling said something like "have you even READ the books??? Harry goes through hell."

I am curious about people like that, the darkness, violence and angst does not seem to bother them nearly as much as any hint at romance or sex. How did they ever manage to reproduce themselves? How did they grow up? I assume they were teenagers once.



I think at least for me, part of why the books work so well is the fact that the characters are not black and white, they aren't virginal super heros, they experience all kinds of very recognizable human emotions, they can be annoying and they grow (up). Her dry, slightly sarcastic sense of humour comes through well in the books, which is another big plus.

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Coffee, Food, Kisses and Gay Love........Get it while you are hot

[Scout]

Yes, when you get a glimpse at all the research and work that goes into writing these large books, and then when you see all that she's done for children (and adult!) reading habits around the world, you can't help but feel that she's earned whatever has come her way. Plus the fact that she seems to handle it all so well, it just makes you like her.



I do remember hearing her say that writing the death was difficult, and I had a bit of a Buffy flashback. hehe



Regarding the hormonal, I liked that the three leads were starting to discover their hormonal tendencies in the last book. It's only natural, and it would seem highly odd if they didn't become interested in dating. I'm just curious if any combination of the three will become an item. Hard to tell.



Well, I may check out my local Borders today just to see if there are any left. It's a small store that doesn't see as much business, so I may get lucky. Don't know when I'll have time to finish reading it though. Some things you don't want to rush.

[justin]

Quote:

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I saw the interview with J.K. Rowling on the Beeb. I did not like that interviewer guy for some reason, I found his questions about her wealth rather rude, he kept going on about it. I like her no nonsense replies. She is very straightforward and honest.

---

Well Jeremy Paxman does have a reputation for being rude to inerviewees. Though normally interviews politicians, where his rudeness & smugness are less annoying.



The only parts of the Interview I saw were JK saying about the death (At which point I thought 'oh she's done a ) and the point where she responded to claims that she had had writers block by saying that she'd just written quarter of a million words

I understand, you should be with the person you l-love


I am