It’s Harry Potter Week, unofficially, and I’m celebrating! First, let’s all watch and sob together:
So heartfelt and inspirational. I am so not a crier but jeez… You’d think I’ve been a part of the cast for the last ten years.
In the interest of full disclosure, I did not grow up reading Harry. I was introduced to him back in college when I was forced to read The Sorcerer’s Stone for my Children’s Lit class. And when I say forced, I’m serious. I mean, what twenty-one-year old girl wants to read about a boy wizard and his adventures at a magical boarding school?
Um, me, apparently, because after that first book, I was totally and completely enamored. Luckily, books 2, 3, and 4 had already been released. I read them immediately and consecutively, passing up nights out on the town–ahem–socializing so I could spend more time with Harry and his crazy cast of characters.
I remember exactly where I was in life when following books were released (5: working 40 hours a week at a coffee shop and living with my in-laws, 6: teaching full-time and living in Tennessee, 7: nearly nine months pregnant during an Arizona summer) and I remember how I felt reading each installment (varying degrees of awe, surprise, swoon, anxiety, and fear). I’ve watched and loved each movie, and I’ve recommended the series to countless people.
And now the release of the final movie is fast approaching…
I’m going to the midnight showing with a good friend who knows and accepts my fanaticism, and I can’t wait. Also, I can wait. Because once I see this movie, the Harry Potter series really will be over. Done. Nothing more to look forward to, and that’s depressing. Still, I’ll try to keep in mind what JK Rowling said so eloquently in her premier night speech:Ā The stories we love best do live in us forever, so whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.
In that spirit, I’m curious. What is your favorite book in the Harry Potter series? (Mine are The Prisoner of Azkaban and The Half Blood Prince – love the rich back story in both.) What about your favorite film adaptation? (Mine, so far, are The Goblet of Fire – so perfectly cinematic and Deathly Hallows I – that dancing scene with Harry and Hermione–LOVE.)
My husband and I at Hogwarts. I already want to go back. š
katyupperman.com 
I actually didn’t read a single HP until they were ALL out. And I’m so glad. If I had to wait for the next installment on that series? Oy.
My daughter and I cannot wait to see HP, but not this week. We usually TRY to wait until the theaters are less crowded. I have a feeling that won’t happen utnil at least August, and I just don’t know if I can wait that long!
Anyhoo – but YOU have fun!
It was definitely nice to get through the first four books with no wait in between, but it was also fun to anticipate the new releases and pre-order my copies and countdown the days until I could be reunited with the Hogwarts crew again. Hope you don’t have to wait too long to see the movie!
I didn’t read HP until I was already in the work force. My favorite movie so far is Goblet of Fire, but I can’t pick a book. I’ve only read through them once so far.
It IS hard to pick favorites… I love them all! Books three and six somehow managed to suck me in even more than the others. š
I also started late- my (then boyfriend, now) husband and I traveled up the east coast on a road trip and I read Goblet of Fire out loud to him. True love. Check. Then I went back and read the early ones. I also remember being very pregnant when #7 was released, and wondering which would come first, the baby or the book. I was delusional- the baby didn’t come until the end of August 2007. I was also pregnant with HBP, but that baby didn’t come until mid August of 2005, so I also had plenty of time to read it.
I can’t pick a book or a movie as favorite. Goblet of Fire was great b/c it was my first book, but I love all the movies, even the first two, which are kind of goofy.
Aww, so sweet of you to read aloud. š
I remember being stressed about finishing Deathly Hallows BEFORE my daughter was born… She was due about two weeks after its release and I was so worried that she’d come early and I wouldn’t have time to finish. Turns out she was four days LATE, but that’s beside the point. š
And you’re right–the first two movies are a little goofy. Much more kid-friendly than the subsequent movies. I still love them though!
I didn’t read the books until 2008, actually. So the good thing is I got to read all of them in a row, but the bad thing is that I missed all the book release fun. Sad.
My favorite book is Half-Blood Prince, for sure. That one has the most romancey teen angst, so of course it’s my fave. That’s my thing. That’s my least favorite movie, though. I’ve actually only seen the movies once, so I think DH1 is my favorite because that’s the only one I’ve chosen to watch more than once so far. We’ll see after I see DH2.
Wow! My answers are same as yours. Excluding the first book/movie (because that’s when my addiction started) my fave books are also 3 and 5. 3 because of the great friendship among Marauders and Rowling was successful in creating Sirius’ character. I remember feeling the same way when he told harry that maybe he could live with him after being freed and the idea of the time turner blew me away. 5 because of the Dumbledore’s Army, the idea of rebellion by teens, and the entire plot minus Umbridge. For movies, same thing, my faves are Goblet of Fire and DH1. Goblet of Fire was seamless, the thought was whole, unlike the others that made me feel like skipping from scene to scene without understanding anything. DH1 became my favorite because of Harry and Hermione’s dance also. I knew the back story behind it. It wasn’t written in the book and the production debated whether to include the scene or not. Luckily they included it. The best part of that dance was when both harry and hermione loosen up and smile amidst the chaos. It was perfectly executed.