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| My American-Edition Hardbacks |
I look back on the summers of my childhood with fond memories of pool parties, barbecues, and most importantly... Harry Potter. Yes, I was one of the thousands of children whose young adult life was changed by J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. You can take your Generation X or Generation Next, we were the Potter Generation! I can still remember the first time I picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (or Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as it is known here in the UK). It was at my sixth grade book fair in 1999, when Potter Mania was just beginning to take shape. At the time there were only three Harry Potter books out with Prisoner of Azkaban just being published in the United States. But why do summers remind me of Harry Potter? Two reasons: 1) The four remaining books were all released in the summer months and 2) my own personal tradition of reading all the Harry Potter books every summer.
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| My incredible 3D Harry Potter glasses! |
This summer was particularly poignant as the last every Harry Potter film was released, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2. I was excited, yet reluctant to go and see the film. It's conclusion would be the truly the end of an era. And last Saturday the era ended when Luke and I finally went to go see it. Luke is perhaps one of five children who didn't grow up reading and loving Harry Potter, but he is slowly becoming a Harry Potter convert thanks to my influence. He's only seen the films (which makes me shudder) but he says he enjoys them, and I hope to someday persuade him to actually sit down and read this creative masterpiece. I won't say too much about the film, I don't want to ruin it for people who haven't been. Of course the book was better than the film (when is it not?) but David Yates, the director, did a wonderful job with this adaptation. The young actors have truly grown into their roles, and the older cast is just as phenomenal as ever. Particularly, Alan Rickman as Severus Snape, one of the most complex characters of the book. So if you haven't been to see the film, I would strongly urge you to run not walk to your nearest cinema and watch it!
I can remember reading every book for the first time, Rowling truly is a master at taking the reader inside the world. At the moment, I'm currently beginning my third year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardary. Translation: I'm currently reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I've started my Harry Potter summer reading a little later than I usually do, and it's going a little slower as I find the older the get the less time you have. When I was younger, I could read every Harry Potter in a day but now life tends to get in the way. Boo to the responsibilities of getting older!
I think J.K. Rowling is reluctant to say goodbye to Harry Potter as the rest of us. This summer the website Pottermore was announced. Pottermore is said to be a website geared to "fans of any age who can share, participate in, and rediscover the stories." Yes I signed up. It's not completely active yet but my interest is certainly piqued.
I would like to conclude this post just by saying thanks to Harry Potter, but most importantly, thanks to J.K. Rowling for creating a truly magical world!
Erin x
Ladies and gentlemen, for your amusement... The Potter Puppet Pals!
Quintessentially English's August entry for Happy Homemaker UK's Post of the Month Club
I read the first Harry when I was pregnant with my first born - I read it during thanksgiving and became a total recluse for 24 hours! Ive only seen snippets of the movies, but as my kids age, I'm sure I'll see them all. Such a moving post :) Thank you for linking to Post of the Month :)