[HPforGrownups] Re: Why did we start reading the books?

[Amber]

No: HPFGUIDX 22352


> MmeBurgess at a... wrote:
> 
> > So, I'm just curious as to how/why/how long other people read the 
> > series.  Does anyone have any really cool story?  I know mine is 
> > not, I just happen to love books and got hooked.  

I hadn't heard a *thing* about Harry Potter until last summer when GoF
came out. I was rather astounded by the hype for the book, but
obstinately didn't read it. The reason I stayed away from it *wasn't*
because it was a children's book (like so many have stated) but because
it was so *popular*. Sounds silly? It is. I'm quite prejudiced when it
comes to popularity. We all have our flaws.

So I lived blissfully without reading Potter until sometime during
October 2000. I was home for the weekend from college and my dad
brought home the paperback versions of HP. When I saw them, I thought
"Oh, ew, that popular book." But one evening I was tremendously bored
and really wanted to read something fantasy-ish so I picked up SS with
trepidation. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it wasn't bad.
After finishing, I read CoS pretty quickly because those first two
books are pretty quick reads.

Then I forgot all about it.

Flashforward to December 2000. My dad gets PoA on tape. In January, I
listen to it and think it's nice. But by now, something inside of me is
starting to tick. Remembering that there's a fourth book, I get it and
read it in an evening. 

That's about when the interest started to really started.

Somewhere around April of this year, the HP obsession hit me full-on. I
joined some HP list and there was a reference on it to ff.net. So I
trundled over and read some fics. I found some of the discussion lists
for some of the fics. And on the lists, someone mentioned HP4GU. So I
joined and the rest is history.

The discussions on the HP4GU lists have been the sole reason for my
unflagging interest in HP. It's great to read theories from people who
are *way* smarter than me and to think "Hey, yeah, that's right!". I
love discovering the new depth to JKR's books. Now, I feel jittery when
I think about book 5. 

At times, I still feel somewhat resentful that HP is so popular. I
firmly believe that there are other books out there as good as HP or
even better, but they don't get the recognition. But then I just tell
myself not to dwell.

It's taken me a looooong time to get here, but I'm glad I made it!

~Amber


=====
"The perfect sky is torn, I'm all out of faith;
This is how I feel, I'm cold and I'm ashamed;
Bound and Broken on the floor..."
- Natalie Imbruglia, "Torn"

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