POA - Book vrs movie

[annemehr]

No: HPFGUIDX 100419


> Sherry
> This might sound crazy, but I had not even heard of the books till a
little
> before the 3rd one was released.  I don't know how I missed all the
stir and
> talk.
<snip>

Annemehr:
You know, I don't think there was as much "stir and talk" yet at that
time.  I must have come to the books very nearly when you did. In
March '99, I heard by word-of-mouth from maybe two people that "kids
seemed to really like those Harry Potter books," whatever they were,
so we bought the first one for my daughter who was turning nine. I am
in the habit of picking up my children's books occaisionally and
dipping into them, and very fortunately this was one of them. She and
I then went on to read the others, and the rest of my family has since
joined in.

It wasn't until a year later, for the release of GoF that I began to
notice HP stories on the news.  In a bookstore just after release day,
where they were sold out of GoF, I picked up Sorcerer's Stone for the
second time ever and read the part where Harry bought his wand -- and
that's exactly the moment when I got the chills.  That's the moment
when I went from merely enjoying the books to getting well and truly
hooked.  Then after reading GoF, I couldn't leave it alone -- I kept
picking it up and rereading parts.

To bring this vaguely on to topic for the main list, there must be a
reason (or several?) why these books mean so much to so many of us. 
Jo Rowling's definitely tapped into something, but I can't put my
finger on it.  And, why could she do it when so many other authors
have never come close?

Annemehr
who also likes "how I came to HP" stories