Worth it???

[horridporrid03]

No: HPFGUIDX 153518

> >>Janie:
> Hello peoples,
> Really now, I am very curious. Some of you seem to have based your 
> lives around Harry Potter. I am sure I am not meaning to be rude   
> or trying to bash anyone, just curious, what is it about these    
> books that have enthralled you?
> Granted, they're well written, and fun, but are they really that   
> worth while???

Betsy Hp:
I suppose this would fall under the "different strokes for different 
folks" heading.  There are people who've devoted their lives to 
reenacting the US Civil War.  There are people who've devoted their 
lives to football (pick your definition <g>).  There are people 
who've devoted their lives to quilting.

So, is quilting worth while?  Are the Harry Potter books worth 
while?  If you enjoy it, I think then, yeah, it's worth while.

> >>Janie:
> I mean, contemplating the personalities of each character and 
> their motives and all that, worth it?

Betsy Hp:
I love, love, love, *love* analyzing characters.  It's a great deal 
of fun for me.  So yeah, taking the time to chat with other folks 
with the same obsession, about characters with the depth to stand-up 
to the indepth analysis, is *definitely* worth it.  For me.

Others on this list love analyzing other things, like the world 
rules, how the magic works, etc.  Which doesn't interest me a bit.  
But the discussions are fun for them, so I'd say they find the time 
they spend on those discussions to be worth while.

> >>Janie: 
> I am an intelligent person and a very good reader [one of the only 
> things I'm really good at], but I just don't think they're that 
> amazing. I read the first, second, and latest one that came out,   
> and quite frankly, lost interest.
> Am I the only one out there?
> <snip>

Betsy Hp:
Well, you're probably not going to find them on this list, but I 
have heard rumors about people not interested in the Harry Potter 
books.  Granted, they are only rumors. <g>

Seriously, I obviously enjoy the books, otherwise I wouldn't be on 
this list (and posting as much as I do).  But yeah, I do recognize 
that they're not the end all, be all.  Heck, they aren't even my 
favorite books.  

But, the fact that the books are popular enough to generate a group 
of this size and diversity was a chance not to be missed for me.  If 
there were as many folks discussing "Peter Pan and Wendy" or the 
writings of Mary Renault, or Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond chronicles, 
or "Ender's Game", I'd be there with bells on.

The fact that this is an on-going series is, I suspect, the reason 
these books have generated so much discussion.  Sadly, I fear that 
after book 7 the chatter will slowly peter out.  So there's a bit of 
serendipity involved.  But while the chatting is on going, I find it 
worth my time to be a part of it.   

Betsy Hp (sadly contemplates a life without Snape threads)