New to the Harry Potter Books

[Steve]

No: HPFGUIDX 176532

---  "salo.krano" <salo.krano at ...> wrote:
>
> Hi,
> 
> I'm just a new convert to Harry Potter.  As I've seen
> the movies; I thought that I'd have no trouble 
> reading the final book, how wrong I was.
> 
> I've now bought myself all the books, wishing that I
> had started reading them earlier.
> 

bboyminn:

I'm having the same problem with my Sister and her son,
my nephew. They both love to read, and are now sorry
they didn't pay more attention in high school, and
read more back then when it could have shaped their
lives.

They both love the HP movies, but seem very reluctant
to read the books. I think partly it is because Harry
Potter is so popular and they don't want to be seen as
one more 'on-the-bandwagon' drone.

I encouraged them to just read the first book. It is
available in paperback for about $6 or $7, and I
promised them that they would never find better 
entertainment value for their money. I mean really,
where else can you get hours of entertainment for only
$7. 

They are both big 'Eragon' fans, and I think there is
an element of not wanting to let anything potentially
challenge their love of Eragon. It's amazing how loyal
people become to their favorite books.

> salo.krano
>
> I've also found that I'm now completely hooked on 
> Harry Potter; and find myself asking if maybe J. K. 
> Rowling ... could maybe bring Harry back at an later
> date.
> 
> salo.krano
>

bboyminn:

JKR said, in a sense, that Harry still visits her. She
still sees him in the future going places, doing things,
interacting with people, and perhaps even having an
adventure or two. But it is like a phone call from an
old friend. It's nice to catch up on what is happening,
but there really isn't a story there. 

So, despite the fact that Harry lives on in JKR's mind,
she will never write about him or any of the other
characters again, UNLESS somehow a complete story
wanders into her head, the way Harry himself wandered
into her life, fully formed. 

It's not enough that Harry comes back to her in a
paragraph or two, or a few pages here and there. He 
will never truly live again until he comes back to her
as a full book of adventure, mystery, and intrigue.

That could happen, she might be riding on a train one
day, and suddenly out of the deep literary cosmos, the
further adventures of Harry Potter or some other HP
character will come to her. That IS possible, but as
of right now, those revelations aren't there, so for
now, the story of Harry Potter and friends has been 
told.  

But consider the possibility that if a whole book
doesn't come to her, a short story might. I could
conceive of JKR suddenly get an inspiration for some
little short adventure of Harry's that could be
published in a short story collection or a magazine.
But again, until the inspiration strikes, the story
doesn't exist. At the same time, I don't see her 
seeking out, or intending to write about Harry. Either
the inspiration will come one day or it won't. 

In the mean time, she will write whatever other books
come into her mind, and perhaps that's OK. Maybe it's
time for Harry to 'live happily ever after'. Maybe he's
already has enough adventure and danger for one lifetime.

Steve/bboyminn