The Harry Potter books changed my life!

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  • Phoenix LazarusPhoenix Lazarus Posts: 17,305
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    Ben_Caesar wrote: »
    No I meant what I originally said. I guess it's a phrase I picked up when I was in the US some time ago. Never heard of 'mad for coco pops' :(

    It just means 'crazy', then? You are imputing insanity to CS Lewis, creator of Aslan and the Magic Wardrobe?
  • Ben_CaesarBen_Caesar Posts: 307
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    It just means 'crazy', then? You are imputing insanity to CS Lewis, creator of Aslan and the Magic Wardrobe?

    Something along those lines :D
  • Dragonlady 25Dragonlady 25 Posts: 8,587
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    Long before the hype, the librarian at my school gave me the first book to read because he wanted my opinion. I didn't touch it for weeks because I read the blurb: witches, wizards etc I don't think so!!

    Anyway, I eventually picked it up and was 'sold'. 2 other books had come out so I bought them a few days later and, after that, bought them as they were published. It was fab to be able to recommend the to the parents of non-reading boys on parents nights.

    I watched the films but was SO disappointed with the choice of actor for Harry. In the books, he was undersized and undernourished, yet into shot comes a wholesome, chubby-cheeked lad.

    Obviously, I got used to him and watched the films with interest. Yes, loads of details were left out but, sadly, that is the nature of films.

    Did they change my life? No, but I hope that I helped to introduce reading for pleasure to boys by starting them off with Harry.
  • Granny McSmithGranny McSmith Posts: 19,622
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    ahh if only i had those books as a child, had plenty of problems to escape from, have only seen the films but i heard alot was left out

    I didn't read the Potter books until I was into my sixties. :D

    I'd been a bit snobby about them before, believing the stuff about how they were over-hyped etc. Then a young friend of mine persuaded me to read them, assuring me I'd love them, so I did and I did!

    I'm too old for them to have changed my life, but I definitely intend to read them all again at some point.

    They are excellent books, and have a lot of depth, and a lot of themes - they are definitely not just fairy stories for kids.

    As C S Lewis said, a children's story that can be enjoyed only by children is a bad children's story. I love Narnia as well. Book love is not exclusive. :D
  • NaturalDancerNaturalDancer Posts: 5,128
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    I got partway through the first one but decided they weren't to my taste.
  • AdzPowerAdzPower Posts: 4,861
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    My favourite series by far, the characters are so relatable and the story is so entrancing.
  • AaronWxAaronWx Posts: 2,531
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    I just love how all the pieces come together like a wondrous jigsaw in the end, how things said in passing or something in a single sentence early in the saga turns out to be something huge. They're a work of art and JK is a genius.
  • Phoenix LazarusPhoenix Lazarus Posts: 17,305
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    I got partway through the first one but decided they weren't to my taste.

    They evolved dramatically over the series.
  • Granny McSmithGranny McSmith Posts: 19,622
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    AdzPower wrote: »
    My favourite series by far, the characters are so relatable and the story is so entrancing.

    I agree. And it's so funny. :D
    AaronWx wrote: »
    I just love how all the pieces come together like a wondrous jigsaw in the end, how things said in passing or something in a single sentence early in the saga turns out to be something huge. They're a work of art and JK is a genius.


    Agree again. My admiration for JKR is boundless. I'm looking forward to her third Cormoran Strike book - out soon.
  • nethwennethwen Posts: 23,374
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    I very much enjoy the Harry Potter world. In fact, I'm rereading the series again (can't remember how many times this is now though, I've lost count).

    I have all the films on DVD as well but I don't watch them very often now.

    I wouldn't say they've changed my life at all - I've always been an avid reader anyway.

    As much as I like HP, they don't come close to Tolkien's world. They will always be my first love. :)

    Funnily enough, I've just been watching quite a bit of HP-related stuff on YouTube. I like the fan art videos on there. I've been watching lots of stuff on Professor Snape too - my favourite character. Always! :D

    Such as these ones:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhOQ4VW6xV8

    and a couple of fan art ones:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okjMQfRSE4I

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FPAD5sEyQw

    ^ For all fellow Snape fans out there. ;)



    Also, I can't remember if this video of a conversation with J. K. Rowling and Dan Radcliffe was on one of the film DVDs, but I watched it last night and very much enjoyed it. Here it is for anyone who might be interested:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BdVHWz1DPU
  • nethwennethwen Posts: 23,374
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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyKrzGjekqA

    Alan Rickman on Sev.

    *sigh*

    This is my favourite deleted scene - taken from HBP. I love the song 'In Noctem'; it is very beautiful:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ro-vL4KLDY

    I'll shut up now. :blush:
  • Granny McSmithGranny McSmith Posts: 19,622
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    nethwen wrote: »
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyKrzGjekqA

    Alan Rickman on Sev.

    *sigh*

    This is my favourite deleted scene - taken from HBP. I love the song 'In Noctem'; it is very beautiful:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ro-vL4KLDY

    I'll shut up now. :blush:

    I'm not a great fan of the films, but I bought the soundtrack to The Half Blood Prince just to get In Noctem. I love it. :)
  • LilNikki1987LilNikki1987 Posts: 261
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    j4Rose wrote: »
    I feel the same about the Narnia books.

    Same here :-D, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe was the first proper book I read around age 8. I love the whole collection of Narnia.

    Do you have a favourite out of the books j4Rose? :)
  • Granny McSmithGranny McSmith Posts: 19,622
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    Same here :-D, The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe was the first proper book I read around age 8. I love the whole collection of Narnia.

    Do you have a favourite out of the books j4Rose? :)

    I know you're not asking me, but I'll butt in anyway (I can't resist talking about books I love :)).

    My favourite Narnia book is The Voyage of The Dawn Treader - there's so much in it, and I love the characters and the descriptions of the different islands.

    Have you seen the films? As with Harry Potter, I don't think they're a patch on the books, and Dawn Treader was changed so much I was really disappointed.
  • LilNikki1987LilNikki1987 Posts: 261
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    I know you're not asking me, but I'll butt in anyway (I can't resist talking about books I love :)).

    My favourite Narnia book is The Voyage of The Dawn Treader - there's so much in it, and I love the characters and the descriptions of the different islands.

    Have you seen the films? As with Harry Potter, I don't think they're a patch on the books, and Dawn Treader was changed so much I was really disappointed.

    Feel free to join in Granny Mcsmith :-D. Yeah I've seen the films and agree with you about Dawn Treader it was changed alot. I think I prefer the BBC adaptations of Narnia as they were a big part of my childhood :)
  • *Sparkle**Sparkle* Posts: 10,955
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    Long before the hype, the librarian at my school gave me the first book to read because he wanted my opinion. I didn't touch it for weeks because I read the blurb: witches, wizards etc I don't think so!!

    Anyway, I eventually picked it up and was 'sold'. 2 other books had come out so I bought them a few days later and, after that, bought them as they were published. It was fab to be able to recommend the to the parents of non-reading boys on parents nights.

    I was lucky enough to have them recommended to me by a teacher friend before the hype escaped the world of children's fiction, so I could enjoy the early books without too many expectations, or judgement from strangers on the bus! It was only because I'd mentioned re-reading books from my childhood, in particular, The Hobbit, that my friend pointed them out to me in Waterstones.

    What made them great was that they were so readable if you didn't object to reading a children's book, or one with wizards in, which appeals to all ages, and so many reluctant readers. I wasn't a reluctant reader, but I found them so much more engaging than most of the stuff I should have been reading at my age! :D

    My cousin was one of those reluctant male readers who hadn't read a full book, possibly ever. At the age of 23 he got into Harry Potter, and has never looked back. He's a solid reader these days. I don't know about changing his life, but it certainly has enhanced it, and has done for many in his situation.

    Perhaps I'm being a bit melodramatic, but at a population level, the books got so many reluctant readers into reading in general and improving literacy that I think the impact on society is considerable. It's impossible to know where we'd be without them, and maybe some other book series would have filled the void, but I can't praise Rowling enough for her own contribution.

    Not to mention that she is that rare beast, a member of the super-rich who pays full tax, lives modestly, and donates substantial amounts of her earnings and energy to support a range of charities.
  • jabegyjabegy Posts: 6,201
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    I watched the films but was SO disappointed with the choice of actor for Harry. In the books, he was undersized and undernourished, yet into shot comes a wholesome, chubby-cheeked lad.


    Not half as disappointed as I was when they said that Tom Cruise was going to be cast as Jack Reacher !!! :o

    I love Harry Potter, (books and movies) I have all the books, although I haven't read the last one yet and I always see the films when they put them on TV. I've recently discovered that my grandson, nearly six, has discovered 'Harry' and he seems to be a fan too. The only problem is, as I explained to my son, who was never into it. The books and films should be introduced gradually to him, some of the later ones get very dark. The kids who were into it at the time, virtually grew up with Harry what with the books coming out one per year.
  • timebugtimebug Posts: 18,320
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    They didn't change my life, I just lost many hours that
    I will never have again,reading them and discovering
    that they were c*ap!
  • miaowmiaow Posts: 8,495
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    nethwen wrote: »
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyKrzGjekqA

    Alan Rickman on Sev.

    *sigh*
    This is my favourite deleted scene - taken from HBP. I love the song 'In Noctem'; it is very beautiful:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ro-vL4KLDY

    I'll shut up now. :blush:

    yes......<3 <3<3

    I love the books, and the films. My daughter re reads the books pretty much on a constant loop and we do watch the films fairly often - usually when were both home on a rainy afternoon, light the wood stove and some candles, make buttered toast and watch a Harry Potter. I may also watch Snape on Youtube once or twice (a week, lol ) ;-):D

    thanks for posting those links nethwen :)
  • nethwennethwen Posts: 23,374
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    I'm not a great fan of the films, but I bought the soundtrack to The Half Blood Prince just to get In Noctem. I love it. :)

    It's gorgeous isn't it, Granny?

    I've just had to watch/listen to it again. :)

    I haven't been all that struck on the soundtracks at all (apart from John Williams' 'Hedwig Theme' which I think is iconic). In particular, I didn't like any of the music to CoS or OotP. But 'In Noctem' makes up for all that. I find Latin to be a very beautiful language anyway, particularly when it is sung. But the actual music along with the words makes me very emotional.

    I hope you are keeping well. I don't think I've spoken to you since the 'Sherlock' days. :p

    miaow wrote: »
    yes......<3 <3<3

    I love the books, and the films. My daughter re reads the books pretty much on a constant loop and we do watch the films fairly often - usually when were both home on a rainy afternoon, light the wood stove and some candles, make buttered toast and watch a Harry Potter. I may also watch Snape on Youtube once or twice (a week, lol ) ;-):D

    thanks for posting those links nethwen :)

    You're very welcome, miaow. :)

    I love that Snape scene in the 'In Noctem' video. I remember when it first came out and many were going mad that it wasn't in the actual film. Alan Rickman's expressions sums it all up for me. And I love the camera work with the chiaroscuro light and darkness - from light to dark, to half light/half dark, to LIGHT. ;) It really is beautifully done.

    Ha ha! I too go and watch Snape videos on YouTube from time to time. Once I start watching one, then i have to click on another one. Do you enjoy the fan art ones too?

    BIB: Ahh! that sounds heavenly. I'll be round tomorrow, if that's all right. ;):D

    Have you heard about these?

    'Severus Snape and the Marauders':

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3ok5Kb84B8

    and

    'The Greater Good':

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nh9Htx-tHM

    I haven't had time to look into them properly, but the trailers look good. Lots of excited people too, judging by the comments.
  • nethwennethwen Posts: 23,374
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    jabegy wrote: »
    Not half as disappointed as I was when they said that Tom Cruise was going to be cast as Jack Reacher !!! :o

    I love Harry Potter, (books and movies) I have all the books, although I haven't read the last one yet and I always see the films when they put them on TV. I've recently discovered that my grandson, nearly six, has discovered 'Harry' and he seems to be a fan too. The only problem is, as I explained to my son, who was never into it. The books and films should be introduced gradually to him, some of the later ones get very dark. The kids who were into it at the time, virtually grew up with Harry what with the books coming out one per year.

    Please, please, pleeeeaaassse (ahem), do read DH, jabegy. It is far better than the two films on it. There are so many things in there that the films misconstrued and/or missed out. Having said that, I wish I was about to read it for the first time again.

    I can remember a long thread, here in the Books Forum, where there was much excitement - especially the days leading up to the release. Then, someone - in the US, I think? - leaked the book chapters' titles, just before the release date and posted them on the interweb, for all to see. :eek:

    I wonder where that thread is now? Happy days!
  • mimik1ukmimik1uk Posts: 46,701
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    i had pre-ordered the last book , it was delivered on the morning of release and i ended up reading the whole thing that day as i was scared to go online until i had finished it as i knew there would inevitably be spoilers all over the place
  • Granny McSmithGranny McSmith Posts: 19,622
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    nethwen wrote: »
    It's gorgeous isn't it, Granny?

    I've just had to watch/listen to it again. :)

    I haven't been all that struck on the soundtracks at all (apart from John Williams' 'Hedwig Theme' which I think is iconic). In particular, I didn't like any of the music to CoS or OotP. But 'In Noctem' makes up for all that. I find Latin to be a very beautiful language anyway, particularly when it is sung. But the actual music along with the words makes me very emotional.

    I hope you are keeping well. I don't think I've spoken to you since the 'Sherlock' days. :p

    .

    I'm fine, Nethwen - I don't post very often these days. I'll be there when Sherlock is back, though. :)

    I do like some of the music - Dumbledore's death spring to mind.

    I read a lot, but not much of what I read is memorable. Harry Potter is one of the few that is. :)
  • miaowmiaow Posts: 8,495
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    nethwen wrote: »

    You're very welcome, miaow. :)

    I love that Snape scene in the 'In Noctem' video. I remember when it first came out and many were going mad that it wasn't in the actual film. Alan Rickman's expressions sums it all up for me. And I love the camera work with the chiaroscuro light and darkness - from light to dark, to half light/half dark, to LIGHT. ;) It really is beautifully done.

    Ha ha! I too go and watch Snape videos on YouTube from time to time. Once I start watching one, then i have to click on another one. Do you enjoy the fan art ones too?

    BIB: Ahh! that sounds heavenly. I'll be round tomorrow, if that's all right. ;):D

    Have you heard about these?

    'Severus Snape and the Marauders':

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3ok5Kb84B8

    and

    'The Greater Good':

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Nh9Htx-tHM

    I haven't had time to look into them properly, but the trailers look good. Lots of excited people too, judging by the comments.

    Oooh :) I knew about the Snape and the Marauders one (that looks amazing! can't wait to see it) but not about The Greater Good! I do hope they'll both be finished soon.

    Nobody does tortured and heartbreaking facial expressions like Alan Rickman do they...swoon...yes, youtube can be very addictive :blush::D You've probably seen it, but this one is very lovely:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i16NigDQ2HA

    and yes I do love the fan art ones too! :D
  • PunksNotDeadPunksNotDead Posts: 21,129
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    It's an ok series but there are much better books out there.
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