Actually, I guess it all about 8 months ago. I'm a little slower than everyone else. In fact, when the movies came out, I never intended to be one of those weird people who read all the books and adored them and everything. But, alas, I eventually gave in and read them.
And here's why. Movies 1, 2, 3 and 4 make perfect sense. I followed them fine, I understood what was going on in the plot of the Harry Potter world. All was good. Then movie 5 came out. It was so confusing. I managed to follow some sort of general plot, but mostly I was just watching for the cool effects. Movie 6 came out, and I had serious gaps (from movie 5) in my knowledge, but overall I felt like I sort of understood what was going on. I could have never pulled off an intelligent conversation with anyone about what was going on, but I ignored that and pretended like I still knew what was happening.
And then movie 7 came out. Way to ruin everything, Deathly Hallows pt 1. I was just so confused and angry at the end of that movie. I picked up on a couple of details here and there of what happened, but there were so many plot jumps that I had no idea why anything was happening. At all. It all just went straight over my head. So I talked to one of my friend, Ally, about the series, and she filled me on some gaps that just didn't happen in the movies. Things that are pretty essential to know, but couldn't be included in the movies for one reason or another. And it doesn't matter that these things aren't included for most people. Most people have read the books (and if it weren't for my friend Alli and my pretty extensive knowledge of the books she's read, I would be pretty sure I was the last person to read the Harry Potter series). Most people already know what's going to happen, they're just going to the movies to see the movies that have been playing in their imagination on screen.
Anyway, Ally's help with my confusion, although it definitely helped, mostly just gave me more questions than answers. And after enough of my questions, Ally just told me I should read the books, and I agreed. I had been pretty proud that I resisted the Harry Potter books and wasn't crazy and didn't play Quidditch in my spare time or buy wands and memorize spells and get scarves with the colors of the Hogwarts houses on them, or any of that crazy stuff. But my curiosity overtook me, and I started reading...
(Side note-- I had only read the first 3 books when movie 8 came out, and it left me not-confused enough that I stopped reading Harry Potter for a solid 6 months.)
I honestly didn't love the first 3 books. I only read the first 2 because I knew there were probably gaps in my knowledge that I would need for later books, but I didn't like the style of writing. The first couple books are definitely children's books. They've got decent plots and everything, but they were clearly meant for kids around the same age as Harry (who was 11-12), and I was trying to read them as a 19 year old. And I didn't want to be reading a kids book, I wanted these books to already appeal to me as a young adult. I thought the 3rd book was alright, and the 4th book was pretty good. And although I learned a lot from these books, I didn't love the series until I got to book 5.
Movie 5 is the one I remembered nearly nothing about, so reading the book for it was a completely new adventure. I didn't have any experience with it, so I was finally reading a book that was completely knew. I wasn't comparing it to the movie at all. I was just enjoying a new book and a new adventure. Book 6 held up pretty well, too, though I did remember a very loose plot (and consequently, a couple of exciting plot twists). And book 7, though I remembered a lot of the last 3rd (which is what movie 8 was based off of), also held up well because of my constant confusion for the beginning/middle of it.
And now, I can genuinely say, that Harry Potter is an excellent series. I can look back at the beginning books, too, and appreciate how J.K. Rowling matured the writing of the book with the audience. That's a really cool quality that I would like to include in my writing if I ever were to write a long series. That started off with a young child. Though this hypothetical series is not in my plans. :) And, though I didn't cry, I did get teary-eyed when a couple of the characters died. But only 2 of them.
Lastly, though. Really? Can we stop telling me about things I haven't read yet? I have one friend (coughcough ALLYcough) who won't stop giving away things that I don't know yet. I think she likes to see the reaction on my face, and the chances of her being there when I actually read it are pretty slim. But really? Way to ruin the books for me. I took a good 2-3 month hiatus from reading the books because I found out all the characters who die.
And, as a last show of my nerdiness for this blog, here is a list of which houses I would hope to be a part of if I were a wizard going to Hogwarts, in order of least likely to most likely:
I'll teach the lot and treat them just the same.
Hard work
Patience
Loyalty
Fair Play
Pretty much the only thing I like about Hufflepuff is that it's where Cedric Diggory came from, and he turned out to be such a BAMF. Mostly, when I think of Hufflepuff, I think of people who weren't awesome enough to make it into any houses. And they're all puffy and mediocre at magic in my imagination. Haha. That's probably because they're named Hufflepuff. Puff.
We'll teach just those whose ancestry's purest.
Ambition
Cunning
Resourcefulness
I don't hate Slytherins, actually. Though, I sure I hope I wouldn't turn into a dark wizard by being there. :) I believe in my strength to a good witch who came from Slytherin. I also would like to think that I'd be friends with people from other houses if I were in Slytherin. (Though, obviously, since it had me, Slytherin would be the best and we'd win everything.)
We'll teach all those with brave deeds to their name.
Bravery
Daring
Nerve
Chivalry
I feel like most of the wizards in Harry Potter who were good characters (as in, not some sort of villian) were in Gryffindor. Which makes sense, since that's the house the main characters were in. Although there certainly are good character in other houses as well.
Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure.
Intelligence
Knowledge
Wit
Truth. Wit beyond measure is indeed man's greatest treasure. And seriously, who would want to just remember a password when you could answer a riddle to get into your common rooms? That would be so much cooler. You would learn!
I <3 Harry Potter. But I'm not signing up for any Quidditch competitions.
And, as a
reward to anyone who made it to the end of the blog, enjoy a sweet video that I love very much. I hope you also consider it a reward, not punishment. :)
Time to read Mistborn...
