Uncovering the Mystery of Who Reads Books

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The discussion revolves around the popularity and impact of the Harry Potter series, particularly in relation to its audience and literary merit. Participants share personal experiences, such as attending book release parties and reading the series to children, highlighting the joy and nostalgia associated with the books. There is a divide in opinions; some appreciate the series for its imaginative storytelling and character development, while others criticize it for being simplistic and aimed at a younger audience. Many agree that the later books mature alongside their readers, making them relatable for both children and adults. Comparisons are made to other fantasy works, with some participants advocating for the depth and complexity found in authors like Robert Jordan and Raymond E. Feist. The conversation also touches on the differences between the books and their film adaptations, emphasizing that the books contain richer details and character arcs that movies cannot fully capture. Overall, the Harry Potter series is recognized as a significant cultural phenomenon that has inspired a generation to read, despite mixed opinions on its literary quality.

You read the Harry Potter series?

  • yes, they're pretty excellent

    Votes: 45 53.6%

  • yes, because i read them to some kids...

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • no, and i have no desire to

    Votes: 39 46.4%
  • Total voters
    84
  • #31
Evo said:
Ok, you both know how much I think of your opinions, (not to mention a couple of my favorite guys)

Oh, but you guys don't know the wonderful books I've read!

Have you read Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series, Feist's books (even if it's only "Magician Apprentice") The Belgariad by Eddings, or "Daughter of the Empire" "Servant of the Empire" by Janny Wurtz, then you will understand what I am used to in a book on fantasy. Oh, if you only knew the worlds I have explored in these incredible books.

Have you read the books on Raistlin and the Kender?

The "Rift War Sagas". Have you read those? The places your imagination will be taken...

Have you read these and still think Harry Potter is on a similar level? (actually I bought two of the videos and they're in my closet, haven't had a chance to watch them yet) :redface:

Darn it! We need to get together and start a book club!

TSA...if you haven't read these yet, I'm willing to read them over again, so we could read them together. Would you have the time? Anyone else want to branch out into some good books?

Good picks Evo. I've covered all those except the Wurtz works, I'll have to pick those up. I also have read the Harry Potter books, mostly because they are around since my wife reads them. They are "simpler" than the Jordan or Tolkien series, but they're fun and the imagery is very strong. It's similar to reading Brooks' Shannara series and then going to his Magic Kingdom for Sale: Sold! books, the later being fluffier than his other works. A couple of other suggestions - Kushiel's Legacy series by Jacquline Carey (rather racy :blushing:, but good action too), L.E. Modesitt's Recluse series, I'll have to think of some others.
 
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  • #32
hmm, interesting that the poll shows everyone who's read them to have loved them... no one's read them and only thought, meh... says something maybe?

anyways, i too thought i wouldn't like them. my mum bought the first three for my younger siblings, and they were too lazy to read them. i was vehemently refusing to read them myself, (they were just way too popular... which led me to believe they were crap seeing as i don't have much faith in the general public...) but, my sibs wanted to hear the stories... so i started reading to them both every night. usually though, i read a book straight through in one sitting, so i got frustrated one night after they slept, and just finished the book. after that, i started to read the second one. (my mum eventually bought the books-on-tape for my other sibs.) and after the third, i was hooked. the third was probably my favorite.

anyways, i think they are pretty decent. and yes, they're similar to many fantasies... but i think Rowling created a really fantastic world, with loads of details and what's most brilliant, is that its set in the present, right under our noses. so it makes it feel more real. she did create a lot of her own creatures though, with excellent imagery. a lot of it is too predictable maybe... i think especially in the 6th book. i mean, i was surprised... (well, mostly in disbelief) about a few things... but mostly it was my naivety...

anyways, i think the books are great, and if nothing else, at least she's inspired a generation to read.
 
  • #33
I confess that though I've seen the movies I have yet to read any of the books. However, It's more procrastination than loathing to read them. I grew up on tolkein and c.s. lewis, and i was entranced (I didn't know much about norse mythology at 11 years of age). So these stories do hold my interest, even if they are for kids. Just like trains, they're made for kids, but grownups love to play with them too :wink:
 
  • #34
loseyourname said:
Am I honestly the only person that finds the same old rehashing of magic and mythical creatures to be a little trite? It just seems that Tolkein retold Norse mythology and there has been no original contribution to the genre since. I know there are good stories and there is good writing out there, but isn't the point of fantasy to introduce us to worlds we are not familiar with? That's what I used to love about Louis L'Amour growing up. Sure, he was just retelling Native American mythology in his fantasy tales, but at least it wasn't a retelling of Northern European mythology. 95% of the fantasy genre would have you believe that's all there is. I'd say that's another part of the huge appeal of Star Wars. Instead of just being the same old rehashing of Arthurian Knights, Lucas melds them with Japanese Samurai and puts them in a western set in space. Only this western has WWII-style dogfights and the Knights learn magic from a half-Christian, half-Taoist energy field! If we learned anything from this, it's that your story will feel far more fresh and exciting if you borrow from a wide breadth of genres, instead of sticking so faithfully to the traditions of only one.
This is pretty much the same reason why I rarely read fantasy. I can only read so many times about what is more or less the same world of dragons and knights and magicians(Not that I would prefer not to read them Evo, just not all the time. I'm still interested in the book club idea.:smile:). I enjoyed Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality series. It's also not a very serious read but definitely creative in my opinion. And Tim Powers is definitely very creative. The last book I read by him was called Declare. It was set during the Cold War, the main character was a british spy and his nemesis was Kim Philby the infamous double agent from that era. The supernatural elements involved were djinn. In his books there is always a supernatural world behind the scenes that has been influencing history. In this book the soviets are attempting to weoponize djinn for use against the US. The main character is from a special devision of MI6 that deals with these sorts of things. It may sound silly but you really have to read it to apreciate the way in which he pulls this sort of thing off. The way he writes is actually quite serious in tone. And he always interlaces real historical people and events in his stories. Quite a bit of the story line revolves around the real Kim Philby and the things that he did in life. He doesn't rewrite history he just adds to it in the gaps of information. I haven't read it but he did the same thing in Dinner at Deviant's Place which revolves around a time spent at a particular mansion by Bram Stoker and Percy and Mary Shelly, which actually occured. I'm rambling...
 
  • #35
I don't read much, but I do read harry potter. I'm on like, chapter twelve. I stayed till midnight as well. Actually, I didn't get my book till about one, and got home at 1:15. My back was killing me.
 
  • #36
Integral said:
I have been looking for the first of the "Wheel of Time" books, just haven't connected with it.. It would be easier to find if, I knew for sure what the title was. Perhaps you can help me with that?
Ehe eye of the world.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Jordan#The_Wheel_of_Time
 
  • #37
I just finished "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" after spending the last 3 evenings immersed in it.

Waiting for the next one. Presumably, the next book provides the climax and resolution. I suppose we'll have to wait two years.

Perhaps somewhat predictable - but it is nevertheless compelling.

As for escaping in fiction or fantasy - I can't really. I have seen too much in the world.

Reading Harry Potter, I see the parallels in real life.
 
  • #38
Gale17 said:
hmm, interesting that the poll shows everyone who's read them to have loved them... no one's read them and only thought, meh... says something maybe?

I don't know. My daughter read the first book and it left her with no desire to read the rest. On the other hand, she devoured The Hobbit, And then couldn't wait to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Also, I note that there is no "started to read it, but didn't care for it" option in the poll.
 
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  • #39
dduardo said:
This is a hilarious video clip of someone ruining the ending of the lastest book for people at a B&N

http://www.fazed.org/video/view/?id=33

Don't watch if you don't want to know the ending.
:smile: :smile: :smile:

I haven't read the ending, but snape killing dumbledore[/color] is pretty much what I expected.
 
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  • #40
Gale17 said:
hmm, interesting that the poll shows everyone who's read them to have loved them... no one's read them and only thought, meh... says something maybe?

anyways, i too thought i wouldn't like them. my mum bought the first three for my younger siblings, and they were too lazy to read them. i was vehemently refusing to read them myself, (they were just way too popular... which led me to believe they were crap seeing as i don't have much faith in the general public...) but, my sibs wanted to hear the stories... so i started reading to them both every night. usually though, i read a book straight through in one sitting, so i got frustrated one night after they slept, and just finished the book. after that, i started to read the second one. (my mum eventually bought the books-on-tape for my other sibs.) and after the third, i was hooked. the third was probably my favorite.

anyways, i think they are pretty decent. and yes, they're similar to many fantasies... but i think Rowling created a really fantastic world, with loads of details and what's most brilliant, is that its set in the present, right under our noses. so it makes it feel more real. she did create a lot of her own creatures though, with excellent imagery. a lot of it is too predictable maybe... i think especially in the 6th book. i mean, i was surprised... (well, mostly in disbelief) about a few things... but mostly it was my naivety...

anyways, i think the books are great, and if nothing else, at least she's inspired a generation to read.


Anyway i read one of the books (the prisoner of something) and thought it suxed. But then again I am HAte children ,so i wouldn't like stories about children.
 
  • #41
i tried to read this thread, but the geekiness is just too much...must leave.
 
  • #42
J.K. is clearly starting to get tire of writing them, as per the huge page number in OOTP, and then how it dwindled way down in HBP. Plus she said after the seventh book, which is the last, a prequel or anything of that sort won't be needed.
 
  • #43
I just finished Half Blood Prince. I had ordered it months ago, and got it on THE DAY, last Saturday. I thought it was good, and ended very well (that is, of course, badly). I have read each one as they came out and did a rereading of the earlier ones when Phoenix came out because there was so much dependence on hints dropped in earlier books.

My daughter, son and son's wife and I form a discussion group on the series. In fact my daughter, on a business trip, bought a copy of the English edition of HBP in London last Saturday. A modest coup, at least in our family.
 
  • #44
thats awesome...my sisters don't like talking about it...they just read it...never remembers anything from the prior books
 
  • #45
Having finished reading the "half-blood prince", I can now inform those of you who haven't read it that Hermione Granger did NOT fail her O.W.L. exams.




Hmm..did I reveal too much of the plotline now?
 
  • #46
Well you at least didn't tell them which subject she only got an Excellent in.
 
  • #47
HP 1-5 was good.But in the 6th one the plot loses all originality as JKR uses
SPOLIER ALERT

the oldest villian trick on the book-"my like is in my pet parakeet" from the arabian nights
/SPOILER ALERT

and ruins the series.

Anyway to add to evos collection,I have greately enjoyed Myth series by R.Asprin.
 
  • #48
Of course I enjoy the Harry Potter stories, but then again one look at my *Location gave that away. :biggrin: The movies are fun too! I accept them on their own, without expecting them to follow each book exactly. One thing I have noticed after watching the movies, whenever I read a Potter book, my mind hears the British pronunciation.

*When I read that a pensieve was a place to store thoughts, it sounded clever. I recalled penser in French means to think.
 
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  • #49
I read the Belgariad and Mallorean (David Eddings) serieses several times growing up and I loved them. I would have called them and the James Herriot all creatures great and small series my favorite books ever, until I read Harry Potter. The Harry Potter books are the best books I've ever read. Sure they are simplistic, but decreasingly so. Each book is better than the last.
 
  • #50
I grew up with SF and fantasy books; I loved "lord of the rings" so much, I even read the "Simarillion" (which was quite a snoozer at the age of 12). THen something happened when I got to college; I doubled as an English major and started to read "literature" (pronounced with a snooty upperclass accent).

For about 15 years, all I read was "literature." I was a complete snob. Everything that was popular was "beneath me." I even got a MFA (master of fine arts) in writing (don't ask). Consequently every movie I saw, every book or poem I read, every picture I looked at, I had to mentally write an opinion paper on it.

This maniacal mind binder (see? it paid off!) of "overeducation" prevented me from simply enjoying things. I read the first HP book five years ago to "see what the fuss was about." Now I've read them all and I got to tell you, I am awaiting the final installment! (Don't care about the movies though).
 
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  • #51
I haven't read any of the books. I like fiction, but fantasy doesn't appeal to me very much. Maybe if they performed magic by making use of the laws of physics... maybe spells could be mathematical equations. :smile:
 
  • #52
-Job- said:
I haven't read any of the books. I like fiction, but fantasy doesn't appeal to me very much. Maybe if they performed magic by making use of the laws of physics... maybe spells could be mathematical equations. :smile:
no wonder God put you through all those trials.