Faith of GeekyZooGirl and Micheline of Lunar Rainbow Reviews are hosting the Harry Potter Month in July!! Of course, Harry's birthday is in July so it's a celebration! I am competing for my House Cup as well for Hufflepuff. As most of you know, I adore Harry Potter so this month will be full of even more Potter goodness at JC's Book Haven.
Ever since I was a young child, I have always loved reading. I remember the Accelerated Reader program at school, and constantly checking books out so that I could win those personal pan pizzas from Pizza Hut. I was checking books out like Romona Quimby, The Bridge to Terabithia, Dogs Don't Tell Jokes, Freckle Juice, The Indian in the Cubbard, and The Incredible Journey. I enjoyed them all, but I can't say I LOVED any of them.
Then I moved on to high school and was in the accelerated English class. We HAD to read for school, and it was mostly classics. I had Huckleberry Finn, Jane Eyre, Romeo and Juliet, The Grapes of Wrath, and more. Now, I admit that I have a hard time with being told I have to do things, immediately making me not want to. Needless to say, I never liked reading any of the books for school that we were forced to.
Moving on to after graduation and a friend brought me a book thinking I would enjoy it. It was Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. There were three books out at this time, and it was the first I was hearing of the series. I DEVOURED it. I went to her two days later asking to borrow the next two books and read those in two days each as well.
I finally found what I enjoyed reading. Not just this incredible series, but what Harry Potter brought to me was that I am a genre-oriented reader. I want MAGIC. I want things that can't possible happen in my every day life. I want ADVENTURE and creatures I haven't even dreamed of.
I now obviously have a number of books that I love, but none more than Harry Potter as it was the start to my journey not just in loving to read, but in loving the books I read as well.
After reading those three, I not so patiently waited for the rest to follow. I remember the thrill that there were movies being made, and seeing them all in theater. I bought all the movies as they came out and all the books immediately when released as well.
Now, I've been able to share my love of the series with my son. He watched all of the movies and loved them. He dressed as Ron Weasley for Halloween (looking the part as he is a redhead himself). I took him to Harry Potter World in Orlando for his 9th birthday, and the second we got home, he dove into the books for the first time reading them all so quickly. He had discussions with me on what is different in the films and how reading the books was such a wonderful experience, offering so much more than what the movies alone give us.
We have since created quite a collection of Harry Potter fan merchandise and both are on Pottermore. We randomly reread the series and re-watch the movies. I can honestly say I haven't read a series near as many times as I have Harry Potter.
