LaShawn Barber posted these three questions as a discussion-starter at Fantasy Fiction for Christians, and I thought I’d get the discussion going here as well:
1) How/when did you become a Harry Potter fan?
The year that Order of the Phoenix was released (2003) I finally broke down and watched the first movie one night at my parents’ house. I loved the story, and of course proceeded to watch the next movie as well. I had been hesitant to read the books up till that point, for religious reasons, but after watching the movies, I thought to myself, “This is what people are so upset about?” I flew through the first five books in record time, spending many a late night in the parsonage of the Baptist church I temporarily pastored.
2) What was your first reaction (physical and/or mental) when you read the scene in which Snape killed Dumbledore?
There are little wrinkles on that page from the teardrops. I knew Dumbledore would die in Half-Blood Prince. That didn’t soften the blow much, and Rowling’s having Snape do it made it all the worse.
3) How/when will you read Deathly Hallows?
I’ll be picking the book up at midnight – two copies, one for my wife and one for me – and reading until I fall asleep. In the morning, Tricia and I are dropping Sophia off at Nana’s and heading down to a beautiful park many miles away from interruption and media, laying out a blanket, and having a Potter picnic while reading the rest of the novel.
Alright, your turn. Answer in the comments section.
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Travis this is what I posted on LSB’s site. I was surprised to see how few people admitted to crying over Dumbly’s death…I didn’t see that coming at all, because I had not read anything prior to HBP about Achemical Literature and that so was completely blown away by that one.
As far as reading the books to begin with, I was hesitant particularly because my oldest was only 10 when they first came out and being a homeschooling family, we were surrounded by people who sound suspiciously like that Mallory woman. But I finally gave the first one a try and was hooked, I tell you, hooked!
So here is my original response to LaShawn:
“1. I became a fan sometime after the 4th book was already out and read them all and started chomping at the bit for the next installment. My oldest daughter, my oldest son, my youngest son and I are totally geeky Harry fans. We have read nearly every book written about Harry and Rowling out there. We go to the B & N midnight parties in order to get our books ASAP. This year, in honor of the end of the series, I plan to thoroughly embarress my children by dressing as Mrs. Weasley. I have read curly hair and can do a flawless Brit accent, so the B & N booksellers call me Mrs. Weasley already anyway.!
2. When Dumbledore died, I sobbed. I could barely read the rest of the book for the tears. I still cry with each reread. Then my next reaction was disbelief. “Surely he’ll pull a Gandalf,” I said to myself. Sadly JKR has said that Dumby is definitely dead. So much for that. After the sadness and disbelief, I am now in the angry stage of grieving because Dumby is without a doubt my favoritest character, well before Harry. I will miss him if he doesn’t somehow appear in DH.
3. We will rush home from B & N. Because we have all had arguments over who is going to get to read first, it has been decided that Mom will read aloud until I collapse exhausted on the couch. We’ll wake up and continue until we are done. Then my oldest son will probably want an immediate reread so I will relinquish physical possession of the book to him. When he is finished. I will probably get in a reread before my oldest daughter. Then the little boy, because he is so low on the totem pole can have the book!..
Can’t Wait, Can’t Wait, Can’t Wait…..:) “
Wow, Travis, after all the hard questions to answer, these three are surprisingly easy.
1) How/when did you become a Harry Potter fan?
I’m only sure of the year, not the month. Sometime in 1999–summer or maybe fall–I read an article in the book section of the The Seattle Times about the 3rd Harry Potter book that was about to be released. It didn’t talk so much about the book, but about the controversy that this little children’s book (and the two that came before it), that had become so popular in the UK had parents and children lining up waiting to buy the next installment in the series, was the newest target of the religious right book banners.
I’ve always loved children’s literature, and used to teach 2nd grade. As I still worked with children (and still do now), I try to keep up on what they find wildly popular, even if I don’t watch or listen or read all of it. However, I really wanted to read this one for myself. If the books were becoming that popular in the U.S., then it would likely come up at day camp and I should know what was in the book–at least the first one.
I went to the book store that day and bought Sorcerer’s Stone in paperback. And I loved it. I found nothing sinister in any part of it, and was thrilled to see a book that was marketed for 9 to 11 year olds that had an interesting story, full of myth and fairy tale elements, as well as a vocabulary that would likely make many of them look in a dictionary. Finally, a children’s author that didn’t dumb down the English language just because children were reading it. And a story that emphasized the importance of friendship, loyalty, doing the right thing, and in with all the seriousness, there was a fair amount of humor.
Before I ever finished the first book, I went back to buy the second (also in paperback) and the 3rd (just released, so hardback). And as soon as I finished the first one, I handed it off to my youngest daughter who was a senior in high school. I quickly replaced those paperbacks with hardbacks, because I knew they were books I’d want to re-read and keep for a very long time. We both re-read, and discussed, the first three books many times while we waited for the 4th one. When GOF came out, we went to the midnight release of the book–and haven’t missed one since.
2) What was your first reaction (physical and/or mental) when you read the scene in which Snape killed Dumbledore?
I wasn’t surprised that Dumbledore died. All those discussions with John Granger had prepared me for that one. The shocker was that it was Snape. I think my mouth literally dropped open. I couldn’t believe it happened that way. In fact, I think I was in such shock that the tears, for me, came later, with Phoenix Lament, and then for most of the rest of the book–when Harry tried to make sense of what had happened, when McGonagall talked to him, when Scrimgeour talked, the funeral, and the end with the trio deciding their next step.
3) How/when will you read Deathly Hallows?
Ooooo, I can’t wait. I’ll be at day camp all week, and all that day on Friday. I should be staying on the overnight, but have managed to convince them that I won’t be staying past about 9:30 pm.
So I’ll pick up my copy of Deathly Hallows at the Barnes and Noble where I reserved my copy as soon as it was announced that she finished–I really think I was the first person to ask about doing that, as the clerk didn’t know the procedure for it, and the manager wasn’t too sure either.
As soon as I have my book, I’m heading home to start reading. But first, I’ll put on my PJs, fix a pot of tea, and probably some little snack. Then after settling down on the couch (in front of the fire, if it’s at all cool outside), I’ll read. And read. (I’ll have to go back to day camp for the morning check out, and stop for meals, and church on Sunday morning–but other than that, I’ll be reading until I’m done.)
Then I’ll probably re-read it more slowly the following week, to find all the things I missed first time round.
Pat
1) Heard the hype, picked up the first book. Liked it, picked up the next two. Got interested, picked up the fourth one. And got disenchanted. Seemed too long, and the whole TriWizard Cup thing felt forced and not very relevant to the outcome. Bought OotP as soon as it came out, but couldn’t get into it. Way too long, and the writing wasn’t particularly compelling. Bought HBP, read the death scene, and was puzzled. At that point, I was neutral about Snape, so I didn’t care if he was good or evil, but I liked Dumbledore, and couldn’t see an author writing such an interesting character out of the plot. Put the book away for a while. A few years, actually.
And then my six year old turned six. And got interested in Harry. So one day I went out and picked up all four movies on DVD. And we started watching them. I got hooked. And decided to re-read (read, actually) the books. And I haven’t looked back since. This site has helped nurture my obsession, of course.
2)Disbelief, at first. The second time, I got into denial, trying to find a way out, some way that Dumbledore would end up coming back. And then, around the same time I started contributing to this blog, I started thinking of it more like a mystery story: what we think is happening versus what is really happening. I started dissecting words. Somewhere around then, I finally accepted that Dumbledore was dead and would not be coming back. It took a while.
3) Will buy the book at midnight, and read until I can’t keep my eyes open. I am tempted to go to the end first, just to see what happens. But now I’m thinking that this is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I will never have the chance to read DH for the first time again. So I’m thinking about how to make it as good as it can be, which may involve reading all the way through. It will be tough.
I am a Chirsitian but that never had any wager on how, or why I read the books. So I’ll answer the questions but on a very platonic basis.
1. I too told ,myself I wouldn’t read the HP series. Mainly because I was fourteen and wanted to look cool. As I said I was fourteen. I then picked up the book one day (after hearing my cousin of the same age had read it) and loved it. I then proceeded reading books 1-4 and enjoyed them a lot. I didn’t become a super Harry Potter fan until just before my parents separation. I immersed myself in the wonderful again. This was the time in which I fell in love with the world. And then soon after OotP came out and I was hooked, line and sinker.
2. In regards to Snape killing Dumbledore, I had an inkling two thirds of the way into the series he would kill Dumbledore (because like you Travis, I knew Dumbledore would die.) I too shed a tear and was utterly shocked at how it happened. It was just so powerful. I was very shocked. But I loved the twist. I mean who would have thought Snape would have gone that far?
3. As for Deathly Hallows, I shall by the book at 8.30am, take the Saturday off from work and find a nice, quiet secluded place and read it in my own time. The beach would be perfect but as it’s raining heavily in Adelaide, I doubt the beaches will be dry enough. I do however want to read this in a secluded environment. This series is the end of an era for me. I really became immersed into it before my parents marriage ended. That was quite a blow for me (not to mention I was in my final year of high school, fun times indeed!) So I would pick up the books and get lost in Jo’s amazing world. I am now a far happier person and have moved on from the ordeal. But it will mark an end to this chapter in my life. My family has pretty much recovered and we’re all thriving very well now. The end of this series will, in a way signify that new dawn, a new era, for me at least.
1) Hmmm… I actually picked up SS and couldn’t get through it. Then I watched the movies (SS and CS), and decided to give it another go. I remember distinctly that I did not move from the sofa until I had read the first 4 books, in succession. After the dementors in PoA, I was hooked.
2) “What?”- might be the exact quote at around 3AM, considering I had purchased it at midnight of the book’s release.
3) I’m having it delivered, so I will be waiting anxiously for the postman. I also plan not to read or watch television until the book’s complete. My boyfriend has already promised that he will let me read in peace…what he doesn’t know is that as soon as I’m done, I’ll be calling my friend’s who have finished it, too. I can’t wait!
#1 I also was late in reading the books. My church family had nothing good to say about the whole thing, but luckily I was starting to come out of my legalistic phase and was hooked after watching the first movie. I’m so glad I ended up reading all the books. But it’s only now, several years later, that I’m finding other Christians that read HP! And only online, at that.
#2 My reaction to D’s death was disbelief. And constant arguing with myself over whether he and Snape had an agreement.
#3 I will have to get the last book from the library, which means I’ll probably be on the hold list for eons and eons. Then I will have only a week, but that’s actually not a problem since I usually make my kids fetch their own sandwiches any time I have an HP book to read.
I came to the books late, too. Saw the movies upon urging of children. SS was at the dollar theater. Didn’t start reading the books until one kid blabbed that Dumbledore died in HBP. Prodded her into to telling me who did it. Went back and started reading one by one and finished within the week.
I was shocked that Dumbledore died in book 6. Thought he’d hang on until book 7. It was like losing a gentle old friend.
Since I’m not near any major bookstores, I’ve ordered Deathly Hallows. I’ll hole up as soon as it arrives—no TV, no email, nothing will spoil it for me. I’ll inhale it and then spoil it for the kids. (joke)
1) I got into them a week before the first movie came out back in 2001 (wow, 6 years ago!). There was quite the hubbub about the first, but I didn’t know anything about it. What was rather weird was that during that first read, I was already inserting voices in as the voices of the characters and Maggie Smith was McG and Alan Rickman was Snape (though they both looked a bit different to me mentally). I wasn’t all that impressed with the first book to be honest. Liked it okay but didn’t love it. I read the second during a flight. Got through the third and was hooked.
2) I was spoiled for HBP on the internet a few days beforehand…and not even on a Harry Potter site either! I thought to myself that it could be a fake spoiler, so I tried to deny the little niggling feeling as I saw more and more evidence mounting. But I did indeed cry, though I don’t cry on successive re-reads. Maybe I need the whole series in perspective.
3) For the last book, I’ll go see the movie that evening, maybe go to a party, but then go to Wal-Mart to get the book as fast I can. For HBP, I pre-ordered it at Wal-Mart nd I was thus standing in line for much longer at midnight than those that just got the books straight away. *grumble* Unfortunately, I have to be at an academic conference the next day down in San Antonio to give a talk on my research, but know that the last slide will be Harry Potter oriented.
A friend in my research lab suggested using gold Snitches or lightning bolts as bullet points for the presentation. We’ll see…
1) How/when did you become a Harry Potter fan?
I bought the Sorcerer’s Stone for my nephew after reading about it when it was first released. None of the kids around here had heard of it and he was the first to turn them all on to it. I bought the next two books for him and one Christmas when I stayed over he and his sister had me watching the movies. His mom got the 4th book for him because he couldn’t wait. I kept telling him I was going to borrow the books to read them since by that time I’d already seen the 3 movies and was hooked. Once I got started, I read all 5 books in a row and when the 6th came out I read them all in order again. I’ve read them all many, many times since, forwards and backwards, trying to figure it all out. My favorite experience from all this was giving the first book to my nephew when he was in grade school and then sitting on the stairs one Christmas Eve when he was in high school discussing for over an hour if Dumbledore was dead and everything else. He didn’t know I had been reading the books and was shocked that I knew about RAB, horcruxes, Harry and Ginny, etc. Not too bad for a maiden aunt!
2) What was your first reaction (physical and/or mental) when you read the scene in which Snape killed Dumbledore?
I was sad and blue, but found myself picking apart each word and action of Snape trying to figure out if it was preplanned or he was evil. Then all I could think about was when would Dumbledore appear in his portrait.
3) How/when will you read Deathly Hallows?
As soon as I get the book, I will read it straight through however long it takes. Then I’ll get on-line and see what everybody else is saying. Then I’ll read it again as soon as I’ve caught up on real world responsibilities!
Thanks for the link!
1. It was December 2000 and my mother asked me to get thought the book she had bought for my young cousin. I started reading and get trough some chapters; the book seems to be well written full of good ideas, fun and some mystery, but the story did not seem very stirring. Next day I had planned surgery in an ambulance. It was neither large nor serious but still, I did not feel very well, so I continued reading the book. At first it was the same like the day before, but it change somewhere in the middle. It was getting more and facinating and the end was unbelievable. The way of plotting and writing remained me Agata Christie very much and the way Harry got to stone remained me Three Musketeers which I had adored. The very day I asked my mother to bring me the next part and so she did. Unfortunately she was not able to repeat this next day.
2. I was mildly surprised. Well, I read HBP two days before I was released from hospital, where I spent four weeks. I was recovering and I knew well, better than ever before, that there are far more important matters than Snape killing Dumbledore. But to be honest, I was really interested to story and I started to read the chapter Flight of the Prince immediately.
3. I am going to dress my pyjama and lie into my bad on Friday evening. If I managed to fell asleep I would be the very first customer to get the book in the morning and I could have some physical activity before. Anyway, if I do not manage to fell asleep, I will buy the book at night and then I will see what I will feel like.
My oldest son wanted to read the HP series, so I took the first one out of the library to read it first (he was probably 8 at the time). After glancing through it we decided I’d start on the first chapter that night at bedtime and see what we thought. I read the first chapter to Dan, then took the book back to my room to read more to myself, and the rest is history. This was sometime between the publication of GoF and OoP, before any of the movies had come out.
I was spoiled for HBP, though it’s mostly my own fault. I’m hoping to do better for DH. First, I read the article about the German town where they were all betting that Dumbledore would die. So I was expecting that. Then, I was probably on the 5th or 6th chapter when I decided it would be okay to flip through the rest of the book and look at the chapter pictures and read the titles. The surprise event happens at the very end of a chapter and you almost can’t help seeing it when you look at the opposite page, and I saw it. I was kind of glad at the time, it wasn’t such a horrible shock that way, but looking back I wish I’d waited.
I’m still not sure where I’m getting my book, here in boring old upstate NY where it’s not too exciting. I went to a OoP party at Borders, then for HBP that Borders (who’d done a great job on their OoP party) decided to have a party on Saturday morning, so we went to Barnes & Noble (which had had a Sat. morning party for OoP). I wondered if maybe the two stores had made a deal, which might mean the Borders will have a midnight party again this time, we’ll see. I want to buy it at Borders if I can, but then I thought that if I bought it at a WalMart that’s open 24 hours, I might not have to wait in line for very long. But they might not know to get them out till morning, I don’t know. I might send my husband to WalMart to scout things out. I’m waiting till it’s one month before and calling them all to see what they’ve got planned. Before I called too early and they had no clue what they were doing.
I read the first 3 books back-to-back in 1999, over the course of 3 evenings. I enjoy fantasy as a genre, but I rarely buy books in it. I just get irked that so many fantasy authors feel the need to write 5000 pages spread out over 10 books, when their story is “worth” about 250. So I usually wait a bit on a promising fantasy series to decide if I really want to get involved with it.
Anyhow, I had heard about HP for a while, and finally decided that I couldn’t put it off any longer. I found the first book to be a charming piece of children’s lit, but it wasn’t really my cup of tea. The second book was better, and the third was excellent. In retrospect, I guess POA convinced me that JKR really did have a master plot for the series, and that there was a deeper story being told than just the fulfillment of Harry’s wishes.
In HBP, I expected Dumbledore to die. And I figured after reading Spinner’s End that Snape was going to kill him. It was still pretty shocking to read it, though. I immediately re-read the preceding couple of chapters to see if I could pick up more clues about what was really going on.
I will pick up my copy of DH on Saturday morning, and will probably read it straight through that day. I might re-read the whole series afterwards, if it seems like DH has forced a significant re-interpretation of events in the earlier books.
Mrs. Lovegood, do you have Wegmans as far East as you are? If you do, go to a 24 hour Wegmans. The line is really short.
Who needs long lines and the party, anyway? I want to get that book and get back to my couch as quickly as possible.
1. It was November 2001. I was already aware of the controversy regarding the books so I wanted to pick it up to see what the fuss was all about. I was skeptical being a Christian but as soon as I read the first chapter of PS/SS in a cubicle at my college library, I was hooked. I read the whole series thereafter by February 2002. I had to check out the books from the public library because I couldn’t afford to buy them and I had to search every library for an available copy because they were all checked out.
2. It was a mixture of shock and sadness. I was almost at the point of tears when I read the parts about the phoenix lament and the funeral. It was beautifully written and JKR really wrote that piece very well. I literally hated Snape but that softened once I read the book a second time.
3. I work at a Barnes & Noble so I’ll be working that night. I don’t really mind since I already been to Midnight parties for OOTP and HBP. They were all exciting experiences. Once all the customers are gone, I’ll have my Deathly Hallows book in my hand, run home, and read all through the night. I can tell you one thing. It will be torture seeing those customers buying the book and reading it three hours before I could so I’ll just pretend that 3 a.m. (that’s when B&N will close that night I believe) will be my Midnight. I know that sounds strange but I have to deal somehow. LOL.
Johnny, there’ll be at least one wiseguy who will leaf through the book, find if Harry and Snape survive and who kills whom, and announce it to the whole store.
You need a strategy to deal with that possibility. And you’re probably not the only one.
1. I don’t really remember when I got “hooked” on Harry Potter. My husband’s cousin is a Methodist Minister and he let me borrow the first three books from his personal library (he keeps them in his office at the church…I think that is so great!!). I think it was sometime around POA, which is my favorite book and movie (up to this point). Since then, though, I am completely engrossed in the books and have read them all more times than I can count. I am even planning my special myspace page for July to be Harry Potter themed (www dot myspace dot com /domesticbarbie) Check it out.
2. As for DD’s death, I was shocked and I cried like a baby. I am very sentimental anyway, but I think I felt so bad for Harry, rather than for the actual death. It would be like watching a beloved father or grandfather die right before your eyes. How terrible.
3. I am trying to convince my husband to watch our 2 boys so I can go to the bookstore at midnight to get the book, but if that doesn’t pan out, I made him promise that as a belated anniversary gift, I would get the ENTIRE DAY to myself. No kids…no disturbances. I will be at the bookstore first thing to pick up my reserved copy, then it’s off to grab some sushi to go and find a quiet spot to sit and read until I am done with the entire book. I WILL finish it in one day. I CAN’T WAIT!!!
1: A friend left a copy of The Philosopher’s Stone in my bag sometime in 1997 and it got rained the next day. I bought them a new copy and kept the rain damaged one on the shelf for months. I’d heard the hype, of course, and how “The Christians” didn’t like it. Being a Christian myself who was a avid fantasy role-player and fantasy and Sci/fi genre fan, I thought it’s be more of the same old issues that “The Christians” usually bang on about. Anyway, I picked it up one day kind of expecting a children’s tale and was so plesently swept away. By the time Hagrid had met Harry on that stormy island and then took to Diagon Alley I was a fan. I bought each of the books when they came out. My wife lost my hardcover Goblet of Fire when she was reading it on the train. Replaced now with a paperback.
2: I like to read before going to sleep and as I got closer to that climactic night in the cave and then the tower top it got later and later in real life. By the time Dumbledore was slain I was almost numb with fatigue. It seemed that I couldn’t make sense of the situation and I didn’t know if it was because my tired brain couldn’t handle it or if my eyes weren’t operating as required. I didn’t shed tears but I felt Harry’s grief having lost my parents a couple of years before. It was familiar to me.
3: I’ll pick up my pre ordered copy at 9.01 with headphones in as I’ll be seriously annoyed if someone blurts out anything before I read it. I’ll go to my office and put in a good few hours reading. I had better put it down for the next day as it’s my anniversary… bummer.
Matthew
Reyhan, I thought of that, too. That’s another reason I’d never go to the release party. If someone flipped ahead and shouted something out, my Christian charity would seriously be challenged…
Reyhan, I think the strategy will be that once you buy the book, you leave the store. We will have security and cops there. Besides the B&N I work at is too small (compared to the ones in Manhattan) for people to just simply hang out and read their own copy. They can’t stay because there will be lines inside and outside the store. But yes I have thought of that possibility. I hope it doesn’t happen or otherwise “my Christian charity would seriously be challenged…” as Travis said.
How/when did you become a Harry Potter fan?
A colleague borrowed me the first three audio books after GoF came out. I liked the story, then read the first four books. Since it took very long until the release of OotP and then HBP my enthusiasm cooled down a bit. It wasn’t until HBP that I became a real fan of the series.
What was your first reaction (physical and/or mental) when you read the scene in which Snape killed Dumbledore?
I thought I was prepared for that, because I’d read about Dumbledore’s death in a review, no spoiler warning. But still, the scene on the Astronomy Tower totally hit me and caught me by surprise. Started to read the whole series over again in a rush and couldn’t stop thinking about it ever since. That’s what really brought me into fandom and online discussions.
How/when will you read Deathly Hallows?
I’ll buy the book asap and read through it as fast as I can. After that, I’ll probably read it again more slowly and pay more attention to the details. I don’t remember longing for any other book that much. Can hardly wait.
How/when did you become a Harry Potter fan?
I had always thought it was a children’s series, so it had not occurred to me to read it. My husband hooked-up with the series a couple months before publication of OotP, and recommended that I read it. I read SS/PS and fell in love with it! I then read remaining books, finishing OotP a few weeks after its publication. I just love JKR’s story-telling ability, humor, and plot twists!
What was your first reaction (physical and/or mental) when you read the scene in which Snape killed Dumbledore?
I was expecting Dumbledore to die since the wise mentor (think Yoda, Merlin, Gandalf) must be removed so the hero can fully emerge. I cried while reading the scene because he is one of my favorite characters.
How/when will you read Deathly Hallows?
I will be buying two books at midnight: one for me, one for my husband. I’m not a night owl, so I’ll go to bed as soon as I get home. The reading marathon will begin Saturday morning!
Well, I finally got around to doing this!!!
1.Well, I was in elementary school, when the first few books were released, and my Grandmother bought the first through third books for me. My dad wouldn’t let me read them though because he was skeptical, like most other Christians. But, he read the first, still a little skeptical, but he let me read them any ways. Around the time I finished reading the third the fourth book was released. I am lucky for two reasons. One, I was the perfect age because, as Harry grew so did I, I could relate to him (and still can). Second, I am am one of the many people that became a better student and reader by reading these books. Since then, I have read the Tolkien books, Eragon and Eldest, Chronicles of Narnia (which has gotten me into other Lewis books), I am currently into Tom Clancy books, and that genre (currently reading Rainbow Six). Anyways HP started a chain reaction of books that I have read!
2. Hmm, I don’t really remember. I think I cried, but I can’t remember. I think I forced myself to forget.
3. Not sure, my dad and I might go at midnight, but probably not. We will definitely get it next morning. My family will be getting anywhere from two to four. Already pre-ordered two, and one of my younger brothers might pre-order another. That day we will be leaving for the beach, so I will read in the car (these books always seem to be released while I am on vacation). Thankfully I don’t get car sick. Anyways at the beach, all my family will be there, so no one will be doing anything the first few days except reading. There will probably be ten different copies (maybe more) of Deathly Hallows in the house we are staying in!