Last Saturday, my mom had her friend Sunny at Barnes and Noble for the big Harry Potter party.
Sunny’s a short-eared owl, native to Pennsylvania. She was injured in a collision with an airplane at the Greater Pittsburgh Airport, and lost a wing. She’s now one of the Western PA Wildlife Center’s education animals. My mom had her book reserved and picked it up that same day, and by monday, she’d finished it and was ready to pass it on to me and my daughter.
My mom is 60 years old, a voracious reader, and stopped her education four credits short of a PHD in elementary education. So what is she doing reading kids books? For that matter, what are any of us doing reading kids books?
More below. But no spoilers, because I haven’t finished it yet!
The popularity of the Harry Potter series is unparalleled. It’s been enough to make J. K. Rowling richer than the Queen of England. The latest installment, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, sold nine million copies in the first 24 hours. In the US alone, the total sales of Harry Potter books comes to over 77 million, and that does not include DVDs, ancillary books, and promotional toys and the like. The amount of money generated by this series is mind-boggling.
17 Million
14.6 Million
12.8 Million
12.3 Million
13.7 Million
6.9 Million… so far.
It’s beyond the money, though. Harry Potter is a sensation, all over the world. Harry’s been translated into every language imaginable. He sells well everywhere, from Holland
France
Germany (which I think has the coolest cover art)
Italy
Spain
Japan
and Russia
People are serious about these books. English language collectors want the UK covers and the US covers-just for the difference in the artwork. And they get other “foreign” covers when they can.
I have to tell you that as an aspiring writer, I am pea-green with envy.
The books are interesting, for sure. It’s a good story with compelling characters. But the first book was the best, so far. The second book was also very good, and that was where Ms. Rowling, a single mother formerly on the dole, (UK’s welfare system) ensured she’d never go hungry again. Since then the books have been more uneven, less well-written, and to me, somewhat tedious, but by darn, I still want to know what happens to the characters! Like me, billions around the world must know what happens to Harry, Ron, and Hermione next. They must know the secrets of Lord Voldemort and Dumbledore, and of course Hagrid and his scary but endearing magical creatures.
I do mention that to me the books are getting rather tedious. I’m reading the sixth now, somewhat more than halfway through, and I keep telling myself to press on, and am constantly reminded that this is a series written for young adults. As such, it is very, very good, but not as good as Terry Pratchett’s Tiffany Aching series, which began with The Wee Free Men and A Hatful of Sky, and promises to continue.
The truest test of success is parody, isn’t it? And there are quite a few Harry Potter parodies out there, according to Wikipedia.
So what makes you wild about Harry, or not wild about it? (Please, no spoilers!)
And as always, what have you read lately?
Other than HP 6, I’m almost finished with “Into the Night Room” by Peter Straub. My dog ate the cover but she left the pages alone, thank goodness. Also still working on Cryptonomicon. It’s a corker but it’s not the easiest read for someone with no formal education in mathematics. Or anything else for that matter.
Here’s miss innocent Lily herself. Can’t stay mad at that sweet face.
I only discovered him a few months ago, and I am still in the lovely stage where I have a few more to read. So funny, so fascinating, and he gets better the longer he writes.
I am still laughing about a line a read last night. Vimes is complaining about the fancy armor he has to wear, now that he is a Duke, and how it is gilt by association. Hee hee. It’s a funny pun anyway, but so much funnier because of who the character is.
I do love Harry Potter, but I can’t say the last few have been exactly fun to read. I’m hooked, but I’m not entirely enjoying it . . .
Are you reading the Discworld series? I’ve been tempted by it but have resisted so far, mostly because I’ve not come across a copy of the first book. Is it a series that needs to be read chronologically, would you say?
you’ll love them, and no, they don’t have to be read chronologically. Just dive in!
I agree – just dive in. Each of the discworld books stand alone – but there are themes that run through them – so, for instance, it helps if the ones about the witches are read in the right order, but not imperative.
Another series to look at is Philip Pullman’s ‘His Dark materials’ – much more sophisticated than HP. I read the first HP – way back when – mainly to check on what my daughter was reading, but have not been tempted to the others at all. The concept isn’t unique, by any means – and it seems to me that JK got really lucky. There was a similar series oput a few years previously about a witches school which was popular but not to the same level (the ‘Worst Witch’).Maybe HP struck gold because it was suddenly OK for boys to like it while the ‘worst witch’ series were much more girls books. I really enjoyed the Pullman trilogy though, and they (like Pratchett) can be read at different levels: one can read them only at the level of the story, or one can pick up on all the allusions and references.
I just finished the Pullman ‘Dark Materials’ trilogy and was totally blown-away by it. I’ve been recommending the books to any other readers that I know.
I really like the HP books, and read them religously when they come out, but the writing in the Pullman books is amazing…..and I want a daemon of my own.
I recently read Pullman’s series and thought it was much better than Harry Potter. As I was reading JLong’s intro, it was the first thing that came to mind. However, while both series are considered children’s books, His Dark Materials is geared for more advanced readers. So, while an intelligent 8 year old can get into Potter, I wouldn’t recommend Pullman until one is 11 or 12.
I agree completely with JLong’s assessment of HP. I enjoyed the first book. The second was ok. The third was getting pretty tedius and by the fourth, I could barely finish it. I haven’t attempted the 5th or 6th yet. I did borrow the 4th and 5th from a friend last night because I really do want to find out what happens to the characters. I will skim over the 4th again and then plow through the 5th and borrow the 6th.
Rowling is just not a great writer. She has a lovely imagination and real characters and a knack for detail which is delightful. But, her writing style is repetitive, simplistic and dull.
I’ve been on a Sherri Tepper kick. I just read The Fresco, The Family Tree, and am now just reading The Companions. She is getting a bit preachy in all of these books, but I still loved them. I also read Banner of Souls by Liz WIlliams. It was pretty good. If you like Perdido Street Station or The Scar by China Mieville, then you might like Liz Willams; very dark and gritty.
Terry Pratchett has learned his craft over time, and his earliest books tend to be a bit confusing and pointless. Mort or Wyrd Sisters is the earliest I would go until you are a real fan.
What a cute face. We have many books in our house, as both my husband and I are readers, but I’ve only had one book chewed up by any of my dogs, and it was “Good Owners, Great Dogs”….a training manual. I guess my namesake Sasha who destroyed it, didn’t think she needed any help to become a Great Dog (which she was).
thanks for the diary and that amazing round-up of the cover art. Does the German one look like a Kraftwerk album, or is it just me?
I dunno, I couldn’t find that many Kraftwerk album covers online. But I did find this…
A tribute to kraftwerk
I’d actually really like to hear this.
well, I just looked, too, and none of their album covers looked a thing like that drawing. I guess something in the chess board pattern and the pieces being bigger than the people triggered a dim response from somewhere that seemed Kraftwerk-y to me. I saw them once in the late 70s, and they had robots on stage instead of people.
although the typeface used in the American version of HP and the Philosopher/Sorcerer’s Stone is amazing. Yes, I do care which typeface my books are in. You are free to mock me now… Ha.
I really want to read #6, but I haven’t had the time yet. And I want to read 1-5 again (I have to buy them all, as I left my English language versions in Germany with my friends there) before I start 6.
thanks for the interesting diary!
I’m with you on the typeface. It’s got to be easy to read. And that’s one huge advantage to the HP books, at least here in the US… nice typeface. That, and the fact that they’re in a language I can actually read.
My sister received her copy and read it in one day….and now I have it. Although I am trying to read it as slowly as I can to make the experience last. At least I can look forward to the next movie coming out this fall.
I’m finding this installment particularly fascinating myself with the background into Voldemort’s-excuse me-he who can’t be named-past. And still the question of Snape-is he or isn’t he a good guy?
Thanks so very much for the various books covers from around the world-absolutely loved that.
I found #6 to be very anticlimactic. You get lots of back-story on Voldemort and a lot of set-up for #7. There are a couple of major developments, but it is mostly filler.
Incidentally, my father-in-law swears by the audio books. He drives an hour plus to and from work every day, so he is always looking for a good audiobook. He says Jim Dale, who reads the entire Potter series, is phenomenal. He also likes the guy who read the unabridged DaVinci Code (sorry, I don’t remember his name), but he says no one compares to Dale.
My introduction to HP was via the audio books for the first two volumes, which a friend kindly lent to me for a driving trip from Denver to Chicago and back. Thanks to Jim Dale, I hardly knew I was in Nebraska!
I’m putting off reading Harry Potter until my vacation starts. But avoiding spoilers for the next week might be hard (my finger keeps twitching on very dangerous links).
But, I’ve also bought a couple of books that I want one of my sisters to read (Whole Truth, by Nancy Pickard and Every Woman for Herself, by Trisha Ashley). These were two of the gems from the last year.
And I’m going to reread them before sending them along. Next week I’ll let you know if they hold up on a second reading.
I just finished reading “The Whole Truth,” and it’s terrific. Mysterious, scary, a nice balance of characters and information. I particularly like the way the backstory is developed. A good read.
It’s the first in a series of 3 (is every series of 3 a trilogy?) novels.
As good as Whole Truth is, the series is even more powerful.
I’ll probably buy the new HP when it comes out in paperback — I’ve been reading and enjoying them, but I can wait a year or so. (In fact, book five is still on my TBR pile.)
I’m currently about midway through Jasper Fforde’s new book, The Big Over Easy: Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and Detective Sergeant Mary Mary investigate the murder of Humpty Dumpty. I’m a big fan of Fforde’s Thursday Next series; this, the first in a new Nursery Crimes series, doesn’t quite rise to the same level IMO, but it’s fun all the same.
My nephew will be 13 this year. He loves the HP series (thanks to me) and now really likes to read. To bide time waiting for HP 6, I bought him The Narnia Chronicles. Now I need suggestions for other series that he might enjoy. I’m so far out of the children’s books loop, that I wouldn’t begin to know what modern series other than HP he might like.
you’ve come to the right place. 🙂
Get him “The amazing maurice and his educated rodents” by Terry Pratchett, and “the wee free men” and “hatful of sky” also by Pratchett-the second two are the beginning of his young adult series.
Also, get him “Haroun and the Sea of Stories” by Salman Rushdie, but read it yourself first.
I keep hearing good things about this Jasper Fforde but I can’t speak from my own experience on his books.
Are you familiar with the Artemis Fowl series? I haven’t read it myself, but I keep hearing good things about it. The first book in the series has been described by the author, Eoin Colfer, as “Diehard with fairies.”
Second this recommendation. These are gripping and fun.
I have always loved Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Quartet–A Wrinkle in Time, A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and Many Waters
PL Travers Mary Poppins books are wonderful–Rowling’s writing reminds me of Travers style.
I forgot about Madeline L’Engle. I’d have to read the series again, but my remembered impression was they were sort of girly. I’ll see if the library has them though and read them again.
annoying as all fuck for older ones — painful amounts of exposition and explanatory dialogue.
But for someone who’s a bit younger (like, 12 or under — depending on their level of sophistication. I had already graduated to Tolkien by age 12, as I would raid my father’s bookshelves for reading material), I don’t think that kind of writing is a liability.
Well, yeah–I read mostly adult books at that age myself. My Mom had been in a book club in her 20s–I read everything that was left at my Grandmother’s including some with some adult content–that obviously Mom had forgotten were rather risque!!! But I read at a college level by that point.
L’Engle was something I read in 4th or 5th grade–so that may be kind-of young–they were required at school. I’m sure your local bookstore could give recommendations–why not Tolkein? The Hobbit is such a great starting point. (I was thinking a bit younger when you mentioned the Narnia books–we read them in 6th grade (11-12 years old).
Hey! Get off the kick of “girly”–sheesh!!!! (not you x ray!!)
I don’t have kids, so I’m not sure exactly what a reading level is. Mostly, I’m just happy if I see kids reading at all, and not playing on those goddamned PSPs. But that’s just me.
Isn’t it weird that some people (you, me, many other of the posters here at Booman) were reading supersophisticated books at age 10 or 12, while others just cannot get into those same books intellectually when they’re 20 or 25? Brain mechanisms and thought patterns are very strange things.
Oh yeah. I agree that the Hobbit is a perfect introduction to Tolkien. He wrote that one specifically as a young adult book.
So when I say the L’Engle books are “girly” I meant they are geared toward female readers. I remember loving the L’Engle books, but I’m not sure they’d be my nephew’s cup of tea. But as I said, I’ll read them again to see if my rememberance is wrong.
If he is into fantasy and dragon stories, try Eragon by Christopher Paolini. It was written by an 18 year old and my daughter loved it.
As has been mentioned elsewhere, His Dark Materials trilogy by Philp Pullman (The Golden Compass, The Subtle Compass, The Amber Spyglass) is also excellent.
The whole Redwall series by Brian Jacques is also recommended. The author does recommend reading them in the order they were published, so that can be a bit of a daunting task, but according to my daughter, worth it.
You might also check out “The Black Cauldron” by Lloyd Alexander, the Xanth series by Piers Anthony, and the Dragonrider series by Ann McCaffrey. “Ender’s Game” and “The Tales of Alvin Maker” are good but their author, Orson Scott Card, has gone completely looney and you may not want to support him.
If you don’t mind going to a different genre, you could also check out “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time” by Mark Haddon. It is a fictional story set in the present and told first person by an autistic teenager. It is a great look into the mind of a “special” person. The Joey Pigza books by Jack Gantos are along the same lines (but the kid has ADHD).
Given that I am unapologetically out of most loops, I didn’t start reading this series until a couple of years ago, and I read them as they become available to me, without much seeking them out. Wouldn’t be a good Seeker for Quiddich, I guess.
I’m about a third of the way through the fourth book, Goblet of Fire, and the books do seem to be getting much longer. I tell myself this is silly, reading kids’ books, but next thing I know, I’m 200 pages on and turning pages like mad.
The books are set in an easy-to-read face and there’s a lot of leading (lead, as in metal=space) between lines, so there’s much white space on the page. Big margins, too. All make it easier to read, and also make a bigger book.
What I like about Rowling, other than how she cleverly developed her story line using the classical structure of the hero’s journey, is that she hasn’t changed publishers.
Scholastic is not a big trade publisher, and they took a chance with her when no one else did. Now, it’s paid off, and I like to think that their share of royalties is helping to underwrite midlist books that are important for kids’ reading abilities and comprehension. There have been cases of authors hitting the big time and ditching the small publishers who got them started. I hope she doesn’t do that.
according to the books she seems to value loyalty over profits, but even so, she’s got nothing to complain about with the profits either-and scholastic is a much bigger company now than it was before HP… I’m sure they’re showing their appreciation in millions of ways.