I became a fan of the Harry Potter series after GoF had already come out, but was still in hardback, just before the first movie was released. I think I began reading the books in September 2001. I am glad that the movies have brought in more fans of the books, but I have always been glad I had the opportunity to picture characters and settings in my mind first before the movies took that pleasure away from me. Don’t get me wrong. I happen to like the movies, and I think the casting has been excellent, with the exception of Michael Gambon. But in the grand tradition of almost every other book that has been made into a movie, the HP books are better than the movies, and it was a pleasure to stretch my imagination.
Since right before OotP came out, have re-read the series again before each new book is issued. I know it will take me a while to get through GoF, OotP, and HBP again, so I went ahead and began reading the series. Each time I do, I am surprised by the little details I pick up. For instance, I had never noticed before that the cabinet that Peeves drops at the behest of Nearly-Headless Nick in order to distract Filch so Harry can avoid detention was a vanishing cabinet, and to my way of thinking, as Filch notes that it was broken (and valuable), it must be the one that Malfoy was working so hard to repair in HBP.
Funny, too, how reading the books in this way can also draw the reader’s attention to some detail or other that the entire series hinges upon. For instance, as editors of HPL point out, what if Ron had stowed Scabbers in his pocket when that picture of the Weasleys had been taken in Egypt? Sirius would not have seen the picture and broken out of Azkaban. Peter Pettigrew most likely would have been happy to remain Ron’s pet rat rather than seek out his master, an action that was precipitated by the events when Sirius and Lupin confronted Peter in the Shrieking Shack. Of course, had Peter not escaped that night, Voldemort may not have been able to return. One tiny detail, almost too small to notice, is the linchpin upon which the events of the rest of series hang.
Each time I re-read the series — and I confess at this point, I am not sure how many times that has been, but I’ve read HBP three or four times, and I know I’ve read the series over again at least once a year — I find new appreciation for how tightly woven the details are. I also find it interesting to look for errors and see if I can figure out a plausible explanation for them. HP fans call these errors “Flints” because JKR accidentally kept Slytherin Quidditch captain Marcus Flint at Hogwarts a year longer than he should have been.
This time, as I re-read, I have been reading HPL’s readers guides. Of course, as HPL editors are writing about the chapters, they are really reading closely and picking them apart, and they pick up on more details than I have been. It’s a little like reading the books along with fans who are as appreciative as I am, which is fun. My dad and I can have really good HP discussions because he reads the books with that same close eye, but I don’t really get to have those discussions with anyone else.
HPL’s reading guides can be accessed by clicking on the books along the top of the main page and then clicking on the reader’s guide on each book’s main page. If you would like to access HPL’s reader’s guides directly, you can click these links.
I’m currently reading PoA. I have too much trouble deciding on a favorite book, I really do. I tend to pick whichever one came out last right after I’ve read it. But with time and perspective, I usually come back to PoA. I just love Professor Lupin so much (I think he’s the best teacher at Hogwarts), and I love learning about the Marauders, and Hogsmeade is the most charming place on the planet, and the shock of learning Scabbers is really Peter, well, it’s just all so perfect. Yeah, I suppose it’s my favorite book in the series.
Incidentally, I was pleased to learn from HPL that my suspicions about the title of PS/SS were confirmed:
Q: Does it bother you that in America they changed the names of your books?
A: They changed the first title, but with my consent to be honest. I wish I hadn’t agreed now but it was my first book, and I was so grateful that anyone was publishing me I wanted to keep them happy.
You know, if I weren’t careful, I could spend the better part of an entire day at the HPL. I just noticed they have a Fantastical Facts section advertising interesting facts uncovered in each book.
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