So, confession: I'm a huge Harry Potter nerd. I used to be worse about it (I literally have a Ravenclaw uniform stashed away somewhere) but cooled down over the past years (now I only wear Deathly Hallow earrings, drink tea from a Ravenclaw mug, own a Hogwarts crest t-shirt... ok I didn't get that much beter). It's also been years since I last read a Harry Potter book. But with the ten-year anniversary coming up, I felt that it was high time for a reread. After all, I literally haven't read some of these books for ten years - some of them even longer!
I planned it out and apparently if I read one book every two weeks I should finish the series by July 21, the ten year aniversary of the release of TDH. I'm also planning to read the mini-books (Fantastic Beasts, Quidditch, and Beedle the Bard) but I'm skipping The Cursed Child as once was way more than enough for THAT one.
I actually started the reread two weeks ago, beginning - of course - with Philosopher's Stone. I was surprised with how much nostalgia I felt, how much I still recognised and how much I had forgotten - athough most of it quickly came back to me in an "oh right! sort of way. Now, 17 years after I first read it (oh God), I could look at it with a bit more distance. It's not a perfect book by any means, but I really enjoyed how brilliant of a children's book it is, in the vein of Roald Dahl. The characters are simple but not dumb, it's a perfect world for kids who want to be heroes, and it never talks down to the reader. Jo also has a brilliant way with words with a delightful British sense of humor.
So yeah, I really enjoyed reading it again.
During my reading, I kept a notebook nearby to jot down my thoughts as I was reading it. I kind of wish I'd done this during my first reading of the book, way back when, as I barely remember how I took it. What I mostly remember is scoffing at the 'kids book' at first (my younger brother actually first got into HP as his teacher was reading it to his class at school; HP was also the first book he really got into, to the point where we took it on holiday and we actually skipped a day of activities so my brother could stay home and read!). But my interested was piqued anyway. I think I rushed through this in a couple of days, finishing it with the second book next to me so I continue straight away. Jo had sunk her claws in me. :p
Anyway, I typed up my notes this time around! It's a bit long and quite rambly, but nevertheles fun to read. Here they are, my genuine reactions to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
( Ye're a wizard, Harry. I'm a wot? )![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
