In December of 2018 (yes, a year ago) my aunt in New York bought me the very first book of the Harry Potter series. I’ve been meaning to look into this because, well, Harry Potter is every where. Not just legos and cookbooks. I mean it’s referenced as a gold-standard in the writing world. Characterization. Plot.
So, I read the first book. I got through it and wrote a post about what I learned. I intended to read the entire series in a couple of months. According to Facebook pals, readers fly through these hunky novels. It’s written for a ten-year-old boy, right? Surely I could manage. I mean, I love to read. And if it’s that good… Heck, I’ll be back to my romance genre by summer of 2019.
Ha!
February of 2019 I got all eight (eight?!) books from the library and posted pictures of how the books get really, really large.
By the summer, I had to make deals with myself. Like I was reading a textbook for school. (?!?) My favorite was I would read Harry Potter during the week (schoolwork) and could read to my delight romance on the weekend.
In this way I got through the third book.
By the fourth book, I met Harry again in the summer time. But THIS time around it took a chapter to get to Ron’s house. They were going to watch the big World Cup Quiddich game. *yawn*
(If you’re still reading this and don’t hate me too much, thanks a bunch! I have a point to this rant!)
And then chapter eight happened. And Harry and Ron’s family finally made it to the Quiddich game (finally). And the game lasted the entire chapter.
And I realized I’m reading a book written for boys. An adventure book. Not a book where two characters talk for a full chapter and the plot consists of a growing relationship (the basic romance storyline).
I stopped reading in May of 2019.
I re-started chapter nine three different times. And had those enormous books on my nightstand, staring at me. With those snakes and spiders and the Quiddich game. Daring me.
“After the summer,” I thought. “I just need a break.”
Well, summer ended. Fall started. And I kept reading my romances. With all that pleasant, quicky dialogue. A guy who tries to get the girl and has to overcome his own shortcoming along the way. And the girl who has to be healed of fears in order to love again.
I feasted on Susan May Warren and Denise Hunter.
I thought I made a break-through when I read and RAVED about Pete O’Connell’s book, “The Curse of Purgatory Cove.” About a twelve-year-old boy. Not exactly a wizard… but there were scary parts. And he had to use his grit to get through.
First off, size matters. “The Curse” is a 75,000 word book and I could hold it in bed without my arms getting tired. Secondly, the dialogue was normal. None of that all-caps alternating with italics shouting of J.K. Rowling’s characters. “The Curse” was pleasantly normal.
My seven-year-old borrowed a Hardy Brothers novel from the library and I reveled in it. “Shark!” Oh my!
This Christmas, my aunt from New York bought our family the first two books of Percy Jackson and the Olympians. And we started to read it.
Oh boy, here we go again. Except Percy Jackson is written by a guy for guys. And I can sympathize with twelve-year-old Percy, just as I related to Tom Donovan, the troubled twelve-year-old and his pal, a cursed pirate. Also written by a guy, by the way.
But I just couldn’t get into chapter nine of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. So, I returned all eight books to the library. And surrendered defeat.
I had joked that it would take me the entire year of 2019 to read all eight novels. I was wrong. It was going to take much, much longer.
Hopefully before the Roaring Twenties are over I’ll make it over this hump and learn about Harry’s troubles in his fourth year at Hogwarts. And get to the awesome climax at the eighth book that people keep mentioning.
Because there are things I admire about the Harry Potter books. It’s a fun book. An adventure book. And we learn along with poor Harry, who is special and odd, and very necessary. And there is a plot. An encyclopedia-sized plot, but it’s there.
And if J.K. Rowling can get boys to read, she has my vote.
It would behoove me to not learn from this master that most writers use for their tip-sheets.
Stay tuned, because I will (I think I can, I think I can) read the Harry Potter books. And that’s a promise.
Like what you've read? I'm also on Facebook and Twitter!What about you? Is there any book you really should read, but as of yet can’t get into? How do you get over it?
Cheryl,
I have put down dozens of books because they just don’t speak to me. Unlike you, I was not dedicated enough to finish what I started. If not this year, when the time is right, you’ll get through it.
Love you,
Mom