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AT THE SIDEBAR (Column)
A Belated Bewitching
By J’AMY PACHECO
If whomever does such things were to line up candidates least likely to become enchanted by a series of books about witches and wizards, I’d be at the front of the queue.
When it comes to leisure time reading, my tastes are simple — I want books I can read in a day or two. I don’t want to have to think too hard, and readily admit I rarely remember the names of any of the characters when I close a book for the last time. Oh, and humor is a definite plus.
I’ve tried to change my ways. Years ago, after learning my brother’s wife was a fanatical fan, I tried to get interested in J.R.R. Tolkien’s series about a little hobbit. Couldn’t.
My husband’s sister sent home stacks of her favorite fantasy series, trying to persuade me to read some kind of alternate-history thing. Wouldn’t.
When my daughter had to read the “Chronicles of Narnia” series, I tried to get interested in it so we could discuss the books. I made it through the second book, and quit.
I bought the first in the “Harry Potter” series when my daughter was rather small. I was reading aloud to her in those days, and thought it would be an interesting story for us to share. But by the end of the first chapter, neither of us was interested in continuing, and Harry went back on the shelf.
When the Harry Potter movies came out, we watched and enjoyed them, but still felt no compulsion to read the books.
My daughter received the fifth book in the series for her birthday early this year, and the enormous volume sat unread on our bookshelf for months. When the latest book came out last month, her grandfather gave a copy to my daughter as a gift. It joined its predecessor.
A few weeks ago, book-less and desperate to find something that would hold my interest, I gave the first book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” a second chance. To my great surprise, I enjoyed the book as much as Harry Potter enjoys treacle tarts.
I immediately bought the second in the series, and found myself being irresistibly drawn into the stories unfolding at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry.
By the time I finished the second book, I was hooked. My husband offered to pick up the next in the series for me, and I paced the floor waiting for him to get home. Fortunately, he grabbed the fourth book at the same time, because I could no longer control my desire to read about Harry.
As the characters grew older, the stories grew darker, more complex and longer (book five is a hefty 870 pages!). Long after my family went to bed each night, I sat up reading. The last three books combined had a total of 2,250 pages — but I read them in less than a week.
I took every opportunity that came my way to read the books. I even carried the enormous volumes with me wherever I went, hoping to sneak in a few minutes reading.
By the end of Book Six, “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,” I was a changed woman. I read the book in two days, and had the disturbing dreams to prove it. But the book was worth it — with its full-out, good-versus-evil battle in the hallways of Hogwarts, and with readers left wondering which side some characters were on, it was easily the most exciting, most captivating book I’ve read in a very long time.
I’m a pretty laid back person, and I’ve never been able to understand what motivates people to line up weeks in advance to see the latest “Star Wars” movie. I never understood why bookstores opened at midnight to release new “Harry Potter” books, and scoffed at those foolish enough to wait outside a locked door until 11:59 p.m. just to buy a book.
Now, I get it. When I closed Book Six, I was ready for its successor. I scoured the Internet hoping to find information about its release date, to no avail.
Night after night, I lay in bed pondering the fate of Harry and his pals. I wondered if things were really what they’d seemed at the end, or if Harry, and I, were in for some surprising twists.
Ah, the agony of it all.
I’ve come to the conclusion that Author J.K. Rowling deserves every penny she’s made with this series. I can’t begin to imagine what it took to weave this tale throughout six books, so far, and have it remain so interesting and entertaining.
No doubt about it, I’ve been bewitched by Harry Potter. And when the next book comes out, I just may do the midnight run.
With any luck, I’ll be at the front of the queue.
Copyright 2005, Metropolitan News Company