…a contest.
First, your dose of eye candy for the week:
‘lil frog found on our back porch a month or so ago. He’s hanging on to a post and is about eye level. Freaky cool!
Now for the contest…
I know that some of you are Harry Potter fans…what I don’t know is how you became fans. What made you pick up the book to begin with? Which one is your favorite and why? If you aren’t a fan, why not? Answer one or all of these questions in the comments and you will be entered into a drawing to win a copy of Charmed Knits (among other things…I’ve been known to put extras into prize packages). Now if you aren’t a fan of HP don’t be thinking that you don’t need this book – there are patterns for just about anything including some small stuff for little HP fans ;o)
This contest is open ’til midnight Sunday. Good luck!
Cool frog. When HP first came out I wasn’t working in a library and I was definitely out of the loop. When I started back at the library in September of 99 I kept hearing about these Harry Potter books. I thought it was a new mystery series or something. At the urging of my reference librarian I picked one up and fell in love on page, ummm, 3. I’ve been hooked ever since.
My favorite is book 3 because I’m a huge fan of Sirius Black.
Funny, I thought everyone was a Harry Potter fan?? I started reading just as book #3 came out . . . and it still bugs me that, not realizing, I let a book-signing with JKR at a nearby bookstore go unattended because I didn’t realize how much I was going to love her books. I do, though. I had bought the first one in paperback, just in case they disappointed. Now, to give you an idea? I’ve got all six books in hardcover, along with British paperback versions AND all six on audiobook . . . Obviously, they didn’t disappoint.
Shhh! Don’t tell anyone but I haven’t read any of the books, nor have I have watched the movies. But I have knitted Harry’s face on to a sweater! Do I get extra points if I take a pic of it and posted it on my blog just for you to have a laugh?
It seems to be contest day today.
I actually heard Terry Gross interview JK Rowling before HP came to the US. [OK, I wrote that and then went to find it on the web site, and it’s not there. The archive only goes back to 96, but it would have been 97 or 98. ANYWAY. I heard an interview with Rowling when it was in britain but not yet the US, then forgot about it until I saw the book in the US.] When it first arrived a few of my friends were unimpressed with the hype, but I kept saying that I thought it would be good. The rest is history. Rhys read nothing but Harry Potter books (over and over) during the kids’ infancy and toddlerhood.
My nephew Drew is about the closest I plan to come to having kids of my own, so when he started to read, I took the plan to focus him on “good” books as my duty. That’s what a godmother is for, right? When he picked up on the Harry Potter trend, I wanted to know what he was reading and make sure it wasn’t crap. Man-o-man! Whenever the new books come out, he whips through them, then passes them on to me, then we discuss. I adore having books in common with my buddy, and I love that he’s as hooked on reading as I am. “Order of the Phoenix” is my favorite–I love the competition and complexity. A second reason I love these books is that my late Uncle Bill remarried a kook who was sending out e-mails about how anti-Christian HP was. I had the time of my life making a point-by-point case against her ignorance. Thank you, Harry!!
I’ve been a big fan since the beginning and just reread #6 in preparation for #7 (I like to have it fresh in my mind!).
I also admire Rowling’s determination and her escape from her previous life. Very inspiring.
Now, the only question is will I wait to buy the new one until I get to my mom’s house in August or will I have to go for it? Depends on cash flow, unfortunately!
I didn’t become a fan till the first movie came to HBO. I said oh well, nothing else is one, I might as well watch this. Well I was totally enthralled and by then the 2nd or maybe 3rd book came out, so I ran out the next day and bought all the books I missed and couldn’t put them down.
What I want to know is where is this school – I’m a little long in the tooth, but I want to go.
Cute little froggie! I read the first 2 or 3 books to my son Dan who was just a little guy when they came out. I love fantasy and sci fi but I really prefer long and well developed stuff- I know the series has evolved in that direction since but I don’t really like picking up in the middle so I’ve just contented myself with the movies. Tolkein and Tad Williams are more my style and I’m always most inclined to pick up a debut novel over something in a series.
The frog is kewl!
I read the HP books because my FIL&MIL gave us the first three books for Christmas one year. I think Hermoine is one of my fav characters, probably just because I was a bit like her in school too.
I first heard about Harry Potter on the Rosie O’Donnell Show, of all things. About the time that the second book was already out, and the third book was due soon. Rosie tended to rave about movies, books, and music that she had discovered and enjoyed, and my tastes often matched hers.
Shortly after she talked about them, I found the first two books at a local B.J.’s Wholesale Club, bought them, and loved them. Ever since, I’ve done the pre-order at Amazon thing.
My favorite so far was Half Blood Prince. Harry really began to own the fight for good in this one, taking charge and making things happen. I can’t wait to see how he brings everything to a conclusion in the Deathly Hallows!
I resisted Harry Potter for a long time! I sort of hate “young adult ficton” so I figured I wouldn’t like them. My sister kept pushing them though, so I finally took two of the book with me when I had a long flight to New Orleans a couple of years ago. I liked them so much I bought two more books in the airport bookstore for the flight back and then got the rest of them back here!
Ok, a contest I can enter! I’m not a HP fan. Not really sure why. I don’t dislike them, but it just never enveloped me. Which is suprising esp. since most of my knitting friends are HP fiends. My stepson even reads some of the books, but it never grabbed me. Sometimes when there’s too much hype a/b a person, group, movie, book, I go the other way and am not interested in it until much later. Since the enthusiasm for HP never really seems to subside, I’ve never had a chance to explore it.
I don’t need this book, so don’t award it to me ;-) But I love talking about all things Potter, so I’ll answer anyway. ;-)
I picked up the first book a bit reluctantly, on the advice of a co-worker. I had the idea in my head that any book that was so popular was bound to be the literary equivalent of top 40 radio… nothing I would ever enjoy. Boy, was I wrong! ;-) After I finished Book 1, in paperback, I ran out and picked up Books 1 and 2 in hardcover… and Azkaban came out not too long after that, so I was there at the bookstore to snag my copy a few days later (I figured I’d wait ’til the initial panic was over… I don’t have that kind of patience anymore, though!)
I think my favorite is either #3 or #5. I have a definite preference for the odd-numbered books, interestingly enough. #7 should be a doozy.
I picked up Book 1 last year on CD because that was the only thing at the library that I thought might hold my attention. Jim Dale is wonderful and I was hooked. My favorite so far was Book 1. I can’t wait for the last one though.
My grandmother gave me the first three books for Christmas one year(I did not ask nor did I want them at the time). She was so excited for me to read them that I tried, and could not get past the first chapter. A few years later my husband, who was my fiance at the time found out I had them and borrowed them and convinced me that the Dursely’s is the worst part of the book. I read the first book and it has been downhill from there! My favorite book is Order of the Pheonix(Smallest Dursley segment ever!!)
I love your signature at the bottom of your posts, it looks so cool.
I picked up the bok after having it been suggested by several friends. As for my favorite, I’d have to say that it would be the Sorcerer’s Stone, since it’s the one where the magic is so new, and everything is exciting.
My mother (former elementary school teacher with a soft spot for kidlit) had been recommending HP to me for many moons. October 2001, we met in Colorado for my lil bro’s first Family Weekend at college. The day before our flights home, the terror alert was raised and the line at the Denver airport for security was FOUR HOURS LONG. This is before I was a knitter, and I didn’t have any reading material with me. With Mom securing our spot in line, I ran in to the bookstore and bought the first HP. I finished it before my flight landed and immediately ran out to get the next one. I’ve been hooked ever since, having read each book 3 times. Picking a favorite, to me, would be like making a public declaration regarding my favorite child. Not gonna happen!
I love Harry Potter. I’m not sure exactly what prompted me to buy the first book oh so many years ago, but I’ve been hooked ever since. My favorite so far has been the Prizoner of Azkahban. It’s a great read and still not quite as dark as the following tomes. I’m surprized you didn’t sign up for the Hogwart’s Sock Swap.
What a cool frog!
Sad to say I’m not a big Harry Potter fan. I started to read the first book after my daughter had read it but just couldn’t get into it. I did however enjoy the movies.
For me it’s all about the frenzy that has prompted Millions of Kids to pick up a book and read it. I’m not a fan and also am – in the sense that I have read the first 4 books but not the others….but as I said it’s all about kids getting enthusiastic about reading. Love that.
I’m not a HP fan, and there’s a simple reason why…I don’t like made-up words. lol I’ve never gotten as far as following the story lines but I can see the appeal of the series. I just can’t get past, like I said, the made-up words. I mean, I still cringe when I hear words like “proactive” because I remember when that wasn’t considered a word at all. ;)
I picked up the first one in early winter 2001, when a friend loaned it to me. It was the perfect book to read while nursing my newborn, b/c you could read it in small snippets. Now I’ve read them all and listened to them all on audio–at least twice!–while knitting and spinning. The narrator on the audio books is just fabulous.
I started reading HP because I hated being out of the loop. My BF at the time was reading them as were some of my friends. After listening to them laugh at us Muggles I broke down and read the books in a huff. Of course, I was hooked. Dunno if I have a favorite, though I always cry at the end of Goblet of Fire.
Ok, no one hate me, but I started reading HP when I was bored on a trip in CA after the 4th one was in paperback. I still haven’t read 5 and 6. I will get around to it one day. :)
I’ve only read the first HP book, and I picked it up because I remembered loving similar books when I was younger. I especially loved books by E. Nesbit, which always featured “regular” kids who stumbled into something extraordinary. I never got into the series because I was busy with school, and the whole HP franchise is a bit of a turn-off. How many HP movies come out each year? Sheesh. It’s bigger than the Beatles.
I originally picked up the books because my students were reading it. They told me how much they loved the book, and I was intrigued walking the halls of the high school and see the kids all with their noses in a Harry Potter book. I was also an avid reader as a child, and was intrigued with any book that seemed to have such a devoted pre-teen and teen following. After reading the first one, I’m just as sucked in.
In terms of a favorite… well I love them all, but I really loved the Goblet of Fire. The dragons, the maze, the challenges. Very exciting.
What a fun idea! I loved reading all the comments on this one! I started reading Harry Potter because I wanted to know what all the hoopla was about. I didn’t start reading them until after PoA was released (it was in harback but not paperback). Now I’m glad I did because my kids want to read them, and I feel okay letting them since it’s a classic tale of good vs. evil in which you just know the good guys are going to win. I’m not really sure I have a favorite. To me, they’re just a long saga like The Lord of the Rings, and are inseparable from one another. When a new one is being released, I go back and start reading from the first one and read all the way through to the most recent ones. I think I’m just hooked on really long stories.
I love books and I work with children who I want to love books. So I bought the 1st book in with a batch of books when setting up a new classroom. I took it home to read it first and I was captured by the first paragraph. I then read up to Book 3 (or was it 4?) before I saw the movie — on VHS (remember those?). I have to admit, it was the movie, and Alan Rickman in particular, who made me the Potter fan I am today. I loved the books, but the movie added another dimension that really made a difference somehow.
My favourite book is a toss-up between PoA and GoF.
I can hardly wait for the next book!
btw – I already have Charmed Knits, I just wanted to share my story!
I already have the book too, but I wanted to leave you a comment because, well, I’m so bad at it and I’m actually reading blogs and I’m doing it. Not to win the book. Just to.
:)
I read the first Harry Potter book because my daughter was reading it. I wonder how old she was…I’m going to go look what year the first one was published..
1998. She was 10 years old and I read everything she read. I was not too thrilled about reading either. It did not interest me. In fact, I believe she and I read it before the hype had hit. Begrudgingly, I picked it up. And was hooked from the first word.
My favorite was the last book. JK Rowling has just gotten better at her characters and having them grow up has added a whole new level to her books.
I cannot wait for the last book. But then again, I kind of dread it. It will be over. :(
And I do think that Snape is not all bad.
:)
Love the frog photo.
As for HP, I read the first book way back when because my oldest son raved about it so. I’ve read them all since, but the first book is my favorite.
Green Green… Whata Cool Frog !!! Rippit !!! Is he after your knitting!!!
I have not read any H.P Books yet BUT My 11 yeard old Grandaughter has read every one of the HP Books.. She is a terific reader and I am so glad that she enjoys it so much.. And they are such big books for her age..
Reading is a Wonderful Adventure !!!
Penny
When you have three kids all up on the HP storylines and have a l o n g vacation flight ahead, that is a good time to start the Harry Potter series.