My love for Harry Potter didn't start until after
the first movie was released. I had heard about Harry Potter from
friends but never got around to reading the books. Well after seeing
commercials for the first movie I knew that I wanted to see it. And I
have to say when the last image on screen faded I was a Potter Fanatic.
I immediately had to have the books. I was ready to devour them. My
buddy Chris gave me the first book to read and I went home and read it
from cover to cover in a matter of days. I then found out that the books
were available on CD read by the awesome Jim Dale. I went out and bought
all four novels that were currently out and began once again with the
first book and listen to them non-stop for weeks. After the fourth book
I was in the same boat as everyone else.. waiting for the next novel. Of
course friends had been waiting three years for the next novel and I was
waiting only a year but it was still very difficult. But while I waited
I continued to listen to the first four books over and over until I knew
every little details of the story. When the fifth book came out I was
there at midnight waiting in line to get my copy. When the sixth book
came out I was at Comic Con down in San Diego with friends Bruce and Tom
and at midnight we stood in line at a Ralphs supermarket and waited for
the sixth book to come out. And finally for the seventh and final book
again Tom, Bruce and I went to a Borders at midnight to get the book.
Since this was the last book I got dressed up in my full Harry Potter
costume. I was never one to dress up especially in public but I LOVED
Harry Potter so much that I wanted to share it with everyone. And this
was also the final time I'd be able to do this. In the end Borders sold
out of the books so we went to our local Ralphs once again and picked up
the last Harry Potter book. It was so bitter sweet, you waited so long
for this book that you just wanted to find out how it ends but then
again it was the last Harry Potter book and you wanted to go nice and
slow to make it last. I read the final book in a little over a week. My
buddy Bruce and I would call each other every night and discuss the
chapters we had just read. We had done that with book six as well. With
six movies already out and the last one being split into two movies we
have a few more years of "new" Potter stuff. But I still listen to all
seven books on CD one after the other at least four or five times a
year. The story never gets old, and I still get emotional over the sad
parts of the book. That to me is a sign of a wonderful story. One that
still effects you after many, many, many readings. I will forever call
myself a Potter-fanatic. Harry Potter is right up there with Star Wars,
Star Trek and Lord of the Rings and is one of my all time favorite
stories.
