Folks, I did it: I finished the Harry Potter series, which I read for the first time in my mid-20s. My post from January covers why I was so late to the party. (Disclaimer: I’m going to try my best as I recap my experience to avoid giving anything away that isn’t already generally known about the series.)
I started reading the first book in January and finished it. I then started the second one and was about halfway through it before I decided to start going to the town library again. In the middle of March the library closed, but I still had a few books out from there and also from the library on campus. I finished all of those by the middle of April, so then I picked up the second book again and never looked back. From the middle of April to the end of May, I finished the last half of the second book and then read books three through seven.
I did find that reading them back to back helped; I was a little rusty when I picked up the second one again but I figured things out quickly again. Also, fun fact: I added up the page totals from half of the second book and all of books three through seven, and it totals 3,620 pages, meaning I read that in a month and a half.
I have some thoughts and questions that are listed below but I’ll say this: I really enjoyed the books. I’m not one for fantasy books, so the fact that I flew through them is saying something. I think I’m glad that I read them now because not only do I have the time to have read them but I’m a more serious reader. I also didn’t find them as confusing as I thought I would. Granted, I don’t know what all of the spells are, but I think I have a good understanding of all of the plot lines and backstories.
I feel like I finally understand more pop culture now. I’ve already taken a bunch of random Buzzfeed quizzes, and since the movies seem to always be on TV, I now they’re something else I can watch. Luckily for me, over Memorial Day weekend, SyFy was showing all of them, so I recorded the movies in my DVR. I had already seen the third and fourth in April when USA Network was showing them and I had finished the books around that time, and over the long weekend I watched the first and second when they were on. During that same week, I made my way through the last four: five, six, and seven part 1 and part 2. And if/whenever we can all safely travel again/I finally get over my fear of flying, I could see myself wanting to go to the Wizarding World at Universal Studios.
I joined the Wizarding World and found out the following:
- Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff
- Wand: Cherry wood with a phoenix feather core, 10″ and quite bendy flexibility
- Patronus: Nebelung Cat
Thoughts
- Sirius Black is my favorite character.
- I also love the Weasley twins.
- The third, fourth, and seventh books are my favorites.
- I felt that the first two books and maybe part of the third were more stand alone books. Once you get to the fourth going forward, things seem to carry over more. And once I watched the movies, I felt like this was more of a thing. (I know that the overarching problem of all the books is Lord Voldemort but I don’t want to give away any spoilers.)
- I love the way Snape talks in the movies. He’s also always very flowy with his robes.
- However, I still don’t know how I feel about him, like where his true allegiance was to: Dumbledore or Voldemort.
- I’d like to be able to take memories out and store them in glass bottles.
- I really like the Order and everyone in it.
- I wasn’t a big fan of the fifth book, but I enjoyed the movie. Obviously that book is the longest of the series and the movie cut out a bunch of things, but I think if I reread the fifth book I’d appreciate it a little more.
- For some reason I thought that wizards/witches couldn’t die, so I didn’t believe some of the deaths in the books. But then I realized that Lily and James were a witch and wizard and the dying is the reason we’re in this mess to begin with.
- I wish the Epilogue at the end of the seventh book was longer; I wanted to know what happened to everyone else.
Some questions I have:
- Do we know why/how Voldemort’s nose is like it is?
- How does he breath during allergy szn?
- Follow up: Do we know why he chose that specific name for himself?
- Does anyone else think it’s weird that an adult tried/is trying to kill a child?
- How does a house get a house-elf?
- Who is watching Crookshanks in the seventh book? I feel like Hermione just wouldn’t leave the cat alone.
- Does Harry ever end up moving to 12 Grimmauld Place?
- Why does the Order show up kind of late to the party in the end of the fifth book?
- Do the Death Eaters have day jobs? Or are they just always and the beck and call of Voldemort?
- Where’s Pigwidgeon in the movies? Where’s Peeves???
- What exactly is butterbeer?
The books I read were borrowed, so I think in the future I could see myself buying the series for myself and maybe the movies, too. Quarantine was the perfect time to read the series, and I can now check off one of my resolutions for 2020.
Have you read Harry Potter? What are your thoughts about it? Do you have any answers to my questions?
Strikeouts + Sprinkles 
Congrats on finishing. I can’t answer your questions but my daughter probably could answer some. She is a fanatic. She made me take the quiz to find out my house and turns out we are Hufflepuffs too. I have been meaning to read them all (I only read one and part of two I think) and you have sparked my interest again. If we can’t have baseball… 😦
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Thanks! When I first started reading them I researched what the different houses were like and thought I’d be a Hufflepuff, and turns out I was right after taking the quiz haha. I think you reading them because of no baseball sounds like a good idea.
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Now that you’re finished, you should read my A-Z posts from 2017! Lol it is all Harry Potter
Im surprised you want the epilogue to be longer. Most people I know wish it didn’t exist lol
Will you read the cursed child? It follows Harry’s children if I remember correctly. It might fill some of that longing for more information ☺️
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I’ll have to check those posts out! Why are people against the epilogue? haha *Googles Cursed Child* Oh it’s the play! I’ve heard about the play. And my library has it! I’ll have to get it out.
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People are just annoyed at it. Especially how Harry names one of his children after Dumbledore and Snape which are (in some peoples opinions) the worst characters not “the bravest men”. And Ron and Hermione ending up married is an issue, and of course Harry and Ginny too. Just a hot mess of controversy lol
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Love your recap!! For Peeves, I think it’s something along the lines of they casted him, but then he ended up dropping out and for ease they decided never to add him in. Which sucks! I loved what Peeves added and I wish there had been more about house elves!
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Yes to Peeves and more house elves!
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“How does he breathe during allergy szn?” Hahaha that’s a great question. Can you picture Voldemort carrying Kleenex around? As for your other questions, I don’t know the answers lol
I think I liked the first 2-3 movies the best, just because it focussed more on their schooling and how being a wizarding student worked. I missed that in the last few movies.
Oh, and I’m a Ravenclaw, according to a quiz I did a while ago. So, yay whatever that means.
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As someone with seasonal allergies, I ask only the most important questions.
I agree with you about the movies; the last few definitely were less about their schooling. It’s also weird how much more normal clothes they wear in the last ones. In the first two they were always in their uniforms and robes.
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How many of your questions am I allowed to try to answer? Also, I still feel really bad about spoiling that one part of the last book. I hope it didn’t ruin things too terribly.
Order of the Phoenix was my least favorite when I read through it the first time. But I had a deeper appreciation for that one when I read through the series the second time around.
I’ll say this about butterbeer… I’ve never had it, but I know they serve it at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. I like to imagine it’s like warm liquid butterscotch, though maybe not that rich. I could be way off, though.
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Haha you can answer all of them if you know the answers. I think I’ve forgiven you for spoiling that; I think knowing it was coming made it seem less terrible but it was so sad in the movie.
Yeah I think if I ever read them again I’d understand Order of the Phoenix more. It was a little rough the first go around.
So I Googled butterbeer and I’ve come to the conclusion that it has a base of cream soda and butterscotch or caramel are added. So I think you’re kind of close?
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Never had the desire for those but maybe I will now. They are sort of classic, after all.
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I didn’t think I’d like them, so that’s why I hadn’t read them before. I mean, they’re not for everyone, but I think they’re worth a shot to try and read.
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Yay, I’m glad you read and enjoyed them! Lord Voldemort is a pretty weird name, but I think it’s an anagram (“I am Lord Voldemort”) for his actual name, Tom Marvelo Riddle (still, he must have had too much time on his hands to create that). And I don’t know what exactly butterbeer is, but I’ve definitely had some delicious drinks that were made to resemble it haha. They tasted a lot like butterscotch!
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Omg he had to have had SO much time on his hands to create that. I’m also going to read the play since I just recently found out it exists! haha
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I haven’t read the play yet, I heard a lot of negative reviews about it so I’ve been scared to read it haha 😅
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Oh geez. I’ll have to let you know if I like it or not after I’m done haha.
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I missed when you originally posted this for some reason but I have been loving your Harry Potter posts! I read the books as a child and have continued loving them as an adult. It’s so fun to see your reactions and final questions at the end of the series! Reminds me why I loved the books in the first place. It’s a whole universe that you can really get lost in.
I am also a Hufflepuff 🙂 I’ve also always wondered about Voldemort’s nose. Seems weird that they could give him a body but not a nose. Also, you should really try Butterbeer! It’s delicious! My husband usually makes it when we watch the movies at home. I think it’s mostly cream soda and butterscotch. My favorite is the frozen butterbeer at Universal.
Thanks for sharing! This was super fun to read!
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I’m really glad I made one of my resolutions for the year to read them! And I’m grateful that I was able to borrow the series and definitely glad I had them during the beginning of quarantine.
I’ll have to try making butterbeer myself the next time I watch the movies! Now that I’ve read the books and seen the movies, I’d totally be down for going to Universal to see the entire Harry Potter area.
It was super fun to write! I kept a running list of my questions and comments in my phone as I read and watched so that I could include them in the post.
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