Today's post is a guest post from the lovely Lorna who blogs over at The Writing Greyhound. If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, here is a little bit of background about Lorna.I’m a 21 year old author, blogger, freelance writer/editor and Creative & Professional Writing graduate. I currently live in my hometown of Kettering, Northamptonshire, though you’re just as likely to find me in London or Kent. When I’m not busy writing, you’ll find me at a concert or with my nose in a book. And in case you hadn’t figured it out already, I’m a massive Harry Potter nerd!
Onto Lorna's post about Harry Potter which I love!
Why I still love Harry Potter by Lorna Holland
Like
it or not, over the years Harry Potter has become a staple of today’s culture. The
books have become modern classics, and the author, J.K. Rowling, is one of the
world’s most recognised, most successful, and best loved authors. She’s also
become a role model for aspiring writers around the globe, and the story of her
path to success is an inspiration to thousands of people.
According
to this list of all-time bestselling books compiled by The
Guardian in 2012, all seven Harry Potter books are in the top 10. For a
children’s series, that’s a phenomenal achievement. Without any doubt, the
Harry Potter series has become one of the most popular and best loved in the
history of children’s literature.
But
it’s not just children that love Harry Potter. The bug of the so-called ‘Harry
Potter phenomenon’ bites whole families, resulting in multiple generations of
Harry Potter fans, and different aspects of the story seem to appeal to
different people. All genders, races and ages are included in some way, giving
the books universal appeal. They just have that rare truly magical spark that
everyone loves.
So
what is it that I love about Harry Potter?
Firstly,
it’s an example of good, strong writing. The books are well-written, but I
particularly like that Rowling doesn’t over-simplify or talk down to children. When
I was reading the books for the first time as a child, I specifically remember
liking that they used more complicated language and constructions than the
majority of the other books I read at that time. Because of that, these were
some of the first books I remember that inspired me to become a writer.
The
Harry Potter books were a big part of my literary childhood. I, along with
millions of other children, grew up with these books. So now each time I read
them they help me recapture a little bit of my childhood. I also love that you
could start up a conversation about Harry Potter virtually anywhere and you’re
almost guaranteed to find a fellow Potterhead to talk to. We’ve got to be one
of the biggest and most loyal fanbases around, which is amazing when you
remember that the last book came out in July 2007. Eight years on and the
Pottermania that grips the world shows no sign of slowing down!
Rowling
is also a master of world-building – hardly anyone creates entire worlds better
than her. Everything is planned out down to the tiniest detail so you become
totally immersed in her creation. Wherever the characters are, you’re there too
because her writing is so vivid you can easily picture the places you’re reading
about, even before the films were released!
Speaking
of the films, this is one of the rare cases where the films are as good as the
books. Of course, in my opinion no film can ever be quite as good as the original book, but the Harry Potter films
definitely come close (as long as you ignore the few annoying discrepancies
like the colour of Harry’s eyes being wrong).
This
is probably a controversial decision, but my favourite Harry Potter book is
number five - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I know a lot of people
don’t like it as much because it’s right in the middle of Harry’s angsty faze,
but it’s always been my favourite. Why? I’m not quite sure. It’s just the one I
remember loving the most the first time I read it, and it’s the one I’ve
re-read the most (at least five times). Strangely, it’s also the one I feel the
closest connection to as well.
So
I’m not ashamed to say that I still love Harry Potter.
I
love the characters, the places, everything about the books. There’s nothing I
love more than completely immersing myself in Harry’s world (visiting the Harry
Potter studio tour was like a dream come true for me!) and every time I pick up
one of the books it feels like I’m in the company of an old friend. After
writing this post, the only problem is that now I want to read them all again!
 |
| Lorna on the famous Hogwarts Bridge on the Harry Potter studio tour |
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