books

On reading Harry Potter for the first time


I love books. I love reading books. I love buying books. I have more unread books on my shelf than the read ones. Still I love buying books. Does that happen with you too? 😛

In January this year, when we weren’t much worried about the stepping out of our homes, I had gone on a date with myself, the very first one, to World Book Fair. On this date, I decided to start adding Harry Potter to my collection and bought the first first two parts of the series.

It took me nine months to pick up the first book and actually start reading it 😀

When I finished reading the book, the most important thing I realised was this:

Movies keep you engaged with the thrill while books let you enjoy the the minute details you miss out while watching movies.

But I strongly believe in reading books before watching their adaptation in movies. What do you think about it?

After reading the first book, I plan to watch the movie again. I think I would understand it better now. Every time I watch it, I learn or discover something new. That happens with reading too. Does that happen with you?

P.S.: There’s festive season sale going on and I spotted parts 4-7 had a good offer. So, they would be in my hands soon. I’m wondering if I should reading skip Prisoner of Azkaban until I get a good discount on it online (don’t really want go out to buy it because corona :/). Why are books so expensive? 😦

21 thoughts on “On reading Harry Potter for the first time”

  2. When a book I have read and loved becomes a movie, I am almost always disappointed in the movie. Maybe it’s because I majored in directing and playwriting in college, and when I read a book I direct it in my mind. Usually whoever produces the movie gives a different (wrong! 😏) interpretation, and I would love to jump in and “correct” them, haha.

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  3. I think if you skip a part, you might be skipping quite a bit. But yes, you should be able to do so if you want.

    I absolutely hated the first HP movie after reading the book. It skipped through SO much. That’s why I never watched any of the other movies.

    So, did you enjoy the book?

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      1. Ohhhh!! I’ve never been into audio books. Is listening a book as good as reading it?

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    2. I enjoyed the first part. Haven’t started the second yet 😀
      I am not planning to skip a part now. That would be too much to miss 😛 Don’t know when I’ll start reading the next book:D

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  4. I read the first Harry Potter book because it was the only English book in a Spanish household. It surprised me and I quickly read all of them. I have never seen a Harry Potter film. The images are in my head. That is down to good writing.

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  5. I enjoy reading first before watching the movies, because I get to see if I imagined it the same. If I do it the other way round, I’ll feel as though I’m putting in the director’s images instead of my own.

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  7. Sorry, I wrote that sentence badly. I am English, but was on holiday in Spain. I have consciously avoided watching the movies because the images I got from the written word are too precious.

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    1. That’s okay. Sometimes, we don’t realise that the message may not be conveyed. I get you. But I really can’t avoid watching movies. Just a curious person to view it from another perspective even after knowing that it may not be as good as words 😛

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  8. I’m so glad you loved the book! As you move further into the series, you’ll find the later books offer a lot more detail that the films left out, whereas HP1 and HP2 books / films are reasonably similar.

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