Irish Farmerette Loves Harry Potter

I love reading books and while my children don’t tend to curl up with books like I used to for hours on end (although Will loved reading The Secret Seven series by Enid Blyton over the winter), they do enjoy being read to. ?When Will was younger, he had his 3 favourite books that had to be read every night – it got to the stage we knew them by heart. ?Sometimes one would ask for a story and as I’d start to read, the other would come over the curl up on my other side on the sofa.

I’d started reading some of my old Enid Blyton books to them but Kate still wanted picture books while Will was happy enough with them. ?Then I bought Will the Harry Potter collection of 7 books for his birthday last June and we started reading them in ?August. I’d never read Harry Potter, deciding to wait until the kids were old enough and we’d all enjoy them together. And enjoy them we did! We devoured them! I’d heard that they became increasingly dark and scary so I’d planned to read two or three and then take a break until they were older but we all loved them. ?I read for between 60-90 minutes almost every night and I loved the way the children laughed at Ron’s one-liners, almost danced around the room in nervous anticipation wondering what was coming next, and cuddled in eagerly drinking in every word.

I’ll never forget finishing the third book, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. ?I wanted to get the kids to bed early for some reason that night and started reading at 6.30, planning to have them in bed for 8 o’clock but we were nearing the end of the book and it was much too exciting. They wouldn’t let me stop! We read while eating our supper, while they put on their PJs, while they brushed their teeth and when Brian came in at 9:40 we had just finished – after 3 solid hours of reading.

Brian would come in from working and groan when he’d hear me reading ‘You’re not reading Harry Potter again?!’ and he would have to sit and listen until I’d finish the chapter.

We finished the last book by the new year so it took us 5 months to read all seven books. The DVD collection of 8 films was out early December so I bought the set for Christmas and we watched all the DVDS in December, watching the later DVDs as we finished each book.

It has really created lovely memories for us too – the winter of 2011 reading Harry Potter.

I can only imagine the agony that previous Harry Potter fans experienced as they had to wait a year for each new book. I can totally understand the queues at midnight to get your hands on the latest edition.

Kate actually asked me the other day if we could reread them! I had planned for them to reread them on their own. At the moment, we have just finished the Faraway Tree and are reading some Famous Five and while the children are enjoying them, they just aren’t quite cutting the mustard!

I recently went to see ‘The Woman in Black’. I had read the book about 20 years ago but could scarcely remember it and I was interested to see Daniel Radcliffe acting in such a different role – would I be thinking of Harry Potter as I watched it I wondered. I have to say it was superb. Yes, it was scary but not petrifying (I can do horror but not violence and gore) and Radcliffe was superb. Really enjoyed it.

Do you have any suggestions for a series of books for next autumn that I’d enjoy and the children would too? I read the trilogy by Philip Pullman last year and will give them to the children when they are a bit older and I have some classics to share with them too but what about a good series – would anyone recommend any? ?What about ?Lord of the Rings?

4 thoughts on “Irish Farmerette Loves Harry Potter

  • jan c.

    I think The Lord of the Rings would be a wonderful choice, starting with the Hobbit. My husband and I read them before our children were born and I couldn’t wait until they got old enough to enjoy them!

    Reply
    • Lorna

      Thanks for that recommendation Jan, I wasn’t sure as people have said they are difficult to understand but will definitely line them up for Autumn 2012 🙂

      Reply
    • Lorna

      If it wasn’t for the kids, I would have read them into the night until I had finished each book. As it was, we all learnt magnificent self control 🙂

      Reply

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