Pandemic Project: Harry Potter

Some found their love of caring for a sourdough starter, others started a sport routine and some might have found a new passion such as knitting or puzzling (is that a word? Making a puzzle, creating a puzzle, you know what I mean). I decided I will fill this dark hole in my reading list and will give the most famous wizard known on our planet a chance. I have, in fact, never read the books before, I’m one of those people who, as a teenager, believed she was different to the mainstream by not reading it (maybe I was after all?). And I suppose I had different reading interests when it was fashionable to read Harry Potter. So when this whole pandemic started last year in March I was reading some very serious books about the Holocaust (The Boy Who Followed His Father into Auschwitz by Jeremy Dronfield, a real story, hooking and very sad at the same time) and another one about two refugees fleeing the war in Syria (The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri, equally sad). Some friends asked me why I was reading such serious books as I even had nightmares after reading them. For me reading about such topics counts as education and I believe we never stop learning, one cannot ever be educated enough.

Anyway, since these books plus the uncertainty of the new situation gave me bad dreams, a close person to me suggested to read something lighter and finally (!!) give Harry Potter a go. So I started with the first book and what can I say, I get it now, it is great. I couldn’t stop reading and I believe it’s something for every age. I’d go even as far as saying, that as a teen or even earlier when the books came out, I would not have enjoyed them as much as I do now in my late 20s (for a kid Voldemort can be scary, or am I the only one who thinks that?). All went well, I was reading myself from volume to volume and then J.K. Rowling came out with her rather controversial statements about Trans People. I’m not going to repeat here what she said as it’s just too offensive but I could not write about Harry Potter and not mention this. The books are great, her statement though not so much. So I did have a bit of a dilemma, was it still justified to read the books? I know nothing about J.K. Rowling, and frankly speaking I’m not reading the books because of her. I was simply curious to see what all this fuss is about, why people queue for ages just to get a photo at platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross pushing their luggage trolley through the wall wearing their Gryffindor scarf, for example. So I decided to separate the art from the artist. The books are still great and ten months later I have finished book number 5 and the last two bricks are waiting now to be read. Between each of the books I took breaks by reading some of the other books that have been on my list. A tip is to get books second hand, I did that with the HP books, it is not only cheaper but also a bit more sustainable if you are like me and need the smell and feel of a real book.

Not only once did I get astonished looks when I confessed that it is actually the first time round I’m reading the HP books. They are hooking to a certain extent, expecially the last 200 pages, considering the later books have around 700 pages. Languagewise (in English) it is very enjoyable as J.K. Rowling has a vast amount of vocabulary and imagination she puts to use. I doubt that I will ever become a Potter Head as in getting myself a wand or round HP glasses or a cloak. I won’t, most probably, either go and get a picture taken at platform 9 3/4, sorry to disappoint. But I do enjoy the books and I am happy to have them on my shelf now. They are a great way to forget everything and immerse yourself into a magical yet somehow relatable world. I still need to figure out which Hogwarts house I could be in but a friend suggested maybe I could be a Ravenclaw, the eternal student, who knows.

Part of reading the books is also watching the movies. But only after I finished each book, so I’ve read until book 5 and have watched also the 5th movie. I guess a lot of people will agree that the books are way more interesting, but I mean if we put every nitty gritty detail on screen we would not do anything else than watching TV. However, it is a nice project when you have to stay at home as there is also a sense of achievement when finishing a 700 pages book and comparing it with the respective movie.

I know, I know I am super late to the party. So, if you haven’t read HP don’t be ashamed or worried, just give it a go, and if you have, read it again it’s totally worth it. I’ve heard of people reading it from top to bottom, also a way to pass time I suppose.

So on that note, go and read something, it will ease your mind. Enjoy your Sunday evening!