The Official "I Have Never Read A Harry Potter Novel" Thread- Page 2

[ConvinceMe2]

Posted: 7/17/05 at 11:53pm

Never read them. Saw 35 minutes of the first film, and hated it. Turned it off and never went back.

[EverythingIsRENT]

Posted: 7/17/05 at 11:56pm

Well, I read the first one because my grandmother bought it for me, and it wasn't long before she died...and I was forced to take my brother to see the movies. Can I still be in the club?? I just don't get the appeal of these books, and I am an AVID reader!

[life_so_far]

Posted: 7/18/05 at 12:01am

Never read the books, have seen the movies and was dragged to one of the release parties by my friends... They all dressed up and tried to make me (my Harry Potter outfit was jeans, an oxford shirt, my converses, and okay I did steal a Harry Potter-looking scarf from Dartmouth cause it was cool) I spent a whopping hour maybe in the store although some of my other friends stayed from 9-12:30... I went to dinner with another non-reader friend and then we went cruising to the airport to pick up her dad to get out of there... talk about being out of place.

[cudramacat]

Posted: 7/18/05 at 12:51am

Never read them, never seen the movies. I'm sure they're great, but they just aren't my taste.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 7/18/05 at 10:15am

"This is an exclusive club where membership is self-selected by NOT reading one of those books, and falling into the Pit of Potter Promotion. By electing to qualify for this club each of us is refusing to be a sheep coaxed along by the herders of marketing."

Forget marketing, the first book was originally successful because it is a good book. It took a while for the craze to catch on. The excessive marketing fell in line following the success of the first book. The it grew from there. Reading the books have nothing to do with being a sheep or falling into the pit of promotion. It has to do with enjoying the first book and being interested enough to want to follow the stories. If the first book sucked, there was no hype or promotion at the time to have warranted any sequels. I bought the first book on a whim several months before I saw any publicity on it simply because I liked the cover and the premise sounded fun. And for the record, judging the books on the film is as fruitless as...well...judging ANY OTHER book on the film version. The books are better, period.

But if it's not your thing, it's not your thing. I tried to like Lord of the Rings. I tried to read the first one, I couldn't get into it. I watched all three films, I fell asleep during two of them. I can understand why some people like them, but I find them absolutely boring.

[xxnewgirlxx]

Posted: 7/18/05 at 10:25am

Ditto...no books, no movies.

[JbaraFan1]

Posted: 7/18/05 at 10:27am

Mister Matt, my husband is a huge Tolkien fan and of course he thinks Lord of the Rings is just one of the greatest works ever.
I really wanted to like the trilogy (as well as The Hobbit) myself, but could just never get into them. They bore me too. I can take the film a bit better.

May I apply for honorary membership of this thread? I am so sick of and over the Harry Potter books. We have the first three here at home. I know I read the first two but for the life of me cannot remember if I read the third book or not -- just picked it up and flipped through it, and nothing's ringing a bell. I don't plan to buy/read the latest one. I just don't care anymore. Sorry, HP fans! I'm just burned out on 'em.

[cabarethed]

Posted: 7/18/05 at 10:40am

I was one of those who refused to read b/c of all the "hype" (though I don't think it got truly excessive till the time the first movie and fourth book was released), plus I'm not really into that genre. For my birthday this past year, my friend bought me the first two, and I grudgingly began reading b/c I figured I had nothing to lose. That was the first week of December, and I was ADDICTED by New Years. I don't care for the movies much (though the upcoming one looks great), I just think it's a mesmerizing story and world with wonderful characters.

I'm just giving the perspective of someone who once felt the same way. I hardly expect others to transform like I did.
Updated On: 7/18/05 at 10:40 AM

[seymour krelborn]

Posted: 7/18/05 at 11:03am

Never read the books and never saw the movies. I don't plan on it anytime soon, either. I just don't understand what the hype is. I guess its good kids are reading, so i shoudln't complain.

[mabel]

Posted: 7/18/05 at 11:04am

I've never read any of the books either. I saw the first two movies though...the first was, quite possibly, the worth movie theatre experience of my life. We went to a screening at the little town hall theatre nearby (and I blame HP for tainting this lovely establishment...they never had mainstream movies before HP. It was always independants and documentaries, and now half the time they've got crap like War of the Worlds and Batman Begins! BOOO!!!) Aaaaanyway. We got there about 10 minutes early, and bought our tix, only to find out that there weren't any regular seats left, so we had to sit in metal folding chairs on along the wall. AWFUL! It's our own damn fault for not just turning around and demanding our money back, but it was a seriously painful 2++ hours! Then I saw the second one my freshman year of college, because a friend insisted on seeing it the first weekend it opened.

I don't really get all the hooplah, but whatever floats your boat. *shrug*

[dano]

Posted: 7/18/05 at 11:25am

I've read 'em all, reading #6 now, seen all the movies.

[MTVMANN]

Posted: 7/18/05 at 2:58pm

Add me to the list!!!!!!

[BroomstickBoy]

Posted: 7/18/05 at 7:09pm

Finally, a thread that makes me feel sane for not doing something.

I haven't read any books of Harry Potter, and have never seen the movies and I don't care to.

Never read Lord of the Rings, or watched the movies either. My best friend and I have been tempted to run into the theaters screaming "IT'S NOT REAL" then running for dear life while every psuedo-dwarf and creature chases after us.