Harry Potter Book... sucks?

[murph0]

After the night the book came out, I haven't heard anything else about it. I'm assuming the book isn't very good? Or is it just that noone cared after it came out thus there's no more articles/news on it?

So anyways, I'm askin cause I'm considering getting it as I have some free time to spare on some reading..

 

Brian

[chrisco37]

Haha! You're going to read a kid's book!

 

Oh wait, we all do that don't we? Ooops....Do yourself a favor and pick up one of these great books:

 

"Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain (sp?) - Hilarious account of renowned chef going from dish-boy to chef supreme! Very sarcastic w/ a dash of pompasity.

 

"A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson - Hilarious account of one man's attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail. Packed w/ facts and great descriptions.

 

 

Never read a Potter book, so I can't tell you if this next one is good or not. Save your time, and read one of the books I recommended; you can be sure, the Potter book will be a movie in a few years.

 

Chris

 

[yertle]

My wife, mother in-law and sister in-law all enjoyed the book. I have yet to start reading it but I'm sure I wont be disappointed. The first four books got better with each series.

[murph0]

Hmm.. I think I'll pass on those recommendations.

Planning to read either the Potter book or Da Vinci Code, the hype died down so immediately and quickly on the Potter book that I'm probably leaning toward the latter.

 

Brian

[chrisco37]

What!? Not a fan of auto-biographies? They always seem to be more enjoyable to me. Love books written in the first person!

 

Fiction-wise, nothing can beat a good Raymond Chandler Detective story! Phillip Marlowe is the MAN!!!! Hard-boiled as they come!

 

Chris

[garthgantu]

I've got the latest Potter book, and will read it with my daughter once we've finished the "Earthsea Trilogy" by Ursula LeGuin, one of the greatest fantasy series by one of the greatest (and least appreciated) sci-fi/fantasy writers.

 

Only feedback I've heard beyond the lukewarm reviews in the papers was from the CTO of the company I work for. He really enjoyed it.

 

Maybe you're not hearing much about it 'cause most everyone who bought it is still reading it?

[yertle]

Maybe you're not hearing much about it 'cause most everyone who bought it is still reading it?

 

What?!? You mean some folks are taking their time reading the book! My family members had it done within four or five days. Although nothing even comes close to lighthouse reading it. He finished it twice in a day I think.

[NewtSamson]

My girlfriend loved the book

[rob_react]

What more story is there to tell on the nightly news? It came out and sold record numbers. Even with a book like this, they don't exactly devote much time on Headline News to book reviews. The book itself was fantastic. Better than I'd hoped.

 

It sounds to me like you've never read the rest of the books in the series. If not, starting with the fifth book doesn't make a lot of sense. If you've seen the movies, and you're impatient, you can jump in with the third book. That's where it really starts to get good anyway.

[Polyphemus]

From my end, I thought it was great. It has a more (young) adult feel than the first 3. I enjoyed the 4th the best and I think this one delivers from where that one left off. It was a very quick read despite its length and if you are a Harry Potter fan, you shouldn't be disappointed.

[murph0]

Well with the previous one people were at least talking about how great it was publicly. With this, it was a big bang and then silence.

Btw, I've read the first 4.. still curious as to how this is aimed at children. It does have tendencies toward them with the younger cast and some of the jokes and such.. but it seems too wordy for children and some of the stuff in them is fairly dark..

 

Brian

[Polyphemus]

This one is the darkest of the bunch. When you put this next to the first one, it is like the Hobbit vs. Lord of the Rings.

[murph0]

Interesting.. by the last one it'll probably be aimed at young adults.

The other thing I'm curious about is.. what is motivating the author to continue writing these books? She has all the money she could possibly desire and this one took what seemed like a couple years to arrive.. makes you wonder if she has the desire to finish out the series.

 

Brian

[lighthouse]

As near as I can tell, she is writing them because she promised her fans she would... She doesn't need any more money, and she certainly doesn't need more fame. But she feels she made a promise to a few million children, and those children deserve to have the promise kept.

 

Just for those keeping score at home, I have now read the book four times, and I think it's the second best book in the series, behind book 3... Rowling said herself that she tried too hard on book 4, and it's apparent to me that she was more relaxed in her writing of 5. Brian, if you've read the first four, by all means pick up the new one. You won't be disappointed.

 

I'm putting 5500 miles on the rig this month, and Harry Potter will be the soundtrack for most of it... Mmmm... Beef jerky, Gummi Bears, Harry Potter and Mountain Dew... Yeah... I'll be in rare form by San Diego...

[murph0]

Yes, but personally the length of time it took her to write this one worries me.. if they exponentially drag on like this.. by the last one it'll take 7 years for her to write it

I'm also very curious as to what'll happen if/when the series ends.. will she give in and write more? Will someone else sneak in and do another story? Or will she end it in a way in which there can't be more stories...?

 

Brian

[lighthouse]

Even though there are similarities to Boston's fifth album (which should be out in another 5 years or so) I don't think that will happen. I think book 6 will be about two years from now and book 7 two years after that...

 

There's no way she will write more. I really don't think she would have written this much if it was about the money. She promised seven books, and I think that's what you'll get. She keeps her intellectual property rights closely held, so I don't see anyone else "continuing" the story...

 

As for how she ends it???

• 
  
• A main character dies (someone introduced in book one).
  
• One of the kids becomes a teacher.
  
• The final word in the final book is "scar".
  

Speculation ran rampant for a couple years that Hermione would be the teacher, then that Harry would... I think the smart money is on Neville at this point. But we'll just have to see. BTW, the three items listed above are not "predictions" or "speculation", those are straight from JK Rowling herself...

[murph0]

Interesting.. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of people out there sad to see the whole thing end. But I'm sure after book 7 Rowling will have so much money she won't have to write anything again

 

Brian

[chrisco37]

I'm putting 5500 miles on the rig this month

 

Please proceed w/ caution, House! We wouldn't want you to fall into the hands of the dreaded Russian comic mafia. Lucky for you, Chuck warned us. Godspeed!

 

Chris

[COI]

Am I the only one here who has no interest in reading about the adventures of a pre-pubescent Magician? It'd be one thing If I had kids......

 

And I agree with Chrisco........auto-biographies make for some very interesting reading.

[Joanna]

"A Walk in the Woods" by Bill Bryson - Hilarious account of one man's attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail. Packed w/ facts and great descriptions.

 

 

 

I loved "A Walk in the Woods."

 

 

But if he feels like reading a Harry Potter book, then those are irrelevant choices. I don't read the HP books, but a friend of mine does, and she absolutely loved the latest one. So have fun, Brian!

 

-- Joanna