T’anks…feels like old times again, ignoring past-due work and chuckling idiotically to myself quietly in the home office.
Couldn’t agree more – you can knock out the first two books in an evening to get established, the third the next evening or two before lights out, and 4 and 5 over the span of a week or so without falling too far behind in the lawnmowing, personal hygiene, or other such mundane tasks. But absolutely, undeniably essential.
Oh, so it takes GWC doing podcasts about them for you to take an interest, not your good friend urging you to read the novels despite your continued ridicule of them all these years…sheesh…
Yeah, I’m just as bad.
I read two chapters of the 1st H.P. book earlier this year and lost interest.
At the same time, my wife and 9 year old starting reading 'em.
My wife has now read the whole series.
And my kid is up to Gobble the Fire.
Perhaps GWC will motivate me to give Potter another try.
To your first question, when it comes to the new movie, [spoiler]I have read rumors that Dumbledore’s funeral scene has been cut from the movie and moved to the beginning of DH[/spoiler] If that is actually true, I am going to have to avada kedavra someone.
Oh and I can’t wait to see the cave scene and the inferi. Squee!
I try not to get too worked up over them leaving things that I loved from the books out. Try. I understand that it is just impossible to reduce 600+ pages of story and exposition into a 2 hour movie. So as long as they at least get the spirit of the book, I am normally okay with it. I should be totally honest tho and say that I have a hard time being objective when it comes to Potter because I am such a fricking loon about it. There are scenes and story lines that I wish they had left in. I will try not to be too spoilery for those that haven’t read.
I hate that they cut the old man scene, and the Quidditch Cup scenes from the begining of GOF. I thought the execution of the beginning of the whole movie was terrible. To be fair, the end of that movie always gets me. It’s one of the best just for the Voldemort scene at the end.
I wish they had featured Dobby more throughout the series. They rewrote all of his scenes in GOF and it just kills me now knowing what happens in later books. I really think that they blew it there.
I wish they had explained the origin of the Marauders Map and its relationship to Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs better in POA.
In OOTP (my 2nd favorite book of the series), they truncated a lot of scenes at Hogwarts. I get that it was necessary because it’s the biggest book, but did the movie really have to have the shortest running time? Couldn’t they have added the St. Mungo scene with Neville? Or Mrs. Weasely and the bogart? And what about the bloody mirror? Did they just forget about that?
I felt that of all the movies, OOTP lacked the human element the most. I am most critical of it because I am such a fan of that book. It just felt like they were going from point A to point B to point C mechanically and it never got the spirit of the novel. They got some things right tho, the battle scene at the end was one of the most freaking fantastic scenes ever in any of the films.
And where the hell is Bill Weasley? Seriously.
As you might recall, the only reason you got into them in the first place was because you borrowed them from me when someone else was trying to force me to read them. The way I see it, my Potter-apathy worked to your benefit. 
I am very excited about this! A new era of GWC is beginning. By some of the posts so far it looks like there is a larger group of people to convert than usually around here.
Let me just say that Harry Potter is exacTly what GWC is all about. I was a late convert to HP. My whole family was into it and I had gone to see the first 3 movies until I finally gave into them and started reading the books. After seeing the Time Travel in Prisoner of Azkaban I got really interested in HP and blasted through the first five books. I am very glad I got in for the release of the last two books. I had so much fun listening to podcasts (Pottercast, Mugglecast) and theorizing what would happen just as we have recently finished with BSG. I had also given into the preconception that they were just children stories and I was to old for such things. I had to swallow my words and now the world of HP is (in my opinion) at the top of the list with the greats (Naruto, LotR, Dune, Star Trek).
While the first three movies were pretty close to the books it is impossible to get anything but the most important story lines out of the last four. Baconface_Pumpkinhead has already covered a lot of the things fans usually have problems with. I am most disappointed with the lack of info about the Marauders and relationships between everyone in James and Lily’s generation. This is why it is so important for all GWCers to read this series. While the movies are good entertainment the real story is in the books and it features so much of what we enjoy at GWC - Joy, sadness, gain, loss, friendship, loyalty, pain, sorrow, leadership, betrayal, fun, danger, magic, Hagrid, time travel, hate and most importantly love.
If you are having problems getting in you may try reading with the kids or even getting the audiobook. Jim Dale does an amazing job with the voices in the American version (almost like watching a movie) and Stephen Fry does the English version and his quality goes without saying. last of all, if all the recommendations from GWCers haven’t convinced you I will say this. If given the opportunity I would trade in my iPhone for a wand and have no regrets, Nuff Said! 
A Harry Potter arc? That’s really cool! I’m excited about this. How about one podcast just shooting the bull about Emma Watson’s hotness. Did I mention she’s hot?
I was an affirmed muggle until the summer of 2007. I got the first book 10 years ago as a Xmas gift and poo-pooed it as kids book. My wife forgot to by a book before we went on vacation so I suggested she take the old HP book. She flew through it, and by the time we got to our first layover she had to buy the second one. Upon finishing my book I decided to pick up HP. At that point my August was pretty much shot serially going through all 7 books. The one benefit is I am glad I resisted starting the series until the 7th book was published…
My guess is that they will “free wheel” the Potter universe somwhat in order and cover movies and books 1 and two in one cast then 3 and 4 in the next and then everything potter in the third preping for the 5th movie.
If you are just starting into Harry Potter I would read them in order, Very hard to take these out of order. Also, if you read all 7 books, when you are done, go back to the first book and re-read the chapter where harry has his first Potions class. it Really has a lot in it that you didn’t think was a big deal when you read it the first time.
I put off reading these, thinking they were 'Kids" books, then a Network Administrator from lockheed martin who is 15 years my senior, told me the were great books, (right after he gave me a autographed copy of the 'complete hitchikers guide to the galaxy") so I gave them a shot. boy am I happy i did.
I found the first couple of chapters difficult to stay focused but once the story caught me, I was inventing time to read.
Welcome to hogwarts. 
The MPAA is actually pretty worthless. It’s a group of randomly selected people who judge films without guidelines. Watch this This Film Is Not Yet Rated. I’m pretty sure it’s on youtube.
Oh. My. God. Thot - you need to run the titles by the family to make sure you get them right. It’s Goblet of Fire, not Gobble the Fire. 
Seriously man, GET READING!
Yeah, I know. I call it “Gobble the Fire” cuz I know it drives my family crazy.
'Tis a little joke at our house.
Well I’m completely intimidated now.
I’ve seen all the movies, but have not read any of the books. :o
Its OK. you have like 10 days… and there are only 7 books…
in pages… lets see
In the standard US editions:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone - 309
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - 352
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - 448
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - 734
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - 896
Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince - 652
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - 784
so that only 4,175 pages total so if you average 418 pages a day, you’ll be fine.
RELAX
Don’t scare NBTR away! Harry Potter is just like Transformers - but with wands!
Seriously, it’s not as bad as it looks. I can’t recommend these books enough. If you don’t have the time to read them, the audiobooks are awesome and Jim Dale does a great job with the narration. And if you have any questions whatsoever I am sure the GWC hive mind can help.
The books are all also available on iTunes (but not audible because of strange contract stuff). They are some of the best read books ever (every character has their own voice-all supplied from 1 person)*
*US version only, UK version is the still awesome but not quite as cool Stephen Frye.
Hrm, I think this will have to be one of those arcs I experience vicariously through all of you. I’ve only ever seen the first movie (years ago, don’t remember any of it), and it seems that there’s too much material for me to try to catch up on before this arc begins.
What’s a hook to get someone like me, with no knowledge of the series, interested in this series? My mind is open, I just don’t really know anything about it.
I hear it promotes witchcraft. There’s a hook.
True. Still, this apathy, no–disdain–has lasted a full 9 years, since I started reading the first one while I was pregnant with Lucas. That’s a long time, don’t you think?
Well, thanks guys. I’m flying/driving to my brother’s wedding in a few days and will have hours and hours of travel time to listen to some audiobooks. We’ll see how far I get.