Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

I’m a big fan of the fantasy genre, and as a kid I loved British fantasy series for children — such as the Prydain Chronicles, the Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and even stuff like the 70s BBC television show The Phoenix and the Carpet. I thought for sure that I would enjoy Harry Potter as well…

But alas, no. It just didn’t capture my imagination at all, and frankly, I don’t really understand the hype and craze. I found this book to be very dull — in fact, I had to force myself to finish it, to give it a “fair chance.” I was definitely not inspired enough to read any more of the series.

I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, because I know absolutely everyone loves this series — but I’m sorry, I just have to be honest. I’m glad, though, that it has enjoyed popularity and brought fantasy novels back into the spotlight; because I am sure it has spurred sales of many books I do like. (And if not for Harry Potter, would we have such great Narnia films in production right now? Probably not.)