Harry Potter
2001 is a year that most people remember for September 11th, as do I. But I also remember it for the year that I discovered Harry Potter.
I was at an annual dinner for legislators that is hosted by BECU every year before session starts in January. I was with Gary and we were sitting at a table with, then, State Representative Ed Murray (now Senator) and his partner Michael Shiosaki. Ed was sharing with the table about this great book "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". I thought it was a kids book but he said I should give it a chance and read it. He asked "Tony, just read the first chapter and if you are not taken in by it, then I won't ask you to read it again".
And so I did. And I could not put it down. I think I finished it over the weekend. I followed it up by picking up the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets a couple of days later and read it just as quick. After that, I was hooked and could not wait for the next book.
Interesting enough, Prisoner of Azkaban was released on September 11th, 2001. I'm guessing it had a slow start of sales considering the date. But I bought it eventually and tore through it... And then in November of that year, the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone came out. I re-read Sorcerer's Stone again before the movie was released.
That started a habit of reading the book again before the movie version was released. And therefore, I made a point of re-reading Deathly Hallows again before Part 1 came out and I just finished re-reading it again as I will be seeing part 2 of the Deathly Hallows tomorrow night with my friend Marcus.
The end of the Harry Potter series affected me like when I approached the end of reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time back in Junior High School. I traveled 'There and Back Again" with all of the characters and as they were no saying goodbye to each other, I felt like I was saying goodbye to them as well... I cried then, and I cried again when I re-read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings before the release of the movie version of "LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring' on December 19. 2001.
Another 2001 reference.
I teared up saying goodbye to Harry, Hermoine and Ron as I closed the book last night and I wonder how I will be when I watch the movie tomorrow evening?
I was at an annual dinner for legislators that is hosted by BECU every year before session starts in January. I was with Gary and we were sitting at a table with, then, State Representative Ed Murray (now Senator) and his partner Michael Shiosaki. Ed was sharing with the table about this great book "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone". I thought it was a kids book but he said I should give it a chance and read it. He asked "Tony, just read the first chapter and if you are not taken in by it, then I won't ask you to read it again".
And so I did. And I could not put it down. I think I finished it over the weekend. I followed it up by picking up the Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets a couple of days later and read it just as quick. After that, I was hooked and could not wait for the next book.
Interesting enough, Prisoner of Azkaban was released on September 11th, 2001. I'm guessing it had a slow start of sales considering the date. But I bought it eventually and tore through it... And then in November of that year, the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone came out. I re-read Sorcerer's Stone again before the movie was released.
That started a habit of reading the book again before the movie version was released. And therefore, I made a point of re-reading Deathly Hallows again before Part 1 came out and I just finished re-reading it again as I will be seeing part 2 of the Deathly Hallows tomorrow night with my friend Marcus.
The end of the Harry Potter series affected me like when I approached the end of reading The Lord of the Rings for the first time back in Junior High School. I traveled 'There and Back Again" with all of the characters and as they were no saying goodbye to each other, I felt like I was saying goodbye to them as well... I cried then, and I cried again when I re-read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings before the release of the movie version of "LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring' on December 19. 2001.
Another 2001 reference.
I teared up saying goodbye to Harry, Hermoine and Ron as I closed the book last night and I wonder how I will be when I watch the movie tomorrow evening?