Re-reading Harry Potter

Recently, I've gotten back into Harry Potter. I've always loved Harry. I believe I was in third grade when I first started reading until the 8th movie came out he was such a pivotal part of my childhood like most other 90s kids. 

I always adored the books. When I first started reading I read the first three books then I kept starting the 4th one but couldn't get through it (think it was too advanced for my age at the time). I would always get halfway and never finished.

I remember my grandma loving to read Harry Potter we did it together. She passed away before the sixth one came out and I was thinking of her the entire time I read it. She would've loved it. Then I got really into the 6th one and when the 7th one came out we were in Portland for my Uncle's wedding and the 7th book had come out it was so exciting. We went to Powell's which is a major bookstore in Portland. I think I was about 14 when I read the 7th one and my mom, sister and I breezed through them. At this point I had read all the books except for the end of the 4th one! How crazy. 

Then with the movies, looking through a filmmaker lens, I believe they are incredible. They are still my inspiration for films I want to make. I even copied a shot for shot in my own film because I love the shot of Sirius in the cell when Hermoine blasts the padlock open and he looks at Harry and Hermoine. It's one of the few series where I feel like the movies are something to marvel at on their own they are so good. If I was a professor, I would teach about them in my imaginary film class. 

The movies were a way to visually mark my coming of age as Harry was coming of age. He was 17 in the movies and I was 17 going to see the first Deathly Hallows. I believe I went to see that a dozen times in the theaters. No joke. My best friends and I use to buy $1 movie tickets at this beaten down cheap theater in Orlando. I loved every minute of it. 

Currently, I am re-reading the 4th book (woohoo going to finish it this time!). I asked for the Harry Potter series for Christmas so I could re-read them and get Chris into reading them. He had never read them all the way through before so thought it was a magical reason to get him back into reading. We also just visited Harry Potter World in LA with my cousins who are also experiencing the series for the first time. It was precious and wonderful getting to see their faces as they used their wands. 

We have a mini 1/2 bath underneath our stairs and I am turning it into a Harry Potter themed bathroom. I want it to be classy Harry and not tacky. I have been following a few Harry Potter collectors online. I'll share my finds in another post. 

What are you reading? Are you a Harry Potter fan? When did you first fall in love with it? What's your favorite book and movie? 

My favorite book of the first ones is Prisoner of Azkaban and of the last group is half blood prince. My favorite movies are both Deathly Hallows.