I’m 28 years old. I do not have any kids.
Initially I didn’t read the Harry Potter books, even when they were getting all kinds of publicity and crushing the competition in the bestseller lists. I had suspected that the writing in the books would be “too young” for me, and that I probably wouldn’t enjoy them.
It wasn’t until a year ago, when my sister-in-law was telling me during the Thanksgiving dinner last year how much she enjoyed the first book, which she had read on a plane from Ohio to Oregon. She asked if I had read it, and got bug-eyed when I said I hadn’t.
“How can a bookworm like you ignore these books?” she said. She produced her copy of the first book and told me, demanded that I read it. I did, and I was hooked. After returning the book to her, I bought all of the rest of the books as quickly as possible, and loved them all, especially the fourth book.
Recently I’m re-reading the series, and I confess to feeling self-conscious reading them in public. At the sandwich shop where I have often have lunch, the dust jacket has been removed from the book and I keep the spine away from public view. Perhaps there is no good reason for me to do this, but it does feel strange for someone my age to be reading a book that is so strongly marketed at the younger set.
This self-consciousness was recently reinforced when someone at the sandwich shop asked me last week what I was reading as she passed by to wipe off the tables. I showed her, and she said, “Aren’t you a little old for that kind of stuff?”
Embarrassment galore.
[sub]made me feel about this small[/sub]
She seemed to recognize my discomfort, and considering how I was a regular customer there (to the point where I no longer have to tell them what kind of sandwich I’m having and how to make it…they just get started on it as soon as I walk in the door), she backed off and said, “I’m sorry.”
But it has left me with a funny feeling about it ever since, and the feeling was amplified when I went to see the recent movie adaptation (which I thoroughly enjoyed, BTW). Lotta kids in that theatre, more kids than are usually present at the kind of movie fare I frequently see.
Am I too old for these books? My tastes normally gravitate towards non-fiction science and history books, fiction by authors such as Isaac Asimov, Neal Stephenson, Terry Pratchett, and Douglas Adams. J.K. Rowling seems like a bit of a departure from this.
Personally I’m inclined to say, “Screw it. Who cares what others think? I enjoy these books and that’s all that matters.” I’m a serious bookworm, reading an average of anywhere from 2 to 5 books a week. My reading time is valuable to me, and I certainly wouldn’t waste it on a series of books that was beneath me in terms of the sophistication of the writing.
But I would like to know if there are a lot of adult Dopers out there who have read the books. Especially if you read them despite the fact that you don’t have any kids…I know a few adults that ending up reading them just to see what their offspring was carrying on about. I know that my sister-in-law (who is a few months older than me) is one of those few adults who read it without any prompting from the younger set. My stepmother though was hounded by her nephews to read them, and she got hooked.
So, am I alone on this?
, and I can’t justify buying them when I can borrow them anytime I want.