Harry Potter

So on Saturday I was at BJ's Wholesale Club picking up groceries and various other odds and ends when I spotted the 7th and last J.K. Rowling novel Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. At $18 combined with my curiosity and my own personal desire not to have the ending ruined for me, I picked it up. I finished it that evening and I have to conclude it was a good read. I have loosely kept up with the whole Harry Potter phenomenon having read all the books and seen a few of the movies. It is interesting that my generation is the last generation where children read novels and literature for pleasure. I may have a skewed perspective but I definitely get the feeling that today's youth spends less time reading literature and instead spends more time online, texting and watching tv/movies and playing videogames. With that in mind, I find it shocking that last and seventh Harry Potter will never be on the New York Times Bestsellers list. The Times had decided a while back that children's books should be given their own category... This amuses and saddens me at the same time because there is going to be a plethora of adults who will read this book and I am sure that it would be on top of that list for quite a long time, if it fit the New York Times' requirements. What is sad is that without future so called children's novels being put on the best sellers lists I think the next blockbuster novel might not gain the acclaim and popularity that Harry Potter has. The first Harry Potter did in fact make it on to the best sellers list. For those of you who argue but it's just one newspaper's list who cares, I argue that with so many books being published the majority of our nation uses these lists to get an idea of what books to look at first. Best sellers are also stocked in more stores and are displayed more prominently. If someone can legitimately argue NYT's stance on not including children's literature in their best sellers list I would love to hear it because to me it just seems that there is no reason not to. Sure put it on the children's list but it is still fits the bill in their overall list as well.

With that out of the way, I do recommend that anyone who has a slight interest in Harry Potter or who wouldn't mind a fast but thick novel pick up a copy before people spoil the plot and conclusion of the series for you.