AIBU to have no interest in Harry Potter?

[Funkyslippers]

My DD (15) is obsessed, has read all the books and is currently working her way through the films for the 2nd time. Trouble is she expect me to watch them with her. We're on film no. 5. I could not even tell you much of what happened in the other 4 as I have zero interest and find my mind wandering while I'm watching them!

Maybe I should have read the books first.

Can’t belive what I’m reading.

You bunch of mud bloods.

I am a huge HP fan and I love the films. However I really don't think they make sense unless you have read the books, so much has been cut out of the films that I subconsciously use my knowledge of the books to fill the gaps so to speak. I am not at all surprised you are not enjoying them. Surely at 15 she can watch a film by herself?

Can you try and get her into Philip Pullman or Michael Morpurgo instead?

You’re not alone, I can’t stand it either. DD is obsessed, I don’t get what all the fuss is about. And as for all the Potter tatt, they can keep it. Had to listen to DD last night (she’s 26) rattle on about the new magical beasts movie coming out. She sounded like a 5 year old. I was practising lots of eye rolling and resting bitch face. I love her to bits, but just don’t understand her obsession with it.

YANBU. I've tried reading the books and just found them utterly boring, the film's even more so. I'm not a snob, I just don't get it. But to each their own, I suppose.

It's so nice that you watch them with her though despite it not being your first choice. I'm sure she appreciates it and genuinely enjoys it that much more because she's sharing it with you.

I think the fact the books have gaps and inconsistencies is actually a good point in their favour - noticing and debating these is great training for English, History, A level mod langs etc at school, and a gentle introduction into critically thinking about fiction as kids will be naturally motivated to do persevere with the more puzzling points due to the fact they're reading something they enjoy. Whereas if it were an unengaging, incontestably 'bad' series there might be plenty to pick at but there wouldn't be any reward in picking it apart as there'd be no immersion.

Talking aesthetics bores me to tears, I just want to enjoy the book, which means not page-counting and being able to tune out what's going on around me, or otherwise it's interesting if as a cultural product it's illustrative of some abstract idea (e.g. 'typical of its time') and can bring the theory to life in that way. HP def falls into the first category for me, love it (whereas my poor Sweet Valley Twins, I can barely read anymore!).

Oh dear, me too. I have a lot of time for JKR and I've enjoyed her detective series as Robert Galbraith, so I agree that the woman really can write! I just find the Harry Potter series a bit bloated and pedestrian. Some of my friends from university were/ still are fanatical about Harry Potter - identifying passionately as Slytherin or Hufflepuff, relating everything in their lives back to the books, etc. One of them was trying to launch a career as a writer of fiction in her thirties but she never read any fiction herself apart from Harry Potter because she said that they were perfect books. I always felt a bit left out, to be honest - it would have been great to share that passion. I love YA and children's fiction so it's not a book snob thing. The magic just isn't there for me.

Filthy Muggles.

Also, I find it very amusing when people go on and on about what a terrible writer JK is, how the films are awful, everything about the franchise is awful blah blah, yet always fail to offer their brilliantly written children's books for me to try, nor have I ever heard of them

YANBU not to like it (I can't stand it either).
Lovely of you to sit through it and grin and bear it for the sake of your DD though, she will remember the quality time spent with her mum when shes grown up and moved out.
If it's any consolation I have to sit through Blaze and the Monster Machines daily

Try telling people you can't see anything funny in Fools and Horses You mean its not just me who doesnt find it funny?

Her prose can be a bit clunky at times but she writes so beautifully about emotion. She is obviously a very sensitive and thoughtful person which makes her a great role model.

I definitely agree that anything a child is really into can be a great starting point for interesting and important conversations and getting them to examine and debate is building solid academic skills.

AIBU to wonder why there has been 18 Harry Potter threads in the last week?

Too early for my kids, thank goodness. Youngest DD like films were teenage boys fight werewolves and vampires.

I never really got into the books as a child, even then I found the writing clunky and didn't bother finishing the series. Films are equally dire, but my favourite ever conputer game was Harry Potter and the philosophers stone I spent many a happy afternoon playing it. I was much more into Phillip Pullman, I'm hoping DD feels the same when she's older as I don't want to have to read HP as bedtimes stories ad infinitum.

I didn't like the books but didn't mind the films. I wasn't a fan of DR as Harry Potter though. I felt he really let the films down.

I read the LOTR books at 15/16 - I found them amazing. I probably didn't understand them properly but I still couldn't put them down. I also loved the LOTR films.

ive never watched any of the films or read any of the books.

YABU the books are aimed at teens and reading them as an adult and judging them like adult fiction is unfair.

Enjoy the time with your DD as it will pass quickly and she will be grown up. She will remember you taking an interest in her passion.

YABU the books are aimed at teens and reading them as an adult and judging them like adult fiction is unfair.

I don't think any of us are judging them as adult fiction. Some of us have mentioned authors such as Philip Pullman who are much better writers. I love Anthony Horowitz and will read the Diamond Brothers or Alex Rider if I want a really easy page turner or The Power of 5 if I want something a little bit more challenging. There are lots of children's authors and YA authors that I enjoy reading.

JK Rowling has been great at encouraging children to read, but the HP books aren't particular well written.

Also, I find it very amusing when people go on and on about what a terrible writer JK is, how the films are awful, everything about the franchise is awful blah blah, yet always fail to offer their brilliantly written children's books for me to try, nor have I ever heard of them

So only published authors can criticise writers? Presumably only actors and directors are qualified to be film or theatre critics, only artists can comment on art, dances on dance etc etc.

It's perfectly possible to be unable to write of a sufficiently high quality to be worth publishing yourself and still to be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the books that you read. Anybody who publishes something that they'd like others to read should be able and willing to accept both positive and negative criticism.

Why do you have to sit with your 15 year old DD while she watches a film? I wouldn’t dream of watching something I had no interest in, don’t be a martyr.
Personally I have zero interest in HP books or films, read the first chapter of the first book & that was enough. My DS has enjoyed the films, fine, he can watch them on his own.
Also agree with the ‘cultural snobbery’ comments, if you admit to not liking various ‘popular’ cult viewings you are considered a cultural snob. No, I just don’t ‘get’ most popular shows these days.

Had to listen to DD last night (she’s 26) rattle on about the new magical beasts movie coming out. She sounded like a 5 year old.

Haha! That sounds exactly like my 23 year old DD! When she saw the trailer with clips of Hogwarts she was ridiculously excited.

TBF I do like the books and have seen the films so will probably go see the new film too

YANBU, you don't have to like them. My mum loved them and read them with all of us. My dad hates them and got so bored watching HP2 in the cinema he fell asleep (as the basilisk was attacking Harry! Dad, how could you sleep through that? lol). But he didn't mind taking us to see them, or watching them at home. I love them and know them backwards, but don't act shocked when people say they don't like HP.

All of my family, almost without exception, love Game of Thrones. I loathe it with a passion (too many reasons to go into) so I understand the difficulty of not being into something that your family members love! I've had too many talks from my brothers trying to convert me to it with an evangelical zeal. But then, they don't understand my love for Hamilton, so we're square.

I don't like opera. Not really keen on dance. Don't read crime novels. Have not read any of the Harry Potter books or seen the films. Each to their own, the OP is not unreasonable to have different tastes.

Yanbu. I read half of the first book (for a book club, not my choice) and abandoned it due to lack of interest. Never read any further, never watched a film. It's for children (and funnily enough neither of my children got into it either).