It Took Me a Year and a Half to Read the Complete “Harry Potter” Series

Thank goodness I did though.

Flashback to the summer before freshmen year of high school. I was at Barnes and Noble with some family members who take me back to school shopping asked me:

“Do you any books appeal to you?”

At the time, not really. I was kind of burnt out on reading, but they insisted I should let them buy me one book. Then they asked something caught my attention.

“Have you ever read ‘Harry Potter?’”

“No,” I told them. “I haven’t, actually. I haven’t even watched the movies either.

“Would you want to read the series?”

I thought about this. The series seemed intriguing to me, but I was never a fan of fantasy novels. But I told them I would give a shot, anyway.

Before I knew, my journey into the world of Harry Potter began.

The Books Took Me Forever to Read

I don’t know why this happened, but it did.

I’m always excited to read a new book, and the first “Harry Potter” was no different. I was interested to see how his story began and where it would go, having not watched the movies.

Although there were tons of great action scenes and memorable moments throughout the series, there came several times I just couldn’t do it anymore.

Some parts were boring. Others almost made me fall asleep. Therefore, I stopped and started countless times while reading the entire series.

Each time I did, I hated myself. Many of my friends had both read and watched the series. I knew I had too as well if I ever wanted to discuss it with them.

Sometimes I just grew tired of reading about the Wizard world. But I knew had to finish it.

The Seventh Book Took Me Four Days

Even though the first six books took me a year and a half to read, the seventh one only took me four days.

What?!

No, I’m serious.

The last book was just so good; I couldn’t put it down at all. It answered all the loose end questions throughout the series, some that kept me up at night.

I don’t know why, but I just couldn’t stop reading. Maybe that’s the sign of a great book.

I finished it on Christmas Eve during my sophomore year of high school. And thank goodness, too.

Even though I will probably never read “Harry Potter” again, I completed it one time around, and for that, I was proud of myself.

Closing Thoughts

I don’t hate Harry Potter. I don’t love it either. I will recommend to anyone who has never read it before.

The books are stories filled with friendship, action, romance, comedy and everything in between. It’s a timeless classic perfect for anyone.

There will probably never be a day I dress up in a robe carrying a wand or try a Butter Beer, but I will support J. K. Rowling and the series in any way I can.

There’s talk about the Great American Novel. “Harry Potter” should be known as the Great American Series. It’s just that good.

If you haven’t read the books yet, you’re missing out. Whether you do or don’t like them, you won’t regret reading them.

Noah Nelson is a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign majoring in journalism with minors in political science and history. He serves as a senior columnist for The Daily Illini and a writer on Medium. “Life: A Collection of Short Stories” is his first book available now on Amazon.