Group Read

Cyndi Kingsley

Cyndi Kingsley

Former Gryffindor HoH | Mother of 3
 
Messages
36,595
OOC First Name
Cyndi
Blood Status
Mixed Blood
Wand
Knotted 15 Inch Flexible Oak Wand with Meteorite Dust Core
Age
4/2005
For this tenth birthday celebration, we thought we’d do something that hasn’t been done before. When the idea was presented at our most recent staff meeting, it was met with a great deal of enthusiasm and I hope that you all are just as enthusiastic about the idea.

In 1997, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone was published, changing the world, as we knew it. Although we came to the fandom at different times and for different reasons, it is this first book that started it all.

Starting on May 1, 2015, we would like to begin a group (re) read of the book, and we hope that you’ll join us in doing that. We thought it would be great to have this topic where we can share stories of how we entered the fandom, your memories of first cracking the book open, your thoughts as you read the book (for the 1[sup]st[/sup] :o or 20 [sup]th[/sup] :cool: time) and anything else you want to about being part of the fandom. If you want to post a picture of your copy, that’d be great too!

We also thought it would be neat to bring this conversation to Twitter, if you’d prefer to do that. If you’d like to use that option, please use the hashtag: #HNZreadsHP1 which is how we’ll keep track of any conversation that happens there. ^_^

If you all enjoy this, I’m hoping that we can keep this going, scheduling time to read other books and maybe even watching the movies. We’ll see how it goes. :)

~Cyndi
(on behalf of the site staff)



Here’s my copy of the book. I actually have a first American printing, so it is Sorcerer's Stone for me, and I think it might have monetary value if I actually had the cover and had never cracked it open. I think the cover is somewhere in my closet because I don’t see why I would have thrown it away. :p It doesn’t much matter because I can’t see myself selling the book. Anyway, I actually received this book as a gift from my sister for my eleventh birthday and read it over the course of my Christmas vacation. I then promptly forgot about it until I received Goblet of Fire from my grandmother who told me that she had heard that the book was part of a popular series. =)) Only after I read the 4th one (yup, I read them out of order) did I remember that I had read another Harry Potter book years earlier. I ended up getting Chambers of Secrets and Prisoner of Azkaban that Christmas, and the rest is history. I read the books in order that Christmas vacation and fell in love. :wub: And that’s my memory of entering the fandom.
 
This sounds like the BEST IDEA EVER :woot:
 
I though Harry Potter was thee lamest thing when I first heard about it. My twin's class were reading it at school as the afternoon story time, and I was all like "THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS MAGIC." (Plus, me reading? Pft!)
Anyway, when the first movie came out on VCR, I was forced to watch it. I ended up with a huuuuge crush on Ronald Weasley, and thought it was the best ever movie. I waited eagerly for the second movie to come out (which it did pretty soon for me!), and after watching that one, I was in love! So I stole my sister's books and started reading them. And now she doesn't really even care about HP much xD But I still remember that she was going to marry Daniel Radcliffe, and I Rupert Grint haha!
 
I'm super psyched to do the reread of the book!

But, after locating my copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, I was obviously trying to remember how I got into Harry Potter. I remember my sister being way more into it than I was initially, just because I was pretty young at the time of the first book's release. The more I think about it the more I realise, I can't actually remember reading the first book for the first time. I read it around the time the first film had been released and the fourth book had been released, around that time, so I was about 8 or so. And while I remember reading the Chamber of Secrets really vividly mostly because I got bored during like the scene within the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets and just moved on to Prisoner of Azkaban, I actually honestly can't remember the first time I read the first book. I always remember Harry Potter being involved in some form in my life, and my french grandfather giving me the first book in french to read during one summer, which I still have somewhere I think. I know I read the first four one after the other, and that was that, I was a fan.
​
 
If you find the French one, I want pics!! :D
 
I cannot currently locate the whereabouts of my philosopher's stone book BUT I love this idea and I will search for it so I can join in! :D

I just remember watching the first film with Phoebe when I was very young, and having absolutely no idea what was happening. I just liked watching the magical stuff happen :lol: and then when I was old enough, I watched the first film again and realised it actually had a plot.. So then I read the books too. Although I still haven't read the goblet of fire I don't think.. hmm..
 
Please do, Claire! :)
So, you saw the movies first. Anyone else like that?
Talk about a trip down memory lane! It has been ages since I cracked this book open. I found this the other day and didn't realize just how fitting it was until I opened up to the first page and felt the nostalgia smack me. :p Anyone else experience that when they opened the book? Re-reading the first pages of the book again, the beginning so reminded me of Matilda, another favorite of mine.

I came across this article today and considering the first few pages are focusing on the Dursleys, I figured it would be fitting to post. :) What do you all think? I'm not convinced at all. :erm: The Dursleys didn't have Harry with them until the end of the first chapter and they already seemed like not-so-great people.
 
I love that picture =)) I've only read the books once I think, although I've read the first one several times. I only read them a couple of years ago though. I would go down to my local second hand book store and get the next one as soon as I finished the previous xD

Hmm, interesting article! I like their theory but I'm with you on that one. Pretty sure they were just horrible people already. Not to mention Petunia's (understandable?) hatred of her sister. Plus they only had that locket for a short time, meaning you don't have to be around a Horcrux for long to feel it's effects. So everyone around him would have been horrible pretty much 24/7 =))
 
I haven't been able to do much reading, but I have to say that the whole chapter with Hagrid coming into the island shack just after Harry turned 11 and telling Harry that he's a wizard in front of the Dursleys has to be one of my favorite parts of the whole series, certainly of the first book. Can any of you remember your favorite part of the first book?
 
I really like that part! Especially the bit where Petunia finally got to say all those things about her sister. My other favourite part would have to be where Hermione works out which potion Harry needs to drink, since I watched the films before I read the books and it was a new part I hadn't heard of before. Kind of a shame they took it out, to be honest!
 
Yes! I haven't reached that part just yet, but I remember trying to figure it out on my own from the clue. I was wrong. He would've been poisoned. xD
 
=)) I tried to do that as well! I'm pretty sure I got it wrong, too. Even after she picked the right one I couldn't understand how she came to that conclusion xD I get the feeling it's a very good job he had Hermione with him and not us :r
 
I haven't even had a chance to start reading it yet! Soon ^_^
I tried working it out as well, but is so hard. HERMIONE HOW YOU DO?!
 
xD Glad I wasn't the only one who got it wrong even though the clues were RIGHT THERE! xD

So, I'm finally up to the part where the house ghosts are being mentioned. What did you guys think of them? Did you have a favorite house ghost?

I know that a lot of people were very disappointed about Peeves not being in the films because they loved him in the books. I don't remember being one of the those people though. :p I think I was pretty indifferent about him in the books.
 
So I haven't gotten round to re-reading the book as my copy is at my parents house but I've read it a few times since I got it and once I actually finished it in less a day xD

The first time I encountered HP1, I didn't actually read it. In Primary 5 (when I was like 8 just to give you an idea of what point that is in school) my teacher would always have a reading hour after lunch, but she would read the book. Anyway, HP1 was one of the books and I remember the first day I heard it they were already a chapter or two in as I was off the day before and someone had to recap to me what had already happened up to that point.

I don't remember her reading the rest of the book and I can't exactly remember if I liked it or not (to be fair that was quite a while ago xD ) but I remember the next Chistmas & birthday I got the 3rd and 2nd book and I think I read them in that order (bless my parents who didn't understand what the whole thing was about or the order they were in xD ) until I got the first book and then read them in order.

Anyway, hopefully I'll get to read this at some point again, just thought I'd put this here :lol:
 
I was about seven or eight, when I saw the first film. I remember being absolutely amazed by it, and my Dad told me that it was actually a book too; though he hadn't read it. I don't remember reading it for the first time, if I'm honest. It's always sort of been a part of my life, for as far back as I really remember. I read the last book in two days at like twelve or thirteen. I was just after moving school at that point though, and I felt out of place and alone. I was firmly convinced that when I turned eleven, a letter would come, and if one didn't it simply meant I was a muggle; and hogwarts still existed. Eventually (sort of) grew out of that.
 
When I found out Rik Mayall's part as Peeves was cut from the films, I was incredibly disappointed, but moreso because Rik Mayall, and not because Peeves :r

Also I'm moving house soon but I'll probably be staying at my granddad's until we can find a place to rent. He has the entire collection of Harry Potter books (how awesome is that? =)) ) so I'll get a chance to read them all in a row then!!
 
Rik Mayall was meant to play peeves?!?! :o I loved peeves parts in the books but I thought of him as been a lot younger than Rik Mayall but he would have been class xD
 
Patricia Styx said:
Rik Mayall was meant to play peeves?!?! :o I loved peeves parts in the books but I thought of him as been a lot younger than Rik Mayall but he would have been class xD
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Yep! After he died there was this petition asking them to release his parts, because they actually filmed them and then he got cut out of the movie D: I would love to see them.
 
Well I have sort of got round to reading this... =))

I started it on Friday and got four chapters in before my cousin saw me reading them and asked me to read them to her. So now I've gone back to the beginning again and I'm reading them to her over Skype (she was only over for a few days). So all in all it's going to take a while longer than usual, so I'm going to do something radical and try and keep up on Pottermore with it, and play through all the PC games after each book. (I have all eight! :p ) I may even play the LEGO games as well ^_^
 
Ahh I love the PC games (I've 1-3, and I loved playing them in the PS too) and the Lego games are amazeballs xD
 
You totally need to get 5 and 6 then (they're definitely the best in my opinion). 7/8 were shooters and before that weren't very advanced. LEGO games are legend ^_^
 
James Adams said:
Well I have sort of got round to reading this... =))

I started it on Friday and got four chapters in before my cousin saw me reading them and asked me to read them to her. So now I've gone back to the beginning again and I'm reading them to her over Skype (she was only over for a few days).
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How old is your cousin? What does she think of the book so far?

I only have two sisters who like Harry Potter and that's how I got them into it. I used to read the books to them before they went to bed. :)
 
I just read the first chapter.
I'm absolutely amazed by J.K Rowling. Just the tiny pieces of information that she puts in - all the characters she has already made and the mention of them. It's incredible. Madam Pomfrey, Sirius Black, Dedalus Diggle. I just love it.
McGonagall's seems like someone I usually wouldn't like just by reading the first chapter, but she definitely grew on me in the other books - I friggen love her now.
Dudley is the biggest pain, how did Vernon just pat him on the head and laugh when he threw his cereal across the room?! Little brat.
 
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