I read anything and everything I can get my hands on. I must confess I was slow to get started on Harry Potter, it was a few years after the first was released that I began. I loved it from the outset. I think when some people read this stuff they expect more of it than its intention. It was written for kids, about that age... 10-11 or so. The first book was an easy, enjoyable read. As the series matured, so did the books. As the characters matured, so did the books. She was still writing for the group she wrote for at first... but they were getting older. The books aged with them. I thought she did it brilliantly, and she does write well. Well enough for me to have then read The Casual Vacancy, and more recently, The Cuckoo's Calling. I will continue to read JK Rowling, but I'll also continue to read other authors as well. I tend to prefer sci-fi and murder/mystery/mayhem/spies... reading JK was a divergence, and a very pleasant one. I get fed up with seeing crits from people who havent ever read the books but who still manage to have an opinion about them. As for audiobooks, Stephen Fry's reading was far more pleasing (for me) than Jim Dale's.
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Originally Posted by DiapDealer
Exactly. Readers who just may follow her to another genre--where they could concievably get turned on to another author looking to make a splash.
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YES! I have a friend who is a complete NUTTER about anything Potter... but he is not limited to that, for his reading. His kids read the series when he introduced them to it, but they are moving on. One is now just in her first year at University and is spreading her literary wings. I'd hate to think there are people in the world who *only* read Potter/JK but really... i just cant imagine that those people exist. Bemoaning no more Potter isnt wrong or bad and doesn't signify incapacity to enjoy other genres. Any book/series that can get kids reading is GOOD. And for that, the Harry Potter series worked marvellously.