Potter magic enchants adults, too.Byline: Jeff Wright Jeff Wright can refer to:
Like most of her friends, Vie Radek of Eugene has read all four of the Harry Potter books - twice - and seen both Harry Potter movies and already arranged to snatch snatch removal of a newborn animal from the dam before it has an opportunity to suck. The objective is to rear it independently and free of colostrum-borne infection or of colostral antibodies. her copy of the fifth Harry Potter book when it comes out on Saturday. Vie Radek, in other words Adv. 1. in other words - otherwise stated; "in other words, we are broke" put differently , is wild about Harry. She's also 48 years old - and not the least bit embarrassed about getting so caught up in a children's book series about a teen-age orphaned or·phan n. 1. a. A child whose parents are dead. b. A child who has been deprived of parental care and has not been adopted. 2. A young animal without a mother. 3. wizard. "Not at all," says Radek, controller for a computer software company in Eugene. "A good book is a good book." Millions of fans can barely contain themselves as they await author J.K. Rowling's fifth installment, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," which becomes available for sale at midnight Friday. Thousands of those fans are Radek's age or older. Think we exaggerate? Tell it to the 7,200 Internet users Internet user n → internauta m/f Internet user Internet n → internaute m/f across the country who belong to the Harry Potter for Grown-Ups chat group. Or to the more than 500 grown-ups who already have signed up for the inaugural Harry Potter symposium (sample abstract title: "Education at Hogwarts: A Closer Look") slated for Orlando, Fla., next month. Radek, an avid reader who lives with her husband and cat but no TV, already has put a "hold" on one of the 100 new Potter books that the Eugene Public Library will make available to patrons on Saturday. Her husband, software editor Steve Lange, also has a copy on hold. "We didn't want to fight," Radek explains. "We won't be doing much (other than reading) that weekend." They won't be alone: The book's U.S. publisher has commissioned a record first printing of 8.5 million copies. The Borders bookstore chain has received more than 300,000 pre-orders, including more than 1,000 at its Eugene store, says manager Katie Reed. Radek says she plans to eventually buy the book - "I'll read it again" - but decided to try the library first. However, some will have to wait: The library already has more than 140 "hold" requests, and only 25 of its 100 copies are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Like many libraries across the country, Eugene's has long recognized that Harry Potter isn't just for kids. That's why 25 of the new books will be shelved in the adult fiction area, with the rest divided among the young adult and children's sections and the library's two branches. Harry Potter has proven so enormously popular - the first four novels have worldwide sales exceeding 190 million - that rival authors complained when Rowling's books dominated the top of the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Times Best Sellers List. The Times responded by creating a separate category for children's books - a move that Penny Linsenmayer, for one, thinks was too hasty hast·y adj. hast·i·er, hast·i·est 1. Characterized by speed; rapid. See Synonyms at fast1. 2. Done or made too quickly to be accurate or wise; rash: a hasty decision. and downright down·right adj. 1. Thoroughgoing; unequivocal: a downright lie. 2. Forthright; candid. adv. Thoroughly; absolutely. wrong. Author Rowling "has actually been pretty vocal that she didn't write the books with any specific audience in mind," says Linsenmayer, a lawyer from Houston who created the Harry Potter for Grown-Ups Web site and is organizing next month's Harry Potter symposium. By the time the seven-book series is completed, Harry Potter will be 18 years old "and how can that possibly be construed as a book for 8-year-olds?" asks Linsenmayer, 37. "To me, it's no different than `To Kill a Mockingbird' and other great literature involving a younger protagonist." So what is it about Harry and pals that clicks with the 20-30-40-50-60-year set? Linsenmayer, who leans toward nonfiction, says she was enthralled en·thrall tr.v. en·thralled, en·thrall·ing, en·thralls 1. To hold spellbound; captivate: The magic show enthralled the audience. 2. To enslave. from the moment she bought an extra set of the first three Potter novels - they were on sale and she figured she could always give them away - four Christmases Four Christmases is an upcoming 2008 comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. Plot A couple (Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn) tries to visit the homes of all four of their divorced parents on Christmas Day. ago. "I remember putting down the first one, handing it to my husband, telling him `you must read this,' and going to the shelf and picking up the second one." For Linsenmayer, it's the richly drawn characters that resonate res·o·nate v. res·o·nat·ed, res·o·nat·ing, res·o·nates v.intr. 1. To exhibit or produce resonance or resonant effects. 2. . Rowling, she says, makes you care about Harry and Ron and Hermione and all the rest - in complex ways that can cause plenty of spirited disagreement among readers. Many adult fans, including Radek, are longtime long·time adj. Having existed or persisted for a long time: a longtime friend; a longtime resident of Detroit. longtime Adjective fantasy and science fiction aficionados. A fast reader who knows how "to take words and change them into pictures," Radek says she is taken by Rowling's powers of description "that put you right there." But even more compelling, says Radek, is watching the characters "discover the human experiences we all share - good and evil and friendship and loss and longing." Radek, for example, lost her mother when she was 10 years old: "I can really relate to the hole that Harry feels - that total longing for his parents." Tom Atkinson of Springfield, another adult Potter-holic, says he's a big fan because "it's fun to suspend your beliefs and think that maybe there is a world where wizards exist." A former school board member, Atkinson first picked up a Potter book when he heard grumblings about its depictions of witchcraft witchcraft, a form of sorcery, or the magical manipulation of nature for self-aggrandizement, or for the benefit or harm of a client. This manipulation often involves the use of spirit-helpers, or familiars. and magic and whether it was appropriate fare for schoolkids. The books continue to draw criticism on that score - ranking No. 1 last year on the American Library Association's "Most Frequently Challenged Books" list. Atkinson concluded Harry Potter's magic was benign, but also very real: Who else could persuade millions of youngsters and grown-ups alike to devour de·vour tr.v. de·voured, de·vour·ing, de·vours 1. To eat up greedily. See Synonyms at eat. 2. To destroy, consume, or waste: Flames devoured the structure in minutes. tome-length fiction (the new Potter saga is 768 pages long) with such gusto GUSTO Cardiology A series of clinical trials that have examined a series of strategies to reduce the M&M of acute MI; the GUSTOs include: Global Utilization of Streptokinase & tPA for Occluded coronary arteries trial–GUSTO I; Global Use of Strategies ? As for Harry, what's not to like? "He's a kid who adapts to circumstances and overcomes very strong obstacles, and he does it with great modesty Modesty See also Chastity, Humility. Bell, Laura reserved, demure character. [Br. Lit.: Pendennis] Bianca gentle, unassuming sister of Kate. [Br. Lit. ," says Atkinson. "He's almost embarrassed by the fame he has." Even at age 48, it's pretty easy to relate, says Atkinson. "I'm not a wizard," he says, "but I like to think that Harry Potter and Tom Atkinson both accept their abilities and try to make the most of them." HARRY POTTER BOOK RELEASE PARTIES Mark your calendar for Friday night Barnes & Noble bookstore, 1163 Valley River Drive: Begins at 8 p.m., face painting, wand-making, trivia, magic show, costume parade, door prizes, book sales begin at 12:01 a.m. 687-7557. Borders Books Music & Cafe, 5 Oakway Center: Begins at 9 p.m., costume contest, face painting, live music, story hour, trivia, cake, book sales begin at midnight. 345-6072. HARRY POTTER FOR ADULTS Internet chat: Groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups or e-mail hpforgrownups@yahoogroups.com Symposium: Visit www.hp2003.org Sample symposium titles: "The Geography of Harry Potter" "Labor and Class Concerns in Harry Potter" "Jewish Perspectives on Harry Potter" "Moral Development in Harry Potter" "The Importance of Being Ron" "Harry Potter and the Paradox of Girl Power" "The Danger of Dynamics: Transport in the Harry Potter Series" "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: A Case Against the Death Penalty" "Prisoner of Azkaban Redux Refers to being brought back, revived or restored. From the Latin "reducere." : Harry Potter and the Dance with Depression" "Lord Voldemort's Gift for Spreading Discord Discord See also Confusion. Andras demon of discord. [Occultism: Jobes, 93] discord, apple of caused conflict among goddesses; Trojan War ultimate result. [Gk. Myth. & Enmity: The Rise of Evil in Harry Potter" "Marketing and the Critical Backlash against Harry Potter" "When Harry Met Jane: The Legacy of Austen in Rowling's Harry Potter" |
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