Why I moved on from Harry Potter — perhaps you should, too

I am — was — a self-confessed Potterhead, but I am past my Potterhead phase. A lot of it has to do with the author’s recent social media snafus. But even before the mess that is J. K. Rowling, I realized I haven’t felt connected to the Potterverse in a long time.

Mind you, while I re-read the first book multiple times, I read the rest of the books just once. This was only because I had a copy of the first book, entrusted to me by my sister, while the rest were borrowed. Later on, my eldest sister got copies of books 2–6, but I never really felt the need to read them again because, at that point, the movies were already out.

At the peak of my Potterhead phase, I would visit Rowling’s website for Easter eggs. I think it was a flash-based website where certain actions would unlock drafts of the book or doodles by Rowling. I even read fan fics while waiting for the next books to drop! That was a trip.

Eventually, life got in the way and my Potterhead cleared. The movies, while I still thoroughly enjoyed them, did not quite match my expectations. Hermione was too pretty, Hogwarts looked smaller, and the magic just seemed more impressive in my head. But that’s par for the course. I mean, how many times has the phrase “the book is better” been uttered.

The last time I indulged my inner Potterhead was a couple of years ago when my family went to Universal Studios Japan and we visited The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. What I took away from the trip was that I was no longer enamored by the world… and I also got a mug.

My site is up! Visit www.storytimeasia.com to read the rest of my Harry Potter musings.