I Don't Get It

I've never read a single word of a Harry Potter book nor have I seen any of the movies.

Most of the time, when I tell people this, I get a reaction very similar to the one I get when I tell people I own a gun. Except stronger.

Sometimes when Harry Potter comes up in conversation, I go mute so as to not draw attention to my willing ignorance of the subject and thereby becoming a potential target for shock and awe.

This normally is an issue whenever a new book or movie comes out, and now it seems doubly so with the latest film and the "final" book being released within about a week of each other. (I am seriously doubting this is the last of the Potter-related fiction. Ms. Rowling surely will not slaughter her precious cash cow, especially not one who's made her richer than HRH Elizabeth II.)

There are numerous reasons why I've yet to board the PotterMania Train. One is that I've never been a big fantasy reader. Reading Tolkein is like trying to plod through those genealogical parts of the old testament. I couldn't even make it through the first 100 pages of Eragon which was supposed to be so brilliant. The Narnia series is the pinnacle of fantasy writing for me, and it's hard to do any better than my man C.S. Stephen King's Dark Tower series (what I've read of it) is not half bad either.

But for the most part, I'm a literary and horror gal who likes to mix high minded fiction with a strong shot of zombie action.

Another reason is my stubborn, compulsive non-conformist nature. The moment something becomes a national phenomenon I avoid it on general principle. Which is why I never got into Friends or The DaVinci Code or that chick lit crap.

While I am sure the Potter series is very compelling and well-written and imaginative, I just won't pick them up. The movies seem good and are probably entertaining, especially the commercials for this latest one, and each one boasts a cast that is like the Who's Who of the British acting world. I just won't watch them. I am She Who Is Not Like The Other Ones.

I certainly don't begrudge the Potter fans, even though the more ardent ones come across as a bit cultish and not unlike those people who get into Amway. Please don't try and convert me.

I just don't get it.