Slightly obsessed? Well, I guess I am. . .

Travis over at The Hog's Head posted a list of books that he owns that are Harry Potter related and asked us to share our own. I'm glad that I copied mine before I posted, because it doesn't seem to have made it past the spam catcher.

I admit that I am a collector of things, not just Harry Potter things. But for what it's worth, here is my list, or as complete a list as I am likely to compile.

It's a little disturbing when I stop to take inventory on my Harry Potter bookshelf, which has spilled onto a place on my desk because they won't all fit on just one shelf.

I have the 7 HP books, hardback and paperback (well, not DH yet as it hasn't been released in the US - I'll get it when it comes out). I have an extra copy of COS because Laura lost the dust cover and I wanted that one. I have an extra copy of POA, GOF and OP because my first ones fell apart. And I have the UK version of PS, brought to me by my sister-in-law who saw it in a book shop in Germany. (I'm glad she realized I'd want the UK one and not a translated German version, which I couldn't have read.)

And I now have all seven of the audio books, read by Stephen Fry.

And here's the rest of the list:
Sorcerer's Stone (10th Anniversary edition)
Order of the Phoenix, deluxe edition (from ebay)
Half-Blood Prince, deluxe edition (from ebay)
Deathly Hallows, deluxe edition (bought when I bought the regular one at midnight)

Fantastic Beasts
Quidditch Through the Ages
Tales of Beedle the Bard (bought three and gave one to each daughter)

by John Granger:
Looking for God in Harry Potter, 2004
Looking for God in Harry Potter, 2006? (found it in paperback at Amazon or somewhere - John was surprised I'd found a copy)
Hidden Keys
How Harry Cast His Spell
The Deathly Hallows Lectures (two copies, one was apparently mistakenly released early, and they are different)
Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys. . .

Harry Potter and Imagination, by Travis, which I'm quite enjoying and wish I'd been jotting down notes.

The Gospel According to Harry Potter, Connie Neal
The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter, David Colbert
Harry Potter and Philosophy, ed. Baggett and Klein (never finished it)
The Wisdom of Harry Potter, Edmund Kern
A Charmed Life, Francis Bridger
What Will Harry Do?, Janet Batchler
Harry, a History, Melissa Anelli

Traditional Symbols, J. C. Cooper (not HP, and written in the 1970s, but I bought it specifically because of HP and because I wanted something that wasn't influenced by HP)
. . . as well as some basic books on mythology, since my knowledge was definitely lacking

And then there is the shelf that has "stuff" that I have collected or been given by family members who shake their heads at my HP obsession. Included there are:
-the tiny water globes that came out with the first film
-Christmas ornaments
-the goofy HP glasses
-a wand, hand carved and painted by my talented son-in-law and daughter - when we went to Lumos 2006
-the collector's stones (I finally bought the golden snitch one since I couldn't get it by buying them at the store)
- the stones are in a cauldron-like goblet that my daughter etched with "Harry Potter"
-stamps my hubby ordered from the UK
-a small Hedwig
-a wand from Allivans given to me by my Day Camp co-site director when we had a Harry Potter themed week
-framed picture with the first 4 movie posters and cells from the films (not huge, and it was a gift from daughter, son-in-law and their friend - we had all gone to all of the midnight movies)
- a throw with a scene from HP and SS movie - crossing the water to Hogwarts (not on the shelf)

Oh, and a LOT of HP book marks, some of which say Bloomsbury on them instead of Scholastic - I'm not sure how those found their way to my B&N in Washington state, but there they are.

I also have HP mugs, one for each of the houses and one (gift) of Hagrid with Norbert.

I have a couple of movie posters from the first movie that were free at Sears and a poster from B&N for the HBP release.

Then there is the potions poster that was given to Laura that she stuck on her bedroom door (now my computer room) with what must have been a permanent sticking charm, as it's still there after 8 years. I particularly like Snape scowling over Harry's shoulder as Harry works on a potion.

And one of my favorites - a small badger sent to me by my friend from the Netherlands, Antoinette, since we are both Hufflepuffs. I knitted a small Hufflepuff scarf for it.

And last, but not least, the HP watch that Laura gave me that I still sometimes wear - with potions bottles on the face (just looks pretty and most people don't know it's HP), but not with the blue band. I switched that to a silver one a long time ago so it isn't so obviously a kid's watch.

There's more (little stuff), but that's definitely enough to list.

Like I said, I find myself "a bit scary" sometimes, as Ron told Hermione. I try not to scare everyone else quite so much by keeping it all (most of it anyway) contained in my computer room where they don't have to see it every day.

Now, everyone who is a packrat should feel better knowing that they are not alone. Actually, a packrat is never alone - or at least not alone in an empty or uninteresting room.

Pat

Banned Books Week

I always love this week out of the year. It is the ALA's Banned Books Week. It's not that I love the fact that so many books have been challenged or banned, it's just that I love the focus on so many books, books that should be available to everyone, that happens because of Banned Books Week.

I actually bought one of the American Library Assn. READ posters a few years ago, when Alan Rickman posed with a banned/challenged book. As it turned out, the book he is holding is Catcher in the Rye, which I have read. I didn't like it - at all. I read it in high school because so many people were talking about it. It's not one that I will read again, but I'm glad I read it for myself. And more than that, I'm thankful that I had a mom who encouraged me to read all the time. I'm also thankful that I was able to check out that particular book from my high school library. I didn't have to buy it or search for it. It was there, on the shelf, waiting.

I understand the point of having some guidelines for elementary schools, but mostly because there are books that just aren't age appropriate for six to eleven year olds. There are plenty of books they could be reading that would be a better choice than something like Catcher in the Rye. But the important thing is that books are available for those who want to read them, without someone or some group deciding for the students, young or older, or for adults, that a book shouldn't even be available.

I started reading Harry Potter in 1999, when I read a news article that talked about the growing group of parents who wanted to ban the books. So, of course, I went to the book store that day and bought the first book. Before I even finished reading it, I had returned to buy the second and third books. I was hooked. But more than that, I could honestly say to someone who didn't like Harry Potter that they should read the books for themselves before deciding they weren't good for children to read. I never talked to anyone who disliked the books and wanted them banned or even restricted who had actually read any of them.

And that is what people lose sight of when they start talking of banning books. They fail to see that a book they don't like (usually haven't read), might have something that will make it just the right book for someone else. If they don't want to read a book, or don't want their children to read a book, that's a family issue and choice. But their choice shouldn't influence whether or not other families chose something different.

It's not just about Harry Potter though. I always enjoy looking at the list of banned or challenged books and seeing just how many I have read, or that at least I've heard about them and thought I would pick them up some day.

If you are looking for a list of books to read, the Banned Books list is an interesting place to start.

Pat