Musing Monday (Nov. 24)

Well I'm very excited to be writing up my first go around at Monday Musings - I hope the questions are up to snuff and that I don't overlap with previous weeks - though I'm sure you'll let me know if I do!

How do you feel about wide-spread reading phenomenons - Harry Potter, for instance, or the more current Twilight Saga? Are these books so widely read for a reason, or merely fads or crazes? Do you feel compelled to read - or NOT to read - these books because everyone else is?

Pleave a comment with the link to either your own Musing Mondays post, or share your answer here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I tend to think that if a book (film, issue, whatever) is receiving public opinion, then it's probably for a reason - whether good or bad. And it's really hard to have an opinion on these these if I haven't read them myself ... and what can I say, I like to have an opinion! I don't necessarily feel 'compelled' or 'required' to read such books, but the community aspect that comes from having done so is always nice.

I remember when the Harry Potter series was in it's first wave of insane popularity. I remember being so excited to see little kids (though, to be honest, they probably weren't all that much younger than I was at the time) reading - and so voraciously. The excitement that surrounded the reading of these books was amazing - and still is.

Twilight would definately have to be the HP of the moment. I hadn't intended to read the series at first, but was told quite firmly that I "had too", "simply MUST" read these books by the kids I had for my first prac this year. Every week they'd check - "Have you read it yet???" I figured I had to just to get some peace - so I guess there was some compelling there...

I like the same community aspect that has grown up around these books (though it's definately narrower that that of HP). I went on an excursion with some Year 12 students from my second prac this week and every time we stopped for a drink or a break of any kind (even when we didn't stop) they'd all gather around each other - "where are you up too?", "oooh, the next part's GOOOOD!", "don't you just love it when...", "...yeah, she likes the kissing parts too."

I guess the difference between a fad or a craze and a phenomenon or cult classic is it's staying power - and that only time can tell.