Sleep is pretty important to me, especially now, having Bodhi. He still (typically) wakes up once overnight and is a morning person, like both me and Robert, who wakes up for the day between 5:30 and 6:00 AM. Since I hate feeling tired during the day, I try to be asleep by 10:00. So on this night, in addition to my anxiety-inducing churning brain, I was a little fretful about still being awake at midnight. I knew my iPhone or the TV weren't the answer and was aimlessly paging through a Sunset Magazine when I remembered a recent article that I had read. It said that some insomniacs re-read favorite books over and over again to help them get to sleep at night. And suddenly, I was comforted. I got off the couch, grabbed Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone from my bookshelf and flipped through until I found the part where Harry is trying to get onto Platform 9 3/4: "Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine - platform ten. Your platform should be somewhere in the middle, but they don't seem to have built it yet, do they?"* I read about Harry meeting Ron, saw Hermione and Neville introduced, watched Harry stand up to Malfoy for the first time, fought my eyelids to get through the Sorting Hat's song and finally got to the part where Harry chooses his own fate, good over evil: "not Slytherin, not Slytherin." It was at that point that I finally fell asleep.
(Starting him young. I actually read the entire first book out loud to Bodhi when he was just a month old; it was a great way to pass the many, many hours we spent breastfeeding).
Okay, I know what some of you may be thinking about crazy Harry Potter fans. I get it; a long, long time ago, when I was in middle school, I was one of you. I thought books about wizards sounded like something only those boys who were obsessed with the game Risk would enjoy. But if you've read the books you know that Harry Potter is more than just a series of books about wizards. When I open one of those books I feel like I'm stepping through the wardrobe into the fresh snow that covered Narnia. It's this whole other world that is so vivid and real and yet it only exists on paper. It's characters that feel like long lost friends. It's life lessons woven intricately into amazing story-telling.** It's escapism at its very, very best. Thinking back over the past fifteen years or so, I can actually pinpoint moments where I was seeking guidance and something from Harry Potter came to me:
When I worked for a crazy (but well-respected) boss and wondered if the problem was me:
"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." -Sirius Black, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
When I didn't feel like meditating but I knew it helped my anxiety:
"Constant vigilance!" -Mad Eye Moody, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
When I was contemplating who to vote for in an election:
"Perhaps those who are best suited to power are those who have never sought it." -Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
When I was just having a bad week:
"Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light." -Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
When I wrote an entire blog about my love for Harry and wondered if I'd be judged: (😂)
"I am what I am, an' I'm not ashamed." -Hagrid, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
It's pretty fitting that this moment happened in late September because September and October, the months that elicit that nostalgic fall feeling, are the months when I feel the urge to re-read one of my favorite Harry Potter books. So, I'm curious: for all of my fellow Harry Potter fans, which is your favorite book? (Or movie, if you're a movie fan. But let me tell you again, because I'm sure you've already been told, the movies simply don't do the books justice).
Personally, I fall into what I think is a majority in saying that my favorite book is #3, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I just think the plot was so smart in this book and it's also after this that the series takes a darker turn. I like the dark turn, but I also like the innocence of the first three books. That said, #3 is very closely followed by the final book, #7, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I love the idea of the deathly hallows; how they supposedly originated in an old children's tale, how they had been passed on, how it's a quest for believers. When I closed this book for the first time, I was just in awe of the genius of J.K. Rowling. So much of this series had to have been mapped out in her head at the start and it was just amazing to see it all come together in the end. On the flip side, I have a really hard time reading #5, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I won't get into the why, because I'm hoping this blog might inspire some non-readers to try the series, but I've probably only read this book twice.
(Visiting Hogwarts in 2016)
Okay, so I really want to know! Tell me your favorite book in the comments here or over on Instagram (wethreeblog or my personal account, carriebacker). And if you haven't read the books, let this blog post be magical sign that you need to this fall. If for nothing else, the cure for your sleepless night will be right on your bookshelf.
*Direct quotation from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
**For any of you really big Harry Potter fans there is an interesting podcast I've listened to once or twice while working out called Harry Potter and the Sacred Text. The authors basically read the text through a religious lens. I know, I know....a little weird. But when you think about it, there are some very big parallels to the Christian faith in the books (right off the bat, Lily Potter dying to save her son comes to mind). If nothing else, it's interesting food for thought.
(top photo via amazon.com)
Guess I'll have to try them! I did read the firs one, and liked it. So many books! So little time! :)
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