My great aunt bought me the first four books when I was ten, and I have to admit that I didn't go into them expecting a lot. I was always big into books and reading, it wasn't that. The truth was, my Auntie usually bought me books that she remembered reading, so there was a lot of Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys. Anyone who's looked through those might remember them being painfully boring, so I was suspicious even as I opened Sorcerer's Stone.
That was the first time the Harry Potter series blew away my expectations. After that, I was thrilled every time it happened, even when Snape wasn't evil (though I still hate him.) The books quickly became my favorite series. I remember sitting in a restaurant with my nose in Goblet of Fire, and my mom berated me for reading at the table. Whenever she wasn't looking, I'd crack it open on my lap and read just a little bit more.
It's still defying my expectations, even years after the final book in the series came out. I've spent a lot of time discussing the series as a whole, but going through this class has made me look at each book individually again. I can't believe how much I missed, even after rereading more times than I can remember. I was still blown away when Professor Heller pointed out that Harry's discovery of Nicholas Flamel was dependent on him being kind and understanding to Neville. Every class reminds me that I set the bar too low still. Wolfgang is definitiely right. The best books defy our expectations. So what do you say about a series that has been defying your expectations for the past decade?
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