Is Harry Potter a keeper?
I loved jimps' comment on my post about the reading material of servicemen when they're abroad (see here).
Who would have thought two grown men - and two men in the special forces' boat service (SBS) at that - could come to blows over a copy of Harry Potter?
I mean these are guys who are off fighting the Taliban and carrying out maritime counter terrorism operations.
They must have really wanted to know if Hermione and Ron were going to get together...
Still, it has got me thinking about the power of that schoolboy wizard - even though the last book seems but a distant memory these days.
I wonder how long Harry's power will endure?
You only have to think of today's much loved classics - Pride and Prejudice, published in 1813; Wuthering Heights, published in 1847; Jane Eyre, published in 1847 and Great Expectations, published in 1860 - to name but a few.
Those four favourites are on average 167-years-old which means dear Harry needs to still be as adored as he is today in 2176 to even think about competing... hmmm, not sure I'll be around to find out.
Anyway, there's been no sign as yet to indicate what JK Rowling will be writing next and I don't envy her because there will be so much pressure (and no doubt criticism of whatever she produces) and she frequently admitted she struggled from time to time with Harry - let alone any bold new venture.
You only have to look at Helen Fielding to see what a struggle it can be to follow such global success... although Fielding's does pale by comparison.
She produced two fabulous and universally adored Bridget Jones' diaries before her Olivia Joules novel appeared to sink without a trace (anyone who read it will - like me - have only vague memories of the odd appearance of Osama Bin Laden somewhere near the end... it was a very weird moment and thankfully never happened to Bridget)
It's something of a dilemma for Rowling - to stick with the wizarding world or to waltz off into pastures new and no doubt equally fantastical.
Still, as long as she produces something worthy of a fist fight between two servicemen I think I might just give it a flick through.
(Here's the trailer for the forthcoming Harry Potter film if you're eagerly awaiting it!)
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Vicki Kellaway - a Merseyside reporter who would happily spend her days lounging about and reading - if she won the lottery. Vicki's in a book club, which consists of six girls who meet once a month to discuss their latest tome, drink a few glasses of wine and eat far too much cheese.
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I think it'll go down in the greats, how could it not with such record-high sales?
I think parents in the future will tell their children to read Harry Potter, like this generations parents told them to read Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time novels, and The Chronicles of Narnia.
I know for sure I'll be reading my kids these books when I'm older. I started at the age of 7...I hope they will be able to, as well. I can't wait to share them.