The Wal-Mart factor is also important. Considering most of their "selection" consists of the Left Behind series and similar books, I'm not sure this is something to be proud of.

I think that the 1% is also independent-only bookstore numbers, but I might be misreading. If that's true, then it could be a good sign: independent bookstores have been suffering for years, and many independent bookstores even refused to carry Harry Potter in the face of the big box discounts.

I've never read or seen the Harry Potter blah-blahs. I just refuse to believe that I'm missing anything. Maybe someone could convince me otherwise, but I doubt it.

Personally, because I am poor, I trade books with friends and use the library. About once a month I hit up Half Price Books, and maybe once a quarter I hit up Elliott Bay or Bailey Coy for a serious splurge.

"When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes." -- Erasmus

The entire industry was bracing for a steep dropoff in sales after Potter ended -- didn't UK publisher Bloomsbury's stock take a gigantic hit?

I'm not saying kids reading Harry Potter - and therefore reading at all - is a bad thing. I'm saying there are books that are more book and less hype. And I do not understand childless adults who read Harry Potter for pleasure. I understand their existence, and I understand their right to read whatever they like, but I will never grasp their motivation.

Have you read the books? They're not - obviously - high-quality Literature, but they are a fun, and even exciting, read. As a series they are very well constructed.

So, I guess my motivation is to read something fun and engrossing every once in a while; call me a philistine.

No one's saying - obviously - that Harry Potter is the first thing to get kids reading ever in the world. But it has gotten a lot of kids reading, and they've probably mostly gone on to read those mentioned above, and others. Right? How is that bad?

Don't we need to go find some kids who are reading and take away their books and manga and graphic novels to study them?

I read a lot as a kid. I've always read. So while I appreciate the anecdotal evidence of Katelyn, and Abby, and countless others who say these books affected them or their loved ones, the idea that someone would not generally enjoy reading but would enjoy Harry Potter doesn't resonate with me. Fantasy novels aimed at children - better fantasy novels aimed at children - are plentiful; did anyone try reading one of those with their child before they bought into the Harry Potter machine and then claimed it changed their lives?

I'm honestly not trying to be a jerk, and in no way am I claiming that my literary tastes are "better" than anyone else's, but I've carried a grudge againtst Harry Potter since he first burst onto the scene, and rather than be the bigger person and give it up, I await the day that he is no longer relevant and I don't have to hear about him anymore.

I dislike the magnitude, virulence, and monopoly of the Harry Potter franchise. Why do some people dislike Microsoft, or Starbucks? Because it's everywhere, it's in your face, and it's mediocre.

I am a big fan of the Harry Potter books. I've read them all at least twice, the earlier ones probably four times apiece. Why do I enjoy them so much? Because I think that to some extent they are not just books but part of an ARG. There are puzzles, riddles, clues, hints, references, allusions, and such that build an play off each other throughout the series. Each book, and really the entire set of the books, is a clock with many moving parts meticulously laid out. It can be very interesting to try and follow a particular component through the bits that show through the narrative. Or you can play spot-the-children's-literature-reference. It's a game. It's fun.