Book Blues

I shouldn't feel this way; I've read these books at least three times. So even though I finished the last page in the last book yesterday, why am I still re-living the battles in Harry Potter, contemplating the character's choices, longing for a chocolate frog or cauldron cake, and hoping for the adrenaline rush as I glide with Harry on his broom as he snatches the snitch?

There's something about these books that draw you in and make you feel so part of the world and the characters' lives that when you're spit back out once it's all over, you have left part of yourself inside the story. I think this is the mark of a great story-teller; that they weave so complex and convincing a world that the reader does not want to leave. The reader will continue returning to the world and characters because the people in the book are friends and the story-world is a kind of home-away-from-home. At least, that's why I re-read novels.  

Rowling does an exceptional job of world-building in this series and the characters seem so real, that is is almost painful to step away from Hogwarts and Harry. It is easier, of course, to bring the reader deeply into a series than a stand-alone book, since the author has more time the build the world and develop the characters. But I have been sad to leave stand-alone novels as well, such as Ella Enchanted and The Giver. Learning from these best-selling books and authors, I want to lace my stories with this kind of magic, the kind of magic that lures the reader back for seconds and thirds and teaches them something new each time.  

Have you ever had the book blues? How did you cope? :) 

What books have you not wanted to leave and why? 

How can writers keep readers interested in their books and make sure they return to the story in the future? 

I'm not going to do a review on this series because it would be too long. However, I did a review on the fourth book, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which is probably my favorite of the series. That and the last one, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Needless to say, if you have not read these books, go do so NOW! You won't regret it! 

WARNING: These books may cause blurry eyes, obsessive or addictive reading, a belief in magic and snargaluffs, and the desire to ride a broom through the air. 

Hogwarts