Harry Potter and the Great Re-Read of 2011

In preparation for the final Harry Potter movie, I'm rereading the entire series.  Now, I've basically been reading HP since the summer of 2002, and as soon as I would finish whichever books were available at the time, I would take a cue from Brian McKnight and start back at one.  I kept up this trend until about a year and a half ago, when I started getting into more books and decided to give Harry + Co. a well-deserved break.  That being said, I've probably read the entire series about a billion times (both the US and the UK versions).

Since I have read them so many times, I tend to lose the meaning and the importance of the words on the page, letting my eyes run over them in a familiar manner without letting anything really sink in.  I started thinking about this a few months ago when my mom was reading the series for the first time, and I had the chance to see it through her eyes.  She'd make a comment about certain passages or plot points, and I'd think, "Man, how could she tell that from so far into the beginning?"  I felt as though I were taking these characters for granted, treating them like comfort food more than anything else. 

With that inspiration and keeping those thoughts in mind, I am doing this reread slowly and carefully, trying to fully appreciate the words on the page and the deeper meanings to them for the first time since I cracked their spines.  I also plan on writing an entry for each novel and talking about my favorite chapter after I finish each one.  In order to do this before the movie comes out, I've got to read about 4 chapters a day.  So far, I'm at a good pace, and I can probably finish before the deadline (which is about a week before the movie is released).  I haven't purposefully done this before any of the other movies, mostly because I didn't want to ruin a movie by noticing all the things that were changed and/or omitted.  I'm kind of excited about this.

Also, if you happen upon one of the 7 entries, please feel free to post your own thoughts about the books, whether they are telling me that you agree with my choice or telling me that I need to find a hobby, mate.  I'm so very anxious to see this film, and I'm hoping I won't be the worst crier in the theater...