Haven't read any of 'em, don't have any desire to. Fantasy just isn't my cup of tea, and judging from all the merchandise and movie ads and other unneccessary promotional stuff you see for Harry Potter, this stuff is far too cutesy for my tastes. If kids like it and it gets them into reading, then great. But it seems like adults could find a heck of a lot higher calibur books to read.
I read 3 or 4 books every month, and there are still hundreds if not thousands of books out there that I want and intend to read. I supposed if I ever get through all of those and have nothing else to read, I might consider giving HP a try. 🙂
I guess the thing about HP that bugs me is it's just so all over the G-D place. I mean, come on people, get a little creative. You CAN read something that the whole rest of the world is not also reading. Venture out a little, it's not going to kill you. If you like it, fine, but if it's the only thing you read, then it's time to broaden your horizons. Same goes for kids -- start them out on HP if they like it, but don't let it be the only thing they read.
ND