I loved the Harry Potter series! Man, Bill, I think you're just like me in some regards--particularly with having a distaste for anything wildly popular. What I mean is that you start to read something like Harry Potter, and keep thinking, "Man, what the heck is all the fuss about? This is nothing special," etc. I had that same reaction but kept reading, and eventually it did spark my interest. It did take a lot longer than one damn chapter, though. More like about half way through the book.

I don't think I ever had the same affection that I would if I had read this back when I was, say, 12 (back then it would have been a revelation like Tolkien!), but it's great stuff--especially for kids reading their first novel. It's not like we're talking typical teen books, either, some of these mothers clock in at 500 pages or more.

I think I'll make it a point this summer to try to read at least one novel from each other on this list. Maybe I'll try to get through Twilight, even, though I still wonder if they put that on there as a joke. We ARE talking about some of the greatest comedic designers ever.