Friday Following & Hopping #30

Happy Friday and welcome to A Myriad of Books!  Hello to everyone stopping by my blog for Follow Friday (which is hosted by paranormal blogging queen Parajunkee and the fantastic Alison @ Alison Can Read).  I'd like to welcome any old followers dropping in to say hi.  :)   Leave your blog's link when you comment and I'll be certain to visit and follow you back! 
For those who don't know: I'm Kat, I blog and review fiction-- my typical reads being fantasy, sci-fi-esque, or historical.

This week's featured bloggers are: Bonnie @ Hands and Home and Amber @ Me, My Shelf, and I.

And this week's question is:

Talk about the book that most changed or influenced your life (was it a book that turned you from an average to avid reader, did it help you deal with a particularly difficult situation, does it bring you comfort every time you read it?).

My answer:  There have been a lot of books over the years which I've become very much obsessed with, rather for a few short weeks or years and years.  In middle school, I was all about Inkheart by Cornelia Funke and reread it about ten times in one year.  In high school, I fell in love with the Lord of the Rings series and re-discovered Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles.  (They were so much better the second time around!)

But the book which really transformed me into a bibliophile was Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling.  I know a lot of book-lovers who regard the Harry Potter series as the books they grew up with, and I'm definitely proud to be one of the masses who did.  These books have been such a huge part of my childhood, and even now I doubt I will ever discover a book or series which will be as much of a lasting and incredible experience as Harry Potter.  I remember being eight and feeling terrified of Sirius Black in the third book (not knowing he was in fact a good guy, of course).  I remember going to the midnight book release parties at Books-A-Million and reading the fifth book all through the early morning.  I actually get somewhat emotional and nostalgic talking about the Harry Potter books like this... they are so much a part of me, and it's truly amazing how over the decades, they have become beloved by so many people, young and old, around the world.  I'd love to hear from some of you who might feel the same way about Harry Potter or other books.


I wish you all happy blog hopping and an awesome weekend,