I didn't have time for substantive blogging this week, but here's an interesting idea: list your favorite Harry Potter books and movies in order of most to least favorite, and tell us why. My lists:

HP Books

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) - Must I explain?

2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) - The book is thick, the plot is complex. I loved the introduction of foreign wizards and admired J.K. Rowling's skill at making me feel just as nervous as Harry before each tournament task. The Voldemort-is-back hype was very cool, and international Quidditch star Viktor Krum's totally unexpected crush on the bookworm-ish Hermione was classic.

3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Book 3) - I was torn between this book and Order of the Phoenix as third favorite, but I chose this one because it introduced pivotal characters: Sirius Black (although briefly mentioned in Book 1), Remus Lupin, and…Buckbeak.

4. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5)- The "dark" Harry was intriguing, and his impulsiveness and stubbornness, which contributed to his godfather's death, were frighteningly interesting. And that mysterious prophecy…

5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Book 1) - The first Harry Potter book is short, tightly plotted, and sets the stage for our favorite boy wizard's coming-of-age journey in a new world. I was disappointed that the American publisher changed the title from Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone because he thought American kids wouldn't read a book with the word "philosopher" in the title. Rowling has some serious alchemical symbolism going on, and some of it is missed because of the initial title change.

Additionally, the word sorcerer in the title is what initially riled up Christians. Perhaps the reaction would have been less fierce if…well, no point in dwelling on it now.

6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - (Book 2) Why is this book last on the list? Well, some of the excitement about the first book wore off. Also, I didn't like the "petrified" storyline at all.

HP Movies

1. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" (Movie 3)- This was a beautiful movie visually, and the soundtrack was excellent.

2. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" (Movie 1) - You've probably heard this story before. I was an anti-Harry Potter person who watched the ABC premiere of this movie to find out what all the fuss was about. (Also see Part II) An hour into it, I was hooked.

3. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" (Movie 4) - I saw this movie only once, and I have a feeling I'll it enjoy more the second time around. Why? I went to see it with someone who's never read a Harry Potter book or seen a Harry Potter movie. Although the person said it wasn't necessary, I felt compelled to explain certain scenes and what the movie left out. In other words, I talked too much during the movie.

Director Mike Newell, bless his heart, did his best but left out too much stuff! I think I feel this way because "Goblet of Fire" was the first HP movie I saw after reading the books. With the first three movies, I hadn't read any of the books, so I was unaware of what was left out.

4. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" (Movie 2) - The "petrified" subplot was even worse onscreen! And that snake. Gross. But the actor playing Tom Riddle was cute, wasn't he? And the scene with the car and the Whomping Willow was hilarious. And so was Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart.