5 Real Things I Want from Pottermore

Okay, so I joked about what I wanted from Pottermore, but then I started thinking.  This being a dangerous thing, I started talking to my coworkers about what they would like to see on One-Hit Rowling's little website.  As librarians, we think primary sources are a big deal.  Wiki's, websites and other stuff are only as good as their sources and with Rowling at the helm of this site a definitive Harry Potter resource could be created.  So many topics were discussed, but I narrowed them down to five categories of interest.

So, without further ado, here are the 5 Real Things I Want from Pottermore


1.  People & Creature Feature
I would like a comprehensive listing of all the people and creatures in the Potterverse along with illustrations.  This would be a big, wiki level feature, but it would be awesome to have an official listing of everything Potter across the world.  Maybe include magical places and things as a separate feature.

2.  Magic for Dummies
I need a full explanation about how magic in this universe works.  I don't want to learn how to do the magic (magic ain't real, people).  But I do want to know how it effects and counter-acts the natural forces in our universe.  Yeah, I am that anal.  For an example, look at how the Dresden Files did it.  Slowly and surely Jim Butcher, Dresden Files author, knocked out the how and why his main character could kick ass with magic.  Does "Expelliarmus" cause the hand to drop a wand, the wand to fly away from the user, or just a division of wand and hand?  This is again very wiki, but information from the Word of God is paramount as the varying descriptions from the above link show.  That's just one damn spell.

3.  Timeline of Events
Yeah, more wiki crap that I need clarified.  There are bunches of websites devoted to Potter timelines, but none of them have what Rowling has: the whole story.  See, this is her baby.  If she says Harry Potter dropped dead of a heart attack after dropping his kids off at the Hogwart's Express, then that's what happened.  If Hitler was an evil wizard in her WWII history, then by Granny Goodness his main goal was to
take down Durmstrang like Voldemort did Hogwarts.  I don't know, but I want to have the option to look it up.

4.  Story Time
I called Rowling "one-trick" before.  I apologize if that offended because Harry Potter is an amazing trick.  This is the "cutting your head off, setting your head on fire then finding your card in the middle of a snowstorm in a polar bear's mouth" kind of a trick.  What she did with the world of Harry Potter is awesome.  But if this is all she is ever going to focus on, give us more.  Short stories set in the past, present and future of the Potterverse would be well-received and welcome to flesh out this zoo of a creation.  This may sound like pandering, but I just do not want this writing talent to stagnate, I want her to keep writing as much if not more than I want more Harry and this seems like an excellent platform for short fiction.

5.  Easter Eggs
Dude, think of all the hidden stuff on this site.  Just the path to get there was nuts.  A 3D Hogwarts with movable stairs and hidden ghosts and stuff would be rad.  And tubular.  Far out in a totally groovy way, man. Sorry, had to make fun of myself for saying "rad."  Anyway, I want to log on and be able to find some truly weird, thought provoking and entertaining shit, just like the books were.

Is there anything you want out of Pottermore?  Let me know on the comments, on twitter @bannedlibrary or email evan@bannedlibrary.com

Things I Want Out of Pottermore

J. K. Rowling's website Pottermore has begun accepting willing souls to sacrifice... their time.  After a rather complicated Quill search thing, many people were allowed to register for the site early, including people that were not me.  Because I have been denied entrance to this hallowed land (and the theme park... Harry defeats Voldemort and he's a hero, I defeat him and I get tossed on my ass and arrested.  Don't mix your butter beer with tequilia), I will now speculate on what Pottermore contains.  Caution: It has been several years since I read the books and a month since I slept through the last movie.  Plus, I am trying to be sued by Rowling to gain national attention... There, I said it, I want the Banned Library reality show on the air as soon as possible.

Hit the jump for the things I want to see in Pottermore
1.  Hot Dumbledore on Gindlewald action
2.  American wizards from the 80s, did anyone have Miami Vice robes?
3.  Examples of actual hog warts
4.  Salem Witch Trials and Their Affects on Wizard Poetry
5.  At least one example of a Muggle who does not give a shit about magic
6.  Hogwarts Math, English, or hell, even PhysEd class
7.  A wizard kicking ass at a regular sport
8.  Some kink (everybody's all like "They're innocent children's books" where folks fuckin' DIE!  Let's get some magical hocus pocus, if you know what I mean.  I mean sex.)
9.  Magic vs. .45: I wanna know how well the Elder Wand is against a Colt.
10.  Harry Potter and the Convention Circuit

Give me your two cents: Comment below, tweet @bannedlibrary using the hashtag #pottermorewants or email evan@bannedlibrary.com to share yours!

Harry Potter eBooks Pick Google over Amazon

Google Books has confirmed that they will be an ebook hub for the Harry Potter books through the Harry Potter reading website Pottermore.  Customers will be able to buy copies of the ebooks and then read them on any Google Book device, such as the Nook, Story HD and the Google Book internet platform.  This is big news for the search engine giant as it gives them a major lead over their competition, including Amazon.

Oooo, Amazon got burned!  They were all like, "J.K. Rowling, let's light the eliterary world on fire with your $15 billion dollar empire.  Light it with a Kindle." And J.K. was all, "Eh, you sell weird stuff and are all groady and old.  I like Google now.  He's hot and has a big search engine and is all about not being evil." And Amazon was like, "Rowling, why are you doing this to me! You are tearing me apart!"  And then Amazon shot itself and a kid o.d.'d or something.

[ZDNet]