Harry Potter Readalikes for Grownups

So this is the end.  The final Harry Potter movie comes out today.  The books are flying off the shelves again too.  In fact, at the BPL on Monday, the YS Department took all of the extra copies of the series out of storage and they are going fast.

Over the years from the start of the Harry Potter mania, Adult Services librarians like myself have worked hard to create lists of adult readalikes for the series.  Today, I will compile some of those lists, both old and new, for you

Studies show that J. K. Rowling inspired many more people to start reading with her captivating series, both kids and adults.  Use this momentum to pass on other great reads to your patrons.  They need you to help them to know that there are lots of great books for them beyond just Harry Potter. These lists will help you to get them pointed in the right direction.

• A few years ago, in honor of the popularity of fantasy due to the Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings movies, I made this Fantasy for Beginners list.
• Yesterday, NPR ran this list of 3 Grown-Up Books for the Hogwarts Grad.
• Harry Potter Read Alikes for Adults from the Kanawha County (WV) Public Library
• Also one from the Hammond (IN) Public Library
• From the "More Than Magic" wiki there is this list
• Capital Area District Library (MI) offers us this reading list
• Discussion thread on FIction-L from 2000 about Harry Potter for Readalikes for Adults with the respondents doing a good job of explaining the "why."
• And my favorite...Brand new list from the blog of the Adult Services Department at the Carnegie-Stout Public Library, Dubuque, Iowa.  What I love about this list is that they label the suggestions based on this handy guide of appeal terms:

  C = coming of age
  H = humorous fantasy
  A = adventure, action & suspense
  M = magic & magical creatures
  MR = magic within our “real” world