The whole "Mark Reads..." series has got to be one of the funniest and sometimes, most touching things I've ever read on the internet.
The wonderful series started on on Buzznet long ago with Twilight and chapter-by-chapter reviews whose criticisms of the book's bad writing and treatment of certain subjects was just as eye-opening as it was hilarious. Does the Twilight fad annoy the shit out of you? Do you loathe Stephenie Meyer? Then MarkReads.net is for you. What makes it most worth looking at, aside from Mark's fury at the whole series, is a closer analysis of the Twilight series - it outlines issues of racism and misogyny, among other things, and basically advocates them. That's right, kids. Not only is Twilight badly written trash with unlikeable characters and major plot holes, but it supports all the things we're spent decades as a country trying to combat. Not that we've fully succeeded, but still. Stephenie Meyer could certainly set us back.
But then came Mark Reads Harry Potter, wonderful for a myriad of different reasons. The criticisms are minimal - the fun here lies in watching someone who knows very little about the series read the whole thing for the first time, occasionally throwing in personal anecdotes that range from funny to moving. J. K. Rowling (unfortunately) isn't a perfect writer and he acknowledges that, but she's leagues better than Stephenie Meyer and he acknowledges that, too.
Take some time every day and read an entry or two. You won't regret it. Both are wonderful, whether you love or hate either series. I'd even recommend it to the crazy Twi-hards, so they understand just what the complaints against the series are.
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