Reading the classics and tales about magic

Harper Lee.

 I have written about my aversion towards mandated reading that forces one to read a certain genre merely because at the time it is deemed important enough to add to one's literary repertoire. I must confess that when it comes to the classics, I do still have a lot of to-be-read (TBR) books  on both my kindle and on my bookshelf, for which I will ignore my own rules. I am 'shadow' reading with my children. My son is finally getting into the Harry Potter books - so I have decided that maybe it's about time I found out what J.K. Rowling did to spawn an entire generation and more of magic enthusiasts. As he reads The  Philosopher's Stone in paperback, I am following  on my kindle.


My daughter started reading Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird. But now that the reclusive author has decided to follow it up with a sequel, 50 years after To Kill a Mockingbird was published - a decision that has been met with mixed reactions, I am no longer sure how I feel about reading it. Will the 'sequel' now be a requirement, for me to have had the full Harper Lee experience? I will still read it though, as it is on my Classics TBR list, but I am even more curious about what could have possibly compelled Harper Lee to follow up her classic, with what was the first book she ever wrote - when she should be sitting back and enjoying her days in the full knowledge that she wrote a book that transcended generations, and one which did not require the magic sequel formula of the new classics like JK Rowling's work.