Oh I read things very differently to you then. Lots of the stuff I read I see in relation to our world and I think the comparison it what makes it often so good, for example Diskworld would not be half as funny if you weren't comparing the real world to it all the time. Northern Lights has similar city names and similar infrastructure and I find I unconsciously compare it to the real world.

I'm surprised about the Harry Potter thing. How do you see them as harmful? Especially as they are obviously fantasy?