Holy Muggles! It's Book Seven!

(Don't worry. There are no spoilers here. You won't hear from me how the story goes or ends. That would be almost sacrilegious!)

I've been waiting for July 21, 2007 for weeks. Why? Because it's the day Harry Potter's "finale" book was scheduled for release. Many of you may not know what a Harry Potter nerd I am. I've been a fan since the first book. It would be almost embarrassing to admit this except there are so many Harry Potter nerds in the world, I know it's not a bad thing to admit...and besides, I already know that I am a big nerd and I'm proud of it....

In order to prepare, I went on line, ordered the book from Amazon.com and set the arrival of Harry in motion. I could have ordered it at a local bookstore but I thought it would be more fun to have it come to the door. Unfortunately, I ordered the book to arrive at my work--but, my work doesn't get mail or deliveries on the weekend. I almost peed myself for that error. Back on the Amazon site. I performed a little Muggle Magic and changed the delivery address. Shoo! That was a close one. (Thanks to MJagger and Tutu Tony for pointing out the problem with the weekend delivery date. By the way, MJagger, the wife and I are all fighting about which one of us will have Tutu Tony's baby. Growl!)

Then, the wife announced that we would be going to the Land of Cheese on July 21st to help her brother move into his new house. The angst! While I am dedicated to family issues, I was very torn. How could this happen? I made sure I wasn't on call. I made sure to clear my calendar. And now, now I wouldn't be home for the delivery of the book! It took all of my muggle muster to get in that car and do the right thing. I confirmed that Master Reiki and Blue Eyes would be available to make sure the book got off the stoop and into the house--I couldn't leave that box of gold on the stoop while I was in some other State of the Union.

The ride home seemed to take 37 hours. Finally, we arrived and I burst out of the car and toward the stoop. No book! The rat bastards! Then, I remembered I had asked Master Reiki and Blue Eyes to put the book in the house. Duh! I ran toward the kitchen counter and there it was, in all it's glory! (The photo above is staged. I put the book back out on the front porch so I could re-enact its delivery. I wanted you to see how the book looked when delivered. Notice Lucy guarding the book--well, okay, so she's just sitting there with a ball in her mouth but I like to think she was protecting my book.)

The packaging was pure genius. I loved the warning to Muggles--"Do not deliver or open until July 21st!" The box was complete with "owl delivery." This only added to the wonderment of the book. It was almost too much!

I allowed Freckles and Lucy a first peek at the box and book. As you can see, Freckles is VERY interested in what is going on here. "Hedwig, are you in there?"

From the minute the box was opened, it was Harry Potter, All Harry, All day, All night:


I have a confession to make. Don't hate me for it. I indeed did read the last third of the book first. I then read the first third. Today, I'll read the second third and then the third third again. I have a nasty habit of reading the last page first, but I knew that wouldn't be "enough" for this production. The author isn't that dumb--she knew a bunch of us would do exactly what I did--read the last page first. I wanted to wait to read the end, to find out what happens to Harry and the gang, but I was (1) too impatient to do so; (2) too afraid I'd see a spoiler on TV or on the internet and I didn't want the end "ruined" before I got there; and, (3) I couldn't stand the thought of not knowing if Harry was going to live or die.

Like I said, no spoilers here. You'll have to read the book or go on line to find out what happens. Suffice it to say I find this to be the best book of the seven. (I was not a fan of the sixth book--thought it was rather a waste of time setting the stage for book seven--and I thought the fifth book was filled with too much teenage angst. Well, J.K. made up for that in this seventh book, Dumbledore love her.)

I'd like to write more but my book is calling. The second third is awaiting me! Don't bother me or I'll turn you into a toad......