I had pre-ordered from Amazon so I was eagerly awaiting mail delivery that morning. It was the only significantly long book I've ever read in a day, so I didn't do much else. I also missed a lot so I re-read more slowly a couple of weeks later after letting H read it.
ETA - geesh, that was some atrocious grammar from swiping on my phone!
We were on vacation and drove to a nearby town where I had preordered a copy. Somehow I missed that our actual town had a bookstore where I could have ordered it, but it was a nice day trip. There was no internet where we were, and it was lovely to read it without any outside influence.
Yes! I went to Borders and picked up the copy I had pre-ordered. Then I went home and read allllll day. I specifically requested the day off so I could read it one sitting. I finished by dinner and then immediately started it again.
I have never looked forward to a book like that one. 10 years! Wow. Seems longer actually. A lot has happened in the last decade.
I do remember, and it's not a particularly good memory.
I was in Las Vegas for a karate seminar, and me and about 1/2 my class were testing for our black belts that evening. We gave the mother of one my classmates money so she could go to a bookstore and buy us all copies (she was totally giving me the side eye for me being a 27 year old woman who was desperate to not be spoiled on some children's fantasy novel).
We get our copies at our lunch break, but I don't start because I know I won't be able to tear myself away. I don't start during my dinner break either; the testing was that evening after dinner.
Test goes... badly. I'm not going to go into specifics, but I failed for what I still maintain were political reasons and several injuries I already had were further exacerbated. I go back to my hotel room, devastated and in extreme pain, and spend all night alternating between reading, sleeping, crying, and ripping up a hotel phone book (very soothing; would recommend). At some point in this mess I manage to be coherent enough to change my flight and leave the next day, and finish the book on the plane.
It was several years before I could re-read book 7.
Oh, man, Nonny . I'm sorry the book is tied to such a bad experience!
I've since managed to disassociate the book from that experience, thankfully, and I can read it now without trauma, LOL! But yeah, it was not a good time.
I pre-ordered a copy and went to the midnight release. I had headphones in so I couldn't hear any spoilers as they were handing them out. Thank goodness because someone way in front of me apparently shouted out that the trio lives because he flipped to the epilogue. My friend (who totally made fun of me for wearing the headphones and was in line with me) was so mad.
Post by dorothyinAus on Jul 21, 2017 19:05:54 GMT -5
This was the book that got one of my brother's friends fired. She worked at the Bulk Mail handling facility and happened to see a package addressed to her on the line, so she just grabbed it, rather than waiting for it to be delivered. it turned out to be her copy of the book, but it meant she got it a couple of days before the official release date. A particularly nasty and spiteful co-worker reported her for taking the package and as it turned out, she was let go for taking the package.
On a related note, I have never read the HP books (or seen the movies). My brother has offered me a free copy of the Hufflepuff edition of the first one and I am trying to decide whether or not I should take him up on the offer. I am not a big fan of books with science fiction, paranormal, or witchcraft elements, and that's what I am hesitant to read them. So, what would you say to someone to convince them to give the series a try?
This was the book that got one of my brother's friends fired. She worked at the Bulk Mail handling facility and happened to see a package addressed to her on the line, so she just grabbed it, rather than waiting for it to be delivered. it turned out to be her copy of the book, but it meant she got it a couple of days before the official release date. A particularly nasty and spiteful co-worker reported her for taking the package and as it turned out, she was let go for taking the package.
On a related note, I have never read the HP books (or seen the movies). My brother has offered me a free copy of the Hufflepuff edition of the first one and I am trying to decide whether or not I should take him up on the offer. I am not a big fan of books with science fiction, paranormal, or witchcraft elements, and that's what I am hesitant to read them. So, what would you say to someone to convince them to give the series a try?
Well, it obviously has witchcraft and magic. It's set in a magical universe that is almost like an underworld of today's England. So, if you really can't tolerate magic, you won't like it. In addition, the first 2 books are definitely written for a younger audience (they age as the characters grow), so if you're skeptical at the outset you might never get into it. One possibility I've recommended to other hesitant readers is to watch the 1st 2 movies and then start reading the 3rd book.
All of that said, I personally think Rowling is the most brilliant novelist I have ever read. She does an amazing job building a universe that is intriguing, feels real despite the magic, and is filled with flawed characters who are (mostly) nevertheless likeable in a classic fight between good and evil.
You like mysteries, right? If you can't bring yourself to try HP, you could always try reading her Cormoran Strike novels, which aren't magical and are written under her pseudonym Robert Galbraith. The 1st one is the Cuckoo's Calling. Definitely not the same type of immersive story as HP, but I have enjoyed them very much and am looking forward to the upcoming 4th.
ETA that's too bad that your brother's friend got fired over HP#7!
I pre-ordered a copy and went to the midnight release. I had headphones in so I couldn't hear any spoilers as they were handing them out. Thank goodness because someone way in front of me apparently shouted out that the trio lives because he flipped to the epilogue. My friend (who totally made fun of me for wearing the headphones and was in line with me) was so mad.
I hope the person who spoiled it got 50 papercuts from their copy. That is horrible! I would have cried.
I pre-ordered a copy and went to the midnight release. I had headphones in so I couldn't hear any spoilers as they were handing them out. Thank goodness because someone way in front of me apparently shouted out that the trio lives because he flipped to the epilogue. My friend (who totally made fun of me for wearing the headphones and was in line with me) was so mad.
I hope the person who spoiled it got 50 papercuts from their copy. That is horrible! I would have cried.
I know. If you wanna spoil it for yourself, then by all means do so. Don't be a jerk.
I think it depends on why you aren't into books with sci-fi, witch craft, or paranormal elements.
If you don't like that kind of thing because you find it childish and silly, you probably won't be into HP, because they are children's books. The first two books especially feel very young; the series matures as Harry and his friends mature.
But if you don't like those genres because they are generally too far outside the realm of reality for you, you might be able to overcome it if you have fun with the Latin roots for many of the spells, the history of the magic (if there is one thing Rowling can do is write a kick-ass backstory), and enjoy the more contemporary setting (the first book would start about 1990, and it ends in 1997). Plus things like school bullies, family drama, politics, racism, classism, etc., are relatable even in a fantasy setting.
If you don't like those genres because other epic series like Dune, Game of Thrones, The Expanse, The Dark Tower, etc., don't feel very approachable, HP isn't like that at all, because Harry basically goes into the magic world also not knowing a thing, so you and he kind of learn about everything together at a reasonable, but exciting pace.
The way Rowling managed to take various elements from the beginning of the series and weave them back into the end of the series in a way that you can 1) remember and 2) make complete sense, was pretty phenomenal. Although, I do think that her prose could use a bit of trimming (both in HP and in the Cormoran Strike series), and that she could find a way to describe various bits of seating other than "squashy."
The way Rowling managed to take various elements from the beginning of the series and weave them back into the end of the series in a way that you can 1) remember and 2) make complete sense, was pretty phenomenal. Although, I do think that her prose could use a bit of trimming (both in HP and in the Cormoran Strike series), and that she could find a way to describe various bits of seating other than "squashy."
A lot of this becomes apparent in a re-read, especially (how much she set up in the early books that becomes important later). Really well done!
I was in France on vacation with my family. We were in the Loire Vallry and day-tripped to Tours and I found a bookstore with a copy in English! This started my habit of getting the European copies of the series, which I finished in May. (Somehow I never got a copy of book 4!)
I was in France on vacation with my family. We were in the Loire Vallry and day-tripped to Tours and I found a bookstore with a copy in English! This started my habit of getting the European copies of the series, which I finished in May. (Somehow I never got a copy of book 4!)
I want to collect covers from around the world. I'm working on the first set of UK children's copies. I'm pretty sure you should post a pic of your copies 😁
I didn't read the books until they were all already released (late to the HP party). But I do vividly recall that in Atlanta (where I was living at the time) one the djs on the morning station announced a spoiler live on air that Dumbledore dies on the book 6 release date. That was pretty messed up.
I didn't read the books until they were all already released (late to the HP party). But I do vividly recall that in Atlanta (where I was living at the time) one the djs on the morning station announced a spoiler live on air that Dumbledore dies on the book 6 release date. That was pretty messed up.
OMG I bet there were quite a few people calling in to complain that morning.