Defense Against the Dark Arts
[Don't worry, no spoilers here.]
Friday Carolyn and I are traveling up the coast (while listening to HP6) to spend the weekend holed up while we read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
Unless you've been living under a rock you know that the seventh and last Harry Potter book will be released at 12 a.m. on Saturday, July 21. We'll be at a Barnes & Noble release party to celebrate and get our copies before returning to Carolyn's parents' compound.
I'm not nervous about the book. I have utterly resigned myself to Rowling's ideas and I've grown to love her more than her characters. I don't have a feeling or opinion about how the book should be--I just want it to be her book.
This is unusual behavior for me. In normal situations I obsess about things beyond reason. A trailer is released for a movie I'm excited about? I will watch it several times per day for at least a week. I will make everyone I know what the trailer and I will analyze it to death trying to figure out what will happen in the movie.
But, like I said, I am resigned to DH being the way it is, however it is.
I hear there are spoilers all over the internet. I hear maybe people have copies already. But I've stayed out of the public sphere. I've kept my head low, my ears alert. I will not be spoiled.
Spoilers are a sensitive topic for me. They give me rage and set off my speech-o-tron. I could care less about literary theory until someone brings up authorial intent. Suddenly I'm full of arguments and counter-jinxes, er, I mean counter-arguments and I can't stand to have people think that they're special enough to tell someone else's story. It's stealing! It's unfair! It's cruel!
Sigh.
I was also concerned about communication with Heather Anne once we're reading. Since I haven't mastered time travel (yet) and she lives three hours ahead of me I wasn't sure how we were going to talk about the story without being on exactly the same page.
She explained that she would be writing me emails as she read and then subject-lining them with page numbers. Then I know when to read them. Harry Potter's at stake and suddenly she's Rainman.
That's all I have to say about Potter for now.
P.S. The new air conditioning units have remote controls!
Comments
If anyone spoils me (or you, for that matter) I will kick them in the babymaker.
Posted by: Jennie | July 20, 2007 9:11 AM
I am so excited too!
Except that I pre-ordered it online, but I accidentally had it shipped to my dad's work, which I won't be able to get until Monday.
Looks like I will be buying two copies of the book.
Posted by: Ellen | July 20, 2007 6:29 PM
I can appreciate remotes. Niiiice.
If I got the first Potter book and stared reading through the night and kept calling or emailing to have you answer questions.... would that bug you?
Posted by: Sally | July 20, 2007 6:41 PM
First let me say that your stated openness really made me feel guilty for what I just posted to my blog about what I hope about Dumbledore and Snape. I'm not married to the idea, it's just a hope glimmery enough to have compelled me to write it.
Second, Heather Anne's idea about page number subject emails is stellar. I'm gonna compose a few of those as I read. Everyone is ahead of me because I've had to deal with stuff for my play all weekend... but I'm trying to be okay with that.
Discuss soon!
Posted by: Jill | July 22, 2007 10:04 AM