One More Post about Harry

And then we'll get on with life Post-Harry. How will we cope with nothing to look forward to? I guess we'll have to start over with Book One and go through it again.

There won't be any specific spoilers here, so if you haven't read yet, don't worry. I'm only going to speak in general terms, but there might be a thing or two you don't want to know yet. Nothing major - like who does or doesn't die.

First of all, the party at the bookstore Friday night: I was not the oldest person there by far. I was one of the few who didn't have a child with me, however. The highlight for me occurred at around 11:30. After much announcement of "Go to your lines now" and "Keep the center aisle clear," someone emerged from the stock room with a huge rolling cart piled high with boxes of The Book. The cheer that accompanied that short trip from back to front of the store reminded me of the reception when the football team returned from the Super Bowl victorious.

It was very late when I got home from that, so I only read three chapters before going to sleep. I read most of Saturday and finally finished it Sunday morning. Reading the book was difficult. I wanted to savor it, knowing there would never be another trip to Hogwarts with Harry and friends. But I also wanted to Get To The End! I very much enjoyed the journey. There were a couple of times when I wanted to say, "Get on with it!" But I understand the Dickens philosophy: Make them laugh, make them cry, make them wait.

The ending is extremely satisfying. Everything that I wanted to see happen, happened. Except for that Harry/Hermione thing, but we all knew that wasn't going to be there. All of my questions were answered, and I'm happy with the solutions Ms. Rowling gave me.

Now on to Ms. Rowling herself: She is absolutely brilliant. Every single detail plays a part. Nothing is wasted. She is expert at misdirection - although by Book Seven, I had begun to expect it. Still she fooled me a couple of times.

Two things hit me on Saturday with stunning force. One - I was reading a book that millions of people were reading at the exact same time as me. MILLIONS. That's a pretty amazing realization. Here's the other - the richest person in England is a Writer. A Writer. Think of it. A writer beats out the person who owns all those garish crown jewels and whatnot that have been passed down for a couple of thousand years.

All of this uproar generating billions of dollars, stimulating millions of minds, creating unprecedented media hype - all of this happened because of a writer.

I stand in awe.

Have a great day!
Susan