No spoiler, no windscoot, no magwheels in back

I went with bethje to Borders in order to pick up the seventh and final Harry Potter book at midnight. Well, at least they started selling the books at midnight; it was considerably after that that we got our copies. They were doing some weird system involving color-coded armbands. I preferred the system that they used at Barnes & Noble when we got the sixth book, which involved numbers instead.

I've read the first five chapters so far, and I can't believe Harry has already died! No, seriously, I'm not going to give away anything, good or bad. It's kind of crazy that some people consider spoilers to be amusing. Mind you, I did think it was kind of funny that the soundtrack for Star Wars Episode 1 gave away a plot point, but for some reason I don't think that was anywhere near as significant. Trying to avoid spoilers for a prequel is kind of silly anyway (Hey, Anakin becomes Darth Vader! Shhh, don't tell anybody!), but I also think the Potter books build up mystery and suspense in a way that a lot of other comparable series don't. I mean, I never had much of a qualm with looking ahead in the Oz books, but then, the books in that series that go for twist endings can get a bit predictable. (Wow, this mysterious character who remembers nothing of his or her past is someone else under an enchantment? I never would have guessed after the last twelve times that happened! :P) But I usually try not to read too far ahead in the Potter books.

Aside from this, I think part of the reason why spoilsports get a kick out of leaking information is that there seems to be a certain level of resentment for the Potter series, presumably largely just because it's popular. I know a lot of people just aren't into fantasy, and that's fine. Others have tried reading the books and found that they didn't care for them for whatever reason, which is also cool with me. But it seems like there's also a certain subset of the population that thinks anything popular is worthy of contempt. And hey, a lot of popular things really ARE terrible, but the fact that they're popular doesn't MAKE them terrible. I don't know. I went into the Potter series kind of not really wanting to like it that much, since it was so mainstream as far as such books go. Yet I also pretty much felt obligated to read the books, because they were actually children's fantasy that was being read by someone OTHER than the kids who hung out in the library because they didn't have friends. And while the Potter series still isn't my favorite, I find the books to be quite engaging reads. And it's great to be able to post about a book I've read and have more than like, two people know what I'm talking about.

I'm probably not going to have anything to say about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows until I've finished it, and I don't know when that will be. I still intend to use the Internet in the meantime, though, rather than hiding myself in a well-lit cave until I've reached the last page. Anyone else's Potter-related posts are probably going directly into my Memories until I'm ready to see them. And when I do offer my thoughts, I'll be sure to use LJ-cuts. I hope any of you who intend to discuss the book will extend the same courtesy.