Updates

Well, what can I say... my hand is turning yet another couple of shades yellower/greener/bluer. Very interesting to watch. I've tried capturing the actual color with my camera but it just doesn't do it justice. If I should succeed, I'll post the pic here.

On to more important updates. Harry Potter, book 7. Do not fear, no spoilers here unless you WANT to read them.

I shall comment on the book in a color that will not be visible to people reading the blog without actually highlighting the text. So, I'll start with something everyone can read... purchasing the book.

I called my local Borders and Barnes & Noble to find out if I could just show up at midnight and pick up my copy. Get this... they told me that if I had not made reservations I would have to show up at their store before 10pm last night and get a writstband. That would allow me to get into the store. At the same time, it would mean though that everyone who had reserved the book (the entire friggin UNIVERSE basically) would get to buy the book first. And I'd have to just wait around and kill time in the middle of the night until MAYBE there were enough books left to sell me one. I politely declined and in my mind was telling them to stick it where the sun don't shine. I really ain't THAT desperate.

So the plan changed... revised plan: get a good night's sleep and show up at the store 15 minutes before opening time at 9am. I followed through with the plan and I was at Borders at 8.50am. I remembered too late that I had meant to bring my iPod along in case stupid idiots decided to talk about what they've heard about the book. And of course, they did so in numbers... I shall continue writing in white now - highlight the text but BEWARE, I'm giving away all there is to give away about the book!!! You've been warned!

So I stand in line and some idiot at the front starts blabbering about how she'd watched the news this morning and how they'd showed someone finishing the book and how their reaction was... and everyone in the line was going SSSSSHHHHHHHH, SHHHHHH!!! Do you think that stopped the stupid bitch? She was saying how it's no secret that JK Rowling had mentioned that 2 characters die and apparently the news had reported that 6 characters die. SHHHHHH, SHHHHH - nope, that still didn't stop her. She actually tried to defend herself saying it was common knowledge, it had been leaked everywhere. Oh for F***'S SAKE!!! Shut your stupid trap, you moron! Anyway... thankfully they opened the store and I was out with my copy of the book by 9.10, convinced that I would've cast the Avada Kedavra curse on that jerk if I could've.


On to the book - 750 pages... I skipped the chapter's names because I was afraid they'd give away something. I started reading while still in line at the store and with about a total of 3 hours' break, I finished about ten minutes after midnight.
I found it an interesting read, I found myself shaking my head in wonder at all the pieces that she'd tied back together from the previous books. I was seriously impressed. I was also very impressed that she had not continued to bore me to tears about the stupid little lovey dovey couples she'd spent most of her time on in the last book. The story flows without a hitch and it continuously hit me that she must've had this entire storyline in her head from the start or she wouldn't have been able to make it all tie in together so neatly in the end.
Another thought I had whilst reading was that I will most definitely NOT watch the movie that will be made out of this one. It will be cruel and violent and very bloody.
Knowing the way she had written the past 6 books, I expected the big showdown only towards the very end, the chapter before last. I was disappointed. Not only didn't I feel like there was a gratifying showdown, I couldn't really bring myself to cry for those that died (apart from Dobby - he was the only one that squeezed tears out of my eyes). I guess I was expecting so much from it that the actual story let me down.
Most surprising was the fact that my sister's predictions came true - almost completely. She knew Harry was a Horcrux and thus had to die so Voldemort would die too. However, JK Rowling twisted it neatly so as to not kill Harry. Personally that was the biggest disappointment. Not that I wanted Harry dead, don't get me wrong. But if he lived the explanation, the climax, everything should've been much grander.
Not to mention the epilogue! That really made me GAG. I mean... COME ON!!! Did we HAVE to look 19 years into the future??? Really? Whatever for? Without a doubt, the least needed and weakest point in the book, overshadowing all good stuff she'd written on the pages before. It left a bitter taste in my mouth, it felt such a goddamn Hollywood ending.
I was however proud of myself for believing to the very end that Snape was (in a way) good. I liked the way she wrote his character in the end.

I guess my overall impression is... meh, I could've done without it. I remember all her other books which towards the end had me gasping for breath and making my heart beat loudly - this did nothing of the kind. I'm sure the yearlong wait and my expectations had something to do with it but it still didn't do much for me.
And I guess in the end, by not killing Harry (though showing him to us in 19 years) - she's still leaving a backdoor open for his return, just in case...

OK, so this is the end here. Comment on this if you want to but a warning to those who don't want spoilers, I can't control the font color in comments so you've been warned!