Friday, July 20, 2007

Harry Potter Countdown!

Countdown meter has been removed!!

I know that Harry Potter is not everyone's cup of tea, but I have to admit major excitement at the upcoming book. It is titled Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, and it is the final book of the series. It comes out on July 21, and it will be available at midnight, so I am pretty stoked.

It is funny because when the series first came out, I made fun of it and thought it was childish. I just didn't understand it. Then I finally sat down and read the first one.

Holy crap!

I was hooked. J.K. Rowling is amazing. Her writing always transports me to the world of Harry Potter. Insanely enough I have actually had dreams about being involved in the book and having adventures with Hermione and Harry. I would love to play quidditch. All this and I am 40 years old, proving that the book transcends age. From my nephews to my mom, Harry Potter speaks to us in different ways.

At any rate, I am putting the official countdown on here, so I can keep track! I can hardly wait!! It will be at the top of my blog until July 21, so bear with me! Anyone else got the book reserved? Any Potter party plans? I would love to hear it, just don't tell me any spoilers! The last book got ruined for me on the internet so I am avoiding it at all costs with regard to this!

14 comments:

Eaglewing said...

Never got into the whole Harry Potter world myself - just isn't my thing. But a friend of mine loves the books and movies, so I hear about it anyway. It's good how the series has kept kids reading though (and book stores in business). Enjoy your anticipation and avoid those 'net spoilers!

Nick said...

The age thing I am totally with you there on, I initially thought....eh...this series isn't for me it's a kid's series...boy was I wrong about that.

I too was spoiled 3/4s of the way through the Half-Blood Prince which taught me one important lesson, don't read any online blogs till you finish the book.

I am gonna go to one of the midnight parties around here, I pre-ordered the book last time but, it still took too long to get to me. Must read goodness earlier. I will not dress up though....I gotta draw the line....even if I could pull off a convincing Hagrid.

Vaklam said...

Melissa and I are both big HP fans. We haven't reserved our copy since there will be plenty to go around but we will definitely pick it up during the first week it's out.

Carl said...

Hmmmmm, whoa, I seem to be the red-headed stepchild today. I used to love Harry Potter, read all the books at least 3 times (read them twice to my daughters before they could read), collected the figures, have original movie posters, a Hagrid plush figure, tee shirts and on and on. Went to the movies day one or the sneaks. Bought my books in advance and took my family to the midnight sales. Then, the sugar in my personal HP Ferrari machine arrived. "Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince". It read just like all the others until about the last 50 pages or so. Then it seemed like basically it turned into "The-Harry-Potter-Club-Is-Wrong-No-
Matter-What-Club". And I thought about this. You know, every time something weird happens and creepy crap begins to hit the fan, Harry begins to solve the clues and figure that Voldemort is behind a new attack. And guess what? Everyone tells him he is wrong until it is almost too late. His friends turn on him and every single time he's on his own. Then they join in after he solves it and say, wow Harry, you were right after all. And the pattern repeats. And the Half-Blood Prince was my final boiling point. If people at Hogwarts are so dense or into denial, SCREW 'EM! I think it would be worth it to let Voldemort to win just to show what not listening to Harry Potter is worth. Idiots...
So, anyway, you can see now, I am not stoked for the new movie, the last book or any of that. I still like Harry Potter and the fantastic world Rowling created but I don't deliriously love it like I did before the half-baked Half-Blood Prince. The whole thing about heroes and his stalwart companions is a learning curve of how to beat or stave off foes and destruction of what you love. And while Harry never failed or faltered, the rest seem to never learn or want to default back to denial. "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." --Thomas Jefferson. A lesson the Voldemort-deniers of Hogwarts would be well to learn...

Lisa said...

You simply MUST email me the HTML code for the countdown - or let me know where you got it. (neptunecomics@sbcglobal.net)

We're having a midnight release party here at the store for the book. It will start at 11 pm on Friday night and we'll have drawings, we're playing the Bertie Botts Jelly Belly game, maybe a trivia contest, and we're hoping to have a fortune teller too. Then at 12:01 the book will be available for purchase. It should be a fun time.

I haven't read the books yet, but I've been told they're great and fast reads too, so one of these days I'll have to borrow them from my sister.

Heidi Meeley said...

Eaglewing, have you tried reading any of the books? You may be surprised. Harry isn't my usual genre, but the exceptional writing transcends the image of it.

Thank you for the encouragement- I am really psyched, especially because it comes out a day before my birthday. Yay- a present to myself!! :-)

Heidi Meeley said...

Nick, if you were to dress up, you would have to e-mail me a pic. That would be so cool! I don't really know if I will dress up, but I will definitely go to the party at Borders and geek out! I can hardly wait.

You will have to let me know how yours goes!

Heidi Meeley said...

Vaklam, that sounds sweet! Do you guys share a copy then? That would be nice, except for to figure out who gets to read it first and then not spoil it for the other. That is what I would worry about!! :-)

Heidi Meeley said...

Carl, I feel crushed for you. You definitely didn't like the descent into darkness. What do your daughters think? Do they still read them? I am hoping that this final book will bring some light and joy to the readers, even though I know it will be a bumpy road.

Heidi Meeley said...

Lisa, I will endeavor to e-mail you the code, so look for it. :-)

I wish we lived closer so we could go to your party- it sounds so fun!!

John Holland said...

I too didn't start reading them until way into the series and when I did I loved them. I was planning on being in line at midnight for the book, but than just realized that is the night I'm heading up to Tenn to see my Mom and Dad, so it'll have to wait a few days.

Heidi Meeley said...

John, that is definitely a priority over the Potter book! I promise not to spoil it for you!

Vaklam said...

Yeah, Heidi, the "who reads it first" thing is usually tough but since she reads much faster than I do she tends to be higher on the list.

Carl said...

Welp, darkness never bothers me much, since Batman and the Punisher are my favorite comic book characters hands down. Buttttt, the whole deal that pisses me off is that Harry, who lives like some character in a horrible down-trodden Dickens-style drudgery sudden finds out he is secretly an heir apparent to greatness in an unknown world. Then, after making friends, being told he is very special, soon finds out great evil is out to get him. Okay, that's a great story. Buttttttt, somehow, when evil comes forward after many secret schemes are revealed, everyone abandons him (save for the valiant few) and people in power comfortable in the status quo can't see the wolf is not at the door but already has them half devoured. And it just irks me, irks me beyond belief 'cause perhaps while Dumbledore probably had all this planned out and made sure Harry was a secret weapon in hiding, he should have made sure his people had some damned guts and spines and heads not in the sand 'cause they've almost lost. And I have to tell the truth, the last book better pull the HP franchise out of the crapper for me 'cause I've all but lost interest. The new movie came out and I forgot about the opening. The book is due out in a few days and I simply can't get excited. I keep thinking, man, evil might have taken over the world, but at least Harry could move out at 18 and have been free of the Dursleys and get a job at an evil pet shop or something. Oh well...