Harry Potter

I read Harry Potter 7 yesterday. I think this one is better than books 5 and 6, though maybe not as good as the rest. Like always, I think Rowling rushed the ending a little bit, cramming a lot of information into just a few pages. It felt almost like she had a set page length in mind and she realized towards the climax that she was running out of space and better hurry things up. Still, this was a wonderful read and overall I'm quite happy.

I hate to join in the ongoing discussion in the blogosphere about the impact/significance of Harry Potter in the book buying world, especially since there seems little left to be analyzed, but I did want to add a more personal thought.

I bought my book from the B&N in Union Square and then walked around the Farmers' Market, looking for some fresh vegetables. It was crowded, as usual for a Saturday, and it seemed one out of every four people had Harry Potter 7 in their arms as they walked.

I then stopped to get a burrito and had a nice chat with the woman next to me about how excited we both were to read the new Harry. We agreed that a sandwich is probably the best lunch food to accompany reading a book, as a burrito can get sloppy and often requires two hands.

As I walked home I kept seeing more and more people either carrying the book or sitting on a bench reading. I had a brief chat in the elevator with my neighbor about the cover. He thinks that the art for 7 isn't much different than the others, and I have to say I agree.

The kinship I felt to these fellow readers was rather overwhelming. It certainly isn't the cool thing to be walking around with Harry Potter in your arms, but we don't care.

Even Stephen Colbert is hooked.