Harry Potter 7 Discussion Thread (Full discussion acceptable)

[techmaster-glitch]

So, who waited in line last night until midnight to pick your pre-ordered reserved compy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?
What do you think the book is going to be like?
When do you think you are going to finish it?
And when you are done reading, start voicing your opinions about it!

[Zedd]

*snrk* Huh? Uh wha? Harry Pooter? What about Harry Pooter? When did we care about a looser like that..Do we owe him money?

[KarlOmega1]

*snrk* Huh? Uh wha? Harry Pooter? What about Harry Pooter? When did we care about a looser like that..Do we owe him money?

Um...Zedd? You do know there might be spme Harry Potter fans on this board?

Anyway, my dad had to work a bit more a Walmart last night because of the people wanting to buy the book. Of course he brought a copy home for my mom (she likes the books), and I have not had an opportunity to read it yet. When I do get a chance to read it, I'll post what I think of it.

[superluser]

Well, I went to the bookstore today to buy a certain 7th book from a New York Times bestselling author.  I came back with an 800 page book, and by the time I went to sleep, I was done with the 7th book in an extremely popular English fantasy series.

[Tapewolf]

I wasn't sure if it was available yet.  No sign of it when I went to Asda to buy a tripod, but since it seems to be released now, I guess they've sold out.  I'm currently re-reading the sixth book and I'll get the last one fairly soon.

[Damaris]

I've had the book finished for a week (behold my cool and internet-fu).  I'm actually surprised that no one posted a thread for this sooner!

[techmaster-glitch]

So was I. That's why I decided to take the initiative and post it.

In fact, I'm also surprised that it was Zedd, not Bill, who tried to bastardize this topic first.

[Zedd]

Thats the thing...Ever seince I saw the paper at the Con...I swear its not like I am or was a fan of the series...Its just redundent of how it went. I mean its not a bad thing though

[bill]

So was I. That's why I decided to take the initiative and post it.

In fact, I'm also surprised that it was Zedd, not Bill, who tried to bastardize this topic first.

I am offended.

[DarkAudit]

So was I. That's why I decided to take the initiative and post it.

In fact, I'm also surprised that it was Zedd, not Bill, who tried to bastardize this topic first.

I am offended.

You were slow. 

[bill]

So was I. That's why I decided to take the initiative and post it.

In fact, I'm also surprised that it was Zedd, not Bill, who tried to bastardize this topic first.

I am offended.

You were slow. 

JUST LIKE BARRY BONDS' THROW HOME



(woops)

[DarkAudit]

So was I. That's why I decided to take the initiative and post it.

In fact, I'm also surprised that it was Zedd, not Bill, who tried to bastardize this topic first.

I am offended.

You were slow. 

JUST LIKE BARRY BONDS' THROW HOME



(woops)

Yaz has just as many rings as Barry... none. 

[bill]

GREAT BASE BALL PLAYER BARRY BONDS




I really hope whoever catches his 756th HR throws it back. That would make my lifetime.



(that's ted williams btw asswhole)

[Brunhidden]

One of my most vivid memories (okay, only memories) of harry potter at all was arguing with my sister about it.

she is a teacher for emotionally disturbed (read- autistic, they hand her the kids who freak out over nothing) children of roughly middle school age. she applauded harry potter and has several copies for herself and her classroom as it helped kids learn that reading could be rewarding and kept them sitting still for a few minutes.

I however read 'the hobbit' when i was in second grade and the trilogy by grade four, and consider HP to be a kiddy book. I refuse to read it and ive only seen half of one movie (my mom had it on during thanksgiving knowing how much sis loved it) and don't really care to see more. compared to LOTR i knew it couldn't

the argument had more or less ended at a draw- neither of us was willing to read the others books so we accepted that we couldn't have a fair discussion. however a week later my sister rented the VHS of 'felowship' the day it came out. Following morning she drove over, grabbed me by my shirt from where i was working in a garden and demanded i give her the books. she HAD to read it now, and coulndt even wait to get to a lybrary.

Told her HP was a kiddy story that couldn't hold a candle to the works of a real author.

also i am angered that JK stole the title of best paid author in history from Jack London. Jack started off as an illiterate dock worker and taught himself to read and write in his spare time after 12-14 hour days doing heavy labor. his books including 'call of the wild' nearly instantly rocketed him into the good life and adjusted for inflation he was the highest paid author the world has known until JK...who i believe is currently competing for title of richest person alive.

Vincent Lombardi -
- The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will.

[DarkAudit]

(that's ted williams btw asswhole)

Just as many rings as Barry, too.

[bill]

I'm sure he'll take the "Best hitter of all time" tag



Unlike Stargell, Williams belongs in the Hall. 

[superluser]

she is a teacher for emotionally disturbed (read- autistic, they hand her the kids who freak out over nothing) children of roughly middle school age. she applauded harry potter and has several copies for herself and her classroom as it helped kids learn that reading could be rewarding and kept them sitting still for a few minutes.

I however read 'the hobbit' when i was in second grade and the trilogy by grade four, and consider HP to be a kiddy book.

I wouldn't go that far.  I've borrowed the book-on-tape versions of the first couple of books from my brother, so that I could claim to not be tainted by having read any of the Harry Potter books.  They're not very good, don't have any redemptive literary qualities, and show no real skill in using literary techniques.

But they're engagingly written, and you do find yourself caring about the characters (or at least mildly interested in what they're going to do next).  It's like a Roland Emmerich film.  You know it's not going to be high art, but it scratches an itch for some of us.  It doesn't scratch one for me, but there are several others that will make me go out an read/see/buy utter crap, knowing full well that it is utter crap.

If it's a suitable incentive for the autistic kids, I say let them read it.  It's not going to scar them.  It's not going to help them, either.

Oh, and that is rather sad about Jack London, too.

[Tapewolf]

Brun, I held out over Harry Potter for a few years for exactly the same reason.  It was my father and brother combined who convinced me to read it, sometime around early 2003.
(My father is well-read with personal library that must contain at least 5000 books - my brother is a PhD in the mathematics of dynamical systems)

IMHO, the first book is crap.  The second one isn't bad.  It takes off around the third one.  It's definitely worth reading, even if you decide you don't like it, at least you'll have something more concrete to base your opinion on.  While your point about Jack London is a valid one - remember that The Hobbit was a children's book, and so was LotR - there is something not right about directing venom at a book you have never actually read.

[superluser]

IMHO, the first book is crap.  The second one isn't bad.  It takes off around the third one.  It's definitely worth reading, even if you decide you don't like it, at least you'll have something more concrete to base your opinion on.  While your point about Jack London is a valid one - remember that The Hobbit was a children's book, and so was LotR - there is something not right about directing venom at a book you have never actually read.

I don't remember if I've listened to the third book.  I'll have to see if I can borrow it.

Anyways, The Hobbit was a children's book, but LotR was not supposed to be.  The Fellowship of the Ring suffered from a bit of ``writing the last story,'' but you can tell from how Tolkien describes it that it's not meant to be for kids.

[Brunhidden]

I don't wish to direct venom at HP, i just get sick of people treating it like its freaking Tolstoy.

If i remember correctly the Hobbit was billed as "for readers age five to ninety five", Tolkien actually based the world of LOTR off of stories he told his children at bedtime, most of which were assembled into either The Hobbit or bits and pieces of the worlds past. Tolkien thought it a madman's hobby, writing the histories and languages of places that never existed as we know it. most of LOTR was written during the wars, where Tolkien had very up close and personal experiences with evil and the rape of his beautiful childhood shire.

Also, keep in mind that Tolkien was a bit of a mystic, the whole thing started when he sat down and wrote "in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit".... and spent the next hour asking himself what the *bleep* was a hobbit?

It is the job that is never started that takes longest to finish

[Zina]

All I know is that people are taking this book way too seriously. My roommate's boyfriend was talking about how he was getting the book today, and I said "HAHA SNAPE DIES YOU KNOW" as a joke. He got upset and stormed out of our apartment.
I had to call him up and apologize for apparently "ruining everything" for him.
Such serious business.

[bill]

We should post the spoilers in the news bar in huge letters imo

[Zina]

Harry Potter was a girl the whole time.

[bill]

Harry has a civil union with Ron

[superluser]

My theory is that Hermione beats Harry within an inch of his life.  Because he forgot the safe word.

[bill]

Does Hermione get roasted on a spit? Because then I might buy the book.

[Miaka]

I think I read too fast.
Got it, 12:20 last night(this morning?)
Started it at maybe 1, was halfway done at noon, didn't touch it until 5, just finished.

whee.

...A couple friends of mine wandered around, spouting out idiotic "spoilers" that people got halfways trhough being angry at us about before realising that they don't make any sense.
"Remus kills Lupin."
"Dumbledore kills Snape"
"Luna's a Horcrux"(To which we got some girl grumbling "Your Mother's a horcrux" At us. ...right.)

[Caswin]

"This issue, everybody dies."

And that's my two cents. (Might have more later.)

[Alondro]

Harry Potter was a girl the whole time.

Oh-ho!  So it was stolen from "Escaflowne"!  You know, Delandau was actually the dude's sister who got mutated into a psycho guy by the fate alteration engine. 

Ha, I knew JK was ripping anime off the whole time!   

Posted by: BillBuckner  Posted on: Today at 10:15:26 PM 
Does Hermione get roasted on a spit? Because then I might buy the book. 

Ah-ha!  The truth comes out!  You like cannibalistic VORE!!!   

[Naldru]

I will admit it.  I went to the Borders party and waited until midnight to get my book.  I searched the house for appropriate costume, finding a Tee-shirt from Magicon (the Worldcon in Orlando), a wizard's hat, and a racoon puppet as a familiar.  Look, if you're going to make a fool of yourself, you might as well do it right.

Too many people seem to feel that books for adults must have sex scenes described in detail.  I see nothing wrong in books being written so that they are enjoyed by both children and adults.  I like the Harry Potter books.  I also like the Discworld books by Terry Pratchett, the Oz books by Frank L. Baum, and the Narnia books by C.S. Lewis.  I personally feel that plot and character development in these books tends to be better than most of the books on the best-seller list.  They are also enjoyable to read.

To paraphrase the Cyndi Lauper song:  fans just want to have fun

I will agree that some people are taking this too seriously.  However, there are some people who will go way overboard on anything.  Take a look at the fans at soccer and football games.  Actors who play the villains on soap operas have received death threats from people who can't seem to distinguish fiction from reality.

Besides, which of the following is going further overboard.

People who will wait 48 hours in line to get the first book.

People who are certain that the Harry Potter books are handbooks for Satanic worship.