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The Tales of Beedle the Bard

My question, I suppose, is this. If you order The Tales of Beedle the Bard (from Sotheby's in London, you see), and you choose super saver shipping, will it arrive by Christmas?

« ...Amazon has purchased J.K. Rowling’s The Tales of Beedle the Bard at an auction held by Sotheby’s in London. »

[Amazon.com: The Fairy Tales of J.K. Rowling]

Furthermore, if you spend more than one million nine hundred thousand pounds, do you get free shipping?

Important questions, I should think... but I see no answers forthcoming. Sadly, we may never know.

Meanwhile, it's a winter wonderland outside my house. I'm trying to figure out how I can convince the dog to go out and shovel the walk, then move the trash out to the corner. Maybe if I turn it into a game? Pretend the trash is a small group of sheep?

She's too clever for me, that dog.

Blessings.

Labels: Amazon.com, booklinks, books, Harry Potter, HP7

NYTBR, Deathly Hallows, George Orwell, and You

Is it just me who thinks the Times might have something better to do with its time and space than compare and contrast a book which the entire reading (and non-reading) world has already read (or at least skimmed to the end) with Orwell and Hitler-Stalin era fantasies?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling - Books - Review - New York Times: "Many wore a lightning-flash on their foreheads: Orwell would have recoiled at seeing the symbol of Sir Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists on otherwise unblemished brows, even if the emblem was tamed by its new white-magic associations. And this was a sideshow to the circus, all across the English-speaking and even non-English world, as the countdown to the witching hour began."

Unfortunately, when I read a Times "review" anymore I tend to feel as if it's an episode in finding out how much more the reviewer knows about history and literature than I do. In other words, it doesn't even touch what I want it to touch, and has absolutely no relevance on my life.

Alas. Perhaps I am as alone in this as I could be.

Do you read the review? What does it do for you?

Labels: book, book review, Harry Potter

Happy Birthday, Harry Potter

We'll be finishing Deathly Hallows on July 31, Mr. Potter's birthday. (I believe this is also Ms. Rowling's birthday, yes?)

Bittersweet? Not really. I have to admit I likely wouldn't read the books if I weren't reading them aloud to Number 001. They are terribly fun aloud, but I've found them rather dull to keep inside my head.

Not that it matters much. Apparently there are enough people who don't find them rather dull to sell a few copies here and there.

Carry on.

Labels: book, Harry Potter

You Want to Know Who Dies in Deathly Hallows?

You want to know what makes me crazy?

When some ten-year-old kid tries to tell me what happens in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Here's the thing... it's not about what happens. It's about how it happens. It's about how the book is written and how well the author does her job of telling the truth. It's about how well she's able to make a real world. It's about a million things, but it absolutely isn't about what actually happens in Deathly Hallows.

And you know what? If it is about what happens, then the author has failed. Utterly. And I have a feeling Ms. Rowling knows that. And at times, she's put a lot of work into making it not be about what happens. At other times, not so much.

I'm going to finish this book and keep an open mind and try to consider it a work of literature, a work of fiction, a work of fantasy, a work of work, and then I'm going to come back and say, "what do we read next?"

We just got three Charlie Bone books. So I think that pretty much answers that question, doesn't it?

Labels: book, Harry Potter

Harry Potter Study Hall

Tim over at Librarything reports being on a plane that was like, well, here's the quote for you:

LibraryThing: Harry Potter and the Period of Quiet: "The plane was like Harry Potter study hall."

(I don't know why I insist on using an exact quote, except I'm too lazy to type, then double check, then make sure, then whatever... though not apparently too lazy to type this really long explanation).

Have you been stuck in Harry Potter Study Hall? Where have you been that you've seen the most books with noses ginormous orange books?

You may carry on now. There's nothing more to see. Harry, Ron & Hermione just apparated into a forest. A bit of splinching. And... well... damn, but I can't read ahead without my son. So nevermind. Do as you like. You're probably nearly finished by now.

Labels: books, Harry Potter

The Big HP Slump

Why do I get the feeling that once the Harry Potter books come out, nobody buys anything else for awhile?

Probably because once the Harry Potter books come out, nobody buys anything else for awhile. Too busy with their noses buried in patronuses.

Expecto patronum, y'all.

Labels: books, Harry Potter

Who Dies in Deathly Hallows

A great number of people are finding my weblog searching with the text "Who Dies in Deathly Hallows"...

I should tell you, and will tell you... and can tell you... you will find no such information here. I suggest you look elsewhere. Like, you know, maybe you should read the book.

And blessings to you.

Labels: book, books, Harry Potter

Eight Point Three Million

In the first twenty four hours.

Bloomberg.com: U.S.: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,'' the seventh and final book in J.K. Rowling's best- selling children's series, sold a record 8.3 million copies in the U.S. on its first day..."

Whatever. We've just passed the hundred page mark and our neighbor finished it in twenty-four hours. Of course, we won't be speaking to her for the next few weeks.

Blessings, you. And you and even you.

Labels: book, books, Harry Potter

Happy Deathly Hallows Eve

Or, as my children will call it, "I can't wait until this time tomorrow..."

I always remind them that they actually can wait, but I'm never quite greeted with appropriate exclamations of "You're right, Papa. It's just 24 hours. What was I thinking?"

Why do you suppose that is?

Never mind. Carry on. And keep your wand at the ready. Just in case.

Labels: book, Harry Potter

R.A.B.

Regulus Black

But you didn't hear it from me.

You heard it from Wikipedia.

So it's obviously bad information.

Right?

Obviously.

Labels: books, Harry Potter

The Harry Potter Card

Okay, so the folks at Amazon.com are totally playing the Harry Potter card to the hilt.

Um. Though I guess that would be playing the Harry Potter sword to its hilt. Whatever. If you order Harry Potter now, it looks like you get five bucks back to spend in August. And the thing is 49% off the regular price. And if you pre-order, they guarantee the delivery on the release date (July 21). That's what I call a loss leader, folks. It's like the dollar gallon of milk at the Piggly Wiggly. Get you in to the store and maybe you'll buy more. In fact, give 'em five bucks to do just that.

Oh, but look at that. You have to spend $20 to get the five back... clever. Of course, the book itself is but $17.99, so you gotta spend at least another $2.01.

Promotional offer valid for a limited time only and expires on August 31, 2007, at 11:59 p.m.

Limit (1) per customer.

Promotion applies only to orders placed before Friday, July 20, 2007, 11:59 PM.

Promotion applies only to qualifying Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows items displaying the offer message on their product information pages.

All customers who pre-order qualifying Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows items will receive an email containing a promotional code worth $5.00 within (1) week of release date (July 21, 2007).

pon redemption, minimum purchase amount of $20 is required.

Promotion does not apply to any products purchased on Amazon's other sites, including Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr, Amazon.co.jp, and joyo.com.

Promotional certificate applies to any items sold by Amazon.com. Offer does not apply to items sold by other merchants on the Amazon.com website.

Offer good while supplies last.

No substitutions or rain checks.

Shipping and handling charges may apply to all products, including products purchased with promotional certificates.

Offer may not be combined with other offers, including other promotional certificates.

Promotional certificate expires on Friday, August 31, 2007, 11:59 PM.

Void where prohibited.

I wonder if Amazon.com has anything for exactly that price. Maybe I'll go have myself a looksee.

No. That's too difficult for me to figure out. Instead, I recommend you buy 5 Amazon shorts. That will put you over the limit--they're only forty-nine cents. And they're often quite good.

So here's a link to Amazon Shorts for your clicking empleasurement.

Labels: Amazon.com, Harry Potter, shorts

Reminder for Bookstores on How to Make a Better Harry Potter Release Party

A public service coming up. For you. The public. Especially those of the "I'm staying up until midnight to get my hands on Deathly Hallows" variety.

We here at the Bain Books Blog would like to remind those who are in control of such things (bookstores, for instance), that we published a treatise-ish list of ways (12 of them in the list) on how to make a better Harry Potter Midnight Release Party, helpfully titled How to Make a Better Harry Potter Midnight Release Party / A Twelve-Step Guide (Hopefully Helpful for the Release of HP7). We believe there is still time to make necessary modifications to your party, assuming you are having one.

You are having one, aren't you?

A sample:

3. Discourage people from dressing up as dementors. And if there are going to be people dressed as dementors, encourage all dementor dressers to stay the hell away from the children (at least my children, dammit) or stay away from anybody who appears to want dementors to stay the hell away from them (even older children seemed to want a few of the dementors to get lost, but they were persistent little buggers who did not seem to respond appropriately to the patronus charm). The last thing I need is a kid who won't go to sleep until 2 because he's thinking about whether or not the coat hanging from his bedpost is actually a dementor. Furthermore, if the dementors are employed by the place wherein the party is to be held, make them cartoonish for crying out loud. Everyone else dressed up is cartoonish. Once or twice I found myself asking if I was looking at a wizard or a Smurf. But the dementors were frightening even to me. Isn't this supposed to be fun?

I'm guessing this list will either be heavily used by bookstores everywhere, or it will be entirely ignored.

Likely the latter

So be it.

technorati tags:harrypotter, harrypotter7, hp7, deathlyhallows, deathly, hallows, release, bookstore, release, releaseparty, party, midnight

Blogged with Flock

check out the Deathly Hallows swicki at eurekster.com

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Release Fleece

Today I spent Fifty-Five American Dollars on tickets for the release party (for myself and two of my children, Number One and Number Two) and for this we also get a book (included in the price listed above). Why do I not feel as if this is a bargain? Especially considering that I have to stay up way past my bed time...

I will grant you this, however... it is a party neither of my children will likely soon forget. Nor will I. Pleasure or no.

Do I sound like I'm complaining? I'm really not. I wouldn't trade the time with my kids for all the Euros dumped on Ms. Rowling's doorstep.

Blessings.

technorati tags:hp7, harrypotter7, harrypotter, deathlyhallows, deathlyhollows, release, fleece, bookstore, party, jkrowling

Blogged with Flock

check out the Deathly Hallows swicki at eurekster.com

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter in Chains

Good grief.

Using methods that would no doubt make Filch proud, the paper reports that U.K publishers Bloomsbury will deliver the books to bookshops only one day before the release, and these books will "be carried in crates bound with steel chains."

Also...Amazon has agreed to store its copies in warehouses at secret locations."

The Leaky Cauldron - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (book 7), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (movie 5) news, images, videos, podcast and more

Could somebody please remind everyone involved here that this is... um, well... this is a book we're talking about here, not state secrets, not secret plans for a doomsday device, not directions to the giant living the the forbidden forest, but a book. It's not even Snape's potions book, for crying out loud. And if you can get me to say "for crying out loud" with a straight face, then you've done something worth telling your parents about. So go tell your parents. And tuck in. Because the HP7 madness has only begun. Mr. Harry Potter, you make us plenty insane.

technorati tags:HarryPotter, HarryPotter7, HP7, Seven, Book7, DeathlyHallows, JKRowling, book, security, Amazon.com

Blogged with Flock

check out the Deathly Hallows swicki at eurekster.com

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Movie Trailer

So the movie comes out the day after my birthday, and if you think I'm not as excited as my son would be pretty ridiculous, because, well, I am. Excited.

And I probably shouldn't be, because then I'll be disappointed. I don't want to be disappointed. So I should probably recite the following:

This movie will be awful. It will disappoint. I will hate it. Don't get your hopes up.

Anyway, here's a preview, folks. Enjoy.

technorati tags:harrypotter, orderofthephoenix, hp5, movie, newmovie, trailer, movietrailer

Blogged with Flock

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows / Unbelievable Book Title

Another Unbelievable Book Title^TM: I know I'll probably get skewered for saying it, but I just want to go on record as being of the opinion that any title with "Deathly Hallows" in it is plain old ridiculous, even if you begin with the ever-famous "Harry Potter and the..." You know, it'll sell more copies than the Bible, but it's still a fantastically stupid title. A title likes this one makes me wonder if anybody anywhere had the guts to say to Ms. Rowling... "you know, this might not actually be the best title I've ever seen for a book..." They did, as you may know, change the title of book 1 for the U.S. edition from Philosopher's Stone to Sorcerer's Stone because, well, you know, people in the U.S. have no idea what a philosopher is, and we're all related to some Sorcerer or another (at least by marriage). Etc. Bless Ms. Rowling, though, for doing whatever she damn well pleases. I doubt the title will dimple her book sales in the least.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter, unbelievable book title

Deathly Hallows Book Jacket (Yawn)

Well.

There's the cover for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (a book for which I am just now beginning to spell the name correctly... sigh). I must say, I find it rather... uninspired. Now that there's all the hush around each new release, the clues regarding what's inside are completely missing from the covers, and all we get are these lame paintings that we know could be better. Couldn't they?

At least we don't have to put up with the hideousness of the british version. Ick.

Blessings and good night.

technorati tags:bookjacket, jacket, cover, HarryPotter, HarryPotter7, HP7, DeathlyHallows, Deathly, Hallows, painting, yawn, book

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check out the Deathly Hallows swicki at eurekster.com

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

You Say Hallows, I Say Hollows, Let's Call the Whole thing Off

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter, unbelievable book title

Harry Potter 7 Poll

So, I've been thinking about HP7 lately. Don't ask me why. I don't have a clue. Maybe it's because it's been in the news a bit. But I thought maybe if I ran a poll here, it might take my mind off of it. Because I have better things to do, you know? So here's an HP7 poll for you.

How long will you wait before buying the 7th and final Harry Potter book? I'll buy it immediately. I'll wait a week or two. A month. More than a month. I'll wait and get it used. What's “Harry Potter”?    Free polls from Pollhost.com

Tags: HarryPotter | HP7 | book7.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

The “One Book” Meme (Turned, Unavoidably, into the “Two Book” Meme)

Sorry for putting you through this. But it's been difficult “getting going” this morning, so I'm doing something entirely meaningless instead of doing something just moderately meaningless. (Thanks to Dan Wickett for infecting me with this one, by the way.) So here it is. (I'll have two answers for each... one sort of serious, and one seriously snarky... snarky is kind of my MO for these things... and for most things... so it's kind of unavoidable for me to do the snark thing here. Just to make it fun, I'll mix it up and let you decide which is which.)

---

One Book that Changed Your Life

¼. A Spell for Chameleon. I still remember diving in to this book and coming out utterly hooked. I don't remember it happening to me before that time. Just completely enraptured by a book. Not wanting to look outside its pages for reality. I still seek out that feeling. Mostly I don't find it. Alas. ¾. You Are a Dog: Life Through the Eyes of Man's Best Friend Had I not written this book, I don't know what would have happened, but I likely would not be a very happy camper right now. Unless I wrote something better. Which I suppose is entirely possible. Rats, maybe I shouldn't have gone down this road. I feel self loathing coming on.

One Book that You've Read More than Once

¼. The Elements of Typographic Style. Really I have. No lie. Would I lie about something like that? I mean, how often does someone admit to being such an insufferable geek? ¾. Tarnsman Of Gor. Rarely do I read a book more than once. I mean, life is short. There are a lot of books. But I was just the right age for this, and there was just the right amount of mystery and blood and sex... I might have even read it three times. (Though the truly honest answer is that the book I was forced to read the most often is The Magic String. I bet I could recite that one right now. The ball of string rolled all over Teletubbyland. Yikes and bother.)

One Book that You'd Want on a Desert Island

¼. This one is easy, and I don't think I should have to explain it. Build Your Own Boat ¾. Also this one: SAS Survival Handbook: How to Survive in the Wild, in Any Climate, on Land or at Sea

One Book that Made You Laugh

¼. Possible Side Effects. Not because I have read it, but because much of it has been read to me. ¾. I don't like funny books.

One Book that Made You Cry

¼. Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, Deluxe Edition (Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (Deluxe)). I used to have one of these sitting on the floor of my office, and I stubbed my toe on it. Wept like a baby. ¾. I must turn something off when I read books. Honestly, I'm having trouble remembering a book that made me cry, though I generally cry like a faucet. At almost anything. Hat dropping. You name it.

One Book that You Wish You Had Written

¼. Harry Potter. Honestly. Any book you write that means you never have to work again (or pretty much do anything you don't want to do) has meaning... is somehow significant, even if you scoff at money and earnings and whatever else... what would you do with yourself? Good question. I might raise my children. I might raise a lot of people's children. I might try to make a difference somewhere. Somehow. Just for a minute. Just sixty seconds. How good would that be? ¾. I don't have a snarky answer. That first one was real. What would you do if you'd written a book that made you richer than royalty?

One Book that You Wish Had Never Been Written

¼. Harry Potter. Honestly. How many times do I have to read this to my son? I mean, really. Can we stop now? Also stop with the book on CD? It's driving me crazy. ¾. The Holy Bible. Imagine the ways in which your life might be simpler had this text (all of it, new and old testaments) never been written down. How different would your life be? (Maybe not at all... could that even be possible?) You have to understand, as a Christian I say this with some reservations, but with all the seriousness and gaminess I can muster.

One Book You Are Currently Reading

¼. The Essential Calvin and Hobbes. My kids adore Calvin and Hobbes. A little too much, I'd say. ¾. Beware the geek (again). Chip Kidd: Book One: Work: 1986-2006 (Chip Kidd). I suppose studying is the more appropriate word here. But reading it I am.

One Book You've Been Meaning to Read

¼. This is the hardest one to answer. Hm. Oh, got one. I actually keep meaning to buy Omnivore's Dilemma so I can read it. I think that should count. I'm going to count it. ¾. Envisioning Information. Do I really have to say it? I think I've said it enough. “Geek! Geek geek geek geek geek.” I can't even explain to you why I love this stuff. It's just, well, I don't even know. It's just... cool. Okay. That's enough. I've had it. No more of these. They make me crazy. I had to finish this because I started it, but that's where my responsibility ends. You are not required to do it yourself. Just, you know, find something useful to do with your day. Like build a lap pool in your back yard. And invite me over. I love to watch other people work.

Tags: bookmeme | books | meme | onebook | twobook.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Divination of Harry Potter Number Seven

Odd. I'd just been thinking about posting my meandering thoughts regarding Harry Potato in the last few days, and J.K. comes out and tells the world that she's killed two characters.

J.K. Rowling to Kill Two in Final 'Potter' Book - The Deadbolt : With the news that two Harry Potter characters will die, fans are sure to be frantic over the identity of the two victims.

This of course is malicious understatement. And I will not hesitate here to use my crystal ball. Please note, however, that I am of the same opinion as those who believe that Divination is one of the fuzzier of the magical arts. Dead Number One: Neville Longbottom. I have absolutely no evidence of Neville's demise, of course, but I'm working with my gut here, thinking Neville will die in an attempt to avenge his parents. And in the mean time, he will lose his life and add something to the effort to kill Voldemort. My son, however, who is eight, was also first to latch on to Mr. Longbottom. I'm afraid he stinks of the tragic hero. Or the guy in the war movie who shows all his mates the picture of his girlfriend back at home approximately thirty frames before his bunker is shelled. Dead Number Two: Hagrid. It simply does not pay to be a father-figure for Mr. Potter, and Hagrid's death would continue in this tradition. I have a feeling I could easily be wrong on this one, but Hagrid is so lovable that he seems untouchable. Which makes him the perfect victim. Other possibilities: Percy Weasley. Mr. Weasley. Dobby. I'm ruling out the three main characters, Ron, Hermione, and Harry, and probably Ginny too, because killing any of those characters would simply be insipid fan-bating, and I don't mind saying it. As much as Ms. Rowling might end up saying that she didn't have a choice but to kill characters, etc., she's the author and has whatever choice she pleases. She could make Snape Harry's real father, for instance. Or bring Dumbledore back to live (though I'm pretty sure he's dead... but that's another post... and a rather long one I may or may not make later). You realize, of course, that this revelation is just to get you talking about HP again. To get you back into the story. And Ms. Rowling is one of the most savvy authors in the world. Just you wait. There will be more to come. And by the time 7 is set to hit the shelves, readers will be frothing to get their hands on it. Finally, here are a few titles for Ms. Rowling, in case she hasn't decided just yet:

1. Harry Potter and the Dark Lord in Vegas
2. Harry Potter and the Monster at the End of This Book
3. Harry Potter and the Horcrux of Mary Magdalene
4. The Lost Gospel of Harry Potter
5. Harry Potter and A Little More than Snogging, Thank You
6. Harry Potter and the Comb and the Brush and the Bowl Full of Mush
7. Harry Potter and the World's Worst Dog

Blessings all.

Tags: book | crystalball | divination | HarryPotter | HarryPotter7 | HarryPotterSeven | booktitle | title.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Voldemort Returns... Woot!)

Raise your hand if you're going to go see the new Harry Potter on the day it opens (in Spokane, mind you)? Imagine me with my hand up in the air as if anxious to answer a question from my second grade teacher (who I was in love with).

I'm doing it for my son, of course (who often breaks into a British accent when speaking of things HP).

I promise to come back and tell you how awful (or aweful) it was.

Blessings and good morning.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Where Do You Get Your Audiobooks?

Assuming you listen to audiobooks, where do you get them? Do you buy CDs? Download them? [Download thousands of audiobooks on iTunes.] Borrow them from friends? Rent them? Gnutella? What? The Harry Potter audiobook series is amazing, by the way. My son has listened to all of them at least once (some of them three or four or even five times). Jim Dale does an incredible job reading them. So incredible that at one point Number One said “You know, I'm pretty sure that the same person does the voice of Hermione and Ginny. I had to ask him to repeat himself. Finally, I said, ”Um, yeah. You're right. The same guy does all the voices for all the characters.“ Gulp. His face went completely and utterly shocked. ”No... Way...“ ”Way.“ I think he even paused the tape for a few minutes while he thought about that. And later, after he was finished listening for the day, he had to tell everyone he knew. ”Did you know the same person does all the voices for the Harry Potter books? Well he does. Really.“ Get ’em:

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, Book 1)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, Book 2)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter, Book 3)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter, Book 4)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Book 5 Audio CD)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6)

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Who Harry's Snogging / Harry Potter "Fan" Fiction Not So Much a Fan of Ginny

Good lord. I understand some people being upset by the plot turns in HP6, but this is asinine:

Watley Review - Page Three: "'Rowling actually said in a recent interview that she felt the romantic arc of her characters was 'obvious,' fumed Pembroke. 'Excuse me, but I don't need her to tell me about who should pair up with whom.' Pembroke's version involves a new romance for Harry with an exchange student from America whose physical description is remarkably close to the picture on her website. The new character, who rapidly rises to the top of her class, has a mysterious scar on her forehead similar to Harry's famous lightning bolt. She is also an 'animagus' who can assume the form of a talking winged unicorn."

Of course you need her to tell you who should pair up with whom... she's the freakin' author. Unfortunately, when you do a decent job of making a world, people tend to believe in that world. I doubt very much whether this "new" version of the book would do anything to hurt sales of the real thing, but it looks as if the publishers don't care. They have to protect their precious copyright. Frankly, they'd do better ignoring her altogether. Drawing attention to her will do nothing but pour money out of the pockets of the publisher that could be better spent elsewhere (like, on authors nobody cares to re-write) and pour gasoline on the fanfic fire. Can I just say here that of course those relationships were telegraphed long ago? I had Ginny paired up with Harry since her appearance in the Chamber of Secrets. Who did not see that coming? And the Ron & Hermione pair is just too darned obvious, especially given their reactions to dating other people on the Goblet of Fire. The real trouble, of course, is that we didn't really spend enough time watching the relationships develop in HP6. One of the weaknesses of all the HP books, to me, is the lack of development of almost all the relationships. We are simply told most everything about how people do and don't like or don't like one another. And that's a bit frustrating, especially by book 6, wherein we expect a little more depth to our hearts. Still, if you use the word "snogging" often enough, it hardly matters.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter Unspoilers / Dumbledore Is Not Dead!

If you haven't read Half-Blood Prince, and you intend to, then don't go following any links in this entry. But if you have read it, and you feel like entertaining yourself with the proposition of people spending too much valuable time researching and digging and speculating about the aliveness or deadness of certain main characters of the book, then by all means, go here: Dumbledore Is Not Dead! Though there is a lot to argue with in the presentation, there's also a good deal I'd already thought of, already imagined, and already felt like sharing... but I'm relatively certain that their conclusions are incorrect... if only mostly incorrect. Maybe more on this later, maybe not. I don't want to spend too overlong on it myself. But maybe you do. So enjoy.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

MobileRead Networks - Harry Potter 6 e-book already being pirated!

Oops. Even millionaire authors make mistakes:

MobileRead Networks - Harry Potter 6 e-book already being pirated!: Thanks to Mrs Rowling's insistance not to release an electronic version of the new Harry Potter book Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, underground e-book pirates have already began to do the work for themselves. ... Update...: It's done, the complete e-book has been fully scanned proofread, in about 12 hours after the hardcover book had hit the stores.

Could we have predicted this? We could have. You know what? I'd love to be able to afford to turn down an offer to turn my book into an ebook. Anybody want to make me that offer? (I can't guarantee I'll turn you down, but you could offer anyway, no?)

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

How to Make a Better Harry Potter Midnight Release Party / A Twelve-Step Guide (Hopefully Helpful for the Release of HP7)

1. You are likely going to have to close your store early so that you can set up for your party. Instead of giving yourself a half hour to set up for the 300 (or more) people about to swarm inside, give yourself an hour or more--that is, close an hour or more before the party is set to begin, even if that means fifteen minutes of paying for your staff to stare at each other before opening the doors. You will look more prepared, and you'll be able to open your doors on time instead of 20 minutes late.

2. There should be some indication that the four people standing outside on the sidewalk are actually judging the costumes if that?s what the four people standing outside on the sidewalk are doing. Yes, I know one was the weatherman, one was the pageant queen, one was a local author (hey, why did nobody ask me?), and one was a store employee, but we thought they were just standing out there to keep people from demanding to enter the store right now. Clipboards? They mean nothing to me. Am I supposed to know their purpose simply by the fact that they have clipboards? I am not so good with legilimency.

3. Discourage people from dressing up as dementors. And if there are going to be people dressed as dementors, encourage all dementor dressers to stay the hell away from the children (at least my children, dammit) or stay away from anybody who appears to want dementors to stay the hell away from them (even older children seemed to want a few of the dementors to get lost, but they were persistent little buggers who did not seem to respond appropriately to the patronus charm). The last thing I need is a kid who won't go to sleep until 2 because he's thinking about whether or not the coat hanging from his bedpost is actually a dementor. Furthermore, if the dementors are employed by the place wherein the party is to be held, make them cartoonish for crying out loud. Everyone else dressed up is cartoonish. Once or twice I found myself asking if I was looking at a wizard or a Smurf. But the dementors were frightening even to me. Isn't this supposed to be fun?

4. If you are going to have a sorting hat at the entryway, have alternative options to making it a requirement for all Wizards to be sorted into houses before they enter. This leads to an incredible delay in getting in to the store. Even though the party was to start at 9:00, and the doors opened at around 9:20, we didn't get inside until 9:40, which meant we'd been standing on line for nearly an hour. In case you weren?t tired enough, you will now have to answer the question, "when are we going to get inside" exactly three hundred and forty-six times, at which point you merely want to take your book and go home, but you can't, because you still have two and a half hours before you have to stand in line to get your book. Furthermore, if you are going to sort wizards into houses in the entryway, when a seven year-old boy is told he is a Slytherin, the seven year-old boy's father should have an option to crack the employee who decided he was Slytherin over the head with a beer bottle (at this point I was definitely wanting a beer). Not all seven year old boys want to be Slytherins, and so far you are not winning the hearts and minds of seven year-old boys by putting them into a house that, if they had been it at a real school, would have caused them to drop out in the first twenty minutes. "I want to go back and do it again, even if I have to wait another twenty minutes in line, I don't want to be Slytherin. I can't be Slytherin." Give this boy an out. Let him pick his house. Luckily, a resourceful father and a different employee were able to turn the situation around semi-convincingly (by lying), though the Slytherin-come-Gryffindor was still a bit disappointed in his party experience. Perhaps next time you will offer wizards a choice of houses, or have a way for chaperones to indicate which house the wizard should be placed in. Would it cause any real harm to allow eighty percent of the wizards to be Gryffindors? I doubt it. This is not a real school. Let the kids be who they want to be.

5. If you are going to sort all wizards (see number 4), then have more than one sorting hat. It will not diminish the excitement of the evening. Nobody believes that this is for real. Not really. Nobody believes that that is the one and true sorting hat, and that after they have been sorted they will be Gryffindor forever. But real or not, speeding up the line into the party should be on your to-do list, marked important in big, red letters.

6. Do not allow the number of people into the building right up to the limit of the fire code. It is simply too many people. It smacks of greed. And it leaves you no wiggle room in case a child needs a chaperone. You will make plenty of money on the book (especially since you are only giving a twenty percent discount, when most people know they can get at least a forty percent discount almost anywhere else). My evening would be much better served by being able to move about without stepping on smaller people who don't know better than to look out for me.

7. If there are to be events within the event for which there are a limited number of attendees who can sign up (such as playing video quidditch), then it should be clear upon entry that this is so, or seven year-olds will go home and tell their parents "it was fun, but I didn't get to do everything I wanted to do," head hanging low, not particularly pleased with his experience.

8. More crystal balls. The line into Professor Trelawny's office was far too long, and the payoff far too small.

9. When someone asks what the symbols on the map man, do not reply, "if you've read the books, you'll know what they mean." I've read all the books twice, and listened to some of them on tape as my son listened. I didn't know what the hell the symbols were supposed to mean, and not everything seemed to be in the place where it was marked on the map. Smart aleck comments after I've just waited forty minutes on line are not appreciated.

10. When you take your children to Chuck E Cheese, they mark your hand with a number, and your child gets the same number on his or her hand, so that the child cannot leave without the appropriate adult. There were more than 300 people inside your building, children roaming without adults, and no real security to speak of besides bookstore employees who were too busy to notice if children were with their chaperone's or not. Just because nothing happened doesn't mean precautions shouldn't be taken. It only takes one missing child for what looks like a small amount of negligence to become an enormous amount of negligence.

11. Don't rely so heavily on our continued support of independent businesses to keep you afloat. Be more prepared. When an issue is brought to your attention, do more than shrug your shoulders. Do more to be sure that the customer feels like a customer. Do more to be sure that the customer feels as if you give a damn. Do more to ensure that the customer doesn't feel taken for granted. When the customer feels taken for granted, the customer will disappear. This is a party, yes, but that doesn't change the fact that you are supposedly running a business in this establishment. Barnes & Noble had a party too, I believe. As did Borders. And their books were 40 percent off.

12. Don't have a party at all. Bring as many employees in as you want at a quarter to midnight, pay them double-time, and just sell the book. Do we really need an event to buy a book? We don't. The important part of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, to me, is reading it to my son. I could care less about the party. I could care less about the jelly beans we won. I just want to be with my son. An even more radical notion might be to not sell the book at all. Don't place a single order. Don't take any special orders. Don't have a party and don't allow yourselves to be taken hostage by the publisher. Don't put yourself in danger of accidentally releasing the book too early. Don't put yourself at risk of breaking the "contract" or the "law" that prevents you from doing so. If somebody asks why you don't carry the book, tell them that if your business relies so heavily on the sales of one title, then you do not have a successful, reliable, or even a viable business. The sales of Harry Potter books do not last forever. They are not every year. They cannot be counted on. And the author has said that the next one is absolutely her last. So let the box stores sell it. They're likely selling it at near a loss anyway. And when the sales rep comes around to ask why you aren't ordering any copies of the biggest book since the Bible, tell them that as soon as the publishing industry stops ruining itself with bloated best-sellers, you'll change your strategy. But until then, you want to sell books, not soda, not beer, not rock stars. Your business is in readers. Creating them, encouraging them, promoting them, catering to them.
A bookstore that builds readers will be successful, even if that business eventually has to shutter its doors.

I've had my say, and probably gone overlong. I should note that I will likely attend the release of HP7, not because I want to but because I'm almost positive my son will want to. And, because, like him, I hate to miss anything, even if what I'm missing would, had I attended, burn cold in my heart.

Blessings.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince Release Party / September 16

Yes, I went to the party, and enjoyed myself some of the time, but it was exhausting. Still exhausted.

Can I think of some other books now?

Oh yeah. I have to finish reading the book. Peanut and I just finished chapter one. He never stops moving as I read (during the day).

Do I do the voices? Yes I do. Not as well as Jim Dale, of course, but I try my best, and have great fun.

Can I sleep now?

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

'Evil' Harry Potter day cancelled

HP6 in the news every-darn-where:

BBC NEWS | England | Lincolnshire | 'Evil' Harry Potter day cancelled: "Pupils from The Holt Primary School in Skellingthorpe, Lincs, were planning to dress up as witches and wizards. But the event - to mark the launch of the new JK Rowling book - was scrapped after parents and a local rector expressed concerns about witchcraft."

What a load of rubbish. Don't they understand? Reading any sort of book leads to evil. That's what books are for.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Platform 9 3/4 at King's Cross, London

You know, I'm relatively certain that Platform Nine and Three Quarters is unmarked (until after you have gone through the divider). If you see this sign and are tempted to walk through, be warned. You are liable to break a bone.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels? / Signed Letters from Cardinal Ratzinger Supposedly Decry Potter (or something like it)

Much is being made of the Ratzinger letter that says:

Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels - Signed Letters from Cardinal Ratzinger Now Online: "Many thanks for your kind letter of February 20th and the informative book which you sent me in the same mail. It is good, that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity in the soul, before it can grow properly.

I would like to suggest that you write to Mr. Peter Fleedwood... directly and to send him your book."

Some would like us to believe that this means His Holiness would like us not to read the Potter books. But to me, this quote says, "I'm sorry, I really can't be bothered to read your book about Harry Potter, but I'm sure it's very informative and full of things we should know about... send it to Pete and he'll at least skim it for important items we should be concerned about... if Potter is as bad as you say it is, well, that's bad. I think. So send it to Pete. Okay?"

Of course you have to know that the response from the publishing industry is a bit of a collective yawn. The success or failure of Harry Potter does not depend upon recommendations from the Pope.

But maybe I should send him my book... What do you think? Would a nod from the Pontiff boost my sales? Do you think he has a Standard Poodle or a Pomeranian?

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Crystal Ball) at Wikipedia

All the best verifyable Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (HPHBP (HP6)) news is, of course, as always, located at Wikipedia: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Crystal Ball) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Wikipedia is very often the best place to find information on just about everything. Now get a copy (assuming you haven't already) at amazon.com / (in a new window). What do you mean you already pre-ordered your copy of HP6? Well, then buy a copy of You Are a Dog instead / (in a new window). And always remember, Beware the Vacuum. (There's a reason them witches and wizards ride brooms. The vacuum is evil.) More HP6 links: HP6 at Large / HP6 In the Wild in the Library: a Clarification / Librarians Have All the HP6 Luck / Pope Opposes Harry Potter Novels?. See you at the bookstore. Cruicio!

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter / Librarians Have All the HP6 Luck

Here's another picture from a library. Dang it. Do they open it? Do they look inside? Do they even try to figure out who the HBP (half blood prince) is?

You know some of them have to. They just have to. How could they not?

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter in the Wild / In the Library / A Clarification

I just got this email update on the library copies of Half-Blood Prince in the wild (reprinted here with Michael Pate's permission):

First off, I really do work in a library and I also blog about it

here

I added a link to the entry regarding the photo

here.

Second, we are indeed bound by the same policies established for bookstore

here.

I have them sitting on my desk:

here.

right now (I am about to go lock them up). These will not be read before hand.

Thanks, Michael, for the update. He's also posted a photoset of the Potter pics at flickr: here.

Maybe the real question should be, if we check Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince out of the library, will the government have access to the fact that I did so? Didn't they take that out of the PATRIOT act?

Maybe you'd rather buy a copy at amazon.com / (in a new window).

Blessings and library fines all around.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

HP6 / Half Blood Prince at Large / In the Wild / On the Cart / In the Library

Okay. Go ahead and count me in as a fanatic. Every time I see something Harry Potter, I jump. I'm going to go ahead and let myself, and report here, because otherwise I'm just going to feel jumpy until the 16th (which is also my wedding anniversary, so I probably have plenty of reason to be jumpy).

Here's a photo of HP6 in the wild, in the library. (Edit... I'm looking at that photo, and I'm almost thinking it's in a bookstore... but I can't find details in the profile there... I'm gonna leave 'im a note, mates.) I'm not sure what the rules are for libraries, but I bet they can't put it out until the 16th. Still, what would prevent the librarians from poking their noses in to the book and revealing the ending?

Probably some kind of injunction or contractual agreement. Still, I bet someone, somewhere, is going to reveal something very soon, especially if they're floating free like these three.

All I know is if some 15-year-old library volunteer puts these on the shelf, there will be hell to pay.

Get a copy at amazon.com / (in a new window).

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

New 'Harry Potter' Book, Half Blood Prince, Leaked in British Columbia

Oops.

CBC British Columbia - New 'Harry Potter' book leaked : "Raincoast Books, the Canadian publisher of the Harry Potter series, is in full damage-control mode after a B.C. store prematurely sold up to 15 copies of the latest book last week."

I honestly don't know what all the mad secrecy is about. It's not like we're going to not buy a copy just because we know Ron is the lovechild of Albus Dumbledore and Harry's real father is Darth Vader. Once again, nobody asked me. Who do you suppose that is? Get a copy at amazon.com / (in a new window).

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter Arrives by Truck / Police

I am not what I would call a fanatic, but I am enjoying the press, the circus, the hubbub surrounding the release of Half-Blood Prince.

First truckload of sixth Harry Potter books delivered - Jul. 11, 2005: "The New York Police Department was on hand to secure delivery of the first truckload of 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince,' which arrived at a Barnes & Noble store in Union Square in Manhattan, near Greenwich Village."

And, of course, I'll enjoy reading it to Number One. He digs Potter beyond all repair, and I dig breaking out my bad British accent for the occassion. Expecto Patronum. Half Blood Prince at amazon.com / (in a new window).

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

The Dark Mark / Back Cover of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I have to say, I'm still just not as impressed with this cover as I have been with some from the past, in part, I suppose, because of what may be poor scan quality... but also, there used to be all sorts of elements from the book coming out of the cover (some elements you had to look at a few times to even notice), and there was more of a playful, less realistic look to the paintings themselves. Alas. Nobody asked me before setting out to make the cover. So, what are we looking at? Looks like the Dark Mark there in the sky. Is that castle supposed to be Hogwarts? I hope not, but maybe it is. Looks very ominous (and not particularly interesting). I'm guessing that's Ron on the far left (no glasses), though it's hard to tell if that's red hair or not (longer nose than Harry on the front cover). Then Hermione, I suppose, and maybe Ginny. There's also a figure standing behind "Ron," to the far left. Features look vaguely feminine. Is it the Half-Blood Prince? Is it random nobody? And why does Ginny's face look so terribly flat? Did someone hex her with a pancake spell? Sigh. The more I look at the Dark Mark the more I think, "Oh, that doesn't look anything at all like the Dark Mark I had in mind." First of all, it's not particularly frightening. Looks more like an eleven-year-old rendering of the Dark Mark to me. Especially with the diagonal eyes. Too cartoonish. Is it supposed to be scary? Because it isn't. Also, it's green. Did the entire book have to be so very washed in green? Ron looks as if he's about to spit out a slug. I suppose it will look better in person. I'll know on the 16th. Number 1 and I will be at Auntie's, awaiting our copy. Who is the Half Blood Prince? We'll know in a week. My money is on Ron (I know, that's impossible based on the story, but I've got an idea there are more surprises in this book than we know about). Expelliarmus! Oh, and, of course, you can save twelve bucks on a copy of Half-Blood Prince from Amazon.com.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Cover

Assuming Amazon.com didn't totally blow it, they now have the cover posted for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It looks sort of, um, well... green. I'm not very impressed. I guess that's the pensieve pictured there. If I had half a guess to make, I'd make the guess that this would change some time soon. If nothing else, there should be some contrast in the darn thing. Currently, you can barely read the title (making out the author name is nigh impossible), and that just isn't good. Note: This is the cover on all the bookstore websites now, so I'm assuming it's the real deal, but that doesn't mean I have to be happy about it.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Page Count

Bookseller customer support at Scholastic says that Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince will weigh in at 672 pages (I had guessed it wouldn't be more than 600 pages... I do not mind being wrong so long as you don't rub it in). Source: Harry Potter Bookseller Desk for Retailers and Distributors Only.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Pandering Potter "News"

Now that J.K. Rowling has submit her manuscript to her publishers, the frenzy begins, and since there is no real new information, moderately repsectable news sources cobbling together all the garbage data that even minor Potter fans already knew. It's nothing more than a headline, really. "J.K. Rowling hints at what's to come in 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince'?" Well, no, not really. Not recently. Everything posted in this "article" was yanked from fandom or long past interviews or old posts on the J.K. Rowling web site. I'm happy to see this book sell millions of copies. Truly I am. My son adores them and I love to read them to him in my really bad British accent. But let's see if we can get some real news in the newspapers, shall we? It's a book, not a bomb, and it isn't even set to be released until July. Why treat us like idiots in the mean time?

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Now Available for Pre-Order

Just as I thought, you can order Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (due July 16) right now, and it'll ship to you when it's released. What the heck. Go join the party.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Oh Yeah

Apparently an announcement about Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is due in the morning. I expect Amazon.com to have it available just about two seconds after the announcement is made. J.K. Rowling has submit the manuscript to her English language publisher. When that happens, the counter starts to count down. Assuming there are no huge changes to the manuscript, I bet we have a book available for next year's Christmas season.

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Archives Broken and Sirius is Harry's Godfather (of Soul)

Dammit, now my archive links are broken. Ack! Meanwhile, I saw Harry Potter yesterday. Best HP yet. Obviously. Maybe I'll say more in awhile. Right now? It's 3:20 in the freaking morning. What the hell am I doing up?

Labels: booklinks, Harry Potter

Dipity Timeline