Peeking at Potter

Good things come to those who wait.

A friend gave me the latest copy of Harry Potter this weekend (thank you JE!). So I gleefully read the book without the hassle of pre-ordering, queueing and fending off hordes of Potter-crazed teens. Ironically, the only other book in the series that I've never purchased is the 6th (Half-Blood Prince) which I read in bits and pieces at different airport bookstores during my travelling consultant days.

Though sorely tempted, I also avoided all those online copies, did NOT flip to the end of the book and even ignored threatened the hubby who was making spoilery remarks all weekend. It's interesting why I was so adamant on being spoiler-free when I'm usually the first to scour the web for spoilers on almost everything else entertainment related.... no using the wand to spy the future for me! culturebox provides one take on this in Peeking at Potter: Is it wrong to skip to the end of a book? (Thanks P, for the link).

When a few media outlets published early reviews of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows this week, author J.K. Rowling protested that the articles contained spoilers. She declared herself "staggered that American newspapers have decided to ... [ignore] the wishes of literally millions of readers, particularly children, who wanted to reach Harry's final destination by themselves, in their own time." Presumably, Rowling assumes that half the pleasure of reading a fat, event-filled tome lays in our uncertainty about how it will end. But not every boy-wizard devotee thrives on guesswork and anticipation. According to a poll of 500 children taken for the British bookstore chain Waterstone's, nearly one-fifth of Harry Potter fans will skip straight to the end of the final book in the series. Is there something wrong with sussing out an ending in advance?"