(Don't worry, no spoilers)
My town doesn't have enough English buyers to do a midnight party, so I had to wait until this morning to buy my book. (Probably the same time people in California were starting their midnight marathon, so it wasn't bad--at least I got some sleep!) It was lovely to be part of the group waiting for the bookstore to open, to see friends getting their books, and just the general feeling like it was truly Christmas in July. Bloomsbury also provided DH gift bags for the people who preordered, so it really was like getting a present. And since most of my life I've had a pretty good guess what I was getting for presents, it was extra nice that for once, I had no idea what was coming.
By the time I woke up, Bloomsbury.com had already archived JKR's midnight reading of the first chapter, and I was seriously tempted to watch it while waiting for the bookstore to open. I got as far as the first two words of the first chapter and stopped. I've since watched it, but somehow, I wanted the first time to be like all the other first times--just me and the text. Rowling once talked about a boy who came to a book signing for her first book, and he was crushed to see that so many other people were there. It was HIS book, you see. HIS private story, that he didn't want to share. That's sort of how I felt. I can share the story now, but the first time, I wanted it to be MINE. And after reading it, I couldn't help walking around town, smiling like an idiot. So satisfying. I know, it's just a story. But an important part of life is recognizing and treasuring joy when we find it, and both the fact that this series exists, and the ideas particularly in the last book, made me happy!
Once everyone's read it, it will be fun to talk about particulars, of course, but in the meantime, I hope all of you still reading get to have that private experience of an amazing story, just for you.
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