Yeah. The first book was a well-written kids book. The second was kind of eh -- set up a lot of stuff that would be important later, but not so great on its own. The third is where it starts really getting interesting, and then the fifth is where it definitely stops being just kids books.

The second was kind of eh -- set up a lot of stuff that would be important later, but not so great on its own.

I think the second book is underrated. When I reread it, I really appreciated it for getting so much darker than the first book, so quickly. You don't really notice it when you go through the first time, but once you see where the story ends up, you see that Rowling never intended this to be one big happy romp. There's real danger. And she's got spicy brains.

I wonder if Rowling ever sits in her castle and goes, "Yes, I *do* know how to write, thank you very much!"

A person I was talking to on LJ compared the wait to the times when people would be anxiously awaiting the release of the latest Dickens novel installment.

Hee, totally. Although that was probably more like arc-based episodic television.

ASDAs have the latest Potter for £5. Which is a quarter of the RRP.

I was just looking at an HP fanfic site, and they've had to announce that they're shutting off new memberships to the discussion forum until after the weekend because some people are so bound and determined to spread spoilers that they're putting plot spoilers into their new thread names.

that's shitty.

People are creating new LJ names the same way. I would not want to be a moderator of anything HP-related right now.

People are creating new LJ names the same way. I would not want to be a moderator of anything HP-related right now

Why do people have to be like that??? Oh, right, because humans suck a lot of the time. also, blow.

That, to me, is a theme of the books. It's so painfully true. Not the way it should be, but the way the world is.