I'm not sure I could have read the book knowing that. I would have had to read all the detailed spoilers ahead of time to be sure and then waited a few days to get to the acceptance phase and then started the book.

I eventually had to read the end to assure myself that Neville would survive. I also had to read the end because I wasn't sure how I was going to survive the camping/horcrux searching.

I wasn't sure how I was going to survive the camping/horcrux searching.

You know what's tedious about that section? They don't have a fucking plan. They just keep bickering about the same five places that they might look.

Then again, I try to remember that (a) they're teenagers; (b) every time they do poke their heads above ground Voldemort has anticipated it with a trap; (c) their plan to break into the Ministry was incredibly ill-considered with no backup plans if they were separated. Hermione should've anticipated that.

I was mildly annoyed that they didn't keep their DA coins that Hermione had enchanted as that would have allowed Ron's return and they could've communicated in the Ministry etc. Especially since JKR makes it a plot point that Neville, Luna and Ginny are still using the coins at Hogwarts.

Final grievance: I thought it was stupid that towards the end, Harry doesn't tell everybody in the castle that they've been hunting horcruxes and they need to kill Nagini. I can sort of tolerate it that they take on the Horcrux hunt without help, but at that point in the story with only one Horcrux left it was dumb to only tell Neville.

Here's how I take the Neville part - he was helping Neville to fulfill the prophecy. Without killing Nagini, killing Voldemort would have been a lot more difficult and not permanent, so with Neville killing Nagini, Neville essentially fulfills the prophecy 90% and then Harry finishes the final 10%.

It involves a lot of handwavium and also remembering that Harry's big talent is inadvertently putting people in danger by NOT asking for help or by NOT telling the whole story. Hello Sirius' death.

I seriously was ready to take a rock and beat the Trio senseless when they were in the woods. And then perhaps take out JKR.

I can't imagine how it is going to be in the movie-- although maybe they will cut back and forth between Horcrux hunting, and Neville, Luna, and Ginny holding down the fort, so to speak.

can't imagine how it is going to be in the movie

I'm pretty sure they'll cut that section way down and focus on the tension brewing with Ron.

There are a couple I haven't seen, I think.

I'm pretty sure they'll cut that section way down and focus on the tension brewing with Ron.

They do have two movies to fill.

I've read the first four HP books and enjoyed them, but my patience with Harry was starting to wear thin by then. I saw the first movie and thought it was a typical not-quite-satisfying book-to-movie convert. I have the rest of the books, but haven't felt any inclination to read them. Perhaps it's because they're becoming teenagers and I expect to be supremely annoyed by them all.

I saw Get Him to the Greek last night. Funnier than I expected, but not as well-crafted as Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I must say, my rational mind wants to dislike Russell Brand, but I am totally charmed by him, even when he's playing a horrible person.