Oh, joy, joy, joy! Rapture!
After spending a couple of hours yesterday at Nehru Place to get some AutoCAD drawings made, I went to South Extension to meet my Nani. Meeting Nani is always a good thing, because she excels at guppebaazi, the cold coffee at her place is the best in the world, and a light snack over there runs into three courses.
But yesterday, it was a particularly good thing, because my American cousins are coming over to meet Nani in a couple of weeks, and she’d bought Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for them. So, keeping in mind that Ishan and Bumpy won’t be hear until the seventh, I borrowed it.
Yes! OotP! Hardcover! Worth at least six hundred and fifty rupees, depending where you buy it! And I got it for free!
Is anybody here repelled at the overuse of exclamation marks? I promise, that’s the last time. However, I’m thrilled to bits. Earlier, I was worrying about how I would avoid spoilers before the paperback came out. Now, I’m in a position to leak spoilers to everyone who hasn’t bought it yet, or who has a slower reading speed than mine. Which, I’m happy to say, is a lot of people. Heh heh heh. What evil shall I do today?
Anyway, this is how I read Order of the Phoenix.
I drove (yes, drove) to the market and bought four packets of Hide and Seek cookies.
I returned, and carried The Book, and the cookies, and candles and matchsticks upstairs.
I cleaned my room.
I cleansed myself. I had a bath, in which I soaped and shampooed, and then I mouthwashed and deoed. And then I changed into fresh clothes.
I turned the AC on, lit the candle, spread a clean bedcover over my bed, brought a bunch of pillows, and poured two packets of cookies into a bowl.
And then I created an XMMS playlist comprising all the Metallica and Iron Maiden I have. You haven’t truly experienced Harry Potter unless you’ve got The Clairvoyant or Master of Puppets playing in the background.
And then I settled down and actually read the book.
Yes, it’s a roundabout way of doing things, but I’m me, and I like making a ceremony out of things in the most mundane of circumstances. And for the publishing phenomenon of the year, you should get things right.
So. The book.
Without giving away any spoilers, let me say this- it’s wonderful. I read it non-stop (well, except for bathroom breaks) until a quarter past three in the morning, after which I was so happy that I stayed up until dawn and went for a few morning walks. It made me feel good about being a fifteen year old (I haven’t really grown up since Class XI). And, as a geek, I am particularly impressed with how well encapsulated the book is in comparison to Matrix Reloaded. It’s complete in itself. It maintains it’s own distinctive storyline and still manages to advance the storyline of the series, which MR couldn’t. Yes, it is a very, very wonderful book.
Bit of a spoiler coming up. Skip the next two paragraphs.
One of the subplots involves the Establishment replacing a popular though unorthodox Head of School with an incompetent, authoritarian middle aged woman who manages to piss off the entire school, including both students and faculty. This leads to the students becoming disgusted and restless, and to some respected and well-loved teachers leaving.
Does that sound familiar at all? I’m beginning to suspect JK Rowling spent the time she had writers block in Vasant Vihar, observing goings on. Then again, maybe she’s clairvoyant. Or the Oracle.
And I’m going to stop blithering now, and leave you to go and get the book yoruselves. And remember, listen to it with Metallica in the background. Especially Bleeding Me when you start the last chapter.