OOP (non-spoiler teasers inside): Way! Hay!

[Debbie]

GulPlum AKA Richard:

Thanks for your insightful read. It's really nice to hear what goes 
on in the UK. I'm really excited, and now more so with your 
admittance of tons of stuff going on in the first 2 chapters. But 
most intriguing is your surprise at the title of the first chapter. 
AUGH! Three more hours to go!!

Unfortunately, like most adults, I will have limited time to read it 
also. My parents decided to visit this weekend. Originally, my 
husband was going to watch the baby all weekend, but alas, I will 
spend time with my wonderful parents instead - my mother is the one 
who got me into HP in the first place!

Again, thanks for your insights, and lack of spoilers.

-Debbie

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, GulPlum <hp at p...> wrote:
> My plans as previously announced have changed slightly, and I have 
brought 
> my nice new black and white brick home rather than sitting outside 
to read 
> it (it's bloody cold for the shortest night of the year!). I took a 
long 
> leisurely walk home while reading and have got to the end of the 
second 
> chapter.
> 
> I've just put the kettle on and I thought I'd take advantage of the 
time to 
> write a few words.
> 
> I've witnessed several midnight releases in central Birmingham 
before 
> (mainly films and computer games), but this is the first one in 
which I 
> have been directly interested. There've only ever been (literally) 
three of 
> four people standing waiting for doors to open for such events. The 
line of 
> at least 50 people in an orderly queue outside WH Smiths, about 100 
people 
> outside the small Waterstone's branch opposite it were as nothing 
compared 
> to the large Waterstone's branch 200 yards away. There were at 
least 300 
> people, most of them in costume, and at least 3/4 of them 15 years 
old or 
> younger. The queue went alf way around the block (which is almost 
all the 
> one bookshop). I smiled when I heard people discussing theories, 
and  lot 
> of people admitting to discovering such discussions for the very 
first time!
> 
> It was an amazing feeling, seeing all these people, complete 
strangers to 
> one another, getting over their British reticence and having 
rational and 
> intelligent conversations at 11.55pm about a series of "children's 
books". 
> The queue outside WH Smith (to which I returned, they're selling 
the book 
> for £2 less than Waterstone's) was all adults, and several people 
were 
> saying "WH Smith is where the grownups come". To which I 
replied, "No, 
> HPFGU is where the grown ups come!". Of course, everyone wanted to 
know 
> where or what HPFGU was, so I  started 
scribbling "www.hpfgu.org.uk" on 
> bits of paper for people. :-)
> 
> Immediately behind me in the queue were three guys who (as the 
conversation 
> revealed) had just left a pub as it closed (the beer smell was 
quite 
> clear). :-) One of them started an in-depth discussion of who was 
to die 
> with me, and the whole queue joined in. It was "bloody brilliant"! 
Most 
> people looked like they were about to kill me when I revealed that 
the 
> online favourite is Hagrid - it seems that the thought hadn't 
crossed most 
> of their minds!
> 
> As I walked out of the shop with my (adult cover) copy (in a 
special "I got 
> my copy at WH Smith" bag with the OOTP logo), I was possessed to do 
> something I have never, ever, done before in over 30 years of 
reading 
> books. I read the whole of the last page. Interestingly (or not) I 
was 
> relieved to find that one character in particular was still alive, 
as that 
> person said goodbye to Harry...
> 
> I then started walking home (thankfully, the street lighting along 
the 
> route home is pretty good and sufficient to read by), while reading 
the 
> book from the start.  I started, of course, with the second 
sentence 
> (once  got over the shock of the first chapter's title!)... :-). 
Normally, 
> I can walk it in about 30-35 minutes. Tonight it took me an hour, 
and I've 
> got to the end of the second chapter, which contains more incident 
and 
> characters than probably the first four chapters of any of the 
earlier books.
> 
> I particularly liked the way JKR sketched in a brief "who's who" 
without 
> being quite as laboured about it as she has been before.
> 
> Also, in those first two chapters, at least four matters of major 
fan 
> speculation have been resolved or have been brought to an 
interesting head. 
> Especially the last few paragraphs of Chapter Two, which don't 
actually 
> reveal anything, but they *do* open a completely new can of worms! 
I am 
> incredibly intrigued and now must find out more.
> 
> Regrettably, I have an early start in the morning to do other 
things which 
> have cropped up, and I am very dismayed that within the next hour 
or so, I 
> shall have to go to bed... :-(
> 
> I am incredibly jealous of the Aussies, who get to buy their books 
at the 
> beginning of the day rather than at midnight, 'cos they can get on 
to 
> finish it - I for one will need sleep soon!
> 
> --
> GulPlum AKA Richard, who hopes to post again about breakfast time...