HP7 Countdown

More on Harry. After the NYT review came out, blogs around the world reported on the 'scandal.' I'm proud to have been on top of that soon after the Michiko Kakutani review was posted (WARNING: Do not read if you do not want anything spoiled. I'm linking to it, and I haven't even read it!)

Anyway, it was only a matter of time. Eric sent me this BBC story today on the J.K. Rowling and Scholastic/Bloomsbury response to the plot leaks and spoilers appearing on the Internet days ahead of the scheduled July 21 release date. Publishers have been dutifully enforcing embargoes in 93 (!) countries in anticipation of the book release, but one can do only so much. The BBC lede? Harry Potter and the Premature Review.

On a Lighter Note: Harry Potter

Wow, the NYT got an atypical scoop here: A review of the next and final Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which will be released to droves of fans -- young and old -- at midnight on Friday night. Michiko liked it, as she has the previous six.

Why is it a scoop? The Times purchased the book yesterday, a full two days early. So much intrigue!

A bit of the review:

With each installment, the “Potter” series has grown increasingly dark, and this volume — a copy of which was purchased at a New York City store yesterday, though the book is embargoed for release until 12:01 a.m. on Saturday — is no exception. While Ms. Rowling’s astonishingly limber voice still moves effortlessly between Ron’s adolescent sarcasm and Harry’s growing solemnity, from youthful exuberance to more philosophical gravity, “Deathly Hallows” is, for the most part, a somber book that marks Harry’s final initiation into the complexities and sadnesses of adulthood.