Soccer Dad

My day in the sun

Some 'Potter' fans keep tome shut, lips sealed

David Gerstman, 46, of Baltimore, also received his copy, a gift from his father-in-law, early from DeepDiscount. He said he has resisted peeking at the ending.

"It's actually a very clever marketing ploy," the computer programmer said of the timed released. "I give them a lot of credit for building up the suspense."

I actually had a very nice conversation with the reporter. I boasted about our 8 year old who's completed the other six and is now looking forward to reading the new book. (One of his parents will have to read it first!)

I got the impression that he wasn't nearly as impressed with Scholastic's embargo until a specific time. But releasing the book in that fashion makes it an event. Given that there have been surprises in every book it's been good to give everyone a fighting chance to read the book without having the surprises ruined. It's a phenomenon that doesn't happen frequently at all and I enjoyed it.

More than that, from now on because of the movies and the general penetration of Harry Potter-mania into our culture there aren't likely to be many surprises left. Why not enjoy the surprise this just once?

There was something about the Jon Hopkins story on Tuesday that didn't quite add up, now it's explained.

Jon Hopkins, a 25-year-old software engineer from Davidsonville, had received his copy from DeepDiscount on Tuesday. He provided his copy to The Sun, where his sister-in-law works. Sun reporter Mary Carole McCauley wrote a review of the book that appeared online Wednesday afternoon and in print yesterday. The Sun did not pay for the book.

More Harry Potter on Soccer Dad.

Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.