No more tears...

About two months ago, Katie started re-reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (book five). Her reasoning was that it had been four years since she read it and she wanted to know what was going on before we saw the movie together this summer.

Her plan expanded as she decided to re-read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (book six). The plan this time was to refresh her memory on what happened just before book seven so she'd be set and ready to go when the final book came out.

Class got in the way and her reading of book five languished a bit by her standards. She was actually pretty upset with herself for taking so long. Heck, I even went ahead and grabbed Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (book seven) so I could start reading it thinking that I would be done by the time she got up to speed. Up to that point, she had always read the books first. By most accounts, I'm a faster reader than she is, no question. But when she really gets into something, she flies. This time, though, I had a feeling I would be able to pull this off; to finish book seven before she caught up and, that way, I'd be able to talk with her about it as she progressed through chapters.

In the end, it was my plan that backfired.

Katie finished her class and tore through the remainder of book five... and book six... and then she grabbed the copy of book seven, sitting on the floor next to my nightstand, yet another victim in a line of about six books that had stacked up over the last few months that I had started reading but had no motivation to finish.

Two days later -- yesterday, in fact -- she finished it. She had the day off work to make up for working this past Saturday and she used it to finish the book.

And she was a wreck during the final 200 pages. She called me a few times at work to give me updates.

"I've got 200 pages left and I can't believe who just died! I can't tell you who, but it's bad!"

"Only 100 pages left and I can't put it down. Someone else died."

"I just finished. It's so sad. But so good! You have to finish this book so we can talk about it."

Her sadness spilled over into just about everything else yesterday as well. It was quite cute, but I never knew a single human being contained so many tears. I realize we, as humans, are 70% water, but after yesterday, I expected Katie would have shriveled up.

She cried as she read the book. She cried when she finished the book. She cried thinking about finishing the book. She cried on the phone to me. She cried as she described her crying to me. She cried when she announced that she wanted to read it again. She cried during reruns of Friends on TBS and claimed it was due to the level of emotion she was feeling from reading the book.

I love you, hon, but please stop crying.

And I guarantee she'll cry as she reads this post later this morning or tonight. Guarantee it.

I only worry that I won't like the book as much. That I will have been desensitized by her over-emotion and it won't have nearly the effect on me. We shall see. I did grab the book again last night and picked up where I left off. I'm now on about page 380 of 760 or so.

Wish me luck. Me, the suddenly slow reader.

Totally Unrelated Aside (TUA): *lynne* over at Life After Work is running a promotion of sorts. She's currently on trips to Malaysia and Switzerland and offered to send postcards to those who signed up. Well, I signed up and my postcard from Switzerland arrived yesterday. It's a beautiful photo of the Alps and a stream flowing in the foreground. It's just cool to get this sort of stuff from overseas. So thank you, *lynne*! And I included the asterisks. Aren't you proud of me?

Comments

[Dave2]

And now I'm crying because everybody likes Harry Potter but me!

=sob!=

[kilax]

HA HA HA! I am with Dave2.

I got my Switzerland postcard yesterday too. It was of a gorgeous waterfall! I am so jealous.

[Karl]

You'll have to let me know how you find the last Harry Potter book. Me, I was disappointed.

[sizzle]

i think it is endearing how she cried and how you want her to stop crying. maybe you will cry too when you finish the book and you can cry together? awww.

[kapgar]

Dave2, you can always be one of the cool kids. There's still hope.

kilax, laugh it up, fuzzball. I'm too jealous of lynne to even be able to detail it all.

Karl, I read your review. Thank you for not really ruining it. I've been doing a good job, thus far, of avoiding any spoilers. Haven't read a one. And I didn't want to have to continue that trend by avoiding one of your posts. So for that, I'm appreciative.

sizzle, Katie thinks I will, I'm not so sure.

[ajooja]

I'm such a movie guy I've done everything I can to stay away from the books. (Although I do know the spoiler of book 6.)

After the next two movies are done, I'll go back and read the books. I'm weird like that.

[Dustin]

I'm with Dave as well. Harry Potter. ::YAWN::

Wake me up when Batman Returns comes out.

[Erin]

I teared up a few times, and cried once or twice, but I didn't get nearly as emotional as many people I know over the last Harry Potter book. Of course, I spent the last 100 pages of this kids' book bawling my eyes out the other night, but that's another story.

[Dagny]

I must admit that book seven did make me a little misty.

[kapgar]

ajooja, yep, that is certainly a bit different.

Dustin, dude, Batman Returns? That was 1991. Get your decades straight. ;-)

Erin, never heard of that other book. I may have to tell Katie about it. She loves kids books.

Dagny, well, I'm up to 440ish now and no mist thus far.

[bogup]

Yep, I'm one of the laggards who haven't read any but the first three and my family has read them all -- and won't tell me the ending(s).
Thanks for not spoiling the final as I'm still considering whether to read them or await the Imax versions.

bogup

[SJ]

Whew! Glad to see I'm not the only one here who's never read a Harry Potter book. But I DO love all the movies, so thanks for not giving away the Big Finale!

[kapgar]

bogup, you could always do both. Since the movies are a year and a half between on release dates, you've got plenty of time. However, you did stop after reading what I consider to be the best of the series... Prisoner of Azkaban.

SJ, no worries on that one since I don't even know the finale yet.

[sue]

My husband swears that is a womans' "secret weapon". He will do anything to keep me from crying... but sometimes? It just isn't about HIM. You know? :)

[kapgar]

sue, yeah, I agree with you on that. Katie doesn't use it as a weapon, though, that I know of. Thankfully. ;-)

[suze]

Ahhh, book seven. I cried and cried too. And read it in two days...I couldn't put it down...

[kapgar]

It didn't take Katie much longer than that, either. Me, well...

[*lynne*]

LoL, yes I *am* proud of you Kev :-) Glad you like the postcard, and I'll be making another round of offers perhaps next year if I do end up heading back to Malaysia :-)

HP#7 - awesome! the ultimate climax thingy was a bit disappointing, but everything else, wow, there were some clever twists I really appreciated... of course I read mine in LAX and finished it just before arriving in taipei - I probably missed a lot of details what with the announcements and wailing babies, so I'll be rereading this within a year :-)

[*lynne*]

p/s: have you received the postcard from Malaysia yet?

[kapgar]

No, I never got the Malaysia postcard. I'm assuming sent before Switzerland, right?