SURREAL

When you're in New York City to see Stephen King, John Irving, and J.K. Rowling, and someone comes out of the audience to ask Rowling a question, and it turns out he's Salman Rushdie¹.

¹Spoiler warning for those who haven't read all the books.

Comments

[Lisa Bisa Fo Fisa]

JUDI!!!! *bear hug* We missed you!

You got to go to NYC to see SK and JKR??? You lucky stealth bloggerette you!

[Sarah J]

YAY! for Harry Potter!!

[Sarah J]

YAY! for judi being back!!

[eat_black_licorice]

What was the spoiler? The Dumbledore thing, or did I read too fast and miss it?

[bbescuela]

Is that Rushdie playing in the fire hydrant?

[Lisa Bisa Fo Fisa]

Judi-I almost *snorked* @ sandcastle--then it disappeared. ;-)

When you're rested up, you'll have to tell us all about it.

[sharon share-alike]

So did King as Rushdie to join the Rock Bottom Remainders?

(or Rowling and Irving, for that matter?)

[Guin]

Oh boy, I hope Rushdie hasn't unleashed the jihad against J.K. Rowling.

[KDF]

JUDI!!! We were so worried that you had been 1) kidnapped by The Hoff, or were 2) stuck in a compromising position without access to a cell phone ), or had 3) run off with the man of your dreams.

Now I can breathe again.

*is happy that the SB is safe and sound*

*is jealous of anyone who got to see all those writers at all, let alone at the same time*

[Bumble]

*sniff* @ the Dumbledore spoiler

I knew he was, but I hoped he wasn't. *sigh*

I heard two characters are going to die in the next book. I'm hoping those two will be Voldemort and Snape.

*wishes she didn't have to wait for the last book like everybody else*

[southerngirl]

*adds her "welcome back, we missed you! to judi*

*tosses a "k" up to sharon*

*is jealous with KDF*

[southerngirl]

Bumble - or Snape and Malfoy. :)

[sharon share-alike]

Thanks, s-girl! I was gonna take care of that, but it turns out I drank all my "K" and had none to spare for my post.

(this will only be funny for hard cider drinkers, I think)

[Steven Jens]

Yay for Judi being back! (And for Harry Potter)

Though I'll be quick to add that I wasn't missing the naked men posts. NTT would be AWWT...

[Bumble]

*snork* @ KDF.

I too am very pleased to know that judi is alive and having a blast. Sooo jealous.

Southerngirl, you're right. I'd rather it be Voldemort and Malfoy. I'm still hoping that Dumbledore knew what was going on and had planned to have Snape kill him because he knew the stuff he drank would kill him anyway and he didn't want Malfoy put on the path to being a death eater, so he had Snape do it and take him (Malfoy) under his wing to work on de-corrupting him. I so want Snape to be redeemed, though I don't know why; maybe because Dumbledore placed so much trust in him and I don't want Dumbledore to be a giant idiot for doing so. He's supposed to know everything. But if the scenario I just described were the case, it seems like he would have told Harry or McGonagall or Lupin or somebody. But maybe he couldn't do that because he knew they wouldn't let it happen, and he knew it was the only way. I don't know. Too...many...theories. Brain hurts.

[southerngirl]

*tosses up a " into her own comment*

[Steven Jens]

I can't imagine Voldemort surviving.

[southerngirl]

I so want Snape to be redeemed, though I don't know why; maybe because Dumbledore placed so much trust in him and I don't want Dumbledore to be a giant idiot for doing so.

Bumble - yes!!

and I swear, I'm not stalkin' you. ;)

[Bumble]

Steven~ If he does, there're going to be millions of depressed and ticked off people in the world.

southerngirl~ We're not the only ones who think so. Everyone I've talked to who has read them (minus one girl who is convinced Snape is pure evil) thinks the same thing.

[Betsi]

now people--judi was kind enough to post a spoiler warning, but you all weren't. *just finished book 4*

[Bumble]

Rowling has enforced the notion that Snape is trusted for a reason all throughout the series (I mean, until the last book there have always been examples of him being a good guy throughout; he's just a jerk too.) and I can't see her doing a complete 180 on that and making Dumbledore out to be a putz. It's just not worth the shock value, and the shock value has already been milked from the idea anyway; we got that in the last book when we read the words Avada Kedavra. *shudder*

[Lisa Bisa Fo Fisa]

Bumble-Agreed. It would be a letdown if Dumbledore had been fooled all along by Snape.

[Bumble]

Yikes! Sooo sorry Betsi! Don't read any of my comments!!! I'll stop now.

[Pitty Pat]

Bumble, I think she can't help but kill off Voldy, and I hope the other person
to die in Book 7 isn't Harry. *gulp* I'm both relishing and dreading reading it!

I would very much like to see Snape redeemed, too. And if we can't have Dumbledore back for real, maybe as a ghost? Or maybe Harry can talk to him
through his portrait.

[Bumble]

Again, sorry; I shouldn't have posted all that without a warning. I was just very excited to discuss my theories with other readers who are actually interested in them. I lead a very dull life. Anyone who wants to keep commenting on anything I had to say or share their own theories can feel free to drop me an email. :-)

[Betsi]

No worries, Bumble. I'll stay off this thread :-)

[Bumble]

But we'll miss you! :-)

[slyeyes]

judi's back!! YAY! I had thought you wandered away and got lost while Dave was building a sandcastle.

[veee]

ok, so is Harry going to end up with Ginny, or who? And are Ron and Hermione going to be together?

[Sarah J]

veee, have you read book 6?

[Bumble]

veee, I want Ron and Hermione to get together, but I think Harry's going to be too busy destroying Horcruxes to have a love life.

Sarah, I did but it's been a while. Did they get all lovey-dovey or something? I can't remember.

[Dr. Doug]

Judi,
Are you a devoté of the series, Harry Potter?

[Bumble]

Pitty Pat~ You've got mail.

I need to re-read the series. I've forgotten so many details. I wonder how far I can get before school starts? I hate dragging hardcover books with me everywhere; I have to take enough of them to school with me already.

[Jeff Meyerson]

Judi, we wanted to go to the show but had tickets for the Dixie Chicks one night and the Yankees the next.

Sorry we missed you (and Steve and Janet & John).

[judi]

dr doug: indeed. we always buy two copies of the books at the midnight signings, then go home and read all weekend (or til we're done); neither my son nor i can wait til the other one reads it first :)

jeff: we were there for many reasons and had no time at all, and had no chance to meet up with anyone. if all goes well, though, i'll have plenty of opportunity to go up in the near future.

[judi]

although i'm not sure i WANT to meet up with anyone who would go to a yankee game. :-p

off to see the marlins n dodgers.

[Punkin Poo]

I heard her (JKR) say something about an author wanting to "finish" off a book so no one could continue it after her death....so it doesn't look good for Harry....

But, as Dave could've warned, it doesn't stop people from writing about what happened BEFORE Harry Potter was born!

[bookworm]

I just hope it isn't Hermione, Ron or Neville that dies in this book. Since book 4 I've dreaded the death of another student. I agree that Snape will probably be one of the deaths. In a conversation at work the other day, one of my coworkers suggested that another might be Hagrid, which would definitely be a shock to Harry.

And to conclude this non-spoiler post I add the following: Bertie Bott's Booger-Flavored Beans.

[Angie]

Oh man.

I LOVE John Irving. I'd give anything to hear him do a reading from...well...anything, really. Particularly his earier stuff.

[Punkin Poo]

*BOOK 6 SPOILER WARNING*

Well, good ideas all....but you gotta figure it will be Harry & Voldemort. They are so connected, it only makes sense one doesn't survive without the other.

Snape is a good guy. (Afterall, Dimbledore ASKED him to kill him. Dumbledore is probably 100 times stronger on "the other side")

[Punkin Poo]

Angie - I live in both York, Maine (summer) and Exeter, NH (the rest of the year), and it's so cool that we have TWO famous authors from here: John Irving & Dan Brown.

(We're a very literary town)

[Bumble]

SPOILER WARNING: BOOK 5

Punkin~ I dunno.

Quoting from the prophecy, "And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..." I think you could make a case either way. I hope you're not right, but Rowling really likes to kill the good characters, so you might be.

All the "The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal" stuff set the prophecy in motion. It could never be fulfilled if Voldemort hadn't tried to kill Harry; it became self-fulfilling because Voldemort acted on it; used all his power to try and force it to go his way, just like Queen Bavmorda and little Elora Dannon in Willow. I tend to think (or maybe just hope) that it'll wind up with Harry surviving, but I could be wrong. And if I am, who knows? Maybe we'll get to see him meet up with his parents, Sirius and Dumbledore on the other side.

[Guin]

Jeff - just saw Dixie Chicks in Boston last weekend. Excellent show except for the obnoxious drunk across the aisle from me, who kept clapping her hands OUT OF TIME with the songs and shrieking "WOO HOO" at random intervals. Next concert I go to I am bringing duct tape and a tranquilizer gun.

[Guin]

WILLOW! I *love* that movie. It never got the credit it deserved.

[Bumble]

Guin~ YES!

[bookworm]

The prophecy suggests then that neither is truly alive...I hadn't made that interpretation before, and I'm not sure I'm right now.

I have made the assumption (perhaps incorrectly) that her statement about two characters dying were not the main antagonist/protagonist pair. After all, this final book will be about the resolution of their conflict, and I figured she was referring to others that would fall before the end.

[Jeff Meyerson]

Despite what she keeps hinting, I find it really hard to believe Harry will die.

Voldemort is a given, but the other has to be someone we care about (hence not Snape or Malfoy). No way it will be Ron or Hermione, though.

[Layzeeboy]

"...fervor normally reserved for heroes of pop culture"? Um....aren't these three already heroes of pop culture? Just askin'.

On a side note, because I spend a LOT of time wandering the streets of Manhattan I would expect occasionally to run into (very careful to not split the infinitive) the famous/semi-famous. To date, the only one I've bumped into on the street is Stephen King.

Dave, judi played hooky for a few days but it's OK 'cause she's working on Saturday.

punkin, nice to see that you travel south to New Hampshire (read: meat locker) for the winter.

OK, I came in late and had LOTS of comments to make.

[Bumble]

bookworm~ I'd thought about that too. If it's two good characters plus them though, wow. Keep the tissues handy.

Jeff~ Yeah, Voldemort's a given, and I agree; I don't think it'll be Harry, Ron or Hermione. I do think it could be Snape though. Jerk that he is, I care about him. We saw hints of his past and what his life was like in the pensieve, and I can't help feeling sorry for him. Jerk that he is, I think he's for the good deep down, and I'll be sad if he dies. As long as he gets redeemed and we know for sure and certain that he didn't kill Dumbledore out of malice, and I just can't believe that he did.

[OkieDokie]

I'm so excited that all you other blodgits are also fans of Harry - we just got a new red Betta (fish) and named him Ron, after Ron Weasley, of course.

She can't kill Harry, Ron or Hermione!!! She'll cause an international incident if she does... My money's on Voldemort and maybe Malfoy,s DAD.. he's icky. I agree that Snape will turn out to be a good guy. He just needs a girlfriend, IYKWIM.

[Guin]

I think that Neville Longbottom is going to have a much more significant role in the last book, whether he dies or not. Perhaps he'll kill Bellatrix Lestrange in revenge for her using the Cruciatis Curse on his parents.

*keeps checking Amazon for release date*

[Bumble]

Guin~ I hope he does, but he'll only get to if Harry doesn't get to her first for killing Sirius. Besides, I'm not sure if Neville's got the ability to kill in him. And I'm not sure we want him to. He's so sweet and unhardened. Do we want to see him as the next Mad-Eye Moody?

I keep forgetting; what's IYKWIM mean again?

[bookworm]

I agree Guin--I've been waiting for Neville's big moment. It's been building for three books now.

[bookworm]

Bumble--I've got the tissues on reserve. I bawled like a baby through through quite a bit of Goblet of Fire (both book and movie) in particular and I expect this one to have the same affect.

[O. the U(manity)]

If You Know Whut I Mean ...

[Bumble]

Just started re-reading Sorcerer's Stone. You forget all the wonderful detail in the writing over time. I love how the Professor McGonagall kitty gives Mr. Dursley "a stern look."

*goes back to reading*

[judi]

layzeeboy: i didn't run into anybody famous but i did run into charlie trainor, miami herald photographer, as i was crossing a street. how 'bout that for surreal? what are the odds?

[Siouxie]

judi!!! Welcome back!! we were soooo worried about you! and I'm soooooooooo jealous that you got to see Stephen King (he's my favorite, non-Dave Barry author). I'd go just for him. As much as I love Harry Potter.

We behaved....really.

[Siouxie]

Although LTTG,I'll put my two cents worth on the Harry Potter issue. I seriously doubt, JKR would kill Harry off. It would be devastating for all the fans that have followed his life througout the years (myself and my girls included). Voldemort, yes. It would be Harry's revenge for his parent's death. Like many of you, I also have a soft spot for Snape. I would hate for Dumbledore to be so wrong about trusting someone. He will redeem himself, I think.

Judi - like you, I usually buy two books and have a reading race with my oldest.

[Steven Jens]

I think Harry could die, so long as it's the price for saving the world. Less than that would upset people; that would still upset people, but I think they'd accept it. Or maybe I just think I would.

I'm not sure what to think of Snape. It will be interesting to find out. Neville, definitely, will step up. And that will be fun to read.

As for writing prequels, I would definitely like to read some stories from the generation of Harry's parents through Voldemort's rise and fall, and I'd love to see something about the founders of Hogwarts.

[O. the U(manity)]

Speakin' of meetin' folks who are famous or noted fer somethin' ... my youngest daughter called and told us she'd had a phone call from ...

Well, there's a HUGE CW music gatherin' in Detroit Lakes, MN every summer ... called WE FEST ... lotsa big-name performers ...

D #3 & husband have been goin' fer several years, but decided not to this year ... the gang they were hangin' out with still went ... a friend called her (to tell her that somebuddy famous wuz at their campsite) and then when D#3 tried to call her back she (friend) din't answer ...

Meanwhile, at the campfire ... this guy says, who keeps callin' you?

Friend says, "Lynn ... she's our hairdresser for about everyone here ... "

So, next time D#3 calls, he answers ...

Turns out Garth and Tricia showed up at the campsite of the friends, 'cuz Rascal Flatts had partied there the nite before ... and told Garth that it wuz the place to be ... so they showed up ...

D#3's main comment, to Garth ... " ... are you sure this is who you say it is? ..."

Of course, then she (D#3) tells MB(RH?) ... "Sure, the year we decide not to go ..."

[AlanBoss]

That group of authors in one place is almost as cool as a RBR show!

SPOILER ALERT (as if it matters at this point...)

I don't care what JKR says about Dumbledore being "really dead." His familiar is a phoenix fer cryin' out loud!

[judi]

alan: the thing that convinced me is that she seemed to be really sad to have to say so; really apologetic. and she said he wasn't going to pull a gandalf.

[Siouxie]

I can accept Dumbledore being dead...but I still think he'll "live on" on some level...not necessarily like Gandalf. He's too powerful not to...

just sayin'

[Now_a_Regular]

JKR seems to be hinting that she wants closure, just as in the grand epics: the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Mahabharata, LotR, etc.

No more pesky questions about "What happens next to Harry, Ron, Hermione, etc.?" No sequels from her and definitely no attempts by others to hijack her tale and take off in directions that she wouldn't approve of.

No going over the falls and coming back, a la Sherlock Holmes.

I had hoped that Dumbledore could make that Gandalf the Gray to Gandalf the White transformation, but I suspect not. JKR has made it clear: Dumbledore is really dead.

Yes, Snape may very well go the redemption route and sacrifice himself taking the full blast of an Avada Kedavra (from Malfoy Sr., perhaps) meant for Harry.

But in the end, I think we will be given, volens nolens, an epic face-off between good and evil: Voldemort will have to die, and I suspect that Harry will too -- the last few lines of Book 7 may very well describe Harry's "crossing over to the other side."

Despite all the protests from HP fans worldwide, JKR will retire to her castle, a recluse (not unlike Harper Lee), and a very rich one at that. The best we can all hope is that the muse will strike again, and that she will start a new epic and a new multi-billion dollar franchise/industry down the road.

[tinkerbell]

Late to this very cool discussion--Judi, that was a great event! My younger daughter and I buy one Harry Potter book at the midnight sales, then it passes between us when it's put down for a moment. This daughter observes that all 3 authors you heard have surnames ending in "ing". We love visiting NYC and would enjoy seeing you there. (Kids wouldn't come to Shadow Thieves signing due to Mom's attire. Husband is used to such things.)

[Kathybear]

Honestly, I believe that the deceased in the last book wil be Harry and Valdemort - both sides win. There's grieving everywhere and neither side can claim their "hero" is a martyr.(well, they could, but this is fiction)

[Pitty Pat]

Re: the reading race concept - we always buy three copies (for my husband, my daughter and myself) and I always win cuz she isn't allowed to stay up all night (hee hee!) and I read faster than hubby. We had to move to separate rooms when Book 6 came out, however, since I kept either laughing out loud, sobbing or gasping in horror and the other two would respond, "What???!!!" and then, "NOOO! Don't tell me anything!!"

My money is on 07/07/07 for the release date. It's exactly ten years from the release date of Book 1, as well as having a magical aura.

[Nightingale]

(agrees with bumble and sg, belatedly)

[Nightingale]

on Harry and Voldemort dying together in bk7 possibilties: anybody been thinking about the thing Dumbledore says about either Harry _or_ Neville being the "Chosen" one, and them not being sure which... but since Harry was the one Voldemort assumed was chosen, he is the one being sought afer and, well, who hs the adventures. Same birthday, same prophecy applies to both, etc, both "lost parents" tho Neville's are just insane at St Mungos. Rowling jsut seemed tomention it, but it just seemed to ring out, you know? or else it's otherwise unnecessary info in a really clenly written book, or a red herring... (I'm rereading six now, aloud to hubby and kids. They're even better when you read them aloud, you don't miss the visual descriptions somehow.)

Ok, my belated ramblings, I know. anybody else read that into the series as foreshadowing?

[judi]

yeah, definitely was one possibility. lots of potterite discussions of that and all the other things suggested so far. :) it's fun reading all the speculation.

[Val]

OK, so am I the only person in the world who doesn't give a flying fig about Harry Potter?

The only thing that interested me in the article was this line...

"Gina, a devoted Potter fan, had been had counting the days to the reading"

Who was she "had" by??

[TCK]

the sun is shinin, the birds are singin, and judi's back :)

it just doesn't get any better than that

[Jeff Carrie's Friend Jean]

Val: Sorry, yes.

The rest of you: Please note that the press have been consistently misquoting JKR ever since she made that comment about two characters dying. What she really said was that she killed off two characters she didn't originally intend to, and let one live whom she previously believed would have have to die. All that was in addition to whatever she had originally planned. So brace yourselves, please; more than two characters are going to die in book 7.

[Jeff Carrie's Friend Jean]

PS for Stephen King fans: I have very few claims to fame, but I did once pee in Stephen King's toilet (at the house in Bangor with the really cool gates). I also sold him a Hustler magazine, but that was on a separate occasion.