I’ve never much liked the idea that there is an American version of Harry Potter. Are you seriously telling me that kids can’t figure out from context (or even a glossary) that a jumper is a sweater? Or a dressing gown is a bathrobe? Or a pot plant is what we call a potted plant? And if it’s so important to have these changes, why did they skip the one where Rowling refers to Ron’s nose as a pecker? Did they just miss it? Was someone having a laugh by letting it through?

Anyway, because I prefer to read it the way she wrote it, I have made it a habit to order the British version from the UK. This time, I was traveling on the day HP was released, so I did buy the American version and read that first. Then I sold it on ebay. My British version arrived last week and my plan was to read it again, but more slowly. I started on Saturday afternoon, spent all day yesterday laying around reading it, and finished it off this morning. I definitely read it slower, and I did pick up more things, some that explained a few things I’d sort of zoomed over, but what I found surprising is that it kept me just as engaged as the first time and I couldn’t put it down this time either. How many books that you just read two weeks ago can you say that about?

I finished a couple of hours ago and you know, I feel kind of sad that it’s all over. I don’t see any reason for Rowling to write any more HP books, but I wouldn’t mind if she wrote about Hogwarts again. It might be kind of cool if she wrote about Hogwarts a long time ago, maybe when it was first starting. One can hope!

Will you miss Hogwarts?