HP5

Nope, HP5 isn't a new calculator, or a new computer from Hewlett Packard. It's a reference to the next Harry Potter book: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which is due out on Saturday, June 21, 2003. I've been waiting for this book for a few years now, so I hope it's going to be good. I really liked the third and fourth in the series, although I think the first two are quite juvenile. However, it's pretty clear that each book is written for about the age of the protagonists. I.e. "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" is written from 11 year olds.

(It's '...and the Sorcerer's Stone" for Americans, because *American* editors think American kids are too stupid to know what a Philosopher is. This is nothing to do with Brits looking down on you Americans; it's American editors who regard their own customers as ignorant morons. If you think you have it with Potter Books, go check out pTerry Pratchett for someone who writes excellent books for young people (and people of all ages), and who has some scathing comments on the way books are sold in America. (It took a long time of people actually buying his books from England, before American publishers actually figured out that people might be interested. But then they put completely *sucky* covers on them. It's almost like American publishers don't want Americans to buy pTerry's books. Are they afraid they'll go: "But these are clever, insightful, and humourous, as well as being damn well written. Whatever happened to the insipid drivel we've been used to?")

Any road up (You can tell I've lived in England for *way* too long), I'm currently reading through the first four books in the series, in preparation for snarfing the fifth one on Saturday morning. As a guide to my reading speed, I started the series on Sunday, and, reading in bed and on the MTR, have finished the first two books already. Now, I just have about 1500 pages to go through before Saturday. I may finish too early.