Devotion to Duty

There are NO spoilers in this post:

Well, I finished reading the seventh and final adventure of Harry Potter this morning at 4 am (if it wasn't for my two maintenance-heavy kids, I could read in the daylight hours like a normal human being), and I think this is one of J.K. Rowling's best books. I miss the rich, inventive details of wizarding life she put in the first books, but this installment is so action-packed there is no room - or time - for lingering. The narrative hits the ground running and doesn't stop until the final chapter. Rowling somehow manages to tie up all the loose ends, even answering questions I had forgotten about from previous books. My only complaint about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at this point (before I reread it more slowly) is the epilogue. I think the book would have been much better without it, as it adds no pertinent information to the plot, and the tone doesn't match the rest of the story. I almost feel as though the epilogue was the publisher's idea, rather than Rowling's. Feel free to skip it, in fact.
As far as availability at the library is concerned, we have 10 copies of the book. At the time of posting, all the copies were checked out, but there were only 2 people on the holds list. We have both cassette and CD versions of the audio book on order as well, so feel free to put your name on the holds list. You can do this at the library, over the phone, or online at our web page: www.firstcitylibraries.org. Narrated by the hugely talented and entertaining Jim Dale - the reader for the other 6 books - the audio version of Deathly Hallows is sure to wonderful also.
I'm sorry to see the story of Harry Potter end, but I am already looking forward to reading the books out loud to my kids (and grandkids!).