The final book in the Harry Potter series was the best of all. Mystery, magic, twists and turns - they were all there but with much more intensity.

By the time I got my pre-ordered copy this morning at Strand Book stall, I had already finished reading the complete book. (There were people of all age buying their copies there, and some girls were sitting on the steps that greet you on entering the book house and were trying to start with the book there. I could chuckle and boast to the friend who accompanied me that I knew how it all ends). Saturday seemed far far away when copies were floating around on the Internet several days back and it seemed unfair to keep waiting until the pre-ordered book shipped, to find out what happened next!

The book took away an evening's work and a night's sleep as I had no time otherwise to read it. But this one was quite worth it as J K Rowling recreates in it the magical world that she's made us familiar, narrates it in a simple way, streams your imagination and keeps you guessing all the way through to the end of the book.

The story is well crafted and well thought of. The plot keeps thickening and it races your mind through right to the end of the story. A gripping read as ever.

As for the story, there were some surprises, there were some predictable twists. But on the whole the story (I must say yet again) seemed very well crafted.

Truly *the* Harry Potter month. The latest movie is getting released tomorrow in India, while there were screenings today for the press folks. Lucky press folks - if the movie is good, unlucky them if it isn't. :)

Roger Ebert has given the movie a 2 and 1/2 rating, while many other reviews range around the same.