As a writer and a parent, I think people should do everything in their power to encourage children to read. But I have had it up to here with this Harry Potter stuff. I have to say right off the bat that I have never read any of the Potter books. I have no doubt that adults can enjoy the books as much as youngsters, but I just don’t have that much interest in fantasy.

Besides, the insanity surrounding these things is just getting to be too much.
I remember a few years back when my nieces got the books the day they were released and stayed up all night during our Beach Week to read them.

I thought that was weird.You go to the beach to sit in a chair on the sand and read, not stay up all night reading and miss all the fun in the sun because you need to sleep.

I rationalized it by knowing that they were expanding their minds. Because this was before they started turning the books into movies, reading all night was the height of craziness.

With the final book in the series almost ready for its July 21 release, things have spun completely out of control.

Libraries will have to provide the publisher with the names and contact information of branch managers, who will be legally required to limit the number of people with access to the book before it goes on the shelf.

Seriously? For a book?

This unfortunately falls into the dreadful category of “spoilers.” People have always wanted to wait until they got to read a book or watch a movie themselves before they found out key plot points, but now it’s a crime, apparently.

Whenever I discuss this thing with people, whether it is regard to a sporting event they have taped or a movie they are waiting to see on DVD instead of going to the theater, I remind them that the root of the word is “spoil.”

Have we become that spoiled that we need to threaten library employees with charges if they look at a book and tell a friend? Has J.K. Rowling become so spoiled by her income that she’ll crumble without $19.95 from someone who found out the ending and decided against buying the book?

The whole production around the series just makes me roll my eyes. I could not believe the production that went into the release of the name of the book.

I know people get attached to characters and things like that, but it’s a book, people. Do we really need contracts to specify that the book must be kept under lock and key withonly four people in Eugene, Ore., allowed to have access to the libraries 85 copies until the put them on the shelf, without peeking, of course.

The worst part about all of this is that the same kind of contract was required for the last Potter title in 2005.

I have nothing against this Potter fellow. And I don’t want to have anything against the people who enjoy his adventures.

But you people are making it pretty hard.