Last night, someone arrived at this page via this Dave Barry column about Harry Potter. I have no idea how. But I’m glad, because reading the column made me giggle.

I have a confession to make. I haven’t read any Harry Potter. I know, I must be just about the only person left in the western hemisphere who hasn’t, but I’ve got my reasons - and they’re mostly to do with being contrary - yes, me, contrary. Difficult to believe, I know. But it’s my natural state when millions of people start telling me I should read it…Have you read it? If not, why not?

So what will probably happen is this: I’ll hold out on reading them for another year or so, until the fuss has died down, and then I’ll read them surreptitiously, and probably bore everyone to death on how much I enjoyed them, waaay after the fact is pertinent. I did it with Trainspotting. I did it with Memoirs of a Geisha. I did it with Letter to Daniel. I’m doing it with Cryptonomicon. I think I can manage it with a twelve year old wizard, don’t you?