I was slightly reorganizing my bookshelves over the weekend, and I realized that my terribly mismatched Harry Potter books kind of reflect my life over the period that JKR wrote them...
Sorcerer's Stone -- Missing.
Clearly I felt the need to share the series, and at some point the first book got loaned out and never returned.
Chamber of Secrets & Prisoner of Azkaban -- Trade paperbacks, purchase on sale at Target.
I was a poor college student, but my sister and her wife were really into HP, so I wanted to know what the fuss was about.
Goblet of Fire -- Trade paperback, purchased as soon as it was available.
I liked the series, but I like my books to match. I decided to hold off until the trade paperback was released, so that it would match.
Order of the Phoenix & Half-Blood Prince -- Hardcover, purchased on release day.
Forget matching! Must. Have. Newest. Book! (Besides, it had gotten so popular among everyone I knew that if I didn't read it within 24 hours, someone was going to spoil something by accident!)
Deathly Hallows -- Hardcover, UK edition.
In between books, I moved to Norway. There was no way I could possibly get my hands on a US edition fast enough, so it was time to forget all about having a matching set!
I've always thought about buying new copies to have a full series, but now I think I might stay with my eclectic mix. And to replace Sorcerer's Stone, I might pick up a UK paperback, because the first time I ever saw them was at W.H.Smith in Paris. Back when I had absolutely no idea what they were or why they were taking up so much table space!
Re: What my HP collection says about my life
And that's not a problem, that's awesome.
OMG. The thought of loaning out any of my signed books gives me hives! *I* don't even read my signed books.
my read shelf:
~X(
I really need to develop some kind of check-out system.
I also have an original UK paperback of #1 with the cartoon cover from before they came out with adult covers. I bought it in London 13 years ago. It makes me happy for all kinds of reasons. I bought the Fight Club paperback that same day at the same store, which I think probably says something very weird about me.
I'm kind of in love the the UK adult covers now though, so I may have to pick up a few after I replace my HB #6.