Release of Final Harry Potter Book

I usually get off from work at midnight. Last night, when the clock struck twelve, I rushed to my car, tore down the road (in a legal manner, of course), miraculously made all of the traffic lights (about twelve of them), and pulled into the Books-a-Million (on NW 13th Street) parking lot, eventually finding an empty space far from the store. There were ecstatic people going to their cars from the store, swinging around white plastic bags containing their prizes: the last Harry Potter book by J.K. Rowling: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I had come by here two years ago at the same time to pick up the previous Potter book, but instead of going inside to stand in line, this time there was a long line going down the sidewalk outside the store! I got in line at 12:16 AM, and after entering the store and snaking around in line through several aisles all over the store, I finally redeemed my voucher ticket 35 minutes later and walked out the door ecstatically, swinging my white plastic bag with my prize, in the tradition of the silly fans who preceded me! While in the store, I noticed that, without exception, everyone was in good spirits. You could tell that Books-a-Million had put a lot of planning into this event. There was plenty of staffing, and everyone seemed to know exactly what to do to facilitate the book’s speedy distribution. They even had some characters running around the store playing Sirius Black (who looked more to me like “Weird” Al Yankovic), a Death Eater, and an unknown wizard. Their antics were hilarious, and they made the waiting more fun. There was a relatively small number of customers who dressed up playing different Potter characters, including one little boy who looked like a dead ringer for Harry Potter from his first year at Hogwarts.

Well, once I did get home, I began reading this seventh and final Harry Potter book. And you won’t get anything from me about what happens. Since I was off yesterday (Saturday), I could devote some time reading it, covering 334 out of 759 pages. All I will say is that so far, Rowling has written a very exciting, suspenseful novel! She has stated before that this would be her final Harry Potter book, and that’s all right by me. But, as far as I’m concerned, I feel duty-bound to read whatever she comes out with in the future. If the rest of her works are only half as good as her Harry Potter series, then it will have been worth it!