I went last night, at 11:30 to my local bookstore for the midnight release of the last Harry Potter book. Joe texted me to see if I was actually going to stand in line for a childrens books and I sent this back as a reply:
Officially queuing for Harry Potter. Is it wrong I want to wait in the pub instead of in the rain?
It was, of course, raining and the bookstore is next door to the local pub. When I arrived, I heard lots of loud boisterous voices and the patio of the pub was packed with people. Knowing it was too much to hope for, I still prayed that pub is far more popular with college students than I’d given it credit for. As I went to cross the street, I saw the children in the line. It stretched back maybe 60 people. Not bad, so I joined. I waited about 20 minutes when the countdown began. It was like New Years Eve. A huge cheer went up and the first book left the store in the hands of a 18 year old rugby player. The line was a grab bag of people but had significantly less people than I’d imagined. Lots of parents, a few kids in the range of 10-12, only two wearing Hogwarts robes, and then an amazing amount of teenagers, which shouldn’t surprise me. After all, they’ve grown up with Harry. Many are the same age as Harry. And it is they the book was written for all those years ago.
Had I gone into town to the big corporate bookstores, it would have been a more elaborate party, as well as much longer line. Kids had been in line since early afternoon. As it happens, I’m lazy and I like this little bookstore, so I went there. Plus, my robes are dirty. When I walked in, one of the owners looked at me and asked how many books I wanted. I was given my orange bag and I proceeded to the checkout where a man in a black robe greeted me and took my money. They were playing the soundtrack to the movie and stuffing the bags with goodies as I exited. The group of women at the door peeked into my bag and remarked how thick the book was: 3 ½ inches. As I was walking home, I saw a girl who’d been in line in front of me. She was sitting in a taxi with a flashlight, reading already. When I arrived home, I did what absolutely had to be done. I called my nephew and bragged. He’s in Arkansas and was a full 6 hours away from getting his hands on the book. I described the cover to him and then the contents of my goodie bag. They gave me an officially book release poster, a lollypop, a balloon and some stickers, two of which say “I’m on page ___ of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” and one that says “I finished reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows at ___ o’clock on ________. “ When was the last time you heard kids bragging about how fast they can rip through a 607 page book?
Was it worth going? Hell yes. I was amused beyond belief. I wish I’d done it for the other books as well. As for myself, I broke with tradition and I’m starting this morning instead of reading into the dawn. So if you’ll excuse me, I have a date with Wizard. See you in a couple of days.
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