I'm starting to think I'm never going to get my chance to finish reading Harry Potter!
Friday night was Girl's Night with Kristy, Melissa, Heather and Ali. We started off by seeing Hairspray (SO GOOD!) and then went to dinner. The restaurant was a funny scene as various groups kept coming in all dressed in HP costumes. I told the girls I didn't care what we did as long as I got to the bookstore at midnight to get my book. (Inexplicably none of the other girls are HP fans.)
Then at 10:40 pm UT time, Julipalooza texts me to say she's in the bookstore in New York. I tried hard not to hate her.
And then I rushed over to Waldenbooks in Provo to get my copy. (See the picture below.) I asked people which line I should be in and joined the logical line- for people who had reserved advance copies. I stood in line several minutes when I wizard walked by asking if everyone had bracelets. I did not. Most of the people around me did not. He sent us up to the little table where a witch and a wizard sat. They asked for names and handed out bracelets. When I got up there they didn't have my name on the list. NOT HAPPY. But they ever so kindly offered to give me a bracelet and I could go stand in the back of the line (the bracelets were numbered) where I would be #302 of people who did not have advance copies. After the over 300 people with reserved copies had picked up theirs, they would let us all go in. And did I mention they only had 2 registers going? And they estimated the line would only take 2-3 hours? They did kindly mention that if I wanted to put my name on the list, I could come back on Saturday and get my copy. I ever so kindly pointed out that I didn't sign up 5 weeks ago and stand in line at midnight to get a copy on Saturday morning.
So I left and went to the Wal-Mart nearest my house. The line literally went out the door and through the parking lot. But, unlike Waldenbooks, they had 10 registers open and the line was moving very fast. So by 1 am I had the book and was comfortably snuggled up in my bed to read for the night.
1:02 am- Ali texts to see if I got the book yet.
1:10 am- Sean texts to see what page I am on. (And he's not even a fan either!)
1:15 am- Ali texts again.
1:20- Sean texts again
1:30- I'm trying for all I am worth to focus and read. But I'm getting sleepy... very sleepy...
I fall asleep, knowing that I had NOTHING to do on Saturday but read.
5 am - my dad texts to see what page I am on
I stay up and read for a few hours and go back to sleep.
I read off and on all day and nap multiple times. My serious need for sleep outweighing my need to read.
And suddenly late on Saturday it occurs to me that I have nothing to do on Monday. I can't finish the book! I have to spend all day Monday chaufferring my brother around town and I'm going to need a book to read. So I force myself to put it down and wait till Monday.
And then avoid contact with most of my friends who I know are going to spoil it for me.
Monday- get up and drive my brother around. Read every chance I get. Including in a particularly slow drive thru line.
I have 50 pages left. I leave the book unattended while I visit the ladies room. My brother nabs it. And now he won't give it back.
This is KILLING ME!! I just want to know how the freaking book ends!!!!
Hi Erin
ReplyDeleteI will help you out with the ending................................................................
SOMEONE dies))
Were you at the Waldenbooks where Brandon Sanderson was signing? He's an old friend of mine.
ReplyDeleteThe local independent bookstore I go to had a great system--they took card numbers beforehand with reservations for their midnight party, so that all they had to do was hand out books at midnight. Took about 20 minutes for all several hundred people to get their books. (I blogged about the whole thing over at my professional blog, if you're interested.)
All I'll say is, and I'm sure you can guess this with being so close to the end, that it's GOOD. I bawled through the last half of the book, but it was also just plain good.
I have finally finished the book. And loved it. There were no major surprises for me. Including those who died!
ReplyDeleteI wish the last chapter hadn't been included though. I felt cheated. The book could have ended with the prior chapter and I would have been just fine!
Stacer- I wanted to go to an independent. I really really didn't want to buy from a major chain or Walmart. But, alas, I couldn't find an independent to support!
Going to get my book this afternoon. I'm so bummed; I was going to get it Saturday afternoon at Ralph's, but for some reason I decided against it and now I'm really regretting that decision.
ReplyDeleteI did cheat and look at the last page--because I remember reading somewhere about the author changing the last word, or something like that.
I love that your dad texted you at 5 AM.
Yeah, the Read Leaf in Springville is the nearest independent to you, and last I heard they were changing over to a toy store or something. The nearest one from there is in Salt Lake.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to know more about the epilogue, you can read Cheryl Klein's take on it here (warning for those who haven't finished: spoilers): http://chavelaque.blogspot.com/2007/07/some-thoughts-on-deathly-hallows.html. She's the U.S. copyeditor/continuity editor for Arthur Levine books at Scholastic.