buy Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when it is released on July 21, 2007

The damn shipper lost it and I got it a week later anyway.

The night before, July 20th, I attended a Harry Potter ‘Yule Ball’ and it was tres magnifique! I even won best dressed =) We got home at about… 12.30 am (which was already July 21st!) and then I slept for about an hour or so. After that, I got up, dressed up once again in my robes, and headed out to a maga-bookstore (Kinokuniya) at about 3am. There, we waited outside, where there were about 500 others, all waiting for the moment they allowed us to rush in. (They were giving away monogrammed signed copies of the book to the first 13) and at about 5.30 am, they opened the doors. The crowd surged forth, everyone was rushing to get from the ground floor to the 4th floor.

The atmosphere was electric, adrenaline was pumping through people’s ears, it was amazing.

I wasn’t one of the lucky 13, but it was fun nonetheless. At 7.00 (our 7.01 would be equiv. to the British ST 12.01) we counted down to the minute. It was just so fun to be part of. Naturally, because I was so dressed (most people couldn’t be bothered to be in costume to early in the morning) I got a lot of press, which was fun.

At 7.01 the ‘Fat Lady’ was open. Every single person in line had to go up to the fat lady’s potrait, where this woman stood, dressed exactly as how she is portrayed in the movies, and had to give the password. (Gillyweed, Violet) The entrance was decorated exactly like the gryffindor entrance.

Then once people started getting their books, everyone camped out around the place, it grew silent, and those that were too afraid to be in ‘spoiler’ vicinity rushed home. Amazingly, not a single person spoiled the book for anyone else. It was amazing.

I love “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”. :o) I read the book within 4 days. :o) Great book!

We never got a copy in Japan – although we saw it once in a bookstore in Kyoto, we postponed buying it until we got to Narita for the flight out. And then the bookstore was sold out.

So it has just been purchased, and the girls and I have been trading off plowing through it. I’ve managed to avoid spoilers so far – including avoiding certain emails from certain folks that I’m sure would tell me too much.

But since I didn’t read it upon release – I’m more than a week late, I am not marking this as “done” but as a “giving up”.

on the 21st July, thank you Amazon!

Reading it now…

I’ve finished reading it already!! I loved it!!

is in my hands… now to jump in and start reading…on the train on the ride home…

My daughter and I stayed up till midnight so we could go over to the Wal-Mart and watch all the weirdos stand in line for their copies of the book. (No offense to anyone reading this who dressed up for the occasion ~ it’s fun, but we weren’t planning to BUY the book Friday night!)

Anyway, the line was insane. There were not many people dressed up in W�M, but they weren’t having a big party, either. Just posters and cake. WE LOOKED. WE LAUGHED. WE LEFT.

On the way home, my daughter asked me if I thought the W*M Neighborhood Market a couple miles to the other side of our house would have the book. I didn’t even know if they carried books, but we went over there just for kicks.

There were maybe 2 other customers in the store. We walked around. No books. As we turned to leave, I saw a rack with crossword puzzles & magazines and on the other side was a small selection of books, but no Harry Potter.

Since we were there, I went to ask a completely unrelated question at the Customer Service desk and mentioned that until jsut then, I had not known they carried books in that store. I asked if they had gotten the Harry Potter book and the girl said yes and went to the closet to get me a copy!!!!!

NO LINE! NO HASSLE! No pre-sale discount, either, but believe me, it was SO worth the extra 89 cents to avoid that crazy line. We were already home before the presalers even got their books. =)

The best part: Going to that store was my daughter’s idea and she is so excited that she gets to take credit for the special experience!

According to the email from Amazon this is on it’s way for delivery Saturday 21st!! (shame will be at a wedding all day but hopefully can read blissfully all day Sunday!)

Very Excited!!

I’ve joined the ranks of the reserved buyers. Just reserved a copy online that I can pick up at the book store in Lund on July 21.