OK, well that kind of took longer than I thought it would. We arrived at the Avid Reader at approximately 11:40 p.m. And since I'd already paid for my copy of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," I headed over to the "pre-paid" line to pick up my pass.
Number 162!
I swear, there were at least four times the amount of people than when I did this two years ago.
It was kind of a chaotic scene - the folks at the Avid Reader had been showing one of the Potter films and kids were running around all crazy-like with the special glow-stick wands that came in the goody bags the bookstore was handing out.
Anyway, we finally got herded into one of four lines - the last line, of course - and after what seemed like forever, we finally got to head toward the bookstore entrance so that I could nab my copy.
That process was actually pretty fast, but what really surprised me is just how heavy J.K. Rowling's final Potter book feels in my hands. I mean, I knew it was 784 pages, but now the reality of having to read this whole thing by Sunday afternoon hits me like a giant brick.
Or a giant book - take your pick.
On the way out, we ran into a friend who's come by to pick up the book for his wife and son. I donated my goody bag to him because, well, frankly, I won't have much time for coloring and stickers this weekend.
Too bad.
All right - 784 pages. Judging by my past experiences with these books, I think it'll take me approximately 13-14 hours (at 60 pages an hour) to read this one. Throw in some sleep, a shower, some food and I'll be golden.
At least that's the idea.
OK, it's 12:53 a.m. - time to get crackin'.








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