hogwarts and hogwash

I love Harry Potter just as much as the next person. I would have bought the new book and started it already, but my brother already bought it so I'm waiting for him to finish so I can read it next. The excitement around the new book release is warranted. I love the fact that children waited in line to buy the book so that they could read it as soon as humanly possible. However, the giddiness of some older readers is a bit frightful. People - don't forget you are just Muggles!

On the eve of the book release, I walked past the Harvard Book Store at 11:30 PM. The book store, like many others, was having a Harry Potter extravaganza. I decided to walk in and observe some of the festivities. Seeing the kiddies having fun was nice. Seeing parents and kids united in the pursuit of reading was nice too.

Seeing a college aged couple wearing robes and hats and reading excerpts of Harry Potter 5 back and forth to each other as if it were Shakespeare ... not so nice. Seriously. Is this foreplay for them? I'd be less disturbed if they were plain old making out. I exited the store and went home.

CNN had a picture gallery of people around the world buying the new book. I particularly liked this one. It's of a bookstore in Chennai (f/k/a Madras).