In June 2007, I had just moved to Miami and started my job at Florida International University. Having moved to a new city knowing nobody, I would often head to downtown Coral Gables to browse the various bookstores - my favorite being Books & Books - a charming doctor’s-office-turned-bookstore-and-cafe, about a half mIle from my apartment. The building had been renovated to fit the bookstore needs while maintaining the integrity of the original 1927 Mediterranean style architecture, and each room had been fixed with wall-to-wall wooden bookshelves. (Check out a slideshow of the store)
Summer 2007 marked an exciting time in literary history, as the seventh (and final) book of the Harry Potter series was to be released. At this time, I hadn’t read any of the books or seen any of the films, but my supervisor and a handful of my new colleagues were avid readers.
One evening after work, I stopped by the Barnes & Noble store on Miracle Mile, and fed the parking meter for two hours. (I would visit B&N when I knew I was going to purchase something, because at the time I still had a paid membership to their discount program. Now, I prefer local when possible.) Unbeknownst to me, that evening was the release party for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, and within a half hour, the bookstore was packed with Harry, Ron, and Hermione clones (adults and children alike). Watching the frenzied excitement (particulary that of the booksellers who were frantic among the commotion) provided an interesting study in human behavior. I’ve always been a people-watcher, and I love to know what makes a person tick.
I told my office about the visit the next day, mentioning how I didn’t understand all of the fuss. They proceeded to explain their great anticipation for the final book, and told me I had to read the series. My supervisor offered to loan me the books if I was ever interested. It wouldn’t be until two summers later that I would take Anna up on her offer.
Last May, I borrowed the first three books from Anna, and quickly fell in love. J. K. Rowling’s writing style is energetic and youthful, and her elaborate stories and impressive twists as each novel comes to a close brings everything together seamlessly, and never ceases to surprise. As I would wrap up each book, I would watch the corresponding film with my good friend Brian. I made it through the first three books and films as the Summer ended, and held off on the fourth until arriving in Austin.
After getting settled in my new job at the University of Texas at Austin, I borowed the fourth book from my neighbor Brandon, and started the series again with Esmer - a colleague and friend who also hadn’t followed Harry’s adventures before last summer.
I have a thing with wanting to own the books I read - particulary those I love. I also don’t like to own incomplete sets of collections, and prefer that each copy is in the same format (a little neurotic, I admit). Before my cross-country move, Mickey gave me an extra hardback copy of the Harry Potter and the Half-Blooded Prince, at which point I wanted to own not only the whole series, but hardback volumes of the remaining six books. Pricing such a purchase at various bookstores, I quickly found that this would be a real investment - until today.
Esmer introduced me to Half Price Books - a fabulous used booksore in Austin. I visited today, and was able to complete my hardcover collection for less than $65 - nearly $25 cheaper than purchasing a new copy of the boxed paperback set! I switched from Brandon’s borrowed paperback, and am excited to return it this week.
If you haven’t read the series, I would strongly encourage it. As an educator, the boarding school similarities of Hogwarts resonates similarly to the typical residential higher education experience, with similar challenges (independence, living away from home, time management, peer pressure, acadic pressures, etc.). The characters are elaborately defined, and the story is well-written, imaginative and intriguing. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. In fact, why don’t you start today? You’re certainly welcome to borrow my collection. :-)
