My Book Quest: FAILED

I just so happened to be out and about tonight just after midnight, so thought I'd see about picking up the new Harry Potter book. I had read that Deseret Book would be open at midnight selling books, so thought I'd drop by there since that's the closest bookstore to my house (plus I figured it was a smaller store & less people would be there). After driving by the dark empty store at 12:07, though, I realized that it I must have misunderstood, so I decided to go home. But wait! The WalMart right by Deseret Book had a full parking lot! Is that normal at midnight on a Friday? I'm not a WalMart shopper, in fact I avoid the store as much as possible, but I decided that WalMart must be selling the books based on the sheer volume of cars. As I walked up to the store, I couldn't help but chuckle at the sights:
* People dressed in Harry Potter garb
* Families flooding out of the store with their small little grocery sacks (it was clear there was only one small item in each sack - a book!)
* Customers literally running out of the store with their book in one hand and a Mountain Dew in the other hand. I am sure they planned on staying up all night reading until they finished!

Okay, that was all kind of funny, but as I walked into the store, I literally laughed out loud. There was a line of hundreds of people waiting to get the book. It was pretty stinkin' hilarious. It is so amazing how much Harry Potter has become such a big part of our culture! Forget the line - I'll just buy it tomorrow at Albertson's checkstand when I go grocery shopping :-)

UPDATE: Just in case you're wondering - I did get the book on Saturday morning (07/21) & had it finished by Sunday :-) For a review, check out our book review blog.