After months of anticipation and more than a lot of conjecture and speculation the time for the final installment in the literary phenomenon known as Harry Potter is here. J. K. Rowling’s final installment Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows will hit stores with this Saturday!

We’ll be having Midnight Parties at the Courthouse – Arlington store and the Old Town – Alexandria store complete with quizzes, activities, and delicious concoctions. So come on down Friday night and join us for the madness!

For many the speculation is about what will happen in the last chapter of this series. Who will live? Who will die? What will become of the gang? They will be met with relief soon. At midnight on July 21st the sound of thousands of book spines cracking will be heard across the land. And all their burning questions will be answered.

But for others the questions begin after the book. What will I read next? What could possibly excite the culture at large in the same way? It has been such an astonishing and unique event linking readers of all ages from all around the globe. It’s no wonder people are grappling with what will soon be full blown Harry withdrawal. There have been a number of pieces written over the last few weeks about the Harry Potter phenomenon: what it means, what it portends. They’ve all offered interesting and sometimes opposite views on Harry’s impact on readers and publishing and popular culture.

But for now, I’m happy to watch all the eager people meet their own personal copy of the 7th and final Harry Potter and head off into what will doubtless be a sleepless night.