COLUMNS
Harry Potter fans know that the Saturday release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" feels no closer than it did last December when the publication date was announced. Obviously, we can't just go to bed early as our parents advised on Christmas Eves past. We Muggles don't have access to any spells or magical tools to make time run faster. So how to pass the time between now and the blessed moment when we have one of the 12 million U.S. copies in hand?
Here are some ways to "Potter up" in preparation for the big day:
• Get online. Check out J.K. Rowling's site, at www.jkrowling.com. Look for "Easter eggs," which link to bonus information and back story. Go to www.mugglenet.com, one of the largest and oldest Harry Potter fan sites, for the latest news, fan fiction and forums, and a link to www.mugglecast.com, a related podcast on all things Potter. Browse www.hp-lexicon.org, an encyclopedic site that Rowling herself says she consults when she needs to double-check a fact about the wizarding world. Play a trivia game at www.scholastic.com/harrypotter. And, of course, come to discuss and fan the fires of your anticipation at the Potter Blotter, our own Harry Potter blog, at www.startribune.com/potterblotter.
• Rock out. Harry and the Potters will perform a free concert at 6 p.m. today at Pershing Park, 3523 W. 48th St., Minneapolis. For more information, call Minneapolis Public Library's Teen Central at 612-630-6025 or Pershing Park at 612-370-4928. To read a Q&A with singer Paul DeGeorge, and hear the band's Potter-inspired music, check out the July 4 post on the Potter Blotter.
• Learn to knit. Blogger Alison Hansel just released the book "Charmed Knits: Projects for Fans of Harry Potter" (Wiley), which has lots of great projects for beginning and advanced knitters, including house hats and scarves, an afghan of Mrs. Weasley's clock and Dobby's tea cozy hat.
You also can get a free hat pattern and join her knit-along at http://charmedknits.blogspot .com. No need for a Gryffindor hat? Give it to charity. Hansel's publishers have partnered with Warm Woolies to donate Potter-themed hats to children in Russia, Kazakhstan, China and the Rosebud and Pine Ridge tribal reservations in South Dakota. More information at www.warmwoolies.org. Many Twin Cities yarn stores and bookshops are stocking Hansel's book, and most can help you find yarns of the right color and weight. Note: Merino wool is soft and light enough to work with in July.
• Make plans to get your book and to make time to read. A listing of Potter parties is onthis page..
• Read and listen. Grab a random Harry Potter book and let it fall open to any page; start reading. Get an audio book and listen to Jim Dale's inspired performance. Or check out any of the supporting literature, including Rowlings' own "Hogwarts Schoolbooks," which include "Quidditch Through the Ages" and "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." Look up Antipodean Opaleye in the latter tome, and compare it with the deluxe-edition cover illustration of "Deathly Hallows."
• Gather your Potterheads, and share theories about what might come next. Bet an ice cream on Snape's allegiances.
• Watch the movies. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" is in theaters. Review the early movies to get a taste of their magic. Be sure to keep the movie and book plots separate. Cho Chang, for example, did not directly betray Harry in the book (as she did in the movie).
• Go to bed early.
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