The Voice of Harry Potter is Coming to Houston

In preparation for this week's release of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I have been reading quite a number of articles online. The Washington Post has the Hogwarts Hub. Be sure to read the excellent essay, "Proud to be a Potterhead," by Sabaa Saleem Tahir. I'd be willing to bet that many adults followed the same path to Harry as her husband.

Today, in the New York Times, brings a great article about Jim Dale, the voice of Harry Potter for us Americans. In the article, I read the following magical words:

"After the book is released, he will do a tour of Houston, Washington, Philadelphia and Charlotte, N.C."

A quick Google search led me to the delightful revelation that Mr. Dale is coming to Blue Willow Bookshop, the great little independent bookstore near my house. I called just now and they still have tickets. Give'em a shout.

I have already extolled the wonders of Mr. Dale's reading in my earlier Harry Potter posts. Now, I get to see him live.

I have to admit: as a Star Wars geek, I did not think anything would come close to the feeling of excitement I got from waiting on all the new movies, especially The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Waiting for Book 7 (with all of its double-edged feelings of excitement and dread at the end of the journey) comes close.