Potter-free

As best I can figure, I think Iqaluit must be the only place with 5,000 or more people in it in the western world that doesn't have a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for sale. A quick wander around town this afternoon showed no copies for sale at either North Mart or Arctic Ventures and if it's not in either of those places, then it's not for sale yet up here.

I confess to being a touch surprised. I figured there would be a few copies for sale somewhere today, but the people I asked at the stores said none had come in and they didn't know if any were coming in. Yes, I know that they can't match the prices of places like Chapters or Amazon, which are selling them at well below cost. But not everyone in town can access those stores. Not everyone has internet access. And not everyone has the necessary credit card.

So in the middle of the Potter frenzy, Iqaluit remains a Potter-free zone. I suspect some of you are booking your tickets as you read this.

As for me, this is presenting an interesting quandary. I've ordered the book from Chapters, but according to the website my book hasn't even shipped yet. So while I was anticipating receiving it by Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, instead I find myself faced the possibility that it might not arrive next week at all.

For those of you wondering why they weren't delivered today like most of the rest of Canada, that service wasn't available for the north. Beyond me why. It would have been easier here than most of the rest of Canada. Instead of having letter carriers running around town all day, as they did in St. John's, all the local post office had to do was open for a couple of hours this afternoon and distribute the books to the people who ordered them. Silly why that never happened, really.

This is problematic because the longer I go without a copy of the book, the greater the possibility the book will be spoiled for me. Mainstream media and others were reasonable good last week when the book was leaked about not revealing plot points. If you wanted to have it spoiled, you certainly had no problems finding places willing to do that for you. but if you wanted to preserve the secret, you could do it without too much difficulty.

But now with the book out, most people are going to assume that you will have finished reading it by tomorrow evening at the absolute latest. So the discretion in not revealing plot points is going to go right out the window. I can't go a week or more without checking news sites. Hell, it's part of my job to check news sites.

This is grim stuff. I think if I go out tomorrow and some copies magically appear I'll probably crack and buy one and donate it to the library afterwards.

It's not often I've been frustrated with some of the isolation and challenges that come with living in the north. You tend to get zen about these things after awhile or you go mad. But this is one of those times.