Some people buy souvenir t-shirts and snow globes while on vacation. I buy books. (Well, to be fair, I bought a t-shirt too.)
We flew down to Orlando with the family this weekend and hit Universal Studios and (you guessed it) The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. August isn't the greatest time to be walking around with a million people through an asphalt jungle in Florida. I hear you. I really do. But it was the only chance for a family vacation this summer, so (with water bottles in hand) we ran with it.
We opted for Universal's VIP passes (I highly recommend this as the way to go if you can swing it) which made the extreme heat, humidity, and afternoon rainstorm SO much more tolerable. Because of the VIP passes, we didn't have to wait an hour for anything. We just got escorted to the front of the line. The only line we had to really wait in was the line for food.
We were in a group with a family from London, another from Chile, and two 8-year old boys (the perfect age to be excited about everything), which made it all the more fun. Still, after 7 hours in the park(s), 6 rides (nothing scarier than the Transformers ride for me, thank you very much), and a bit of shopping at Diagon Alley, we were spent.
We each got a house t-shirt (I opted for Slytherin, because the color and design was the best), and some chocolate frogs. Then headed back to the hotel room to collapse & soak in all of its glorious air conditioning (thank you Willis Carrier).
Today is a recuperation day complete with books, coffee, a movie, naps, and maybe a little reminiscing about how fun yesterday was.
As for the books that I bought:
The Hogwarts Classics, hardcover slip-cased set of Quidditch Through the Ages and The Tales of the Beadle Bard. Not first printings by any means, but a fun souvenir from the weekend.
Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (Feiwel and Friends, 2016)
Short stories from her Lunar Chronicles series—and something to keep me busy until her next book in the series, Heartless, comes out this fall.
The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine (Balzar + Bray / HarperCollins, 2016) — signed.
This is another title, in what has been dubbed the "retelling genre," that gives a different perspective on the Snow White fairy tale.
Alright everyone, I hope you're having a fabulous weekend and reading something good!
Best,
-N