A long-time fan of the Harry Potter series, or "epic tale," as they put it, you can bet that I had the book in my hand when it came out on the 21st.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is more or less what I expected it to be. There were some explanations for things, a number of plot lines resolved, and it had exactly the cheesy ending I thought it might. I enjoyed it, but don't know whether I'll read it again.

A week or two ago I finished reading The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. It's an excellent tale of a boy who loves reading books, especially tales of fantasy. When his mother dies, the line between the fantasy and real worlds begins to blur, until he finds himself thrust in the world of his fantastic stories.

I found the book on the clearance rack at Barnes and Noble, and am glad I did. It's a fun read.