My doctor has put me on a higher dosage of Lexapro: instead of the ten milligrams I was taking several years ago, I'm now on twenty milligrams. The side effects are kicking my ass--nausea coupled with the kind of restlessness that makes me feel as though I've had several shots of espresso. Follow that with several cups of coffee--part of my usual morning routine--and I have the sense that the world moves too slowly for its own good.

I'm finally ready for the last installment of the Harry Potter series. I finished J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince late last night--a 259-page marathon filled with Horcruxes, Inferi, and Death Eaters. It's been a while since I read the previous book--four years, at least--so there were times when I was hopelessly lost, but considering that the seventh book comes out in a month or two, I shouldn't have any problems picking up the thread once more.

Reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince reminded me of how attached I am to the characters and their storylines. I actually felt a wave of nausea--or maybe it was because of the Lexapro--when a major character was murdered. This only worsened my restlessness: I put the book aside and paced around the house and patio, cursing both Ms. Rowling and the murderer.

I'm already sleeping pretty badly and finishing Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince didn't help. I tossed and turned, as they say, and needlessly checked my cell phone, mulling over vague prophecies and Unbreakable Vows.

Yes, I think I'm ready for Year Seven.

Comments

[Dorothy W.]

I have never read beyond the first Harry Potter book -- I wonder if i ever will? Maybe. I suppose it would be a nice treat for me some day. Anyway, I hope you feel better!

[Brandon]

Dorothy: One of the things I love about the Harry Potter books is that they make me feel like a kid again. They remind me of why I began reading in the first place. The books are pure escapism. They may not be for you and there's certainly nothing wrong with that, but when I was young, I didn't want to be an accountant or a writer or have something resembling a career; I wanted to be a superhero. I wanted to have powers. And that's really the appeal of the Harry Potter novels, I think. They put you back in touch with your kid side.