Unless you’re blissfully out of touch with literary news, which is unlikely considering this blog is for readers, you’re well aware that The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith is actually written by JK Rowling. It’s why most of us have even heard of it, but from what I understand it was getting good reviews even before she was outed as the ‘man behind the curtain,’ so to speak. Since I knew who really wrote it when I picked it up, I admit I am incapable […]
What’s in a name?
Pen names are funny things aren’t they? It’s pretty impossible for the real author behind them to stay hidden for long. Either the books become so successful that the lack of personal appearances becomes telling, or someone in the know leaks the story just because they can. Sometimes, authors have pen names so they can publish books outside their own genre with impunity (Barbara Vine and Richard Bachman spring to mind here) and it’s no secret who the real author behind it is. It is […]
J.K. Rowling does her thing
Like many others, I am a big fan of Harry Potter, but I haven’t had much interest in reading the later and more adult fare by J.K. Rowling. Even so, I wasn’t disappointed when my book club chose The Cuckoo’s Calling (2013) by “Robert Galbraith” as its next book. Cuckoo’s Calling is a classic murder mystery reminiscent of the noir style of Hammett. Cormoran Strike is a war hero who lost his leg in Iraq. He’s just had a terrible break-up with his beautiful girlfriend, […]
Robert Galbraith’s Breakout Novel?
We all know that once you see something, it’s not only burned into your retina, but also your mind. And by trying to not imagine a pink elephant, what the first thing is that comes to mind. Is it also possible then, that once I know a book is written by J. K. Rowling, I will always compare it to Harry Potter? The answer is fuck yes. EVERYTHING gets compared to Harry Potter. All other YA books I’ve read? Not as good as Harry Potter. […]