J.K. Rowling Archives - Evanston Public Library

J.K. Rowling (a.k.a. Robert Galbraith) will release another detective novel

February 20, 2014

J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame announced that she has penned another Cormoran Strike mystery titled The Silkworm. It is to hit the bookstands next June and will still show the author as Robert Galbraith. The first Strike novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling, was met with mixed, but generally good reviews, but when it was leaked who the real author was, sales skyrocketed. In the new book Strike’s able assistant, perky Robin Ellacott, is still around, and works with her boss to solve the brutal and bizarre murder of writer Owen Quine. Read the article in The Independent for more on Rowling’s latest.

Barbara L.

Hermione and Ron: was it a mis-match?

February 6, 2014

Hermione Ron As much as I loved the wonderful Harry Potter series, I always felt Hermione could have done better as far as boyfriends go. I mean, she was so smart and so passionate about her causes (case in point, S.P.E.W and the House Elves), and don’t forget how fierce she could be in defending her friends. Never afraid to show off her brilliance, she’d raise her hand even in Snape’s class risking his scorn and ridicule. Ron, on the other hand, always seemed a few beats behind Harry and Hermione as they plotted and planned. He was a loyal friend and a true fighter for the cause of good, but sometimes was completely befuddled by the fast-thinking pair. Now some might say opposites attract and that Hermione and Ron would have been content in their life together. But I always thought the attraction was contrived. In the “19 years later” chapter of the final book, I really wondered if she was happy with her choice of mate. Did she glance longingly at Harry? Apparently I’m not the only one who feels this way. In an interview J.K. Rowling gave to Hermione portrayer Emma Watson, the author herself admitted that she made a mistake in pairing the two. And Watson agreed. A CNN Entertainment article quoted Rowling, “I wrote the Hermione/Ron relationship as a form of wish fulfillment. That’s how it was conceived, really,” Rowling says in the interview. “For reasons that have very little to do with literature and far more to do with me clinging to the plot as I first imagined it, Hermione ended up with Ron.” Avid fans, both pro and con to this revelation, shared opinions on mugglenet.com, one of the biggest HP fans sites going. So should there ever be an eighth Harry Potter book, the title might be “Harry Potter and the Messy Divorce.” Barbara L.

But wait–there's an iota of truth to the "Harry Potter 8" rumors!

September 13, 2013

Sorry, Potterheads, there’s not going to be a Harry Potter and the Life Beyond Hogwarts (or some such title), but there is news, as reported in today’s Chicago Trib, that Rowling’s book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them will indeed be produced for the big screen. Rowling and Warner Brothers have announced that the best-selling author will write the screenplay for the film, which is not a prequel or sequel to the seven HP books, but rather an extension of Potter’s magical world featuring fictional author and adventurer Newt Scamander. No indication of the timing of this project was offered. To keep you happy in the meantime, find all of J. K. Rowling’s works here at EPL.

Barbara L.

The Cat's Out of the Bag–And It Ain't Crookshanks

July 15, 2013

The secret’s out: The Cuckoo’s Calling, a debut detective novel published in April under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith turns out to have been written by J.K. Rowling. The Sunday Times of London uncovered the truth by doing its own detective work, finding similarities with Ms. Rowling’s earlier novel The Casual Vacancy. You can read the entire NYT article here. Better get your name on the waitlist now.

Laura

BBC To Film The Casual Vacancy

December 5, 2012

The BBC has commissioned J.K. Rowling’s latest book The Casual Vacancy for a television series. Rowling said she’s thrilled: “I always felt that, if it were to be adapted, this novel was best suited to television and I think the BBC is the perfect home.”No date or length of series has been finalized yet, but according to this short article in the Huffington Post, suggestions for the cast are already in the works. Interesting choices. Check it out here.

Laura

J. K. Rowling's new book due out September 2012.

April 15, 2012

He’s not named Harry, but Barry, and he’s already dead at the start of Rowling’s new adult novel, The Casual Vacancy. Set in the picturesque village of Pagford, Rowling’s darkly humorous novel portrays the decidedly un-quaint ugly conflicts that are revealed when Barry Fairweather dies unexpectedly leaving a vacancy on the parish council. Pre-orders are reportedly building up briskly.

Barbara L.

It All Ends 7.15

June 21, 2011

Or so says the Warner Brothers poster for the July 15th release of the final film in the Harry Potter series: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2.

But for diehard HP fans (and yours truly here may be among the oldest), it will never end. The multitude of excellent websites available to fans of J. K. Rowling’s addictive books are as active as ever with essays, discussions, debates, side stories, fan fiction offerings, trivia quizzes, and more. My personal favorite is the HP Lexicon, which offers extensive resources for reviewing plot, characters, time lines, essays, magical terminology, and much more. It’s my “go to” site for any question involving HP that I don’t know the answer to outright. Rowling herself has hosted a wonderfully fun and challenging interactive site, and has just announced the creation of a new site: pottermore.com. These articles from USA Today and the The Telegraph report what’s known so far about the new site. Rowling will make an official announcement about this new Potter project on Thursday, July 23. Alas, to those fans who hope the new site might mean an eighth Harry Potter book is in the works, Rowling still holds that she had always planned Harry Potter as a 7-book story and that’s what it will stay.

For those just discovering Harry Potter and for those revisiting all things Potter-related, find books, movies, and more at the Evanston Public Library catalog.

Barbara L.