Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
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The Cuckoo's Calling
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The Cuckoo's Calling, by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
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Ah, it is a name. I only knew author and title. I have this on one of my challenges, too.
I my list for week 29 also. Have had it since it came out but hesitated to read it as I did not like the Harry Potter books. Hoping I will enjoy this.
I have it on my list for week 29 also. I love The Casual Vacancy so have high hopes for this book.
It seems they are totally different, so I'm sure the author can still surprise you. I'm always sad when I hear somebody didn't like Harry Potter, I love this series so much :(
Sophie...I may try them again in the future; sometimes we are just not in the right frames of mind for a certain genre. This challenge will be good for me in part because of this.
I just finished The Cuckoo's Calling and gave it 4 stars. It is a good murder mystery, I liked the characters and the writing. The only thing is, I'm not usually a fan of "Sherlock-esque" inquiries, when you see the detective investigating, but you don't know what he uncovers, and then at the end he explains it all (usually to the bad guy). I would have preferred to be more invested in the discoveries, but that's what I like in mysteries (like in Henning Mankell's Wallander series).
I was really disappointed in this one.
I read this last year and was kind of disappointed. Rowling has a tendency to overwrite, and after 500 pages I found that I'd guessed correctly, which is never fun.
I was pretty apathetic twaords this first book, but it wasn't spectacular. It was more of a "okay.. what happens next. Oh, that's cool.. what's next now? Hmm.." and repeat.Also, I was not sold on the ending. Ugh. Hope you guys appreciate it more than I did!
Finished for week 29. I loved it. Great detective story!
Starting this one for week 29 and also getting a jump on the BOTM for April.
Read it for BOTM, I rated it 4 stars.
I read this for BOTM and for week 22, the first book in a new to you series. I enjoyed the book a lot and gave it four stars. It did take me about 1/3 of the book to get invested in the characters but after that I thought Cormoran Strike was a great character. I plan to read the second book sometime.
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I'm the opposite of some of the commentators, I love her descriptions! I feel like I am living in that world, it is so real. Shows why Harry Potter worked so well, she can really create a scene and a character. This book has become so alive in my mind, I feel like I'm watching a movie, not reading a book.
I read this for week 22, the first book in a new to you series and for the BOTM.I really liked this, and I especially liked the relationship between Strike and Robin throughout the book. (view spoiler)
I have just started, but I really like the writing style :)
I read this for week 46 and BOTM. I enjoyed it, but I agree with Sophie--I didn't like Cormoran just explaining everything at the end instead of showing us throughout the book. I still don't entirely get how he figured everything out!But I will read the sequels sometime, so I guess it kept my interest well enough.
I read this for the book of the month and as my "first book in a new to you series." I liked it overall, but I didn't quite connect with it the way I expected to. I don't want to compare it to Harry Potter because they really are very different books, but Harry Potter did have an instant appeal to me. Something about the writing style and the characters got me into the book immediately and I had been hoping that this would be the same.I've heard many times before that British mystery books tend to be very detailed, quite slow, and have a ton of characters and this one was no exception. I enjoyed the book as a whole but it took me a really long time to get into it and I found it hard to keep track sometimes of everyone and the stories they were telling.
I'm also reading this for the BOTM (although it's not TM any more). I'm a quarter of the way though it, and I'm underwhelmed so far. It's certainly an easy read, but it's no Harry Potter, that's for sure. I had expected that J.K. Rowling's knack for incredible characterisation to translate to another genre, but so far I haven't found that at all.
This was a fun mystery, which I read for Week 29. Rowling is simply a pleasure to read (flashes of her Harry Potter series came through for me in a big way) with a style that doesn't disappoint, even with the change in genres. There's something appealing for everyone here: great writing, a compelling and complex murder mystery, multi-faceted characters, and some chuckle-worthy humor. Strike is a colorful fellow, although I could see why Charlotte did what she did - he's not the greatest boyfriend. With novice Robin by his side, they make a perfect pair of detectives and Rowling's set up their pairing for future mysteries in the series. Overall, this was a really enthralling and enjoyable contemporary British-flavored mystery.
I read this for week 29 and enjoyed it. Strike and Robin played off each other well and I can't wait to read the others in this series. The mystery was good and I did not see the end coming.
My cat just jumped up on the table and puked on my new copy of Cuckoo's Calling. I am not sure if that is a personal review or just disgust at it not actually being about Cuckoo birds. Either way, rude. Very rude. :-/
Haha! Thanks for a good laugh, Amy. Does your kitty often show her preference for books? I bet she's usually right, although I thought CC was pretty good.
Stacey wrote: "Haha! Thanks for a good laugh, Amy. Does your kitty often show her preference for books? I bet she's usually right, although I thought CC was pretty good."My kitty shows her preference for EVERYTHING usually but book reviews are new for sure. So far at 111 pages in I tend to disagree with her on this one. She will probably express her disapproval of my opinion on my pillow tonight. :-(
Aww...cutie. She's probably jealous of your reading time = time away from her!
I read this for week #46 - a crime story.I liked it. I have always liked J.K. Rowling's style of writing and I feel it carries over here. I hadn't planned to read this whole series this year (or even this book until it was chosen for BOTM), but it peaked my interest.
I really enjoyed this mystery. (Her standalone The Casual Vacancy is very good too!) The standout was the character of Robin!
Week 29: A book by an author who writes under more than one nameI enjoyed this book, the first of J. K. Rowling's Cormoran Strike detective stories. There is plenty to satisfy a lover of the genre - a colorful detective with lots of baggage, a mysterious suicide that may be murder and a range of characters from wealthy family to drug addicts to fashion designer and film producer. All intertwined with secrets and possible motives. Fast read that keeps you guessing.
2019 Week 44: A book related in some way to a TV show/series or movie you enjoyed.
This is very much a Sherlock style mystery, and I loved every second of it.
This is very much a Sherlock style mystery, and I loved every second of it.
The following books are even better imo!
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Casual Vacancy (other topics)The Cuckoo's Calling (other topics)
It seems that I haven't read a mystery for ages, so I'm going to start the year with this. I've been meaning to read this for a long time, I'm looking forward to seeing how JK Rowling writes a murder-mystery!
After losing his leg to a land mine in Afghanistan, Cormoran Strike is barely scraping by as a private investigator. Strike is down to one client, and creditors are calling. He has also just broken up with his longtime girlfriend and is living in his office.
Then John Bristow walks through his door with an amazing story: His sister, the legendary supermodel Lula Landry, known to her friends as the Cuckoo, famously fell to her death a few months earlier. The police ruled it a suicide, but John refuses to believe that. The case plunges Strike into the world of multimillionaire beauties, rock-star boyfriends, and desperate designers, and it introduces him to every variety of pleasure, enticement, seduction, and delusion known to man.