Tag: Harry Potter

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

February 20, 2014

The SilkwormJ.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 RonAs 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, Potterhefantastic beastsads, 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.

Rumors of Harry Potter 8 just that!

September 11, 2013

001Reports of a new Harry Potter title in the works turn out to be untrue, based on a joke circulated for April Fool’s Day.  I seem to recall JK Rowling speaking about how she felt the 7th and last book of the series was definitely “the end.” The rumor mill was spreading the misinformation that the new book was confirmed and 75% written. Maybe Rowling will have a change of heart if enough people clamor for more?

Shira S.

Harry Potter Digital Books Can Be Shared Between Devices

March 27, 2012

When Harry Potter e-books went on sale today the rules changed compared to those for most e-books, ie, the user can switch the book from one device to another (what is technically called unencryption.) Some publishers are predicting this will contribute to momentum in undermining Amazon’s control over e-book sales. “We believe that people should have the right, once they’ve bought the book, to read it on any device that they chose to,” says Redmayne chairman of Pottermore.

Shira S.

Ron Weasley’s Narrow Escape

November 8, 2011

J.K.Rowling has let it slip that she seriously considered killing off Harry Potter’s good buddy and Hermione’s love interest, Ron Weasley! The author’s original plan was for all three main characters to survive the series and that’s what actually happened. See this Chicago Tribune article for more details about Ron’s extended life.

Shira S

Early Reactions to Pottermore Website

August 18, 2011

According to EarlyWord,          Entertainment Weekly was one of a million chosen testers of the new interactive Harry Potter website, Pottermore. So, what’s the verdict?

” While it won’t let you apparate or play Quidditch (there are leagues for that already), J.K. Rowling’s new interactive website Pottermore will at least let you experience some of the fun of living in the world of Harry Potter.”  Sounds perfectly spellbinding! As mentioned on Off the Shelf previously, the website should be up and running in October.

Shira S.

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.

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