BOOK REVIEW: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith

When a troubled model falls to her death from a Mayfair balcony, it is assumed that she has committed suicide. However, her brother has his doubts and calls in private detective Cormoran Strike to investigate.
Stike is a war veteran- wounded both physically and psychologically- and his private life is in disarray. The case gives him a financial life line but it comes at a personal cost: the more he delves into the young model’s world, the darker things become and the closer he gets to terrible danger…

Publisher: Sphere

Pages: 550

After binge-watching the TV adaptation, I have been meaning to read the books and I’m so glad that I did as I loved The Cuckoo’s Calling. Writing under the pseudonym of Robert Galbraith, J.K. Rowling introduces us to the character of Cormoran Strike. Ex-military police, Strike is now working as a private detective. But he is not having much luck in his private or professional life. His highly toxic relationship seems to have come to an end and he is sleeping in his office, an office that he will no longer be able to use if he doesn’t pay his overdue bills. Strike’s luck may well be about to change; firstly his new temp Robin Ellacott arrives and she is not like the others. Bright, assertive and genuinely interested in the job, Strike finds her presence refreshing. Secondly, a new client comes knocking; John Bristow wants Strike to investigate the death of his supermodel sister Lula Landry. A verdict of suicide has been recorded but Bristow is convinced she was murdered. Strike is not so sure but Bristow is willing to pay handsomely for his services  and Strike is no position to refuse. As Strike and Robin begin investigating Lula’s death, they discover a dark web of deceit that puts Strike in great danger yet he is determined to get to the truth.

Robert Galbraith is a fantastic storyteller and I know that this is a series I will enjoy and re-read many times. The characters are fantastic and the plot is well paced. I have a total crush on both Strike and Robin and I mostly enjoyed their interactions as they work each other out.

Even though I knew the outcome due to watching the TV programme, I still could  not put the book down. I would highly recommend The Cuckoo’s Calling, I can’t wait to read book two!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I went to see Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince at the weekend and really enjoyed it, they are such well made films. I had re-read all of the Harry Potter books last year except the last one so I decided to finish my challenge by re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I have really enjoyed re-reading the books, I'm sure I am similar to many fans that race through the book when it first comes out in order to find out what happens next rather than taking the time to enjoy it fully. I remember feeling a bit disappointed with the final book on my inital read but when I finished it this time I think that I fully appreciated just how good it was. J.K. Rowling ties up all the loose ends to provide the reader with an exciting and fantastic ending to a story that has captured the imagination of millions worldwide.
The seventh books sees Voldermort finally gaining control of The Ministry of Magic. Harry is still recovering from the death of Dumbledore yet he, Ron and Hermione have to separate themselves from all of their loved ones in order to find and destroy Voldermort's final three Horcruxes. They find and destroy one of the Horcruxes before having a meeting with Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna's father. He recounts to them the tale of The Deathly Hallows, three sacred objects, the resurrection stone which has the power to bring people back to life; the Elder Wand which is unbeatable and the Invisibility Cloak which Harry already has in his possession. The three friends realise that Voldermort is after The Elder Wand without realising what it truly is so they know that continuing their quest to find the Horcruxes is still more important then trying to get the wand themselves. The book ends with a large battle at Hogwarts as Harry tries to find and destroy the final two Horcruxes one of which is Voldermort's snake. It is an extremely exciting part of the book with all of the important characters coming together again in order to help Harry. I'm not going to give the last part away as there may be some that still haven't read it. J.K. Rowling keeps the story going to the very end with unexpected surprises appearing even in the final chapter.
If you have not read any of the Harry Potter books then I would urge you to give them a go, the magical world that J.K. Rowling has created is too wonderful to miss out on. If, like me, you have read them as they have been published and sped through them then I would recommend re-reading them and reminding yourself what made you count down the months until you would be able to read the next installment.

The Weekends go too quickly!!

I have had such a lovely weekend with Mr S and Alfie. On Saturday we went into town and had a lovely Italian breakfast at Carluccios, as long as you didn't look out of the window you could pretend to be on holiday! Then I dragged Mr S round the shops to spend some of my birthday vouchers! As the Winter has arrived Mr S said that he needed some vests to keep him warm so off we went to good old Marks and Spencers and it was shocking, £15 for vests! They say that they have a climate control function built in so they keep you cool but surely the whole point of a vest is to keep you warm, very strange! Anway he wore one yesterday and said they were very effective, good job for that price!




Yesterday we went back to Birmingham for Sunday lunch with Mr S' parents and we took Alfie with us and they absolutely loved him. We were a bit worried as they have only recently lost their family dog so we thought it might be a bit upsetting for them but they couldn't stop playing with him. Mr S' Dad is a very big man and doesn't usually like little dogs but he had Alfie on his lap to watch the TV, this made him look like a slightly camp Bond villain but Alfie wasn't complaining!

Talking of Bond, we went to see Quantum of Solace in the afternoon and I really enjoyed it; I don't think it was as good as Casino Royale but still excellent. Lots of action scenes and I really love how he has made it darker and more character based. I know that people say it should be more light hearted but I would rather watch this then a cheesy Roger Moore Bond any day!




Finished Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix on Friday night and I think that it was better the second time I read it. I think that Professor Umbridge is such a great creation of J.K. Rowling. She is such a good villian; her physical description alone is enough to make you dislike her but it is the vindictiveness that she shows that really made her into a villain for me. Rowling has created a character that I think really stirs the reader up as you become increasingly frustrated with this vile woman as she gains more and more power and influence.




Quite a busy week ahead, Alfie is going to have his final jab tonight so he will be able to go on walks later in the week so that should be very interesting; we need to find a collar small enough first of all!

Sleeping Under Water

Sleeping under water is exactly what it feels like when you have to resort to sleeping with ear plugs jammed in your ears as Mr S and I had to last night. Now don't get us wrong, we both LOVE Alfie, absolutely love him but he is still freaked out about sleeping on his own. When he wakes up in the night he makes sure that we and probably the whole street know about it! So Mr S suggested that we purchase some ear plugs as we are both feeling like we have jet lag but without the added benefit of having been somewhere nice! They did work really well, just took a bit of getting used to; it really is like being underwater, everything is a bit muffled and you can really hear your heartbeat. They didn't cut Alfie out completely but it wasn't as loud so we got several more hours sleep and will be jamming them in our ears again this evening!

I had 2 lovely books for my Birthday and a nice big WH Smith gift voucher so that I can buy some more! I am re-reading Harry Potter at the moment, I am on the 5th book and loving it. I have wanted to re-read them for a while as I had the tendency to rush through them when they first came out just to find out what happens. It's nice to read them again and take my time; I think that people have very mixed opinions about J.K. Rowling but I have to say that I think she is brilliant. You can see that she has been influenced by other classic children's books but which writer hasn't been influenced by what they have read? I think that as you read the books close together you can see how she develops as a writer and you get a sense of her individual style of writing as her confidence clearly grows. I would love to write children's books- it gives you such a wide audience and something that J.K. Rowling has proved is that good children's literature can always transcend to adult readers.