The biggest book bombshell of the summer so far has been J.K. Rowling, author of the “Harry Potter” children’s series and the literary novel “The Casual Vacancy,” getting outed as the author of the crime novel “The Cuckoo’s Calling,” writing under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. In the wake of the news, the previously under-the-radar book rocketed to the top of bestseller lists. Rowling has since written on her website, “I hoped to keep this secret a little longer, because being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience! It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation and pure pleasure to get feedback from publishers and readers under a different name.” Now that the word is out, Rowling is sure to miss the pleasures of anonymity–but we wouldn’t be surprised if she were secretly working on a few more books under pseudonyms and trying her hand at writing in these other genres.
Rowling does self-help: “Do Not Disturb: How to Cultivate Privacy in an Age of Exposure,” by Gemma Lee Shrewsbury
In an age when practically anyone can hunt you down using social media, Internet marketers study your personal data to learn what kind of products you’ll buy and instant fame can come with the click of a button, privacy is worse than endangered–it’s extinct! In “Do Not Disturb,” sociology professor and privacy expert Gemma Lee Shrewsbury gives you the tools and tactics you’ll need to close your proverbial shutters to the world and create the private life you’ve always wanted.
Rowling writes romance: “Weekend Workaholics,” by Penelope Broadbottom
Unhappily married Dinah has always had eyes for her boss Frederick, but she’s never let it progress past harmless office flirting–even when they spend late nights working together. But when she bids on him at a company fundraiser, she unexpectedly wins a weekend during which he must cater to her every wish. Can Dinah restrain herself and keep things professional when her boss is at her beck and call?
Rowling gets down to business: “Women On Top,” by Felicity Strongweather
Lean aside, Sheryl Sandberg. Pass the mic, Lady Gaga. There’s a new voice of empowerment in town, and she’s not about playing nice. The motivational guru and mastermind behind such viral YouTube sensations as “Move, Boy, Get Out the Way” and “XX: Rated for Winning,” Felicity Strongweather has crystallized her revolutionary ideas into a new, electrifying manifesto of women and power.
Rowling goes horror: “The Cockatrice of Nunhead,” by Atticus Stench
When passers-by hear old Holly Plantfoot, a hobo and longtime fixture on the streets of South London, ranting about an ancient evil that has been reawakened in their midst, most people pay her no mind. But when denizens of South London start to go missing, one person listens: a young blind urchin named Tips. Holly tells Tips he has “the eye”–an ability to “see” beyond the mere physical world–and that it is up to him to stop the beast that she’s sensed lurking in Nunhead Cemetery, before all of London becomes its prey.
Rowling’s parenting advice: “Nurturing Nature: A Guide to Fostering Your Child’s Talents, Specialties and Quirks,” by Catarina Clarke
We all hope that our children will develop an interest in some distinguished, socially acceptable pursuit: the piano, for instance, or perhaps tennis. But some children come into the world in possession of truly singular gifts, or set their sights early on quirky areas of interest. Catarina Clarke–once a child of unusual gifts herself, and now the proud mother of a truly eccentric child–has witnessed firsthand the immeasurable loss that occurs when an idiosyncratic child’s passion is pushed to the wayside in favor of a “well-rounded” education. In “Nurturing Nature,” she offers advice to parents of uncommon kids on helping to develop their unconventional talents, from snake-handling to black magic and everything in between.
Rowling delves into YA: “Penn-Bound,” by Angus Morrow
After he’s falsely accused of cheating on the SATs, Rob loses his scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, his dream school. In a desperate attempt to salvage his summer, he agrees to go on a road trip with his cousin’s best friend–the beautiful, sardonic, frustrating, intoxicating Penn. Over the course of their cross-country journey–filled with probing confessions and mounting tension in the confined space of Penn’s car–he ponders which Penn he was meant to go to after all.
Rowling’s Royal Family tell-all: “The Fall of the House of Windsor,” by V. C. Ariadne von Trapp
With the much-anticipated birth of the Royal Baby, the first child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the world is rooting for the darling new family–and we’ll be following closely as the young one grows up. Veteran royal insider V. C. Ariadne von Trapp will be watching too–but for a different reason: In this explosive account, von Trapp reveals that Will and Kate are not who you think they are, and that the Royal Family has been protecting an incendiary secret for decades, one that ties together Princess Diana’s mysterious death, Queen Elizabeth II’s suspicious longevity and other facts that will shock and amaze you.
(Reprinted with permission from Bookish.com)
