Starting The Silkworm: Strike/Ellacott Read-along Book 2 (Part 1 of 4)

 

We are starting today with a review of The Silkworm.  At the time this it was published, John Granger called it the best book Rowling had ever written. I'm curious how many of you agreed. 

I'm going to start with the opening scene and some questions about the character we meet there: Dominic Culpepper. He is interesting to me for an number of reasons. First, he seems a bit too chummy with Strike to be just another client, even for a repeat one. Thus, I have always assumed he was an old friend of Strikes, from his pre-detective days. But, unlike Shanker, Anstis, Dave Polworth, Nick Herbert, etc. we've never been told how or when Strike made his acquaintance. 

Second, he appears to be from a wealthy, or at least upper-class family; as the Chiswells showed us, the two are not necessarily synonymous. But he is described as a "public school" boy, and we know his cousin Nina has an "Honorable" title. 

This, at least to an American mind, makes his choice of profession interesting. I am not accustomed to thinking of "tabloid journalist" as being a particularly "upper-class" sort of profession. Certainly in the US, those types of papers have a definite taint of sleaziness. The fact that News of the World would be forced out of business within a couple of years for illegal phone hacking, a topic Strike raises with Culpepper, suggests they are not entirely respectable. 

So, assuming Culpepper is, indeed, an old friend of Strike's, where might they have become acquainted?  Oxford seems the most likely possibility, but we are also told that Leda had twice enrolled Strike in expensive private schools, only to pull him out after a few terms. We know, of course, that the first time was the prep school where Strike met Charlie Bristow. Could Culpepper be an old friend from the second school?

Moving on: I love the introduction of Leonora Quine and the reversal of the opening of The Cuckoo's Calling. Before, Strike was destitute and almost without work, seeming almost dumbfounded when John Bristow shows up as an actual client. Now, he's doing well enough to ditch a well-paying client and take on a charity case. And I love the "single step" Strike takes towards the guy to run him out of the office when he calls Leonora a stupid woman. We'll see almost identical posturing when Strike runs Saul Morris out of the office in Troubled Blood. 

Overall, I like the way the book is fairly quick about introducing you to all the suspects, with the interviews with Christian Fisher, Liz Tassel and Kathryn Kent, then followed by the Roper Chard party where we meed everyone else. Re-reading the part about Liz's Doberman once biting Owen, knowing the dog has just eaten and thrown up part of Owen's intestines makes me feel a bit squeamish. A bit of trivia:  The Roper Chard party happened on the night the first Deathly Hallows movie premiered. 

The only significant non-case interlude is drinks with Matthew, where we learn that Strike's judgement og thre guy is right on the money.  Please also note that Robin is freely attaching kisses to texts, making her worry about that later in Troubled Blood a bit far-fetched. 

Meeting Nina Lacelles reminded me how much I liked her at the beginning; she seemed very eager to help Strike and took a big risk by copying the manuscript for him.

More to come on Thursday, including poor Marguerite! 

The Cuckoo's Calling Read-along: Finale (Part Four of Four)

We're almost through with the book, with only two chapters to wind up the mystery and the epilogue.   A few thoughts that occurred to me on the re-read:

1. Do you think Strike could have inadvertently killed Bristow if Robin hadn't stopped him?  
2. This is the first time we see Strike seriously hurt his leg. It is interesting that, even though he is not so injured that he can't wear the prothesis, he does go to the doctor. He seems a lot more resistant to it in later books, particularly in books two and four. Is it only because he had already been to the hospital for the stab wound, and was therefore more amenable to a follow-up. or does he become more resistant to medical help as his career progresses? 
3. I really love the scene with Strike and Jonah in the pub, and how they connect as fellow soldiers. This is another Book 1-4 echo that could be picked up in Book 7 (or when the series winds up in Book 10:  someone (Joanh, Izzy) coming into a windfall of cash but being atypically unexcited about it. It is even possible that the "someone" is Strike himself, finally accepting his old child support fund from Rokeby. 
4. 
   As much as I love the Green Dress, I must admit being a bit put off by the extravagance of the gesture. This is a nearly three thousand pound dress; that could well be a month's salary for Robin. I can't imagine what I would ever do with a clothing item that expensive, or why I would want to own such a thing. And I know we are supposed to smile at Strike's poor gift-wrapping ability, but who stuffs a three thousand pound dress into a kit bag?  I have never purchased a clothing item anywhere close to that price, but the most expensive things I've ever bought (wedding dresses, academic regalia, mother of the bride dress) have all come in a garment bag.  A place like Vashti is going to wrap up anything it sells pretty carefully before it leaves the store. Even if it is "reasonably priced" by Vashti standards, at the very least they are going to put it in a nice box or shopping bag with tissue paper.  Strike may not understand women's clothing, but as a military guy he knows what a dress uniform is; he's going to be at least as careful with a dress that expensive. 
5. Matthew says that it is up to Robin what she does, but we know that her low salary, much more than the dangers of the job, is what will eventually become a point of contention between them. Of course, we now know that Strike could have the financial means to pay Robin more if he would take the Rokeby child support. He wouldn't have to necessarily spend huge chunks of it, but it would be what they both say they want in Lethal White: a healthy enough bank balance to see them through the lean times. Of course, financial security would make the next few books less interesting, but I can't help but wonder what Robin, after her marriage breakdown and her willingness to live in a box room in order to keep working with Strike, thought when she found out that financial safety next was there for the asking. 
6. Thinking back to the first time I read this book, I can remember really hoping Strike and Robin would be platonic friends, rather than romantic partners at this point.  I hadn't yet given up on Matthew. Had you?  What was the breaking point?

That wraps up The Cuckoo's Calling!  Tune in next week for the first 25 chapters of The Silkworm. I'll cover the first 13 on Monday:  the beginning through the Roper Chard party. 

The Cuckoo's Calling: Guy, Doom Bar, Ciara, Rochelle and the Will. Part Three of Four.

The pacing of the mystery plot of The Cuckoo's Calling picks up quite a bit in Part Four, leaving a scant two chapters for Part Five. Here's a partial list of what the author packs into this section: 

• The Guy Somè interview
• Spanner's diagnosis of the computer
• The second visit to Kentigern Gardens, 
• The visit with Marlena Higson
• Charlotte's call to Robin and her delivery of the engagement news
• Strike's resultant bender and Robin's caretaking
• Strike's self-cleansing and recovery from the hangover
• The interviews with Bryony, Ciara, and Duffield
• The one-night stand with Ciara
• See this link for a scientific take on the great "that's not my leg" line. 
• The reconnection with Robin
• The call to view Rochelle's body 
• The visit to Freddie Bestigui
• Rochelle's funeral
• The visit to Lady Yvette.  

 I'm going to focus on one element that appears in the beginning, middle and end of this sections: the "fabby" Guy Somè purses. Strike sees the oversized advertisement for the handbags at Guy's studio and he tells her he sent them to her on the day she died. Ciara later tells him about asking to be bequeathed the white one, and about the zip-in linings. Strike finds the bags in Lady Bristow's wardrobe, and his knowledge of the lining helps him find the missing will. 

The theme of "important note, handwritten on distinctive personal stationery, hidden away by a woman in a place few men would think to look" is repeated in Lethal White, with Chiswell's note that Robin finds in Flick's bathroom.  

This is a lead-up to my first official prediction for The Running Grave:  there will be another discovery of a similarly hidden note. I even have three possible candidates:

1. The note Leda left for Ted and Joan when she abandoned her children with them the first time.  Strike "never knew" what Leda said in the note, but Strike would have been four. It is possible that Leda was in the process of establishing a paternity claim against Jonny Rokeby, using the then-cutting-edge science of HLA antigen testing. Strike was acknowledged as Rokeby's son by age 5, and, contrary to what we were told in early books, DNA tests were not available then.  However, it is possible that Joan saved the note and tucked it away someplace. and Strike will find it when going through her things. Perhaps she hid it someplace like she did the chocolate biscuits.
2. The note Rokeby sent to Strike when he was hospitalized after the IED explosion. Strike asks Charlotte to throw it away, but what if she didn't? This could well be the "something that he wants" from her mysterious phone message at the beginning of Troubled Blood. After being part of the original message, that element was never brought up again. 
3. This is, in my opinion, least likely possibility: the never-read note that came with the 50 roses that Robin assumed were from Matthew in Career of Evil. I could see, in theory, that Robin could have stuck it in a desk drawer and forgotten about it. But Pat's been using the desk for over a year now; she'd certainly have found it and said something if there was something unusual in the note. 

The second thing that struck me when re-reading this section is how much we learn of our heroes' personal lives .Of course, Strike spills the beans about the kairos moment during his drunken Charlotte rant, but we also see the first row between Matthew and Robin over her job, as well as Strike's remarkable insights on how much Matthew dislikes Robin working for him. 

Other thoughts and comments welcome!

Pre-TRG Read-along: The Cuckoo's Calling: Part Two of Four

Today's reading includes both Robin's modeling at Vashti and Strike's McDonalds talk with Rochelle Onifade. This means readers of the first edition (and listeners, like me, of the audiobook) had a very different experience than those who read later editions.  JKR/RG made the most extensive corrections she has made in any book to date when the character of Aussie saleswoman Mia Thompson was added. 

For those of you who have seen the text both pre- and post-Mia, what do you think of the edition?  Was the "error" that she corrected worth the extensive revision, especially since she didn't wind up creating a valid will anyway?

Rochelle is also the first to quote Deeby Macc's "F*ck Johari" rap lyric, which Strike attends to enough to eventually ask about.  As Robin will explain, Johari's window is a psychological framework that encourages people to consider what they know about themselves, versus what others know about them. As relationships strengthen, the upper right quadrant expands through the processes of self-disclosure, self-discovery and feedback from others.

By the end of Part three, Strike is annoyed with Lucy, and, by extension, Robin, fearing (quite correctly) that Lucy has disclosed aspects of his life to Robin that he would have preferred to remain hidden.  "He had never wanted Robin to know about his mother, or about his leg, or about Charlotte, or any of the other painful subjects which Lucy insisted on probing whenever she came close enough."

Of course, by Part Four, Strike will have disclosed far more, with a little help from the 11 pints of Doom Bar.

But it is worth asking now:

• What parts of Strike and Robin's life are they clearly open about?
• What does it mean for Strike that so many details about his life can't be hidden:  he can't hide his debt or his homelessness from Robin, and the story of Leda and Rokeby is open to anyone who can google it? 
• What does it say about Robin that she is willing to behave as if some of these involuntary open aspects are hidden, by, for instance, not mentioning the camp bed or asking about Rokeby?
• What are they currently successfully keeping hidden from each other?
• What are their blind spots?

In a way, their entire relationship can be described as a gradual and mutual expansion of the Open window. 

I'll close with w few more random thoughts that occurred to me on the re-read: 

• Why does JKR/RG stick in interludes like this, which happened near the end of Strike's first meeting with Derrick?  

Is there any chance,” asked Strike, as they were momentarily impeded by a tiny hooded, bearded man like an Old Testament prophet, who stopped in front of them and slowly stuck out his tongue, “that I could come and have a look inside sometime?

• Is it just to keep a flavor of "weird things happen on the streets of London?" Or to keep us guessing about suspects/red herrings?
• Every time the ashtray is mentioned, the fact that he swiped it from a bar in Germany also comes up.  Will we ever see it again now that he's stopped smoking? 
• It's worth a quick look at Elbow, the CD that Strike listens to that isn't Tom Waits. It seems to be a very different type of music. 
• Strike "asked himself when he was going to kick the habit and set to work to restore the fitness that had slipped away along with his solvency and his domestic comfort." Five years, dude, five years. 

Comments welcome.  I'll be back on Monday for a look at Part Four of CC. 

Looking for a fun mystery series while waiting for The Running Grave? Try Flavia de Luce!

 

While googling the name "Flavia" yesterday, in search of any meaning that might be relevant to the precocious aspiring detective of The Ink Black Heart, I came across a series I had not heard of before, which is, in all likelihood, the inspiration for Flavia Upcott's name. 

The Flavia de Luce Mysteries are an acclaimed series of books by Canadian writer Alan Bradley. Set in an English manor in the 1950's, the protagonist is 11-year-old Flavia de Luce, chemistry prodigy and put-upon youngest child of a widowed, stamp-collecting father. The first book, A Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, unfolds as Flavia discovers a body in the family cucumber patch, and winds up in a quest to prove her father innocent of the crime. Per Mr. Bradley's description, young Flavia, "just materialized" and "walked onto the page of another book I was writing, and simply hijacked the story." The author wound up submitting a chapter and a synopsis to the debut Dagger contest in 2007, winning it and securing a three-book deal from that sample alone. Yes, Flavia had that much appeal. The series, which debuted in 2009,  has now expanded to 10 books, plus one short story, with the last volume published in 2019.

Is this a young adult series?  It depends on whom you ask. It was nominated and won awards intended for YA fiction, but it also was nominated and won awards for general mystery works intended for adults. It seems to be a series that, like Harry Potter and A Wrinkle in Time, has a child protagonist but multi-age appeal.  I'm only a few hours into the first audio-book, but I've seen enough written online to conclude this is true. See these accounts at Book Riot and Paste Magazine for a more informed opinion. 

I immediately got the first volume in the series on audio, and have been listening to it during my commute and chore time ever since. So far, it's a delight and I anticipate blogging about as I progress through the series. The only challenge will be balancing this new treasure with my re-read of Cormoran Strike, but hopefully I'll find time for both. 

Official Launch of the Pre-The Running Grave Strike and Ellacott Read-along: Cuckoo's Calling, Part One of Four.

Welcome to the Read-along!!  I have no set syllabus for this event, so I'm just going to post my thoughts.  Conmentary on my ideas is welcome, or feel free to share your own. 

1. Pretty poignant to read Robin’s opening scene and how excited she is, thinking she’ll be watching the ring glitter all her life, telling children about the proposal, etc. The contrast between her excitement at buying bridal magazines and how miserable she would be year later, on her actual wedding day is heart-tugging.
2. Strike is pretty unlikeable in his first appearance. While the “Sandra” bit is funny in retrospect, it is pretty rude not to even ask your new temp her name. While it is quickly obvious that he is a good detective, his first impression is of someone pretty incompetent and particularly clueless about business practices. He can’t be blamed for Brian Mather’s nuttery, but to have multiple clients skipping out on their bills?  No coffee or tea in the office? If there’s one thing we Yanks have learned from the Strike series, it’s that practically all British (rich, poor, business or private home) offer visitors a hot drink the second they walk in the door. He hasn’t even thought to buy a box of tissues for sobbing clients, knowing that his bread and butter is women with cheating husbands.
3. I never noticed before that Strike is wearing a tie when we first meet him; he strips it off when Bristow turns up. That implies he had it on when the massive row with Charlotte started, which implies some sort of special occasion, or at least a night out at a smart restaurant.  Yet he also mentions how hungry he is, which suggests he did not eat the night before. Is it possible the fight started in a restaurant or a party and resulted in an early exit, before dinner? If we ever learn more about Charlotte’s alleged baby, I think we may learn more about how this final row unfolded. 
4. Strike’s preparing for bed that first night is the first mention of the Norfolk commune. We won’t hear of it again until Lethal White, but after that, it will be mentioned in every book. 
5. 
   Looking back to the initial walk-by of Lula’s flat, Strike touches on a remarkably high number of actual elements of the crime, including speculating that Bristow’s fixation on the Runner could be because Bristow thinks the Runner is a Black relative that Lula tracked down. He also mentions the possibility that the killer hid in the building long term. 
6. Strike mentions being in hospital with a “Welsh bloke who got blown off a building about that height. Smashed his legs and pelvis, lot of internal bleeding, but he’s still with us.” I assume this is the same man in Troubled Blood that be mentions being wheeled into his ward having lost both legs and genitals. If an individual from Strike’s past is mentioned twice, it’s worth paying attention to. 
7. I had forgotten that Kieran was the first to mention the blue writing paper to Strike, and the only one besides Strike who seemed to think it had any importance. 
8. Finally, those of you who are familiar with my Hogwartsprofessor.com posts know that I am fond of structural theories:  particularly, 1) Ring Composition, which predicts thematic connections between books 1, 4 and 7, 2 and 6 and 3 and 5 and 2) Parallel Series, which predicts connections between the Cormoran Strike texts and each of the corresponding Harry Potter texts. (Click the links for John Granger’s detailed overview of both models). It seems that both structure models will have to be adjusted, given we now know that this is a 10 rather than 7 book series. This is perhaps one reason we see as many parallels between Troubled Blood and The Silkworm as between Troubled Blood and Career of Evil, and also many connections between The Ink Black Heart and Career of Evil alongside the predicted Troubled Blood-The Silkworm links.  Similarly, after Lethal White turned out to have a huge number of parallels to Goblet of Fire, starting with identical one-sentence plot summaries: “During a major international sporting event, an unpleasant government minister is murdered by the estranged jailbird son for whom he had arranged an early release,” Books Five and Six turned out to both have connections to both Order of the Phoenix (see here and here) and The Half-Blood Prince. (See here, here and here for details). 

Thus, while I think it is likely that elements in common with The Cuckoo’s Calling and Lethal White could turn up in The Running Grave (the Norfolk commune tops this list), I think it is also likely some could appear in books 8, 9 and 10.  It really depends on when Mr. Galbraith decides to wind up the two major over-arching plots: the Strike-Robin romance and solving the mystery of Leda’s death. 

 On this re-read, I caught a connection between Cuckoo’s Calling and Philosopher’s Stone that I hadn’t noticed before: the sad sleeping situations of both protagonists. Harry has to sleep in a spider-infested cupboard under the stairs; Strike has to sleep in his dirty and smelly office (his inner chamber doesn’t get the cleaning efforts Robin gives the outer room, since she is trying to give him his privacy. 

It has probably been a couple of years, at least, since I re-read The Cuckoo's Calling and I am finding it refreshing to start the series over from the start. I hope you are, too!  Enjoy!

Countdown to the Pre-The Running Grave Read-along #1: Best Strellacott moment?

 Thank you so much for the contributions so far.  The last day's is the one we have all been waiting for:  The best Cormoran-and-Robin moment.  It can be shipping, it can be professional, it can even be a knock-down, drag-out fight on a rainy street.  

Post away!

This Week's Double-Dip from the Strike and Ellacott Files

The latest episode of The Strike and Ellacott Files Podcast was posted on Thursday. They are getting longer and denser as the hosts push to finish their chapter-by-chapter review of The Ink Black Heart before The Running Grave debuts.  I recommend a listen; it's a fair-minded review of Kea Niven and her "invisible" illness and raises interesting questions on the significance of birds in the series. 

As for their poking fun at this blog's title, let me just say that anyone who calls theirs Strikemyspirationforeva should not throw stones. :) 

There's a great second feature provided on their blog. Intermet sleuthing by Nick Jeffery on trademarks filed by Rowling-affiliated companies made a correct early guess of the Strike 6 title. A closer examination of the specifics of the tradmarks yielded some interesting clues.  For example, perfumes were included for the first time for the Troubled Blood listing. The Running Grave, for the first time, includes diving equipment. This has, of course, led to speculation that our heroes may be seeking something tossed off the Cromer Pier and that oldest (not best!) mate Dave Polworth may once more be donning his flippers.

Read the full post here. 

Best Cormoran Strike Moment: Countdown to Read-along #2

 Wonderful Robin answers!  Now for the definitive Strike moment. As was the case yesterday, we are looking for Strike moments, not Strike-n-Robin, which will be tomorrow's topics. 

For me, it is, hands down, his interrogation of Dennis Creed. It is a pure good-versus-evil moment, comparable to Harry and Voldemort circling each other in the Great Hall.  Like Voldemort, Creed is convinced of his superiority and, like Harry, Strike has the power and is able to turn the tables on him  

As a pure sociopath, it never occurs to Creed that the Tucker and Phelps families could be cooperating; he's convinced it has to be one or the other. And, the "I know you never met Margot Bamborough; he was killed by a better killer than you ever were" was perfection. 

Please share your choices. 

Best Robin Ellacott Moment? Countdown to Pre-The Running Grave Readalong #3

 Today we are finally focusing on the protagonists.  In what moment do you think Robin stands strongest as a character?

Remember, "Favorite Strike AND Robin moment" comes up in two days, so focus here on Robin on her own, detecting, interviewing, sleuthing or doing something else that is not a "together moment" with Strike.

I will share my thoughts after I hear from some others. 

Strike and Ellacott Read-along Countdown #4: Best Co-worker Moment?

 Welcome to today's "Best of Strike and Ellacott:"  Today we are focusing on Strike and Robin's co-workers.  I was thinking of people like Pat and the sub-contractors, but this could also include Spanner or even some of the cooperative Met cops, as long as they are co-working. Shanker already got many mentions in the "friends" category, but might fit here, too.  Remember, he does nothing without payment... 

I'll list mine here:  The breaking of Morris's nose. Not only does he finally get what he deserves, bit it was a great Barclay moment:  "Yeh got tae learn tae read the room, mate."  "Never liked that tosser."

This moment allowed another to occur later.   "In the post?"

What else do we have?

Coming up:

3. Best Robin Moment:  When does the Titian-haired Temp get to shine?

2. Best Strike Moment: What moment most defines the Doom Bar Detective?

1. The Best Strike and Robin Moment

Countdown to the Read-along #5: Best family scene?

 Today, I'd like people to share favorite family moments from the Cormoran Strike series.  The only requirement is that the scene include at least one of Strike or Robin's blood relatives.  Memories of the deceased are also acceptable. 

I have a couple in mind, but I want to see others' thoughts first. 

A reminder of the days to come:

4. Best Co-worker Moment:  Your favorite agency employee or sub-contractor, excluding the two partners. 

3. Best Robin Moment:  When does the Titian-haired Temp get to shine?

2. Best Strike Moment: What moment most defines the Doom Bar Detective?

1. The Best Strike and Robin Moment

Countdown to the Read-along: #6: What is your favorite "friend" moment?

 As I prepare to launch the Pre-The Running Grave Strike and Ellacott Read-along with the first post on Monday, I thought it would be fun to countdown by sharing favorite series moments so far.  The first category is Best Friend Moment. This needs to be one of your favorite scenes featuring one of Strike's or Robim's good buddies:  anyone from Shanker to Polworth to Ilsa to Vanessa.  Which moment makes you cheer or tugs at your heartstrings?

I'll have a different category every day for the next six days. Just so people can be thinking ahead, here's a sneak peak at the next 5 topics

5. Best Family Moment: The scene needs to involve one of Strike or Robin's blood relatives. 

4. Best Co-worker Moment:  Your favorite agency employee or sub-contractor, excluding the two partners. 

3. Best Robin Moment:  When does the Titian-haired Temp get to shine?

2. Best Strike Moment: What moment most defines the Doom Bar Detective?

and finally.....  drum roll please......  1. The Best Strike and Robin Moment.

Yes, I will post my choices, but I want to see a few other choices first.

Cormoran and Robin's Guide to London Eateries: Where Should I Go?

 

I started making a list of all the London eating establishments mentioned in the Strike books, and it got long really quick.  Obviously I will be limited in how many I can patronize in my week or so in London, but I've made a list of my top choices. I would welcome comments or suggestions from other Strike fans who live in or have visited London. 

The Tottenham/Flying Horse:  Obviously this is tops on my list, much as it is tops on Strike's. I don't drink beer, and I am traveling with my teetotaler husband, but I have to stop by for a glass of red wine in honor of Robin. Has anyone sampled the food downstairs?  I definitely want some good pub food. 

The Cambridge: I like the idea of celebrating in the same place that Robin treated Strike for his birthday. If I recall correctly, Strike overate there a bit, but I'm not likely to be munching on a basket a Cornish food before dinner.  

Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese: Nina Lacelles tried to assure Strike it was more than a tourist trap, but even if she was wrong, I'm a tourist, aren't I?  If it's good enough for Dickens, it's good enough for us. 

Bob Bob Ricard: We usually don't dine at exceptionally fancy places when we travel, but if we are going to splurge this is where I want to do it. Who wouldn't want to press a button for champagne? 

The Three Kings:  I'm not 100% sure we'll be making the Clerkenwell walk, but if we go I want to see the pub where Oonaugh waited for Margot and where Strike and Robin enjoyed a Halloween drink 40 years later. 

The Flask: This also appears to be a very old and tourist-appealing pub.  I promise my Tennessee accent will not be nearly annoying as the one Robin overheard. 

So, these are my thoughts, but I am open to suggestions, particularly for the non-pub places. Has anyone tried one of the China Town choices?  Or a place for a good full English breakfast?  What are the Strike-featured dining establishments that shouldn't be missed?

Strike Tour 2023 Pre-Planning: What goes on the wish list?

 To celebrate my early retirement from university teaching, my husband and I are planning our first-ever trip to the UK this summer. Naturally, there are numerous Cormoran Strike sights I am hoping to see. Unfortunately, my husband is not a reader of the novels.  I'm working on him, but he is unlikely to plow through all six books in the few weeks before our travel. 

So, it looks like we're not going to be renting a Landrover, filling a tartan flask with creosote-colored tea and making the rounds, Strike & Robin- style, to St. Mawes, Skegness, Masham and Barrow-in-Furness.  The plan now is a week or so in London, followed by the train to Edinburgh for a few more days in that area. 

Fortunately, there are at least some "Strike Tour" locations that fit nicely into other tourist interests as well.  There are three major sites that the husband has already agreed to put on our list

The White Horse of Uffington:  We are hoping to make this as a day trip from London, possibly combining with a visit to Stonehenge or Avebury.  I am hoping we can find a bus tour of interesting archeology sites that will include it. Otherwise, I guess we will transport ourselves there. Any suggestions, experienced travelers?  

Hampton Court Palace:  I'm looking forward to the Astronomy Clock, of course, but I also hope the "in-character" guides aren't limited to school groups, because I think it would be awesome to see costumed characters explaining the history. having read Samson's Matthew Shardlake series during the wait for the Ink Black Heart, I'm eager to see where good old Henry VIII lived and breathed and stopped others from doing so. 

Highgate Cemetery: When I mentioned this one, my husband immediately said yes. "Anyone not buried in Westminster Abbey is buried in Highgate." I am hoping to do the same tour that Robin did, as well as drop a pen on the grave of Douglas Adams. I am sure the walking tour of Highgate provided on Strikefans.com will also be useful.

Speaking of which, has anyone ever done the other walking tours around Piccadilly, Denmark Street and the Ritz?  I would like to do those as well, and it would be nice to know what sights along those routes might interest a non-Strike fan.  Suggestions anyone?

I am also making a list of eating locales that are mentioned in the book, again, thank you, Strikefans.com. There are over 60 in London alone, without even considering the Victory Inn in St. Mawes or Tony's chippy in Skegness. For my next post, I'll share my preliminary list and ask for suggestions on that front. 

Strike and Ellacott Pre-The Running Grave Read-a-long: Schedule and Ground Rules.

Fellow Super-Strikers and Eager-Ellacotters:

Welcome to the Farting Sofa Faculty Lounge's Pre-TRG Strike and Ellacott Read-along.

We will begin the week of May 14th, devoting between 2-4 weeks to each book and leading up to the publication of The Running Grave. 

I will do my best to post some starting points for discussion every Monday and Thursday.  I hope these will generate thoughtful commentary.  Comments will be moderated, so please be patient as it may take until end of day for yours to appear.

I also welcome guest posts on any aspect of the week's reading:  just email me your idea through the link on the right.  

There are a few weeks that I will be traveling and likely not able to post on schedule. I will be looking for 1-2 volunteers to jumpstart the discussion those weeks. 

Here is the schedule:

Ground rules:

• Keep all discussion civil and friendly.  This is a group for Morehouses, not Anomies. 
• There will be spoilers. 
• Part of the fun in re-reading is making note of details that foreshadow future events.  
• First time readers are welcome, but only join in if you don't mind spoilers. 
• Please keep focus on the books. 
• Comparisons to TV show are welcome, as are literary connections to JKR's other works.
•  This is not a place for discussion of Rowling's personal life or political views.
•  Please, only refer to her tweets that specifically relate to her Strike and Ellacott books.

I am looking forward to a fun 19 weeks!

Louise

Strike Read-a-long Between Now and The Running Grave?

 I've been thinking about this for some time and decided to check interest levels.  Would anyone be interested in a group re-read of the full Strike series in the lead-up to The Running Grave? If so, I'll post a schedule, and try to post a some discussion questions a few times a week.  Informal and fun, but hopefully also thoughtful and engaging.  

If you are interested, please either comment here or, send me an email message at the link to the right Some people have reported difficulty in commenting; I am trying to figure out if that is a widespread problem, so please message me if it is.  

Star Trek: Essays Exploring the Final Frontier: A new volume from Amy Sturgis and Emily Strand.

Ok, May the Fourth may not be exactly the right day for this franchise, but these same editors have another volume on Star Wars coming out later this year, so close enough. I am excited to see the twin volumes and hope my local library will have them in, soon.  

In the meantime, the editors were kind enough to answer a few questions about the volume. 

What gave you the idea for the book?

Emily: I was approached by an acquisitions editor at Vernon Press after she heard me give a paper at the Southwest Popular and American Culture conference (SWPACA) in 2020 in a panel devoted to Star Wars and Star Trek. My paper was in defense of midi-chlorians from Star Wars, of all things. But it must have been persuasive, because she invited me to submit a book proposal for a scholarly anthology treating both franchises (in the same book). I knew I wanted to do it, but didn’t want to do it alone, so I invited Amy Sturgis to partner with me for the project. Fortunately, she said yes, and together we created and distributed a Call for Papers. We received so many high quality submissions from scholars around the globe that the publisher advised us to submit proposals for two books, one on each franchise. So that’s how both books were born—they’re “twins” as Amy says. (The volume Star Wars: Essays Exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away will be out later this year, also from Vernon Press.) Although it made for an ambitious project (two books instead of one), it also created a natural division of labor, with Amy taking the lead on Trek while I spearheaded Star Wars. It’s been a great partnership.

What was it like to coordinate scholarship on a property that has had so many different iterations over the years?

Amy: It was an intimidating but thrilling task to undertake! We hoped to give our readers a sense of what it means to consider fifty-seven years of Star Trek transmedia storytelling – not only examining the television series and films, but also addressing the rich tapestry of Star Trek created by works of fiction and comics, as well as the texture and detail that emerges as official and fan artists co-create the universe together. We aimed to balance close reads of specific Star Trek works with big-picture discussions of characters, ideas, and themes that reach across decades and media. Throughout this process, our contributors have been our guides. We have been very fortunate to work with experts from a variety of different fields and perspectives, some of whom use a microscope and some of whom use a wide-angle lens to bring Star Trek into focus. We know that this is not the first anthology on the franchise, and it won’t be the last; that said, we are delighted at how these essays both help to identify and contribute to some of the current important discussions about Star Trek and also spotlight underrepresented topics that deserve more critical attention in the future. What comes through clearly in the pages of this volume, I think, is that Star Trek is an ongoing conversation about issues that matter, a challenge that is valuable to meet; our hope is that the book invites more people to ponder the questions raised by the franchise, join the dialogue, and appreciate the depth and breadth of the Star Trek universe.  

Who do you see as the book's target audience?

Emily: We devised the book (and its companion) to appeal to a wide readership: from interested, somewhat educated or “readerly” fans of Trek to scholars studying and writing about the franchise. One of its strengths (we think) is the accessibility of the writing, especially for an academic text. Since there has been something of a boom in university-level courses offered about Star Trek and other pop culture phenomena in the last decade or so, this book is also designed to make a great text for such courses, especially with the range of various disciplinary perspectives it represents. 

Where can interested people and institutions get the book?

Emily and Amy: The book is available on the publisher’s website, Vernon Press (click here for the link) (Vernon is offering a 24% “new release” discount using code CFC10822213C4 on checkout, for a limited time). It is also available on Amazon (click here), and from other sellers. We encourage campus libraries especially to purchase copies for their institutions!

Thank you, Emily and Amy, and may the force live long and prosper! You can also hear more from Emily about this new volume at her own blog: Liturgy and Life.

Happy Battle of Hogwarts Day!

 I forgot that May the 2nd was the anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts.  Below is an image of that fateful day from my 2020 talk at the Chestnut Hill Academic Conference. 

If you want to see the full talk, including an explanation of how humor helps us cope with the horror and tragedy of an event like that, see link below. 

Coming Soon: Beyond the Ivory Tower: More Essays on the Works of J. K. Rowling

 My editor, Dr. Lana Whited, posted that the final manuscript was sent off to the publisher today!  I am very excited about this volume, for which I contributed a chapter on the psychology of humor in Harry Potter. It is also, to the best of my knowledge, the first academic volume to include essays on some of Rowling's other works, including The Ickabog, A Casual Vacancy and, of course, Cormoran Strike.  I'll let everyone know when it's available to order. 

Blog Post on the Strike and Ellacott Files Podcast: Jumping Stumps, Memory Lapses and Bomb Trauma: Implications for The Running Grave.

I was privileged this week to be able to contribute to the Strikemyinspirationforeva, the blog associated with the outstanding Strike and Ellacott files podcast. In this essay, I draw on my background as a psychology professor and neuroscientist to talk about what caused Strike's jumpy stump and why his near-perfect memory seemed to falter in the last book.  There have already been some great comments on the post and I hope to see more. So, hop over and let me know what you think.  

Speaking of the podcast: the hosts have just announced an adjusted schedule that will allow them to finish up their chapter-by-chapter review of The Ink Black Heart and allow time for a predictions episode before the publication of The Running Grave. I never miss an episode and neither should any other Strike fans!