Author: J.K. Rowling
When this series went into extra innings I said that there were two additions in 2018, later revealed as Jesmyn Ward and Junot Diaz, as well as one who was effectively on my original list who I had not explicitly listed. That person was Robert Galbraith, or as you more likely know "him", J.K. Rowling.
I first learned of Rowling while I was working as a holiday temp in the customer service department for Amazon back in late 2001. At that point the first four Harry Potter books were out, and during training they used the example "here's what to do if someone asks when the next Harry Potter book is out" to demonstrate how to use the customer service knowledge base. To the best of my memory, I had not previously heard of Rowling or Harry Potter. I don't actually recall when I started reading the series, but by the end of the series I was reading the new books shortly after they came out, usually after somebody who had bought them in hardcover had finished them (nine days later, for the last book, which is the only one that came out after I started the book lists).
J.K. Rowling
For all that I do love Harry Potter (I'm not a monster), I truly believe that the Cormoran Strike novels are better written. This is not to imply that they are better than Harry Potter (clearly they aren't as "sticky"), but J.K. Rowling has clearly gotten more skilled as a writer and the characters in the Strike novels work really, really well.
Start Here
If you really managed to make it this far without reading Harry Potter, get started with book 1 and read them in order. I wasn't personally blown away by the movies myself, the books are much better.
True story: back in 2005 I ditched a concert to go home and continue reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince two days after it was released. I can definitively say that Les Claypool & the Flying Frog Brigade is less interesting to me than Harry Potter. Sorry Les, and I also learned that I didn't do a 2005 concert listing post!
If You Like Those
Do you like Rowling? Do you like detective stories? Please read the Cormoran Strike series, which she wrote as Robert Galbraith. The first book got good reviews before being revealed as her some three months on. Again, start with book 1 and read them in order; they get better as they go along. There are four out already, and she says she has plans for many more.
For Completists
The Casual Vacancy is her one and only stand alone novel to date. I actually really enjoyed it (how many novels use SQL injection as a plot point so entertainingly?), but it's definitely not as good as her other novels.
What I Haven't Read Yet
I've read all her novels, but as I wrote this I learned that there are actually rather a lot of Harry Potter spin-off things I haven't read, in large part because some of them are in e-book format only, which I tend to avoid. The ones I've missed are:
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard (actually published in physical format)
- Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists (e-book only)
- Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies (e-book only)
- Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide (e-book only)
I also am not big on reading screenplays (besides the Bard), so I haven't read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child yet. Yet is very much the operative word.
Probably Won't
I mean, I might not read the e-books, but presumably at some point they'll be in physical form.
I first learned of Rowling while I was working as a holiday temp in the customer service department for Amazon back in late 2001. At that point the first four Harry Potter books were out, and during training they used the example "here's what to do if someone asks when the next Harry Potter book is out" to demonstrate how to use the customer service knowledge base. To the best of my memory, I had not previously heard of Rowling or Harry Potter. I don't actually recall when I started reading the series, but by the end of the series I was reading the new books shortly after they came out, usually after somebody who had bought them in hardcover had finished them (nine days later, for the last book, which is the only one that came out after I started the book lists).
J.K. Rowling
For all that I do love Harry Potter (I'm not a monster), I truly believe that the Cormoran Strike novels are better written. This is not to imply that they are better than Harry Potter (clearly they aren't as "sticky"), but J.K. Rowling has clearly gotten more skilled as a writer and the characters in the Strike novels work really, really well.
Start Here
If you really managed to make it this far without reading Harry Potter, get started with book 1 and read them in order. I wasn't personally blown away by the movies myself, the books are much better.
True story: back in 2005 I ditched a concert to go home and continue reading Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince two days after it was released. I can definitively say that Les Claypool & the Flying Frog Brigade is less interesting to me than Harry Potter. Sorry Les, and I also learned that I didn't do a 2005 concert listing post!
If You Like Those
Do you like Rowling? Do you like detective stories? Please read the Cormoran Strike series, which she wrote as Robert Galbraith. The first book got good reviews before being revealed as her some three months on. Again, start with book 1 and read them in order; they get better as they go along. There are four out already, and she says she has plans for many more.
For Completists
The Casual Vacancy is her one and only stand alone novel to date. I actually really enjoyed it (how many novels use SQL injection as a plot point so entertainingly?), but it's definitely not as good as her other novels.
What I Haven't Read Yet
I've read all her novels, but as I wrote this I learned that there are actually rather a lot of Harry Potter spin-off things I haven't read, in large part because some of them are in e-book format only, which I tend to avoid. The ones I've missed are:
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard (actually published in physical format)
- Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists (e-book only)
- Short Stories from Hogwarts of Heroism, Hardship and Dangerous Hobbies (e-book only)
- Hogwarts: An Incomplete and Unreliable Guide (e-book only)
I also am not big on reading screenplays (besides the Bard), so I haven't read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child yet. Yet is very much the operative word.
Probably Won't
I mean, I might not read the e-books, but presumably at some point they'll be in physical form.