Tomorrow will be my four-year anniversary with The Gilmore Guide to Books! I’m not sure I thought I would make it this long, but here I am, still reading and writing. Before I do anything else I want to thank all the wonderful booklovers who have been supporting me from the beginning—and the new readers who have joined them. It’s hard to say just how much it means, but it’s A LOT. If I could, I’d go all Oprah and you could reach under your chair and find new car keys, but as it is, if you clean the way I do, you should never reach (or look) under your chairs. I’m just sayin’. Cars and cleaning aside, you make the work worthwhile, as do all the amazing bloggers I’ve come to know. Getting to meet some of them in Chicago this year at BEA was one of the highlights of my year. And for those I haven’t met yet, we need to get after it!
Back to the books. I thought it might be nice to take a look back at some of my all-time 5-star favorites over the years and give them a little more love. A few are well-known, but most were books I fell in love with that didn’t get much attention. I apologize in advance—there are a lot of books here so I split them up by genre, but honestly I still think they’re all outstanding and so, just had to share! Plus, it’s summer and the perfect time to read backlist books (hit up your library!).
(You can link to the review from the title to see my thoughts.)
Whimsical/Magical Realism
2a.m. at the Cat’s Pajamas, Mink River, The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Literary
Frances and Bernard, The Orchardist, Enon, The Night Rainbow, Kent Haruf’s: Plainsong, and Benediction, The Submission
Satire/Humorous Fiction
The Diamond Lane, Lookaway Lookaway, Dear Committee Members, The Stager
Cultural
The Space Between Us, The Orphanmaster’s Son, The Jaguar’s Children, The Sympathizer
Historical
The Dovekeepers, The Miniaturist, Vanessa and Her Sister, Mudbound, Neverhome, The Stargazer’s Sister
Non-fiction
Coming to My Senses: A Story of Perfume, Pleasure and an Unlikely Bride, Life from Scratch, Yes, Chef
Thanks again, everyone! If you get half the joy out this little blog that I get out of writing it, then I’m a happy book nerd. Now break open the champagne!
Hooray! You’ve solved the mystery of where I saw a review for Lookaway, Lookaway – I have it in my TBR stack despite the poor reviews on Goodreads because I knew I’d read about it on a trusted blog 🙂
I read the submission years ago and thought it was an excellent, thought-provoking book. Loved Night Rainbow, Miniaturist and Dear Committee and I’ve been pushing Vanessa and Her Sister on everyone – such an underrated gem and one of the best examples of historical fiction I’ve read.
Congratulations on the anniversary.
We have such similar taste! When I finished Vanessa and Her Sister I wanted to start all over again.
Oh, I loved Frances and Bernard. And Lookaway, Lookaway! Did you see that Laird Hunt has a new book out next year!?!
Congrats on your four years, you’re the gem we need!
No, I didn’t see that about Hunt! That’s exciting. Now, we need to get after Wilton Barnhardt- can you call him?!
Congratulations – that’s so exciting!! The Sympathizer is on my TBR and I need to get to it!
Happy, happy blogiversary!!
Happy 4 years! Now I want to reread the Ocean at the End of the Lane! And you just grew my TBR!
Thank you! That’s what’s so marvelous about Ocean- it’s small, so you could pick it up and read it in an afternoon!
Woo! Four years! Congratulations! Your reviews are always some of the most thoughtful, eloquent and elegant that I read! And now I have some more books to add to the ever expanding TBR. I have Vanessa and her Sister kicking around the house – this might have been the impetus I needed to actually read it! Here’s to many more years of great books and posts!
You need to read it! It is fabulous because it’s a portrayal of Virginia Woolf, from her sister’s perspective. Even though it’s fiction, it reads as real.
Happy Anniversary, Catherine! I also loved the Dovekeepers and Plainsong- I’ll have to check out some of your other recommendations.
~Litha Nelle
Thank you! Did you see The Dovekeepers TV movie? I thought it was well done.
I actually did see it- but I didn’t like it. Too much was missing for me, and the narration style just wasn’t for me. However, I think all the actors/actresses matched up with my vision of the characters, so that was one good thing I have to say about it. 😉
~Litha Nelle
I can see that. I read it so long ago that comparisons were hard to make.
Happy anniversary! I see several that I’ve had on my TBR list and never got around to. Enjoy your champagne and read safely. 😉
Thank you! Think I’ll settle in with a glass of champagne and a good book tonight!
HAppy happy blogaversary! Thanks for pulling together the list of your faves … I’m going to take you up on some of your recs 😉
Happy 4 Years!! I love reading your reviews, and hope you continue for (at least) another four! 🙂
So many on this list I still haven’t read. I think I’ll keep it as a reminder!
Thank you so much- you have been one of my most loyal supporters and if I were Oprah you’d get a car for sure!
🙂
Yay for four years! Impressive, and I’m so glad to have found your blog. 🙂
Congrats on the blogoversary! I’m so glad to have gotten to know you over the last few years. Hopefully we’ll get to meet up someday so we can nerd out about books and swimming in person!
I have really got to head back East! I still have lots of friends in Buffalo, but I’m just too lazy to travel that far.
Happy anniversary blogging. I have just recently found your book reviews & blog, but I am enjoying them and find them very worth while. Hopefully you will continue in the years ahead.
Congrats! It’s been a pleasure following you and exchanging all the bookish fun and wisdom over four years!