The Gilmore Guide to Books

Connecting Books and Readers One Review at a Time

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Reviews
    • Reviews by Author
    • Reviews by Title
    • Reviews by Genre
  • Podcast
  • Policies
    • Review Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy

July Reading Wrap-Up

August 1, 2016

july

Based on the calendar I know it was summer, but the only way I believed it was hearing from friends and family how they were melting away in intense heat. Seattle hovered in the 60s or lower for most of the month. I’m not complaining except it is nice to actually see a pedicure when you’ve gotten one and when it stays chilly I wear socks.

Weather aside, what a month. I can honestly say, reading was the least of it, but that’s only because I took my first ever trip to Italy. There is nothing like a family reunion in a gorgeous historic location to bring all reading to a halt. Because of that this July Reading Wrap-Up is actually going to be a bit of a mash-up.

 

Read

The Swan Book by Alexis Wright: started and stalled. Highly inventive but I could not get into it. Will try again another time.

 

july reading

Katherine of Aragón: The True Queen (Six Tudor Queens, #1) by Alison Weir
Published by Ballantine Books
Publication date: May 31, 2016
four-stars
Bookshop

I’m sure it’s obvious by now- I have an addiction to the Tudors. OK, the entire history of British royalty. Books, TV, movies, you name it. Katherine of Aragon, The True Queen is book one of Alison Weir’s series on the wives of Henry VIII. Over 600 pages long and I could not put it down. Fabulous historical fiction about a woman who is often perceived as having been a pawn with no ambition of her own. Not so.  Bring on Anne Boleyn!

 

The Muse by Jesse Burton: I was greedy for this at BEA (ask Marisa at The Daily Dosage) so it is heartbreaking that it made no impact on me. A review may or may not follow, which makes me sad.

 

july reading

Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris
Published by St. Martin's Press
Publication date: August 9, 2016
one-star

For a psychological thriller to work for me there has to be either a build-up of suspense and some kind of plot credibility. There was neither here. At only 1% (sorry it was an e-read for me) we learn that the protagonist’s house gives her husband “the privacy he  craves”. That’s just one tip-off from the first chapter so there is no effort to hide that the husband is a freak. We quickly learn just how much of one. What is implausible is that a successful businesswoman who has taken care of not only herself her entire life, but her younger sister with Down’s syndrome as well, would let herself be snared by such a man. There is a great ending, but not enough to make the rest of the book worth sticking with. Feel free to read and come back and tell what I missed about this one because I don’t get its high ratings.

Chronicle of a Last Summer: A Novel of Egypt  by Yasmine El Rashid: a young girl growing up in Cairo in the time of the Arab Spring. Review to follow

 

 

Library Checkout

Lonely Planet Florence and Tuscany: After much deliberating this is the guidebook I took with me to Italy. Nice fold-out map and a pocket to keep it in so you don’t lose it and have to pay the library for the book.

Florence and Tuscany, the DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: This is a visually stunning book, like all Dorling Kindersley books, but it’s gorgeousness worked against it. It is printed on very heavy paper and I did not see myself lugging it around Tuscany.

Nine Women, One Dress (review to follow)

july reading

The Best Skin of Your Life Starts Here: Busting Beauty Myths So You Know What to Use and Why by Paula Begoun, Bryan Barron, Desiree Stordahl
Publication date: December 8, 2015
four-stars

The Best Skin of Your Life Starts Here by Paula Begoun: I’ve been using her ratings guides for cosmetics for decades and her site, Beautypedia.com, is a rabbit hole to check any and all cosmetics in your make-up bag  so when I saw she had a book about skin care I knew I wanted to read it. A great no-nonsense, non-commercial guide for what you really need to take of your skin at any age. A lot of debunking of marketing myths and there’s even a glossary of ingredient terms in the back with a rating as to if they’re good/bad/best. p.s. Yes, after 20 years she did finally start her own skin care line, but it’s not the focus of her books or site. p.s.s They’ve added skin care products to the website now which awesome and awful at the same time because I can now lose hours looking up every product I’ve read about.

 

Watched

Keep in mind I was on a plane for a total of over 20 hours. I can’t sleep on planes so ended up with movie overload.

 

july

Room: I understand now why Brie Larson won the Oscar. This movie was difficult to watch but beautiful. It followed the book faithfully and did not disappoint.

Burnt: I know a lot of women think Bradley Cooper is da bomb, but he doesn’t do it for me. He always seems to be smirking. Having said that, this movie is visually gorgeous, being all about food and restaurants, even if it is not all that original.

Sisters: I get that Tine Fey and Amy Poehler are going after that difficult but lucrative male 18-24 demographic, but as much as I love both these women this movie spiraled into a disaster. It could be me, but trying to outgross each other is not a movie formula I enjoy. This was worth 20 minutes of attention at best.

Allegiant: OK, but it’s only part one of the book which left me disinterested.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2: Exactly what you would expect and that’s all right.

 

Listened To

Almost nothing! I still have my favorite stand-bys from Slate, but beyond that I am in a serious podcast slump. Any suggestions? Please?!

 

How was your July? Any fun travel or great reads?

 

 

four-stars

Related Posts

  • Related Posts
  • 4 Star Books
  • By Alison Weir
quirky
Quirky Women: Mini-Reviews
curse
The Curse of the Marquis de Sade
march reading
March Reading Recap
nonfiction
Nonfiction November 2017: Fiction Nonfiction Pairings
library
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
book of aron
The Book of Aron
fever
American Fever: A Novel
The Kingmaker's Daughter
The Kingmaker’s Daughter
White Truffles in Winter
White Truffles in Winter
word exchange
The Word Exchange: A Novel
may
May Midmonth Mini-Reviews
tudor
Tudor Time: Mini-Reviews
june
June Reading Wrap-Up
May
May Reading Recap
marriage
The Marriage Game: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth I

11 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature, Reading Tagged: books, library, lists, marriage, mini-reviews, movie, thriller

Comments

  1. KatieMcD @ Bookish Tendencies says

    August 1, 2016 at 4:10 am

    Okay, I’m officially crossing The Muse off my list. It’s been haunting me that I hadn’t gotten to it yet, but I can rest easy now.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      August 1, 2016 at 12:38 pm

      Sigh. It wasn’t bad and it may be that you would see it better than I did, if that makes sense. It just didn’t wow me, which means it was likely a personal thing.

      Reply
  2. Kristin says

    August 1, 2016 at 10:55 am

    Have you read Villa Triste? I finished it over Pioneer Day weekend and really enjoyed it.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      August 1, 2016 at 12:37 pm

      No, I haven’t, but it sounds right up my alley. Adding to my August reading!

      Reply
  3. Lauren says

    August 1, 2016 at 10:56 am

    I’m with you on Bradley Cooper, and the reasons you stated were why I didn’t even want to see Sisters. Seriously, those two are so brilliant. Why this? But I’m on the other end of the spectrum on Behind Closed Doors. I really enjoyed it. I think as much as we’d like to think that smart, professional women wouldn’t end up in this situation, it happens. I also thought that as much as I could not relate to Grace’s mindset, Paris at least gave her reasoning. The part I found most unbelievable was that G would leave when M had broken her…oh hell, whatever she broke, her leg? I’m usually one who rolls her eyes at irrational behavior, but for some reason I just rolled with this one without getting my eyes in on the action. The fun was knowing G was going to get the upper hand at some point and trying to figure out how and when. I get why it’s for everyone, but I loved it as a change of pace.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      August 1, 2016 at 12:35 pm

      Best quote ever and makes perfect sense to me: “for some reason I just rolled with this one without getting my eyes in on the action”. It just hit me the wrong way- transference, I’m sure!

      And yes, all of the instances when husband kept her away from M. I could not suspend belief enough.

      Reply
  4. Monika @ Lovely Bookshelf says

    August 1, 2016 at 1:11 pm

    Oh my gosh, I need to convince the family to move to Seattle. Those temperatures sound divine!!

    I’ve been debating whether or not to watch Room. Glad to hear you liked it.

    Reply
  5. Shannon @ River City Reading says

    August 1, 2016 at 2:38 pm

    Such a bummer about The Muse! I know you really loved her last book. Have you listened to Keeping it 1600 at all? It’s another good politics podcast. I’m also really excited that new episodes of Science Vs are up.

    Reply
  6. RK says

    August 1, 2016 at 4:52 pm

    Thanks for your thoughts on Behind Closed Doors, I’ve been thinking about reading it at some point. Looking forward to your review on Chronicle of a Last Summer, which is also on my to-read list.

    Reply
  7. Sarah's Book Shelves says

    August 1, 2016 at 5:22 pm

    Oh no – I’m sorry The Muse was such a disappointment…I know you were looking forward to that one 🙁

    Podcasts: Have you ever tried Keepin’ it 1600? It’s political commentary with Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer (ex-Obama speechwriting/communications people). I love it.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      August 1, 2016 at 5:53 pm

      Shannon just recommended it! I’ll take a listen.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Goodreads
  • Instagram

Save time and subscribe via email

No time to keep checking for new reviews? Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. No spam!

Bookshop

Currently Reading

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
by Emily Nagoski
The Dutch House
The Dutch House
by Ann Patchett
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
by Adrienne Brodeur

goodreads.com

Affiliate Disclosure

I’m an affiliate for Bookshop. If you click on a link that takes you to their site and make a purchase I’ll earn a small fee, which goes towards the costs of maintaining this site. Your support is appreciated. Thank you!

Archives

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

Theme Design By Studio Mommy · Copyright © 2025

Copyright © 2025 · Beyond Madison Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in