My surprise over the disappearance of July probably comes as no surprise as I seem to lament how quickly the months go on a regular basis now. It’s a disconnect from the feeling that we’re years into this president’s term based on the chaos and toxicity. The only thing keeping my poor psyche from exploding is how beautiful July’s weather was—cool, cloudy mornings turning to sunshine in the afternoon with highs in the 70s—and how much great reading I had. I’m incredibly grateful for both!
What is not so great is my inability to write reviews in a timely manner. I feel as if I’m losing my words and it’s painful and unpleasant because it leaves The Gilmore Guide to Books empty for weeks at a time. Normally, the monthly recap is mini-reviews of books I didn’t care for because the books I did enjoy have already been discussed. Given that I’m not reviewing as much these days, I’ve added star ratings this month for the books I haven’t written about yet so you can at least have get a sense of what you might want to read before the summer ends.
Our Last Resort by Clémence Michallon
Published by Knopf Publishing Group
Publication date: July 8, 2025
I appreciate a slow burn suspense novel, but unlike Michallen’s last book, The Quiet Tenant, there is no burn here. At 50% of the way through the novel is still mired in the characters’ childhood lives in and escape from a cult. This is obviously going to be relevant to the novels, central mystery of a murdered woman, but there is no momentum, no tension to keep the reader engaged.
Given the twists, surprises, and propulsion of The Quiet Tenant, there may be a grand finale in Our Last Resort, but I checked out early rather than waiting for it.
Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark : 3.5 ⭐️, review to follow
Heart, Be at Peace by Donal Ryan: 5 ⭐️, review to follow
Published by Scribner
Publication date: May 27, 2025
Apparently the apocalypse is here, because I never thought I’d see the day I would DNF a Stephen King book because I was bored, but here we are. I’ve loved his Holly Gibney series, mostly because she is such a fantastic character, but even her eccentricities were not enough to make Never Flinch engaging reading. Two plot lines circling timely social issues were not able to land on either by the 60% mark of the novel. At which point, I called time of death.
The Glassmaker by Tracy Chevalier: 4 ⭐️, review to follow
Call Her Freedom by Tara Dorabji: My review
A Treachery of Swans by A.B. Poranek
Publication date: June 24, 2025
Bookshop
In the same way I love retellings of Greek mythology that are less male-centric, I’m definitely up for the same thing with the fairytales that used to obsess me as a child. In this case, it’s the classical ballet story of Swan Lake as told through the eyes of the two young women, Odette and Odile. One light and bright, destined to marry a prince; the other dark and determined to rob her former friend of her happiness. Author A.B. Poranek delves deep into this tale, turning it from a simple case of black and white into something more layered where Odette and Odile don’t need the help of a prince to find love and freedom.
The Adventures of Amina al-Serafi by Shannon Chakraborty: 5 ⭐️, review to follow
The Satisfaction Cafe by Kathy Wang: 3 ⭐️
That’s a wrap for July! I hope wherever you are the weather is reasonable and you’ve got plenty of great reading to enjoy.
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*I received free copies of these books from Knopf and Scribner in exchange for an honest review.*
I really liked Fellowship Point and gave it 5 stars. I’ll be interested to see your review and reasons for rating it 3.5 stars. I always love your thoughtful comments and reviews and wrap-ups.
I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reply! I think I docked it a half star because I was able to set it down for such a long period without wanting to pick it up again. Also, that husband Dick was so horrible it was hard to understand why his wife never pushed back at all.
Yeah my head’s going to explode with the latest stunts of the inept maniac in DC …. coupled with an AI tech industry gone berserk …. will there be any world left to return to? But to reading we go …. and it seems Donal Ryan has hit it out of the park again — good to know. I read his novel The Queen of Dirt Island … and that was pretty impressive. Keep reading, keep writing.
I’ll keep writing for as long as I’m allowed to. Project 2025 is moving along at a pretty rapid clip. Hopefully, I can still vote in the next election.