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

The Invisible Hour

August 31, 2023

invisible hour

I had asked to be forgiven in the past, but I was someone else now. I was the girl who knew how to escape, the one who could become invisible, who believed that a single dream was more powerful than a thousand realities. Ivy Jacob is a dreamy, book loving 16-year-old who steps into the real world long enough to find herself pregnant. Something her wealthy Bostonian parents ... Read More...

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: historical fiction, magic, women

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman

October 14, 2021

magic

What you put out into the world came back to you threefold. In The Rules of Magic Jet Owens and her siblings Franny and Vincent were dealing with their family’s curse about falling in love. Decisions were made and prices were paid. Now decades later both Jet and Franny live in the family’s house on Magnolia Street with their niece Sally, who’s suffered the most, losing two ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: England, family, family saga, magic, New England, women

Magic Lessons by Alice Hoffman

October 19, 2020

magic

A healer, living alone in the woods, discovers a baby girl left in a basket in a snowy meadow near her home. The infant is guarded by a large black raven, letting the woman know this is no average baby. She is the beginning of the Owens women clan and this is Magic Lessons, Alice Hoffman’s prequel to Practical Magic. Hannah, the healer, takes the girl home, names her Maria and ... Read More...

1 Comment
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: family saga, historical fiction, magic

November Reading Wrap-Up

December 2, 2019

november

November- what a month! I made it from Seattle to Ann Arbor and had a fabulous time driving across country. All our belongings showed up intact and on time with only a few hiccups. We’re still unpacking, organizing, and dealing with the ‘our furniture doesn’t fit in this space’ confusion. And getting hit with an unexpected storm that left 6” of snow behind. I knew I’d have to ... Read More...

10 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: book clubs, historical fiction, memoir, mini-reviews, mystery, world war II

October Reading Wrap-Up

November 1, 2017

October

Goodbye, October! This was another one of those months where, when I looked up it was the 20th and I had no idea where the days went. Is that an age thing? Because I never used to notice it so much. Anyway, I didn’t read as many books in October, for two reasons. One, I’m continuing to pay less attention to new releases (which is kind of working, in part because I’m only ... Read More...

8 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Feature Tagged: 19th century, England, historical fiction, lists, mini-reviews, Southern life

The Rules of Magic

October 9, 2017

rules

Whatever is meant to be is bound to happen, whether or not you approve. Frances, Bridget (Jet) and Vincent are born and raised with no sense of family. Their parents, actively discourage any discussion of grandparents or other relatives. Even worse, their mother, Susanna, gives them odd rules for living, including: no walking in moonlight, no red shoes, no cats, no candles, ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: coming-of-age, family, literary, magic, relationships

  • 1
  • 2
  • Next Page »
  • Bluesky
  • Email
  • Goodreads
  • Instagram
  • Substack

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 © 2026

Copyright © 2026 · Beyond Madison Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in