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

Those We Thought We Knew

December 15, 2023

those we thought

The residents of Jackson, a quiet county in the North Carolina mountains, are happy believing racism is largely in their past. Until that is, reality intervenes in David Joy’s new novel, Those We Thought We Knew. Joy uses the perspectives of three local characters: two white law enforcement officers and one Black woman to strip the veneer from a place and people who thought ... Read More...

Leave a Comment
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, literary, racism, Southern life

Tom Lake by Ann Patchett

November 27, 2023

tom lake

I’m not sure I’ve ever started a review with an apology to the book and, possibly, the author. There’s a story here, so please be patient. I’ve always enjoyed Ann Patchett’s books, both fiction and nonfiction so I thought I was ready for her latest, Tom Lake, when it came out in August. A friend kindly loaned me their print copy. I tried it and loved its beginning, but print ... Read More...

9 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, family, literary

Day by Michael Cunningham

November 21, 2023

day

A single day revisited for three years is the scaffolding that supports Michael Cunningham’s new novel, Day. The years are significant as they bracket the pandemic and lockdown, but this is not a COVID novel of suspense, terror, or disaster. Rather it’s snapshots of one family at three critical points in their lives as individuals and as a family unit. Dan and Isabel live in a ... Read More...

4 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, contemporary life, literary

The Berry Pickers: A Novel

November 14, 2023

berry

For one Mi’kmaq family summers in Maine have always been about sunshine, campfires, and reunions with old friends amidst long days of picking blueberries as migrant workers. Until 1962 when Ruthie, their youngest daughter, disappears, irrevocably changing the lives of the two main characters in Amanda Peters’ stunning debut The Berry Pickers. For Joe it begins a cycle of loss ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, debut, literary, Native Americans

In Light of All Darkness

November 6, 2023

in light

The Polly Klaas kidnapping and murder in California was thirty years ago, but is still known today as the event that changed how the criminal justice system responds in child abduction cases. Kim Cross documents the aftermath of the Klaas kidnapping alongside the actions of investigators, police, and the FBI in her new book In Light of All Darkness. It was 1993 and 12-year-old ... Read More...

2 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Non-fiction Tagged: 20th century, true crime

The Sweet Spot

October 18, 2023

sweet spot

When Phillip gets an amazing job in Berlin he offers his rundown, but much-loved brownstone in Greenwich Village to his son and his family. What he doesn’t know is that the house will become the host for a wide array of characters and outrageous situations, including his daughter-in-law’s mother, who shows up unannounced to help out and the young woman they hire because they do ... Read More...

6 Comments
Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: chick lit, contemporary life, vacation reading

  • « Previous Page
  • 1
  • …
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • …
  • 62
  • 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