Fiction Archives - The Gilmore Guide to Books

Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash

Catherine — Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:17:40 +0000

How wonderful to find a novel that had me laughing out loud by page 10. Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash drops you right into the deep end of a deeply dysfunctional family from the perspective of their parish priest as he meets with their youngest daughter. They no longer come to church, the parents are […]

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A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage

Catherine — Mon, 20 Jul 2026 07:30:46 +0000

Last week was devoted to sad summer reading—challenging, rewarding books that left me emotionally wrung out. This week I’m swinging in the opposite direction with something much more fun, beginning with: A Sociopath’s Guide to a Successful Marriage by M.K. Oliver. Really, who could resist that title? Sophie is supremely confident, intelligent, attractive, a devoted […]

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Land by Maggie O’Farrell

Catherine — Mon, 13 Jul 2026 07:03:09 +0000

One family and a country wiped out by famine are the heart and soul of Land, Maggie O’Farrell’s sweeping new novel. The lives of Tomás, Phina, and their children, Liam, Enda, Rose, and Eugene play out on the page with all the verdant vibrancy of the land they love. It’s a decade after the Great […]

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Whidbey by T Kira Madden

Catherine — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 07:29:17 +0000

I’ve always been open to challenging reading, but admit that I may have found the book that pushed too far. Whidbey by T Kira Madden is told from the perspectives of three women, all of whom have had their lives irreversibly changed by a pedophile. Two are victims and one is the man’s mother. Although […]

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Whistler by Ann Patchett

Catherine — Thu, 25 Jun 2026 07:16:16 +0000

What begins as offhanded teasing between a wife and husband turns into a momentous occasion that unfolds across the pages and years in Ann Patchett’s exquisite new novel, Whistler. Daphne and her husband are at the Metropolitan Museum when they notice an elderly gentleman following them. Jonathon jokes that he’s staring at Daphne, and it […]

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Looking for Funny: Mini-Reviews

Catherine — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 07:24:48 +0000

Somehow, without paying attention, I read two spring releases back-to-back that were written by comedy writers and not just any comedy writers, but two who both wrote for the same show, Arrested Development, a show I loved. But while the tone and voice of both these writers was funny the plots weren’t, leading me to […]

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Ruins by Lily Brooks-Dalton

Catherine — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 07:14:37 +0000

What if there was another advanced civilization on Earth, older than ours, that has remained undiscovered? Ember is an archeologist who believes this to be true and has spent her life trying to find proof of this pre-historic society. In Ruins, after years languishing in academia, she finally receives an artifact from a colleague supporting […]

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May Reading

Catherine — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 07:12:14 +0000

Hello, lovely readers! It’s been a minute since I did one of these monthly round-ups, but I’m trying to get back on track. Or at least figure out where the track is. This year has been a sluggish one for reading, but my May reading brought two new release five star books. The […]

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The Last Mandarin

Catherine — Fri, 29 May 2026 07:08:40 +0000

Louise Penny is back with her second thriller written with a co-author. In this case it’s award-winning journalist Mellisa Fung who’s helped craft The Last Mandarin. The novel opens on a normal day when an unusual event occurs that creates immediate chaos in the world. A geopolitical terrorist attack that brings together an unlikely couple; […]

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The Tapestry of Fate

Catherine — Wed, 27 May 2026 07:05:47 +0000

The infamous pirate Amina al-Sirafi is back. She made her debut in Shannon Chakraborty’s novel The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi, where she was brought out of retirement to retrieve a kidnapped girl. When Tapestry of Fate, the newest novel in the series, begins it is years later and she’s happily living in her isolated home […]

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