Literary Archives - The Gilmore Guide to Books

Vigil by George Saunders

Catherine — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 07:48:58 +0000

In Vigil by George Saunders Jill is an angel who helps the dying transition into death. Her latest assignment is K.J. Boone, a Texan oilman. Jill’s purpose is to comfort but also to give the person an opportunity to repent, but Boone wants none of that. He has nothing to be sorry for and is […]

The post Vigil by George Saunders appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

Saoirse by Charleen Hurtobise

Catherine — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 07:35:16 +0000

A teenage girl in fear for her life steals both money and a passport to get out of the U.S. and into Ireland in the 1990s. This is the beginning of the novel Saoirse, but it’s nowhere near the beginning of the life of Sarah, the main character. That unspools slowly throughout the book as […]

The post Saoirse by Charleen Hurtobise appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

Battle of the Titans: Mini-Reviews

Catherine — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 08:35:51 +0000

No battle and no giants here. Instead, I’ve got quick reviews of two chunkster books I read this fall. Chunkster being the technical term for big-ass, over 500 pages each, tomes. Both are set in prehistoric times and are the kind of books you’ll either settle into or set aside. I’ve read a lot […]

The post Battle of the Titans: Mini-Reviews appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

Lucky Girl

Catherine — Tue, 17 Feb 2026 08:40:50 +0000

What is life like when you have an extraordinary gift? When you’re a child with an ability that goes far beyond your years and you have the determination to see it grow? For Lucy, the ability was dance and her ambition so fierce it takes her to the heights of commercial success in Lucky Girl, […]

The post Lucky Girl appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny

Catherine — Thu, 12 Feb 2026 08:16:24 +0000

I love Indian writers and fiction so was very excited for Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, but this story of two strangers from India who have been trying to make life in America work went all kinds of wrong for me. Sunny’s and Sonia’ families still live in India and are known […]

The post The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

Crux by Gabriel Tallent

Catherine — Wed, 04 Feb 2026 08:33:32 +0000

Life in a nowhere town in the Mojave Desert should be torture for teens, but Daniel and Tamma are rock-climbing freaks and the area is filled with challenging boulders. Best friends since childhood they spend every waking moment not in school out on the rocks, but as Crux opens it is senior year. Daniel is […]

The post Crux by Gabriel Tallent appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

The Names by Florence Knapp

Catherine — Mon, 10 Nov 2025 08:05:39 +0000

It feels odd to say that a book that left me so saddened and troubled was a favorite, but it’s the case with author Florence Knapp’s debut, The Names. This is an alternate realities story about an infant boy whose mother, Cora, in three scenarios, chooses a different name for him. The story follows the […]

The post The Names by Florence Knapp appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

Catherine — Mon, 27 Oct 2025 07:39:19 +0000

I’ve read and enjoyed both of R.F. Kuang’s adult novels (Babel, Yellowface) so was looking forward to her latest, Katabasis. A Greek word meaning “going down or descending” this chunky novel is about Alice Law, an American student getting her graduate degree in Magick from Cambridge. The title refers to Alice’s descent into Hell to […]

The post Katabasis by R.F. Kuang appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

The Correspondent

Catherine — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 07:17:09 +0000

When Sybil Van Antwerp came of age there was no such thing as digital. Given that, she sees no reason to abandon her lifelong habit of communicating via letter. She’ll even use email when it is the only option, but that is as much as she’ll concede. This means Virginia Evans’ debut The Correspondent is […]

The post The Correspondent appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

Heart, Be at Peace

Catherine — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 07:15:20 +0000

Two five-stars in one week?! What’s going on over here at The Gilmore Guide? Well, the reviews have been pretty few and far between this summer so I felt like giving everyone another outstanding reading option was the least I could do. I’ve been enthralled by Irish authors for years now and one of […]

The post Heart, Be at Peace appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.