Mariner Books Archives - The Gilmore Guide to Books

This Motherless Land

Catherine — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 08:30:06 +0000

A loving, happy, Nigerian family is torn apart when a daughter survives a horrific car crash that leaves her mother and brother dead and her father’s grief makes him hate her for surviving. This is This Motherless Land and Funke is the daughter, who at eight finds herself on a plane to England to live […]

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Snake Oil: A Novel

Catherine — Fri, 13 Dec 2024 08:35:47 +0000

Three women, one company. Set in the wellness industry Snake Oil is about the woman who starts the company and two of the women who work for her. At opposite ends of the spectrum, one is a fervent believer in the company’s mission while the other avidly opposes it, but needs the paycheck. When the […]

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August Reading Wrap-Up

Catherine — Tue, 03 Sep 2024 07:50:10 +0000

August flew by, thanks to my first encounter with COVID. But I’m better now and while I didn’t get much reading or reviewing done, what I did read was diverse and interesting. Time to get back to regular review posting! As technology advances there is more and science fiction about scenarios that feel too […]

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Feel Good Reading: Mini-Reviews

Catherine — Thu, 15 Aug 2024 07:42:21 +0000

Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash My subject line today is a weak attempt on my part to make light of why I haven’t written a review in so long. I mentioned having COVID in my July recap, but that was two weeks ago. I’ve had little to do but read so reviews […]

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A Great Country

Catherine — Tue, 09 Apr 2024 07:44:20 +0000

In every way but culture the Shahs consider themselves to be an embodiment of the American Dream. They’ve lived in California for over 20 years, their three children were all born here, and Ashok has gone from freelance work to owning his own company. In the latest example of their achievement, they’ve just purchased a […]

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February Reading Wrap-Up

Catherine — Fri, 01 Mar 2024 08:10:11 +0000

February ended up being an interesting month for my reading. Interesting in that none of the usual rules applied and I became impatient, starting and stopping books with all the crankiness of a fractious toddler needing a nap. This week I took an adult version of a nap and spent three days in a small […]

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Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

Catherine — Fri, 19 Jan 2024 08:36:02 +0000

The holidays are a wrap and while the time with family was hopefully enjoyable or at least not painful, I thought it might be fun to spice things up with a murder mystery about one extended family that finds itself stranded at a ski resort. Even better, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone just […]

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Banyan Moon: A Novel

Catherine — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 07:53:33 +0000

The complex and delicate relationships between mothers and daughters is at the center of Thao Thai’s debut novel, Banyan Moon. Towards the end of the Vietnam War, Minh and her daughter, Huong, left Vietnam for America to settle in Florida. Huong’s daughter, Ann, is born there and the three live together in a decrepit mansion […]

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Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

Catherine — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 08:10:20 +0000

I don’t generally have themes for my reviews, but it just so happens that I’ve got two reviews this week with book titles that make them jump out at potential readers. Today, I’m enthusiastically endorsing Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone. Great title, right?! Luckily, it’s backed up by well-crafted story about an Australian […]

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An Unlasting Home

Catherine — Mon, 23 May 2022 04:47:26 +0000

When Sara’s mother was 8 months pregnant, she lied to the airlines and flew from Missouri back to Kuwait, determined that her daughter be born in the country of her ancestors. This is just the first of many miles and countries crossed by the indomitable women in Mai Al-Nakib’s sweeping novel, An Unlasting Home. A […]

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