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 retrieve the soul of her academic advisor, the ... Read More...
Starter Villain
Hello, lovely readers! You may have noticed that The Gilmore Guide to Books doesn’t look the way it usually does. Instead of brief excerpts of the books I’ve reviewed, the landing page now contains the full review for every book. It is clunky and not how I like things to look. Sadly, it’s been almost ten years since I’ve had to dive into the code that makes this blog work so my ... Read More...
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
Sometimes all you need in your reading is a raucous tale of adventure and fun and I found it in Shannon Chakraborty‘s novel, The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi. Amina is a middle-aged woman, a mother, a former pirate who once captained the ship that terrorized merchants and the wealthy alike throughout the Indian Ocean. After a catastrophic trek she retired to her home village ... Read More...
July Reading Wrap-Up
My surprise over the disappearance of July probably comes as no surprise as I seem to lament how quickly the months go on a regular basis now. It's a disconnect from the feeling that we’re years into this president’s term based on the chaos and toxicity. The only thing keeping my poor psyche from exploding is how beautiful July’s weather was—cool, cloudy mornings turning to ... Read More...
January Reading Wrap-Up
Wrap-up is the perfect word for this January. One, it is COLD here in Seattle. Flannel sheets cold which makes for cozy reading. Two, for the first time in a very long time a month has felt like it lasted a year. I went from my normal head shake over "where did this month go" to holding my head in my hands and asking "how can this still be January?'. From a friend who lost ... Read More...
My 9 Favorite Books in 2024
As I started reviewing my reading year there was one stat that jumped off the chart at me. Of the 13 five-star books I read this year my favorite 9 were backlist (published before 2024). I’m sure publishing analysts could provide an easy explanation (fewer books published in an election year) or a psychologist something more detailed (possibly around escape and avoidance) but ... Read More...
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