historical Archives - The Gilmore Guide to Books

Lady Tremaine

Catherine — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 07:57:44 +0000

The wicked stepmother has been a mainstay in fiction since before the Brothers Grimm became grim. No fairy tale was complete without one, but the one in Cinderella was particularly vicious and cruel. So easy to hate. Maybe too easy? Author Rachel Hochhauser decides to remedy that in her novel, Lady Tremaine. This is not […]

The post Lady Tremaine 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.

Daughter of Egypt

Catherine — Mon, 02 Mar 2026 08:23:42 +0000

Two young women, separated by thousands of years, stand at the center of Marie Benedict’s new novel, Daughter of Egypt. One is the daughter of a wealthy English lord in post-WWI England while the other is a pharaoh’s daughter in ancient Egypt. Only one has a life predestined by the gods, but both will have […]

The post Daughter of Egypt appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

Skylark by Paula McClain

Catherine — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 08:59:42 +0000

A young woman is imprisoned in an insane asylum in the 1600s. A psychiatric medical student in Paris in the 1940s is faced with the realities of the Nazi invasion. These two unrelated characters sit at the center of Paula McLain’s latest novel, Skylark, because both are forced to venture into the darkest parts of […]

The post Skylark by Paula McClain appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

2025 Best Backlist

Catherine — Thu, 01 Jan 2026 08:57:57 +0000

I couldn’t exit the year without an acknowledgement of the backlist books that kept me afloat in 2025. While there were excellent new books released in 2025 these six special novels, all published in previous years found me when I needed books to provide an escape, thrill me, make me laugh, and even break my […]

The post 2025 Best Backlist appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

The Secret Book Society

Catherine — Fri, 03 Oct 2025 07:18:38 +0000

It’s 1895 in England and women are kept firmly in their established roles as wives, mothers, and arbiters of society. Deviation from these roles or even a desire for something more could lead to a woman being institutionalized by her guardian “for her own safety”. A guardian was the male in her life be it […]

The post The Secret Book Society appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

The Frozen River

Catherine — Tue, 29 Jul 2025 07:06:44 +0000

Martha Ballard is a well-regarded wife, mother, and midwife in late 1700s Maine. When The Frozen River begins it’s the depths of winter and she’s been called to determine a cause of death for a man found frozen in the river. She declares it to be murder, but this is just the beginning of a […]

The post The Frozen River appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

Call Her Freedom

Catherine — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 07:49:23 +0000

A small village in the Himalayan foothills is the setting for Tara Dorabji’s debut novel, Call Her Freedom. Aisha’s mother is a midwife and teaches Aisha all about childbirth and herbal remedies when Aisha is not in school. An outstanding student it’s been her mother’s dream to see her go to university in the city. […]

The post Call Her Freedom appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

What Kind of Paradise

Catherine — Tue, 22 Jul 2025 07:40:27 +0000

Jane has lived her entire life in a 700 square foot cabin near Bozeman, Montana; her contact with the modern world significantly limited. Her father is stern, but loving, a Luddite zealot who raves against technology in any form and writes copious screeds that no one reads, except Jane. Until he realizes that, with her […]

The post What Kind of Paradise appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.

Georgia by Dawn Tripp

Catherine — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 07:02:00 +0000

When I become interested in a subject, especially when it’s a woman, I turn to historical fiction. I’m not sure why—maybe diving right into nonfiction makes me feel like I’m back in school? At the very least my compromised ability to pay attention means fiction of any kind is the right starting point. Thankfully, I […]

The post Georgia by Dawn Tripp appeared first on The Gilmore Guide to Books.