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The Names by Florence Knapp

November 10, 2025

names

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 boy, his mother, and his older sister through the three lives they would ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: debut, literary

Katabasis by R.F. Kuang

October 27, 2025

katabasis

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...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: England, fantasy, literary

The Correspondent

September 16, 2025

correspondent

When Sylvia 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 an epistolary novel comprised only of Sylvia‘s communications with the ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, debut, literary, women

Heart, Be at Peace

September 4, 2025

heart

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 my recent discoveries was Donal Ryan. Two years ago I read and ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, Ireland, literary

Home of the American Circus

August 21, 2025

american circus

Home of the American Circus begins with Freya’s rent being overdue and her appendix bursting. These two events give her no choice but to leave Maine where she lives and head back to her hometown in New York. And not just the town, but her childhood home which was left to her by her parents. Once there she reunites with her best friend, a troubled musician who is also living ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, childhood, family, literary

The Bright Years

April 29, 2025

bright years

Four generations of one Texas family unfold on the pages of Sarah Damoff’s intimate debut, The Bright Years. What begins with the simple act of falling in love turns into something deeper and more profound as secrets and addiction pull apart the loving trio of father Ryan, mother Lillian, and daughter Georgette (Jet), leaving each to manage the fallout. The novel is told in ... Read More...

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Filed Under: Book Reviews, Fiction Tagged: book clubs, family, literary

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